Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Hansard source

Members will not interject. The Manager of Opposition Business will resume his seat. I thank the Leader of the House for his point of order. It won't surprise members that I've reflected on this matter for the last 24 hours and 40 minutes, since the beginning of question time yesterday. The Leader of the House quite rightly points out that the House has adopted certain practices in the past, and everything he read there was accurate. Members should also be aware that there are certain exceptions to this and the way the House has gone about things—for instance, with respect to a criminal matter where a jury is involved, with respect to what stage the case is at. I've considered this very closely.

In the first week I became Speaker, I said I wanted free-flowing debate, and my attitude as Speaker is that with the High Court—the highest court in the land—adjudicating on these matters, with the deepest respect to every member of this House, myself included, I am very confident the High Court is not going to be swayed one way or the other by what is said in this House. I say that with respect to everyone who has given an opinion, including that last interjector, the member for Isaacs, who has been warned and will now leave under 94(a).

Opposition members interjecting—

No, I will retract that—I've just been reminded it was a 'hear, hear'. I thought it was something else! All interjections are disorderly, but if it was a 'hear, hear', that's less disorderly than the others. So I'm going to allow the question. The Deputy Prime Minister has the call.

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