Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Hansard source

Well, I'm going to refer to the Practice, because if I were to accept that, really, I think I'd be accepting a second motion. I go back to the point that there's a difficulty for the chair when these things are moved on the hop. I'd be really accepting a second motion, when the House has actually said it disagrees with contributions on the second reading—that's the decision the House has made. I think what the Manager of Opposition Business is now seeking to do is to invoke certainly a principle in the standing orders not that Speakers have decided to uphold but that the House for many years has decided to uphold, and that is that the third reading immediately follows the second reading on the day of debate. I'll hear from the Manager of Opposition Business.

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