House debates

Wednesday, 19 September 2007

Questions to the Speaker

Speaker’s Ruling

3:31 pm

Photo of Arch BevisArch Bevis (Brisbane, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Homeland Security) Share this | | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, my question relates to procedure when the member for Melbourne was at the dispatch box. At no point while the member for Melbourne was at the dispatch box was the microphone system on. My question to you is: at what point did he actually have the call and, if indeed he had the call, why was it that the microphone was not on? Assuming that he did have the call—and I assume he did, based on your comments just then from the chair that he refused to withdraw and defied the chair, and given that none of us could hear that because the microphone was not on—how do you propose that Hansard will record those words of his defiance in the absence of the microphone being on; or is your view, on reflection, that he actually did not have the call at that time any way?

Photo of David HawkerDavid Hawker (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

I thank the member for Brisbane and I will certainly check on the question of the sound system. But the member for Melbourne certainly had been called upon to withdraw what he had said.