Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Hansard source

Given the motion seeks to direct me, I'm going to seek leave to make a short statement too.

Leave granted.

Events at Parliament House described by this motion, including venue hire, catering and security, are provided on a strictly commercial basis. There is no subsidy provided whatsoever. In fact, prohibiting such venue hire would prove detrimental to the operations of Parliament House through the loss of revenue such events bring in. Furthermore, the application of such a policy change is not immediately clear cut, as 'private political fundraising activities' can apply much more widely than simply to political parties—for example, to organisations that undertake disclosable political expenditure and activities while not formally standing candidates for election.

The question is that motion No. 1158 be agreed to.