Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Hansard source

The Manager of Opposition Business will resume his seat. Members on both sides will cease interjecting. I am going to go back to the ruling I made on referring to members by their correct titles, and I am going to address the House on this subject. I realise tensions are running high, but I would ask the Manager of Opposition Business to listen carefully to what I am saying, because it relates to both the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition, and indeed to himself and to the Leader of the House.

At the end of question time, when I had sat members down for not using correct titles, I made a statement. You will see that that statement refers to a number of aspects about context and the like. There is another element as well that is well established within the Practiceif he wishes, through the course of question time, I can show him the reference—that special latitude on all matters is given to party leaders and, in fact, to managers of opposition business and to the Leader of the House. So, in this sense, I have exercised that latitude. I would exercise it in precisely the same way to the Leader of the Opposition, as I have on many occasions and, indeed, I did on budget night of this year, where the offences were repeated over and over again. I am going to ask the Prime Minister to resume his answer, and to refer to members by their correct titles. The Practice makes it very clear that is the case, and it was in my consideration when I made that judgement.

See this speech in context