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

Mr Deputy Speaker, on a point of order: I do not like to disagree with your ruling but I do point out that the standing orders indicate that all business will be suspended at eight o’clock to deal with any votes or quorums that might have been called during the dinner break. The precedent that you have established means that if a speaker starts speaking at 7.59 pm, for example, they could speak for 20 minutes, and if they were the first speaker from the opposition or government side on a bill they could speak for 30 minutes. That would mean that a division or quorum would not be dealt with until either 20 past eight or half past eight. That is a very important precedent to have established, and the opposition believes that, as members are being called back to be here at eight o’clock and as the standing orders indicate that the votes and proceedings should be concluded at eight, you should interrupt the member for La Trobe and call on the vote.

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