Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the Manager of Opposition Business for his comments. As Speaker, how the Manager of Opposition Business presents that in that event, obviously, is a matter for him. But my interest is in members being able to have their say in a division. I think there is a difference between a successive division where everyone's been in the House and has voted as distinct from a division that does not result in a count because there are fewer than five members. I don't want to detain the House for any great point of time. The doors are locked. I've said that what I'd prefer to do at a practical level is simply ring the bells for four minutes. That's what I'd prefer to do. But, if the Manager of Opposition Business insists on a count, I think he's right. On one point, I say to the Leader of the House that no objection was made until the doors were locked, and I think that that is a reasonable point. So let's proceed with the count, rather than delay things any longer, and, in the event that there's a need to revisit this from some members in the House, we can do that.

I do want to be practical on this. Specifically, I think the Manager of Opposition Business is referring to standing order 132, where there can be a new division in the case of confusion, error or misadventure. I imagine that is what he is inviting if members have been confused, and I think that would be reasonable, as I tried to outline, just given the nature of the fact that members did not all have to be in here once it was obvious there was not going to be a count. I think that is the difficulty some members would have. What I imagine the Manager of Opposition Business is suggesting is that he'd cooperate if leave was sought on such—

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