Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I add my congratulations to you on your elevation to the chair. I move:

That the honourable member for Chisholm, Ms Anna Elizabeth Burke, be elected Deputy Speaker.

I am delighted to nominate Anna as Deputy Speaker of this House. Anna has served as the member for Chisholm since 1998. She is a south-eastern suburbs girl through and through, having been born in Ashwood, having studied at Monash and living in Box Hill. She even at one point in her life worked in Chadstone shopping centre or, as we Victorians know it, Chaddy. Anna is incredibly hardworking, and I know that her constituents, including my parents, will be absolutely delighted if she becomes Deputy Speaker. It is an enormous privilege and one of which I know the constituents of the electorate of Chisholm will be very proud.

Anna holds a Bachelor of Arts and a master’s in commerce and has brought to this place her breadth of experience in representing workers in the banking and insurance industries. Anna in her time in this place has taken on many challenges—and I want to acknowledge just a few—through the committees she has served on, including the Standing Committee of Privileges and the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services. In particular, I want to acknowledge that in her prior role as Deputy Chair of the House Standing Committee on Economics, Finance and Public Administration she demonstrated her capacity for work. In particular, her work on the local government report on cost shifting led to a much stronger recognition in this place of the role of deputy chairs.

Anna has pursued many issues during her time in this place that have had a significant impact not only on her constituents but also on all of our constituents. She pursued the issue of telemarketing calls and eventually saw the introduction of the Do Not Call Register. She has been a champion for more funding and rights for people with eating disorders and she has brought the issue of anaphylaxis much broader attention.

It is a great privilege to work with Anna, and she is widely respected for her passion, dedication and hard work—all skills I know she will bring to bear in her role as Deputy Speaker. I know that John and Madeleine, her two children, are both in the gallery and they, alongside Steve and her mother, Joan, will be very proud of Anna today. I am again delighted to nominate Anna Burke, the member for Chisholm, as Deputy Speaker and I wish her every success in this position.

Michael Danby (Melbourne Ports, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I also congratulate you on your deserved election as Speaker of this House, and I second the motion moved by the member for Ballarat. I was elected at the same time as Anna Burke in 1998, so one can see that, with the elevation of the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister and the fine speeches of the returned brother from Braddon and the member for Capricornia, it is a vintage that is reaching maturity. Anna’s honour in this particular role as Deputy Speaker is deserved as she is one of the great characters of this federal parliament. Not surprisingly, her honours thesis at university was on Trollope’s great works, the Barchester Chronicles, which are about the characters and intrigues of the Victorian era and the Victorian church. The member for Chisholm is one of the people around this place that make a difference, as the member for Ballarat recounted, not just in the areas of anaphylaxis and children and eating disorders of young models; the Do Not Call Register is something that I think impressed this whole parliament. In fact, she is a paradigm of a parliamentarian who is able to use her parliamentary skills as an opposition backbencher to convince a government to take up an issue. So she is a person who has made a great deal of difference in this place.

In another context, the Prime Minister used the word ‘schadenfreude’, which is an unfortunate expression that means taking pleasure in the misfortune of others. I would like to introduce another word to this parliament, ‘nachas’, which means the derived pleasure one gets in seeing one’s friends and people who deserve to do well.

If Anna becomes Deputy Speaker, I know her husband, Steve, who has done such a great job in helping her with the two kids that she has borne while she has been a member of this parliament, John and Maddie, will get nachas from her activities, as will her mum, Joan. All of her friends in Melbourne and her wider political circle will get great pleasure from her new role, but I think all members of this House who appreciate what individual members of parliament can do will derive great pleasure from the success of the Deputy Speaker.

Kay Hull (Riverina, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the honourable member for Maranoa, Mr Scott, be elected as Deputy Speaker.

The member for Maranoa has a vast range of experience in this House. He was first elected in 1990 and he has represented for a long period of time the people who reside within that 600,000 square kilometres of land. He is an avid supporter of rural and regional interests and a great champion of those interests in this House. In his past life, he was an Australian Nuffield Farming Scholar and in 1993 he studied the Common Agricultural Policy of the European Commission and the processing, marketing and promotion of Australian wool in the UK and Europe.

Mr Scott undertook a variety of shadow ministries in opposition and then he rose to be Minister for Veterans’ Affairs from 1996 to 2001. His achievements were great in that area. He created an enormous number of programs that assisted the health of our service veterans and their families. He established one of the most highly successful programs; that is, Their Service—Our Heritage commemorative program, incorporating the Regional War Memorials program. He was also A Deputy Speaker for the House of Representatives between 2002 and 2007.

The member for Maranoa is a passionate, dedicated and committed member of the Nationals. He has certainly served this House in a magnificent capacity since his election in 1990, having experienced, as I said, the benches of opposition, the benches of government, the benches of government ministry, the back benches again and then the Speaker’s panel, where he has served with distinction. The member for Maranoa has always maintained his absolute, ardent support and representation for his region. In his maiden speech he said:

Let us not be fooled into thinking that the heart of Australia can be ignored. Our future—this country’s future—will depend on the development and utilisation of all our land—

and, of course, all our people. I commend to you, Mr Speaker, the nomination of the member for Maranoa, Mr Scott.

Paul Neville (Hinkler, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to second the nomination of Bruce Scott for the role of Deputy Speaker. In nominating Mr Bruce Scott, my colleague has explained to the parliament that he is vastly experienced in the field of primary industry. He is a former Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, he has served on the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade and been a chair of one of its subcommittees, and he has spent six years on the Speaker’s panel, so he does not come to the job in any way inexperienced.

Coming from as big an electorate as he does, he has insights into what drives the robustness of this place and its passions when it comes to talking about matters of the outback and of primary industry. A Speaker or a Deputy Speaker, in assessing when someone is passionate about something, needs to be able to empathise with what the person on his or her feet is saying. I think Bruce Scott would add a new dimension to that.

We have heard that the speakership has been coveted rather well over recent years by Victorians, and it is no less so today with your good self, Mr Speaker, and the first nomination for Deputy Speaker. I suggest to you that someone from an electorate of 600,000 square kilometres in Queensland could add another dimension to that even-handedness.

In Bruce Scott’s electorate there are 154 schools—I do not have anything like that in my electorate—and you can tell from that that there are lots of little places he has to go to. He has 419 postcodes, which tells you how many communities he is expected to visit. I raise those things with you, Mr Speaker, to show that Mr Scott is someone who can empathise with people on their feet when they talk about things that are perhaps not part of robust across-the-chamber exchanges but are to do with looking after Australians who are sometimes in dire straits.

In his electorate in the last 12 months he has seen the worst drought in a decade, he has seen floods of gargantuan proportions and he has seen fire. So he adds another perspective to the Speaker and the other Deputy Speaker in coming to this job. We are also conscious, as National Party nominators today, of the bipartisanship of the Liberal Party in allowing this role to be contested by the National Party, and we thank our Liberal colleagues for that.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The time allowed for nominations has expired. In accordance with the standing orders, the bells will be rung and a ballot will be taken.

The bells having been rung and a ballot having been taken—

Order! The result of the ballot is: Ms Burke, 83 votes; Mr Bruce Scott, 64 votes. Ms Burke is elected Deputy Speaker and Mr Scott shall be the Second Deputy Speaker.

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to congratulate the member for Chisholm and the member for Maranoa on their election to these positions in the House. The member for Chisholm, of course, I know best; we were elected to this place together. She is a person who has worked hard representing the interests of working families in the financial sector. She has extensive parliamentary experience, having served as deputy chair on three parliamentary committees: the Standing Committee on Economics, Finance and Public Administration; the Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services; and the Privileges Committee. She is a person deeply engaged in the affairs and events of her local community, something I know from having spent much time in her community with her over the years. I also know she is a person deeply committed to her family: her kids, John and Madeleine, and her husband, Steve, who I understand are in the gallery today. John and Madeleine should be proud of their mum. They should be proud of what Anna has achieved. It is a good thing that she does for us in this place.

As for the member for Maranoa, we have known each other off and on over the years. I congratulate him on his election to this position. I had the privilege of visiting his electorate on a couple of occasions since the election, both in Roma and in Charleville, and I understand full well the remarks made by the member for Hinkler about the difficult times his constituents have been going through with flood and drought, and the associated economic uncertainties and uncertainties for families. I said when we won this election that we intended to be a government for all Australians, and that means rural Australians—the communities that you represent in this place, Member for Maranoa.

We congratulate both members on their election.

Brendan Nelson (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I join with the Prime Minister in congratulating firstly the member for Chisholm on her election to the deputy speakership. I notice that she was born in one of the great years, 1966—when of course St Kilda beat Collingwood by a point—and came to the parliament in 1998. At that time she expressed a lot of concern about the demise, as she saw it, of collectivism; I suspect it is on the way back. She also expressed intense and genuine commitment to multiculturalism and a strong economic future for Australia, at least as she sees it.

I also congratulate Steve, John and Madeleine, the member for Chisholm’s family. As backbenchers, she and I travelled on an exchange together at one stage and there was an issue with a febrile baby, as I understand. I do not think that those of us in this place who are men will ever be able to understand how difficult it is for women who have young families to come to this place. I have seen what the member for Chisholm has been able to do over the decade she has been in this parliament and raised those two children—as have other members on both sides of the House. That in itself, apart from her other achievements, is a great credit to her and her supportive and loving husband, Steve. We congratulate the member for Chisholm on her election to the position of Deputy Speaker.

We are very disappointed, however, that it was not the member for Maranoa. Joan and the member for Maranoa have had, I think, 40 years of marriage. That is principally behind what he has been able to achieve in his life. As we heard in the nominating speeches, prior to coming to parliament he was involved in merino sheep farming, grains and all of those concerns as a farmer. He has also represented the farming community since 1990. As the member for Hinkler reminded us, that rural community includes 150-odd schools, not to mention the enormous size of the electorate of Maranoa. To be able to represent it on issues of drought, agriculture, telecommunications, roads and the things which we in cities too often take for granted, and to do so and attract the respect that he has right across the chamber, is an enormous credit to the member for Maranoa. He is very deserving of the position of Second Deputy Speaker.

I might also add that, when the member for Maranoa was the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, he carried that portfolio and the memory of Australia’s veterans with great dignity. To the very best of his ability and in a way that made every Australian proud, he represented those men and women who have served our country in uniform.

On behalf of the opposition, I congratulate the member for Chisholm and the member for Maranoa. I know they will do a superb job in supporting you, Mr Speaker.

Warren Truss (Wide Bay, National Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport and Local Government) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am delighted to also join in congratulating the member for Chisholm and the member for Maranoa on their election. I am sure they will provide very able support to you, Mr Speaker, and help ensure that this parliament runs smoothly and that members have the opportunities they need to bring forward issues and to effectively debate the important policy issues confronting our nation. I guess the numbers in this place virtually ensured the result. There are not too many shocks when these elections are held. Both members have talents and skills that fit them well for the post. Both are experienced representatives. Both have had the opportunity to meet and work with people in their communities over long periods of time. I am sure that that background fits them well for the tasks ahead of them.

I have a particular friendship and association with the member for Maranoa. We are neighbours. We came into parliament together and I have certainly appreciated working with Bruce over that very long period of time. Others have made reference to the size of his electorate. One other little statistic that is of interest is that his electorate stretches from the Northern Territory and South Australian borders to within about 100 kilometres of the coast—maybe even less than that. It comes across the Great Dividing Range and adjoins my electorate in the west. He has had the experience of seeing a great deal of our country.

I also acknowledge particularly his role as veterans’ affairs minister. This is a very difficult portfolio and sometimes there are contentious issues. They are important issues and Bruce was able to undertake those responsibilities with goodwill and with the overwhelming support of the veterans’ community. He met and mixed well with them and I am sure those skills will hold him in good stead in the task ahead.

As the Leader of the Opposition said, Bruce and Joan have been a wonderful team. It is great to welcome Joan to the gallery. They are great hosts. They are people who very much understand the issues of the community. Bruce will be a very important, significant and effective representative of the parliament when called upon to act in that regard.

Congratulations to our two deputy speakers. We commit ourselves to work cooperatively with them to achieve their own objectives in those offices.

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, on indulgence, I want to say how privileged I am to win the first Labor ballot in this place. After nine years straight—in my instance—of losing every one, it is a magnificent thing to be here on the winning side. I want to add my congratulations to the Speaker and the Second Deputy Speaker for the honour that this parliament has bestowed upon us.

To my colleagues, I want to say thank you for filling out the ballot papers correctly. In some instances you do not always get that right! It is a magnificent thing to be in the Labor Party and know that we are all pulling together.

I really want to say thank you to the member for Ballarat and the member for Melbourne Ports for the lovely words they said to me on my election to this place. I have been here for nearly 10 years and sometimes I think it seems like yesterday. In my maiden speech I talked about the light on the hill, the great Labor tradition of us striving to do better for this nation. I know that under this parliament we will be doing better for our nation. I am proud to be part of that journey.

I want to say a big thankyou to my mum, Joan, who is here today and who has done a great service in my life; to my husband, Steve, whom I literally would not be here without; and to Maddy and John, who have literally known no other place because I have done them the disservice of actually giving birth to both of them since I have been here. It has been a pretty tough journey for them, so I want to say thank you very much.

Bruce Scott (Maranoa, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On indulgence, Mr Speaker, I thank my colleagues, and anyone else behind me who might have voted for me. Because it was not show-and-tell we are not quite sure, but I think the numbers do stack up. I do want to thank my colleagues for their support. I also want to thank the Prime Minister for his very generous comments, particularly in relation to his visits to my electorate where, as Prime Minister, he witnessed the devastation of drought and then of flood, and for his commitment to making sure that those affected—in many parts of Australia—are not forgotten in this place.

I also thank the Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Nationals for their very kind and generous comments. I really appreciate them, as does, I know, my wife, Joan, who is with us here today. To the people who nominated me, the member for Riverina and the member for Hinkler, your words were equally generous. I do thank you for those generous words and the confidence that you have shown in me.

Having served for six years on the Speaker’s panel, I have to say that it has given me a good grounding in being able to understand the nuances of the House that arise from time to time. I have also learnt a great deal from working with you, Mr Speaker, on the Speaker’s panel. I know that in your role as Speaker—your appointment to which I congratulate you on—we will be able to work together and, importantly, ensure the smooth running of this great centre of democracy in this country of ours.

I also want to mention something of the former Speaker, Mr David Hawker, because, while serving on that panel I also worked with you, David. On one occasion, I and my wife travelled with you and your wife on parliamentary business. My wife and I certainly appreciated your friendship. Of course, I also appreciated the advice that I received from you from time to time while working on the Speaker’s panel.

Notwithstanding the experience that I received on the Speaker’s panel and as a member since coming to this parliament, in some ways there is no better grounding than the grounding you get from working in agropolitics. I was involved in that prior to coming to this House. I led a number of local, state and national bodies. I can assure you, Mr Speaker, as you might appreciate, that when people get organised—and farmers do get organised—and come to meetings, there is never any predetermined outcome. In fact, one of those organisations was a union of employers that had its genesis in the Barcaldine district way back in 1892, at the same time as your great party, Mr Speaker, was founded. Farmers can get very well organised, and chairing those meetings has given me a great insight into being able to balance the opinions of people and to make sure that voices are heard and are given the time that they need.

I proudly represent the federation seat of Maranoa. I think it is fair to say that all of us in this place are products of the environment in which we have grown up. There have been some comments, from both sides of the House, in relation to my past and to my experience. They are a product of the people I represent in this place. I am sure it would not be lost on the new Prime Minister that we have a Deputy Speaker from Queensland. I am sure that will not only be good for Queensland but also a balance to the Speaker and the other Deputy Speaker, who are both from Victoria. I am sure that will not be lost on the Prime Minister, being a Queenslander himself. There has not before been a Deputy Speaker or Chairman of Committees, as they were known in previous times, from the seat of Maranoa. Sir Charles Adermann represented the seat Maranoa from 1943 to 1949. He then transferred to the seat of Fisher, and from that position he became a deputy chair of committees. So I have a great deal of pride in being appointed to this position here today. But I share that pride with my constituents, because they are the people who have sent me to this place. Without their support, I would not be standing here today. It is with great pride that I share this honour with my constituents in Maranoa.

It is also a proud moment for my wife. I must say that, without her support over many, many years, I would also not be standing here today. Once again, I thank the Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Nationals and others who have spoken kindly about my wife, Joan, because in this place it is so easy to forget the contribution that spouses and partners make to each and every one of our lives here. It is easy to forget the sacrifices that they offer up in support of their husband, wife or partner who is serving in this place. It is also great to have my brother and sister-in-law with me here today. I am sure that with good communications, some of my constituents who are on broadband—and there will be more next year if it is operating in my constituency—will be watching online today as well.

Mr Speaker, I conclude by once again congratulating you on your elevation to that position. I know that you will do a magnificent job and bring great dignity to the position. I look forward to working with you to uphold the standing orders and to ensure that we deliver them fairly and without fear or favour. I thank the House.