David Bushby (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On behalf of the Deputy President, I present the second report of 2013 of the Procedure Committee. I seek leave to move a motion in relation to the report.

Leave granted.

I move:

That the report be adopted.

Anne McEwen (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I just want to make a few comments about the Procedure Committee report.

The recommendations in the report include enshrining in standing orders the changes that the Senate has trialled with regard to speaking time limitations on the adjournment on Tuesday nights. I am pleased to say that those changes have been well received by senators, and it is appropriate that standing orders are amended to put those changes in there.

Importantly, the recommendations in the Procedure Committee report also go to the issue of gendered language in the standing orders. The recommendation in the Procedure Committee report is that the standing orders be changed so that gender-specific language is removed from those standing orders. So, for example, where the standing orders refer to a 'chairman', that language will be changed to the word 'chair'. Within the standing orders there are many inconsistencies already with regard to whether language is gender specific or gender neutral, so this recommendation from the Procedure Committee report will ensure not just consistency in the standing orders but gender-neutral language. I am really pleased to say that the Procedure Committee had no disagreement in our deliberations about changing the standing orders to gender-neutral language and, of course, it is about time that we did that.

In closing, I would like to pay tribute to former senator, Trish Crossin, who raised the matter with the President in a letter to him before she departed from the Senate about the inconsistencies in the standing orders and the fact that there was gender-specific language in there. Former Senator Crossin, as we know, always paid a lot of attention to the issue of gender equality, and right to the last minute she was obviously doing that. It is because of her letter to the President, I believe, that these important changes are now going to be made to the standing orders. I look forward to seeing the revised standing orders and the gender-neutral language that will be in there, and which should be in there.

Question agreed to.