Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member, and the honourable member will have the opportunity to continue her remarks at a later hour.

Earlier today, the question on a second reading amendment moved by the member for Fenner on the International Tax Agreements Amendment Bill 2016 was put to the House and, as I understand it, called for the Ayes.

As the question on the amendment was called for the ‘Ayes’ and not contested, the amendment was validly passed and proceedings on the bill should have ceased at that point. I understand that questions on the second and third readings of the bill were then put. This should not have happened and those proceedings were not valid. The Votes and Proceedings record will be corrected to show the second reading amendment being agreed to and proceedings on the bill ceasing at that point.

House of Representatives Practice discusses the possibility of a second reading amendment being agreed to and states:

… if a reasoned amendment were carried…it could be argued that the amendment would not necessarily arrest the progress of the bill, as procedural actions could be taken to restore the bill to the notice paper and have the second reading moved on another occasion.

As the Member for Fenner’s amendment was in the form ‘whilst not declining to give the bill a second reading…’ I consider this is a reasonable course of action and I will permit that to occur.

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