Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, in my capacity as Leader of the House I have received correspondence from Harold Thomas Golden and Norma Jean Golden of Tara, in Queensland, who raise the issue that they received correspondence from the federal member for Maranoa thanking them for signing a petition. The letter to me indicates that Mr and Mrs Golden state that they have never heard of the petition or signed the petition.

I want to make it very clear that I cast no aspersions on the member for Maranoa, whom I know to be a man of honour, but in terms of the issue of petitions that are signed and the issue of whether people are therefore made accountable or not I would suggest that perhaps it could best be referred to the Standing Committee on Petitions to look at this question. I table the correspondence for your benefit and ask you to rule or to suggest accordingly.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

How is this a question to you, Mr Speaker?

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

It might become clear why I have taken the question as a question about the way in which the House would deal with this matter. Under the standing orders we have created a Standing Committee on Petitions. Standing order 205, which talks about rules for signatures, says that each signature must be made by the person signing in his or her own handwriting. I think that in the first instance, as with analogous situations where there is an appropriate committee, I propose to refer the letter that was sent to the Leader of the House to the Standing Committee on Petitions for them to deal with it as a committee. If there are other things that are required arising from their discussions, we would then bring them back to the House. I say that it is not really a matter for executive government; it is a problem for the parliament to have a look at and decide which way it wishes to proceed.