Terri Butler (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for the Environment and Water) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I move:

That so much of the standing orders be suspended as would prevent the Member for Griffith from moving the following motion immediately. That this House:

(1) notes:

(a) for two days, coalition MPs have voted to keep the Member for Bowman as Chair of the Standing Committee, Employment, Education and Training, which allows him to claim an extra $23,000 on top of his base salary;

(b) the Member for Bowman stated on March 27 he would "step down from all Parliamentary roles effective immediately", but has failed to do so;

(c) the Prime Minister now appears to accept the Member for Bowman's defence of his behaviour towards woman; and

(d) by voting to keep the Member for Bowman as Chair of this committee, the Prime Minister and everyone who sits behind him in this House is endorsing the Member for Bowman's behaviour.

(2) therefore, calls on the Prime Minister to discharge the Member for Bowman from the Standing Committee on Employment, Education and Training immediately.

This motion is important, because this goes to the treatment of women and the conduct of this House.

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