Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Hansard source

I think the Leader of the Opposition has raised his point, and I would like to address it. Like me, he's a keen student of the Practice. I know most of you read other books at night, but I certainly read the Practice. I have read that section, and it was of interest to me. It caused me to request the Hansard of that period that's footnoted there, and there are two things there.

What the Leader of the Opposition said is accurate from the Practice. That was certainly Prime Minister Deakin's expectation when the standing orders were introduced, and two things happened, according to my memory of reading the Hansard. One was that he said that; the other is that they did introduce time limits as well. They were more significant time limits than we have today and he did make that point. But the point I need to make as Speaker is it turned out that he wasn't right about that and those who opposed him at the time did predict that, if you look at the Hansard. It's been the practice of this House for questions like 'the motion be put' in this way for a long, long period of time. So, whilst I appreciate the historical point the Leader of the Opposition is making, and that he has certainly read all of that, the practice of Speakers hasn't been to go back a century and then rule in a way that might have been preferred back then. Ultimately, these questions are matters for the House and they're a matter for a vote. My duty is to put that question, so that's what I'm going to proceed to do.

The question is that the question be now put.

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