House debates Questions to the Speaker
Standing Committee on Family and Human Services
John Murphy Lowe, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition
3:17 pm
In relation to the matters you are investigating concerning the conduct of the member for Mackellar as Chair of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Family and Human Services, would you also include in your investigation the conduct of the member for Mackellar as Chair of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs in the 40th Parliament? This conduct also resulted in all of the opposition members resigning from that committee.
David Hawker Speaker
I remind the member for Lowe that, as I said in my statement earlier, I was asking the Deputy Speaker, in his capacity as chair of the liaison committee of chairs and deputy chairs, to consider the issues of procedure and practice in relation to this matter. I have nothing further to add to that.
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Mackellar, Liberal Party
I think your comments have virtually answered the question I wanted to ask, which was: could you clarify that what you are investigating is committee procedures generally?
Unidentified interjection - Hansard doesn't record who said this
Opposition Members:
Opposition members interjecting—
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Mackellar, Liberal Party
Mr Speaker, I was merely saying that I wanted to have you clarify precisely what it was you said you are asking the Deputy Speaker to look at. I understood you to say it is the way in which committee procedures are undertaken in all aspects—
Unidentified interjection - Hansard doesn't record who said this
Opposition Members:
Opposition members interjecting—
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Mackellar, Liberal Party
and, if I might say, in particular to the operation of standing order 242 and the leaking that has gone on with regard to this particular report.
Unidentified interjection - Hansard doesn't record who said this
Opposition Members:
Opposition members interjecting—
David Hawker Speaker
Order! I would say to the member for Mackellar that on the first point I will refer her back to the statement I made a couple of minutes ago. On the last point, the first place to start on that issue is within the committee.