Kim Wilkie (Swan, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I have a question for you. It relates to the member for Mackellar’s conduct in question time today and on more than 50 other occasions during this parliament. I refer to page 188 of House of Representatives Practice, insofar as to the raising of points of order, where it states:

The opportunity to raise a point of order should not be misused to deliberately disrupt proceedings ...

It further states:

Members have been disciplined by the Chair for raising spurious or frivolous points of order and for persisting with matters after the Chair has ruled.

Given that the member for Mackellar has raised over 50 points of order which clearly seek to deliberately disrupt proceedings of the House, I ask that you consider applying disciplinary action to the member as referred to in this section of House of Representatives Practice to prevent the member from wasting your time and that of the House.

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Swan. As the member for Swan would be aware, all members have the right to raise a point of order at any time. It is the role of the occupier of the chair to listen to that point of order and rule on it and, if successive points of order are raised during a particular question or a particular answer, there have been occasions when the occupier of the chair has ruled them frivolous. I listen carefully to all points of order and try to rule on them as appropriate at the time.