Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Hansard source

You're right that there are a lot of things that have happened, but I'll tell you one thing that's not going to happen: we're not going to start inventing standing orders. Another thing that hasn't happened is the absence of an MPI. I think now I've got the attention of the House and everyone's here.

Ms Flint interjecting—

No, Member for Boothby, there's lots of time—I think we've made that point! I'm going to address a couple of points. It is a misunderstanding of the standing orders. I'd forgotten—and I know why—question time going for 126 minutes in 2009. I had. You probably had as well. Another thing that's happened, and I might as well address this now, is the absence of a matter of public importance today. House of Reps Practice also notes that, although members on both sides of the House are entitled to propose the matter and occasionally—very occasionally—a government member's been selected, it's now essentially the convention, since we're talking of conventions, that the opposition lodge the MPI; or, indeed, if a crossbencher lodges it, they do that in consultation with the official opposition. Given there was no MPI lodged today, this has deprived the House of an opportunity and deprived other members of an opportunity to have a matter of public importance. Question time is an important part of the day; so is the matter of public importance. It is meant to be just that: the biggest debate of the day.

I'm very disappointed in that—I have to say that—and what I'm going to do is encourage members from both sides of the House to submit matters to me and I'll consider them. That's how I feel at the moment, but I'm happy to hear from the Manager of Opposition Business.

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