Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Hansard source

The question is the amendment moved by the Manager of Opposition Business be agreed to. Before I put the question, there was a statement I was planning to make a little bit later with respect to divisions, but it might suit if I do that now. Firstly, for members who haven't been here for the last two sittings—I can still hear the member for Ballarat even when she's up there!—the question has been put in the negative to avoid people crossing the chamber. When I put the question it will be, 'That the amendment moved by the Manager of Opposition Business be disagreed to,' as that allows those voting no to be on the left and those voting aye to be on the right. That practice has worked well.

I also have a statement with respect to the recording of divisions. In these unusual times, as members will be aware from our last two sittings, large numbers—very large numbers—of pairs of government and opposition members have been necessary, meaning certain members were not present in the chamber for voting in those divisions. Now, pairing arrangements are unofficial and a Speaker wouldn't usually comment on such matters; however, in the interests of members, I've given this some thought and had some discussions. Pairing allows the voting intentions of absent members to be recorded in this time, and pairing, of course, has enabled the important legislation that the government has put forward to be debated and passed—indeed, without pairing it wouldn't have been possible because in any sitting there's a limit to the number of people in this chamber—so for the foreseeable future that will be the practice.

In the last two sittings the Chief Government Whip and the Opposition Whip read into the Hansard the names of those members of their respective parties who'd been paired as a way of recognising the special arrangements and recognising how they would have voted if they had that opportunity. So as to better support this practice, I asked the whips to consider a change that goes back to a previous practice. I now inform the House that the pairs will be recorded in the House records, the Votes and Proceedings, and in the Hansard. Those who've been here for a while will know that practice existed for a long time, and I can assure members it was in fact a practice that existed at the beginning of the very first parliament. That will mean that those members' voting intentions will be listed in the column of the pairs. To facilitate this, the Chief Government Whip and Chief Opposition Whip will provide a list of the paired members as necessary to the Table Office and Hansard, and when the advice is received the pairs will be recorded in the Live Minutes, the Votes and Proceedings and the Hansard in the way it used to be. I thought I'd just point that out now. I thank everyone.

I will now put the question—yes, Leader of the House.

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