Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I just want to make a few brief remarks to you all while you're here. Just over six years and three months ago, I had the honour of being elected the 30th Speaker of this House of Representatives. As you know from my announcement when we last sat, today will be my last day in the chair before I rejoin you on the floor as the government member for Casey. As such, my statement today, here, from the Speaker's chair, is not a valedictory. I'll do that separately from the floor of the House in the parliamentary months ahead. For this reason, I'll confine my remarks today to thanking a number of people here in Parliament House who have performed critical roles during my speakership. Without them and their great support and advice, I couldn't have done the job that I've done.

I thank the former Clerk, David Elder, who was there when I was first elected in sudden and unexpected circumstances and for everything else that followed, from lost votes to tied votes leading to casting votes; to the by-elections due to section 44 of the Constitution, including, as many of you would recall, a record five on one day. I thank the Clerk, Claressa Surtees, who's worked with me the entire time of my speakership. I thank her for her equally wise counsel. She has led a hardworking and dedicated team that's ensured that this House of Representatives kept sitting during this pandemic for you and through you for the Australian people. Can I thank all of the House staff, including the Serjeant, the Deputy Clerk and the attendants who have worked directly with me and my office.

I thank the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition for their friendship and support. I think it's helped the House that we've known each other a long time. In the case of the Prime Minister, we became great mates when I was first running for election in 2001 and—we can both now reveal—when I wanted some alternative campaigning advice from him because I didn't quite trust some of the advice I was getting. You know how nervous candidates get! In the case of Leader of the Opposition, we met shortly after that election. From memory, it started with him saying he thought the only thing we had in common was the fact that we were both named Anthony. But we built a strong friendship from there. I thank the Treasurer for his longstanding friendship from our time as advisers, now as colleagues and, as always—as he reminds me regularly—as Carlton supporters. I can tell you he is as loud at the football as he is here, but unfortunately I'm powerless to do anything about that. Can I also say I simply don't have another friend on the planet who texts or apps me so frequently.

Hon. Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It sounds like you're contesting it! The Deputy Leader of the Opposition has known me for 35 years. We've always been opponents, but we've always been mates. Can I say to all of you—being a friend with someone who holds a different political view does not mean you dilute your views or your values. Can I thank the Leader of the House, who I have worked closely with in recent months and who I've been a friend and colleague with for 20 years. I want to thank my friend the Manager of Opposition Business, who I've also worked closely with for the benefit of the House through my entire speakership. He's been the one constant over the six years and three months. We got to know each other really well and worked on a basis of trust, and I want to thank him for the role he played in ensuring the cooperation and the procedures and processes that helped to put in place the bipartisan nature to ensure that we were able to keep sitting through COVID.

I thank the Deputy Speaker. I thank the former deputy speakers. I worked closely with you all. I want to thank the Whips, Bert and Chris, and your teams for all the work you've done during this difficult and trying period with the COVID pandemic. I thank former presidents of the Senate Parry and Ryan. Both are great friends—in the case of the latter, for more than 25 years. I thank the President of the Senate, Slade Brockman, who's been President, of course, only for a few weeks. I also thank the Department of Parliamentary Services, led by Rob Stefanic, with whom I've worked very closely for the entire time of my speakership. The department has overseen massive building and security upgrades, and embarked on a range of necessary reforms. Of course, I want to thank my Liberal Party colleagues here in the House for their support in nominating me for this role, particularly the Prime Minister, who supported me so strongly when I first put up my hand.

Finally, I thank my own staff, led by the incredible Cate Clunies-Ross. We met many years ago and worked together in the Howard government. When I appointed her my chief of staff, I told her that I wanted her to be frank and blunt with me about my performance and approach. She did not ponder this. She's never wavered, and that's been to my benefit and, can I say, to the benefit of the House. Cate, over those six years and three months, has fostered a magnificent Speaker's office team. You'd appreciate there were many staff over that period of time, but I just want to mention some long-standing advisors: Claudine Wedgwood-Gills, Stewart Woodley, Belinda McInnes and Raymond Knight. I knew that Cate could be as impartial as I wanted to be and have sought to be, and she has. She and my office have worked closely with all members on both sides of the House. Can I say—it might surprise you—that Cate and all of the staff have also dealt with some difficult people in this building at times, including some in this House, but always with great professionalism.

Colleagues, I've at all times sought to operate fairly, consistently and predictably. Of course, today is my last sitting day. Tomorrow morning, I will visit the Governor-General to tender my resignation first thing in the morning. Thank you. See you on the floor tomorrow.

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I know you don't want us to make a fuss, so I will seek to respect that wish, as I'm sure others will. You are the longest serving Speaker of my generation, and I suspect we have seen the finest Speaker that this parliament has had the great opportunity to witness in action. That may be a contested proposition; I suspect it will be, but it's certainly my view. Mr Speaker, you have demonstrated that any member in this place can make a difference, and you have sought, through your carriage of that important chair, to do everything you can to facilitate members making that contribution. We all come here with hopes and aspirations. We all come here full of energy and belief and ambition for the things that we want to achieve for our country. In this place, there is an opportunity to give expression to that, both in what we say in this place but also in how we act and vote in this place. You have ensured at all times, as you said you would, that you would give a fair go to all on the floor of this chamber.

That's what you said when you were first coming into this role in August of 2015. You said, 'I'll bring to this place, to the best of my ability, a better parliament'. I believe you've achieved that, and I could not be prouder, as one of those, together with Christopher Pyne and many others many years ago, who came together and supported your candidacy in the way that that occurred. I'm sure they would join me in saying: we got that one absolutely right. It was well supported across the government party room, Mr Speaker. Ultimately, as history has gone on to prove, you are the only Speaker, other than Sir Frederick Holder, who was elected unopposed three times in a row. The last time that happened was 1909.

I think that says a lot, Mr Speaker, about the way that you have carried yourself in this place. It says a lot about your meticulous attention to detail. It says a lot about your understanding of the motivations and good faith that have been brought, I believe, into this chamber each day, as we each come in here and seek to discharge our duties as we best see fit. You've been a great servant and enabler of that. You've understood that role. This has not been a place from which you've sought to look down on this chamber and lord it over this chamber. You've engaged with this chamber as one of equals, coming here with all the same motivations, and seeking to ensure that other members of this place could realise what you've always hoped to achieve in your presence here and why you first put your hand up to be a member of this place.

So on behalf of all the members here I want to thank you for that. I want to thank you for the way you saw the role, for the way that you engaged with the role and for the way that you engaged with all of us in enabling that to be the outcome. I believe that's why you've been so successful, and that's why you have earnt the respect of not just the people in this chamber but also those who look on this chamber. In many ways, I think they've seen you as their advocate in this place and that you are acting on their behalf to ensure this chamber operates in the way that they would hope it would. So, while one of us, you've also been one with them, I think, over that period of time that you have been Speaker. So I want to thank you for that.

I also want to thank you and, through you, all of those who've assisted you—as you've named them and thanked them yourself personally. This has not been an ordinary time to be Speaker. And I look around this very table now, with the perspex here and the masked members of this place—and, thankfully, far more of them who have been here for most of the last two years are now back in this chamber. You have had to navigate that and lead that. I know how closely you've worked with the President of the Senate, the Chief Medical Officer of the ACT and the Chief Medical Officer and ensured that this place continued to function as best it possibly could while still respecting the very important principles of presence in this place. The parliament is a public place and should be a public place. With what we say, on what side of the aisle we cross and where we sit and where we vote, there is a transparency which is inherent in the Westminster system. You ensured that during this difficult period we retained all of that tradition and all of those principles while adapting to some very difficult circumstances, and I want to thank you on behalf of all members for achieving that.

Mr Speaker, I want to wish you and Pam and the boys all the very best. But the time for that will come a little later, because I'm looking forward to welcoming you back into the government party room tomorrow and to see you there sitting amongst us where you began. And I'm looking forward to you sharing your views on debates, as I know you're very keen to do, particularly as we go forward into next year's election, and working closely with the party in seeking to ensure that the seat you've so ably represented over all these years will continue to be represented by a Liberal member.

I want to thank you for your dedication to party. I want to thank you for your dedication to the parliament. I want to thank you for your dedication to each and every member of this House and for the way that you have engaged with us and the dedication and professionalism with which you've applied yourself to this task. You have set a very, very high bar, I think, for those who will follow you. I know they will look to that standard and will be challenged by it, but I think they will equally be encouraged by it. That's what we should all do: seek those high standards and ensure that we continue to work ably each and every day that we have the opportunity to achieve them. So well done on great service to our country. Thank you, Mr Speaker.

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

Mr Speaker, this is a bittersweet moment. The respect and affection in which you are held on both sides of the House is as rare as it is earned, and with good reason. Some decisions made in this place fall into what Gareth Evans once called the 'streaker's defence'—in other words, it seemed like a good idea at the time. Your election unopposed as Speaker, though, was a good idea that has looked even better over time, which is why you've achieved that honour three times.

You have not so much redefined the role as restored it. As you put it that day, once you'd settled into that very high chair:

I make that point because often people say parliament shouldn't be robust. It should but it need not be rude and it need not be loud. That is something I would like to see improve.

And then you said something that encapsulated your approach. You said:

I cannot do that, but together we all can.

A good Speaker is a bit like a good ref: you don't want to watch them; you want to watch the play. And you have been an outstanding Speaker. Like other leadership positions, the role of Speaker is to bring parliament together, rather than divide it. You followed a divisive Speaker—that's the truth—which only made your determination to lift the standard of the parliament even more important, and unity is always better than division. Whoever follows you will have a difficult task because of the quality of your performance.

The job of Speaker is a demanding one. The first speaker, Frederick Holder, actually died in the chamber, making an exit worthy of Heart of Darkness as he uttered his final words, 'Dreadful, dreadful.' The Canberra Times called it Australia's shortest prominent political speech. So there are worse ways to leave than the way that you are, Mr Speaker!

Your title may be 'Speaker', but you have been a careful listener. You have weighed up what is before you with great care and thought, with dry humour, with wisdom and, importantly, with authority. You are, in the best sense of the word, a parliamentarian. I believe that's an honourable title. Not everyone who is elected to this place does love the parliament. Your love for Australia is expressed by that love for this parliament. You understand how at its best it represents the aspirations of Australians. You've always sought to ensure that it turns those aspirations into reality as best it can—a parliament that debates, a parliament that legislates, a parliament that gets things done, because that is our best way of bringing about positive, lasting change in this country.

I've always thought that a good Speaker helps the government of the day, because it's about order and about getting things done, and that helps the government of the day. So it is an irony, I think, that partisanship actually hurts the government of the day, and I think in all of your decisions, Mr Speaker—most of which I've agreed with, but 100 per cent of which I have understood—there has never been any question whatsoever that you have taken those decisions with integrity and without partisanship. It is to your great credit, Mr Speaker, that you have done that, because it is a hard thing to do. You believe in the Westminster system that we inherited and made into something that is truly ours.

We can't take for granted our democracy, our voting rights, our universal suffrage. Whole parts of the world do not enjoy what we enjoy in this country—the fact that we'll have an election, like we have them, which will determine the way forward. We have one vote, one value. It's precious. It must be strengthened and protected, and a core part of that is respect, not to treat it as an imposition on the people but to cherish it as one of the greatest means we have of achieving our full potential as a nation.

It's worth turning back to 13 February 2002, to your first speech in parliament. You said:

We will have differences about the best means to tackle the inevitable problems which all parliaments confront, but we should have no difference at all on the proposition that, in our short history, Australians have created a truly special nation that is the envy of the world.

That's an important idea. While we have our differences, it is important to find our common points and to make more of them. There's so much that happens here more quietly: the cooperation, the shared desire to find a better way. You were determined that, in spite of a pandemic, this parliament would meet, and the respective leaders of the House and the Manager of Opposition Business cooperated with you to make sure that that was able to occur. Not all parliaments around the world met. Some of them shut down, including here in Australia, for longer than is healthy in a democracy, in my view. You were determined to make sure that it happened.

That spirit isn't just contained within the walls of this building but is spread throughout every electorate across our continent. Throughout it all, you have kept your feet on the ground, as befits a Carlton supporter. A few months after you became Speaker, you reminisced about what it was like being a humble MP at the other end of the boot, and I hope you don't have to revisit this. As you put it: 'I hope Mum does not mind me saying this, but she used to get terribly upset when I got kicked out. She'd ring me up and tell me off.' I only hope the phone calls got better after that! You never wanted to be a conspicuous Speaker, but your absence from the chair will be felt very keenly. I must say the only positive thing that I thought when you informed me of the decision that you were about to announce was, 'Oh, well, we'll have a crack now at your seat,' because I am sure that we would never have beaten you in that electorate because of the regard in which you have been held.

I thank you as well, Mr Speaker, for visiting my electorate, including Birchgrove Public School to talk to the students there with me in a friendly way so that those students walked away from that day thinking, 'Hey, people from different sides of the fence can get on and can talk about our democracy and our processes.' You were very welcome and you will always be welcome in my electorate or, indeed, in my home as a friend. Whoever follows you will have considerable shoes to fill. They will feel the expectations of the Australian people to uphold the standing orders and to act in the interests of the whole parliament and all it represents, just as you have done. So, on behalf of all of us on this side of the House, thank you.

Barnaby Joyce (New England, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr Speaker; I genuinely mean that. As you have stated, this is not a requiem but a return to the seat of Casey, and that in itself is a statement of your character—that you would spend the remainder of your political career going back to serve the people who gave you the incredible honour of representing them here.

Some of the advice I always give to people when they come here is that you play rugby in the chamber and you play rugby on 7.30, but you don't play rugby in the corridor. Everybody, once they leave here, should work in a collegiate way; otherwise, this place really would be a nasty place to live and work. Nonetheless, you have to manage the rugby in the chamber, and it is an adversarial chamber by its very nature. We have to walk that fine line between being boorish and boring. One you do not want to listen to and the other one you can't be bothered listening to. No doubt on 94(a) you've worn out the manual there, but there are other interesting standing orders which we have tested you with, 14(a) being one of them. Your capacity, your acute mind and your adroit and insightful process of looking over the standing orders, understanding them, being across them and giving articulate reference to them have given you the capacity to be held in great stead throughout this building because people respected your decisions.

Alongside understanding the standing orders also came a discerning capacity to hear the calls of the wild and to understand who was making an interjection without necessarily having to see them do it. We have all had occasions when you have managed to call us out even when we've had masks on, which gave us some form of protection. But, nonetheless, you can still find us! You returned the place from being a crazy jungle back to a more genteel wood, and I think people by reason of their respect for you have respected your rulings and your orders. That has held our parliament up in a better light. You set a standard that you are now offering as a legacy for who you are and also an adornment, hopefully, for what comes after you. No doubt people will be referring back to and using your time as a juxtaposition to their efforts. No doubt that will be a very high bar to jump.

This parliament is watched by so many. One evening I once made the fatal mistake here of saying, 'If anybody's watching this, please ring my office,' and they did. In fact, the phone just about rang off the hook. What that means, of course, is that our actions in here are relayed far and wide. Our nation is defined by many things, and it is defined by the actions within this parliament. Therefore, it's vitally important that the actions of this parliament reflect Australia: its colour and the capacity for the great debaters and the great people who are powerful in the art of rhetoric—from Keating to Costello. That is part of the colour of parliament, and a speaker has to find that line between it so that people find the process something more palatable and something they can get through. Mr Speaker, you have presided over how we have been seen here, and, I believe, in your time in the seat, you have shown Australia a better side of all of our nation.

Richard Marles (Corio, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Tony, as you observed, we've known each other for 35 years, which is a pretty confronting number. I would like to assert it's because we went to preschool together, but, sadly, that would be misleading the House! When I first arrived at Melbourne University on the first day of O-week in 1986, I was naive. I tended to see things in black and white, good and bad. I perhaps hadn't yet seen the whole world in its full colour. But at least that provided me, in my sense of the world of politics, with a set of simple, comforting truths. Those of us who were lined up at the Labor club desk obviously believed in fairness, compassion and justice. We were selfless and virtuous. Those who were lining up at the Liberal club desk were obviously in it for themselves. They were only about the money. They were completely selfish.

Then I met Tony Smith, who was a confusing proposition. To start with, I remember saying to Tony: 'Mate, you are a Liberal. You're driving a red Monaro and you've got a mullet. What the hell!' I remember speaking to some friends afterwards and saying, 'I think I just met a nice Liberal.' They said: 'Are you sure? A nice Liberal? I mean, how would that even work?' From the very outset, the concept of Tony Smith has been challenging me throughout my political life. To be clear: virtue does live on this side of the House. But if he can be a good bloke, then maybe there are some others of you over there who are actually decent people.

As it turns out, Tony and I have a lot in common. We were born four months apart. Our fathers taught at the schools that we both attended. Tony's dad was a chemistry teacher. My dad was a maths teacher. We were both the youngest in our families, with older sisters who both thought we were spoiled. We both attended Melbourne University, starting in exactly the same year. And we even passionately support footy teams which share the same colours. Maybe that does explain why his politics is a bit more benign than the rest of your lot's! But Tony is no stranger to the partisan contest. That's important because in a democratic two-party system it matters that the parties compete, and, over the last 20 years, that's exactly what Tony has done in a seat which the Liberals cannot take for granted but which Tony Smith has made his own.

Tony sat on John Howard's front bench. He was a shadow minister during the Rudd and Gillard years. He knows all about the partisan contest and how it is practised. But, in a larger sense, as we engage in our partisan activities we do so in the service of a greater democracy, which is embodied by this parliament and by the idea of being an Australian parliamentarian in the service of the whole nation. That idea, in my humble opinion, comes closest to capturing the spirit of Tony Smith. That is why, when in 2015 Tony became Mr Speaker, it was as if he were made for the job. Mr Speaker's intelligence had him across the standing orders and the procedures in no time. But much more importantly than that, Speaker, your integrity, your honour and the fundamental decency that characterises who you are meant that, almost immediately, you had the confidence of this entire House in a way that I had never seen before.

When I think about you and me sitting back there at the Melbourne uni SRC back in 1988, and when I look at you sitting there right now, I feel so proud of you, because you have risen, truly, to be a giant. The fact that on three separate occasions you have been elected unopposed to the speakership of this House is just one sign of why you stand apart in modern times as perhaps being the greatest Speaker of them all. And so, Mr Speaker, in this role we will miss you very much. Good luck in the future. I know that you have a few more months as the member for Casey, but farewell, my friend. You leave this seat with the rarest of achievements, because you genuinely go with the heartfelt goodwill and best wishes of every single member of this place.

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, it's a great honour to follow in the footsteps of the previous speakers. Some fine words have been spoken about you, Mr Speaker, and rightly so. Many of us have known you for a long period of time, and it will come as no surprise to anyone in this chamber that the Speaker has gone around individually to us and given specific writing instructions about the length of these speeches and their composition—'Don't overdo it and don't speak for too long.' He's been very dedicated to this place right to his last moment in that chair.

Mr Speaker, you and I came into the parliament in 2001, 20 years ago, and I can give somewhat of a rare insight to follow on from the member for Corio's personal reflection on his time having known the Speaker. As flatmates, Mr Speaker, you, Steven Ciobo and I started out in this place, and I can say for the benefit of those members here that there were two rowdy people in that household and you were not one of them. Steven Ciobo and I and others—as I look across, I can implicate some on the other side as well—used to, on occasion, go to the Holy Grail on a Wednesday night. There are some people smiling and some looking down. But, on our return to the unit, you weren't flustered. We didn't disturb you, and it did not make you miss a beat on your regimented scheme and life. You departed our unit at the same time every morning to come up to the House to embark on your exercise program and apply yourself in a disciplined way to this vocation. I think that, Mr Speaker, demonstrates your great capacity.

I think there is an enormous amount to be said of your sense of history and intellect, which have been referred to before—your sense of political history, particularly American political history, and your sense of belief and of adherence to beliefs and a structure that is rarely seen in public life. Mr Speaker, there is a lot that's been said today that reflects on this being a one-in-100-year event. We talk about those events, but this is a one-in-100-year event. The way in which you have been selected by this parliament and honoured by this parliament is a reflection on your own character.

I want to mention, very quickly, your friendship with Peter Costello. I know that that has been a significant influence on your time in this place, and that friendship endures to this day. He is a dear friend and mentor of yours, and you've honoured that relationship, and I know that he values that very much also. He has a lot to be proud of as well. I worked with Peter Costello, as many of us did over a long period of time. He doesn't suffer fools. He insisted on a staff body of people of the highest calibre—those with a great intellect, those with a great political capacity—and the capacity and capability that he desired, you delivered. There are many others from that office that have gone on to great things as well. He was well served by you, Mr Speaker, and in turn we have, by your service here, a lot to owe you and a lot to owe him and your staff. I also want to pay tribute to your staff, with whom Tony Burke and I work very closely, and pay respect to them, because they have provided you with support on this journey as well. It's not an easy job. Many people have made reference to that. Without good staff, none of us can perform within our individual roles.

The most compelling element to your service has been the way in which you have honoured our Westminster system. There is a lot that's been written and a lot that's been said in Australian public life about politicians and how we're regarded by the public. I believe that this is an incredibly noble profession. We have sometimes not put our best foot forward or have not displayed the best qualities of this place during question time, but we live in one of the greatest countries in the world. You have approached your job in a way that has lifted the standard in this House and has reflected favourably upon us and our generation with the Australian people. I think that is a great credit to you and your values and, as I say, your sense of history and the character that you've brought to this job.

I wish you very well in your remaining hours in this role and I wish you well in your continuing months as the member for Casey. You've been a fine local member, and there will be a lot more said about that in due course. Thank you for the way in which you've approached your office, for the way in which you've engaged with us and for the service that you have undertaken in your country's name.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I know you don't want this moment terribly, and a few people have reflected on that. But this parliament's not really good at moments of grace, and we're getting one now, and it's only because of you. And that needs to be noted. From the moment you took that chair, that chair that is seated above the rest of us, you never looked down on the parliament that you have presided over. There are many people here who pay attention to the parliament in different ways; there are a few people who really value parliamentary debate and the parliament itself. Whenever some people have tried to stifle parliamentary debate or wreck it in different ways, you have been a handbrake on that and a handbrake on making sure that this place, as close as possible and within your power, was able to function as a parliament.

Speaker Holder was elected three times unopposed. There is another record that hasn't been referred to but is yours as well: nominated by a government backbencher, seconded by an opposition backbencher. It's only happened twice; it happened with Speaker Holder and it happened with you. It's because you have been a Speaker who has not belonged to one side of the politics when you have been in the chair; you've belonged to the House. And that's been appreciated and acknowledged. It doesn't mean that everybody has liked every decision that you've made. You have used 94(a) on 730 occasions—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There's still time yet!

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

37 government and 693 opposition, with Graham Perrett on 49. If you'd punted him today, he would have made his 50! I will say that you haven't been afraid to throw out ministers—the minister for communications twice; the minister for government services and the Assistant Treasurer each kicked out once; and former minister Michael Keenan was kicked out and then eventually decided to not come back. You punted me once, and you were right to. It was after I took a point of order on the Deputy Prime Minister, not for the purposes of raising anything procedurally but because I thought he needed to take a breath. And it was fair to kick me out for that.

There have been a series of changes during COVID where, be in no doubt, had someone else been in the chair, we might not have been able to bring the sides together. Had someone else been in the chair, the parliament might not have been able to sit. That is a fundamental change to what democracy would have been over the last two years. At different points, where one party or the other was being difficult, you did bring us together. As a result, the democracy has been the better for it.

I do want to acknowledge just a couple of other moments. First of all, when the medevac legislation came before the House, you were put in a very difficult position. You were given legal advice and decided to table it not at the moment the debate occurred but at the beginning of the MPI and then to allow the House to make its decisions as to how it would handle that. I know you didn't do that for the purposes of the legislation—it did make a fundamental difference to people's lives that you did that—but the purpose for which you did it was the purpose that the Speaker is meant to be accountable for; you did it to allow the House to make its own decision, and it did. Similarly, you were in the chair for three glorious hours on 1 September 2016 during a magnificent moment of democracy where we debated whether or not there should be a banking royal commission when the opposition temporarily had the numbers on the floor, a moment we cherish and reflect back on as often as we can. Similarly, when the surprise happened, the moment Mr Llew O'Brien left the room—I nominated him—it put you in a situation of setting some new precedents, and you did so fairly.

We're terribly grateful to your staff. We've relied on your staff and worked with your staff closely over the years. Very few members would be aware as to how many decisions are made about members' welfare and protecting people in different ways and protecting staff in different ways. Your office has been a huge part of that. The last time I can remember someone voluntarily choosing to leave six months prior to the end of a term was Bob Halverson. The position for the remaining six months went to the National Party as a reflection on the coalition government of the importance of the National Party on that occasion. We'll see what happens tomorrow.

I will say, Mr Speaker, the respect that you have around the House is rare, and it is earned. If, on your way to Government House tomorrow, you discover that the COMCARs can't get through and there is a blockade, it'll be 150 of us.

Adam Bandt (Melbourne, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A lot has been said about your fairness in applying rulings. Can I say, as a member of the crossbench, I certainly felt at every stage that applied to us as well and it applied to me. I hope you'll take this in the spirit in which it's intended: I felt that, when you did me over, I always understood why. And, if I didn't, you'd explain it to me. There certainly has been a strong sense, speaking on my own behalf, that we could rely on you acting predictably and following the rules. In the context of a growing crossbench and tied votes and votes that have gone against the way that governments have wanted—and that might happen more often from time to time—being able to rely on that was critical.

I think, if I can say it in this speech, perhaps not enough has been said of your wit, and it has certainly made time go faster here on those days when it has dragged. I've seen some speakers before, and we've had some speakers that were funny. I'm not sure they were trying to be. But I think you have always managed to make the debate more robust through your humour and through your wit, and I just wanted to acknowledge that.

One other matter that certainly made a difference to me as a local member has been your commitment to education and parliamentary education, especially amongst schools. I know that a couple of schools in my electorate have benefited greatly from your intervention and your office's willingness to come and help and support them while they were up here or to get them up here. If you've done that for me, I suspect you've done that for many others across the chamber as well. I think there are a lot of people across this country who are very, very grateful for you extending your support on that.

Lastly, if I could ask a final question of you, Mr Speaker, I ask you to convey to your staff, certainly on behalf of me and, I expect, on behalf of many members of the crossbench as well, thanks for their willingness and openness to engage with us, especially in the context, as I said, where parliaments are used to operating in a certain way. With a growing crossbench, I know that throws up questions that speakers in particular and others have to deal with. They've always been open and willing to engage and they've allowed us to have access to you, and that has, I think, made this place operate far better and far more democratically. So could I ask you to convey to your staff our sincere thanks for all their work over the years.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you to the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition and all other speakers. It's very humbling. I'll be in the chair for the adjournment debate tonight. As I said, we'll go to Yarralumla first thing in the morning, and I'll see you back here at 12 noon tomorrow. Thank you.