Stephen Jones (Throsby, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, I start by congratulating you unconditionally and without qualification on your elevation. The most august role you have been elected to deserves no less. With great pleasure, I move:

That the honourable member for Hindmarsh be elected Deputy Speaker.

He has informed me tonight that this is the eighth anniversary of his becoming a member of this place. In the time I have been here, considerably less than eight years, I have known him to be a man of great integrity and a fine parliamentarian. I know that he has served well on the Speaker's panel, that he has been an active member of this place and that he is well respected across the aisle. He has served his constituency with vigour and pride and, when he has come to this place, he has served as a parliamentarian with principle, diligence and honour. I have recently had the great privilege of witnessing the work he has done as a parliamentarian on the important issue of prostate cancer. I am also aware of the great work and energy that he puts into advancing the cause and interests of the Special Broadcasting Service.

One of the things that I have witnessed that I think shows the member for Hindmarsh would do well in the role of Deputy Speaker is the enormous amount of work he put into seeking to achieve a bipartisan solution to probably the issue that has most troubled this parliament: how we discharge our humanitarian obligations to asylum seekers. It was the member for Hindmarsh who reached out across the aisle and to members of the crossbenches to attempt to forge a bipartisan solution which would meet our humanitarian obligations as well as the political interests of this place. Regretfully, we were unable to achieve that, but that is in no way due to any lack of vigour, effort or principle on the part of the member for Hindmarsh.

I am sure he would be a great assistant to you, Madam Speaker, if it is the will of the parliament to accept him as Deputy Speaker. I move:

That the honourable member for Hindmarsh be elected Deputy Speaker.

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