Carmen Lawrence (Fremantle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, today you recognised in the gallery the President of the Local Government Association, as I believe is entirely appropriate. You recently failed to recognise the Vice-President of the European parliament, Mr Edward McMillan-Scott, and when I questioned you at the time about this omission you indicated that you were acting on ‘clear rules’—and that is to quote from your response—and precedents. I want to take this opportunity to ask you whether you could please advise the House of what these rules are and detail the precedents on which you relied.

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

I thank the member for Fremantle. Could I make the point that it is always the discretion of the chair as to when to recognise someone. There are other ways—and I believe that the member for Fremantle has in fact exercised those ways—for recognising someone in the galleries.