Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr Speaker. You asked me to give you the chance before I spoke on the amendment itself, so that is why I moved to one side. I want to make clear to the members of the House a few things about this amendment. In the first instance, this amendment does not commit anyone to the bill itself, but what it does commit the House to is giving the bill the opportunity to be considered and voted on. It also guarantees that this House will have told the Selection Committee exactly what it believes should happen. I do think it would be extraordinary—possibly the first time—if there were a resolution of the House for a bill to be brought on and then the Selection Committee made a different determination later. That would be an extraordinary outcome, but we do not deal with that today. What we deal with today is: what is the view of the House? Should we allow the opportunity for a bill on a banking commission to be considered by the House and voted on by the House?

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