Monique Ryan (Kooyong, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I second and support the member for Goldstein's motion for this change to sessional order 65A. The 47th Parliament has the largest crossbench yet seen in this House, reflecting the fact that one-third of Australians voted for a representative independent from the major parties at the most recent federal election. The millions of Australians who make up our electorates have expressed a desire to see politics done differently. As a new member of parliament, I have been disappointed by the opposition's frequent interruptions and stonewalling in question time in the first sitting fortnight of this parliament. The opposition's points of order are pointless. The time we have here is precious. It is expensive. It should be valued. We hold the trust of the public that we use this time effectively and responsibly. Our electorates want and deserve better than the time wasted in question time. We wish to facilitate a more productive question time in which the important and pressing issues of our time can be discussed in detail and with respect. This country needs an effective opposition and question time needs to include real questions and real answers. The interests of our individual electorates will be better served by a redistribution of questions such as to increase the ability of this crossbench to hold the government to account.

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