Daryl Melham (Banks, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I refer to the earlier discussion relating to the motion that is currently on the books in Hansard and refer you to House of Representatives Practice, page 588, where it says:

Although only the House itself can exercise control over the content of the Hansard reports, in practice this responsibility has devolved to the Speaker. Rulings of the Chair form the guidelines for what is to be deleted from the debates and what is to be incorporated.

Further down it says:

The Chair has a responsibility to ensure that no objectionable material is included in the debates.

Mr Speaker, I put it to you that you have the power, as Speaker of the House, to order that the Hansard be corrected and that the offensive words be removed from the final form of Hansardthis is not the daily Hansard. There is ample precedent for that. Indeed, there was an occasion where a constituent of mine was inadvertently named in question time and the Speaker subsequently allowed the deletion of the constituent’s name from the permanent record of Hansard. So I would suggest to you that there is ample power contained in there. Now you can rule that those words are objectionable and that they be deleted from the final Hansard record.

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Banks. Could I ask him which edition of the Practice he is quoting?

Daryl Melham (Banks, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This is House of Representatives Practice, fourth edition.

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is a new edition.

Daryl Melham (Banks, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, but it is the same principle. I am sorry I do not have the latest, but it does occur on that particular page. The principle is that you have the discretion to remove those offensive words from the subsequent Official Hansard. It has not been altered. I am happy to hand you the fourth edition.

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Banks. I think the fifth edition has taken over. The member for Banks would be aware that it is not normal practice for the Speaker to have words deleted when they are integral to the debate that is in the Hansard.

Wilson Tuckey (O'Connor, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, on a point of order in response to that: could I suggest therefore that the member might give you a list of some of the more famous quotes still in Hansard from the one-time Treasurer and Prime Minister Keating, because I can remember—

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for O’Connor will resume his seat. He will not debate the points of order.