Robert Oakeshott (Lyne, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On a similar theme—in regards to interjections during question time, rather than Twitter—it is my understanding that members need to sign people into the gallery behind me. Could you please clarify that point as to what has happened and report back to the chamber?

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Lyne, like many others, has not understood the system. Not all of the people taking seats in the gallery behind us need to be signed in. But I remind members of the gallery that they are not participants in question time and that calling out from the galleries will lead to a closing down. I think it would be an absolute disgrace if we had to curtail the rights of people to attend and see their own parliament. Like many Speakers and many members of parliament before me, I have had the privilege of going around the world and looking at other parliaments. I do not think people in Australia appreciate the access they have to this building and I would hate to get to the stage where we had to curtail that in any way. If people want to get to interject in question time, they have to get elected and get on a green seat—that would be my advice to individuals. Even then they would have to observe the standing orders which say, 'No interjections.'