Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Minister for Education) Share this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, I move:

That so much of standing orders be suspended as would prevent the Leader of the House from moving forthwith:

That the Manager of Opposition Business, the member for Watson, be required by this House to immediately apologise to the Speaker for grievously reflecting on her in this place, most particularly yesterday in a motion of referral of the Speaker to the Standing Committee of Privileges and Members' Interests.

Yesterday in this House, the Manager of Opposition Business moved the motion to refer you to the Privileges Committee for what he described as 'one of the most grievous breaches of parliamentary practice in the history of the world'. His hyperbole attacking you was unprecedented and it was disgraceful. It was based around the concept that holding a fundraiser in the Speaker's dining room was somehow grossly in breach of the rules of the parliament. At no point was he able to name any of those rules in the parliament that govern the use of members' offices. In fact, you had already indicated during the day, at 9 am and again at question time, that the rules are that Parliament House offices be used for any purpose so long as it is not an illegal purpose. At the time, the Manager of Opposition Business reflected most grievously on you in the chair. He said things like:

Your predecessors, Madam Speaker, whether they be Labor, Liberal or National, have not done this.

That was untrue. In fact, the former member for Watson had done so.

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