Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Hansard source

I just say to the Manager of Opposition Business that it's certainly not my place to advise whether a matter before the House should go away or not go away. That is absolutely none of my business. I want to be absolutely clear on that. I want to make it clear to the House, in that vein, that motions can certainly be moved; it's just that an identical motion or indeed a similar motion in substance that the House has made a decision on cannot continually be moved.

The Manager of Opposition Business does raise a very good question, and that is the difference between questions and motions. Certainly the approach and, indeed, the standing order, on questions is very specific. I suppose the difference here goes back to some of Speaker Sneddon's rulings, which is that, when it comes to a motion, it really is detaining the House and asking them to decide a question—albeit, I have to say that these questions have been decided by the House determining by a majority vote that the speakers be no further heard et cetera, but that is a decision—and, once they have decided that, to continually pursue the same motion in substance detains the House. Obviously with questions it's a specific period of time and there's a different approach. But, in saying that I won't accept this motion, I want to make it very clear to the House that's not saying that I will not accept any motion on the substance of the issue; it just really needs to be a motion asking the House to make a decision on something different, not merely repeating what was said yesterday. The member for Monash?

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