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

Mr Speaker, you've made history today. We shouldn't let the significance of what's happened today be lost in the moment. The first Speaker in Federation, Speaker Holder, was never opposed and was elected three times unopposed; no subsequent Speaker has managed that until today. It speaks volumes for how you have handled the role. While a dissent motion is not a confidence motion, dissent motions have been relatively routine, and more so over the years. Speaker Holder never had a dissent motion against one of his rulings and never had a vote of no confidence moved against him. You have achieved the same. So we shouldn't lose the significance of what has happened today in the parliament.

Mr Speaker, you have been absolutely consistent in rulings. There have been moments where I've taken a point of order and I haven't liked the ruling, but whatever you've ruled—whether it's worked for the government or this side—you've kept the consistency and predictability of your interpretation of the standing orders. You've also allowed the debate to flourish. I acknowledge the presence in the chamber of your predecessor, former Speaker Bishop. One of the comments that was often made from the chair during her time was: 'We are not just some polite debating society; we are a parliament.' You have allowed the robustness of that debate—the fierceness of that debate—to flourish, and you have allowed, at all times, the debate on the floor to be the issue rather than yourself.

There are many times for members of parliament when someone—be it on that side, on this side or on the crossbench—goes through a very difficult time. We talk about the procedural role in here, but when that's occurred, there has effectively been, let's call it a pastoral role, where you have taken an interest in the welfare of every member in this place. Those members who have been helped by that reaching out at different points know who they are. What it has shown is that you have had a determination, both to respect the precedents of this place—to keep the order and administration of this place—and to be a Speaker for every one of what used to be the 149 and is now the 150 people that you look out over. It's because of the way that you've handled that role that today you've made history in a way that no Speaker of this parliament, since the first parliament, has been able to. You should be commended for that.

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