Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That, unless otherwise ordered, the following standing orders be amended to read as follows:

1     Maximum speaking times (amendments to existing subjects, as follows)

29  Set meeting and adjournment times

(a)

The House shall meet each year in accordance with the program of sittings for that year agreed to by the House, unless otherwise ordered.

(b)

When the House is sitting it shall meet and adjourn at the following times, subject to standing orders 30, 31 and 32:

31  Automatic adjournment of the House

(a)

At the time set for the adjournment to be proposed in standing order 29, column 3 (times of meeting), the Speaker shall propose the question—That the House do now adjourn.

This question shall be open to debate—maximum time for the whole debate shall be 30 minutes—and no amendment may be moved.

(b)

If this question is before the House at the time set for adjournment in standing order 29, column 4 (times of meeting) the Speaker shall interrupt the debate and immediately adjourn the House until the time of its next meeting.

(c)

The following qualifications apply: Division is completed

33  Limit on business

No new business may be taken after 10 pm, unless by order of the House before 10 pm.

34  Order of business

The order of business to be followed by the House is shown in figure 2.

Figure 2. House order of business

35  Priority of business

Government business shall have priority over committee and delegation reports and private Members’ business except on Mondays as provided by standing orders 34 (order of business) and 192 (Main Committee’s order of business).

39  Presentation of reports

(a)

Members may present reports of committees or delegations:

(i)

as recommended by the whips, during the period for committee and delegation reports on Mondays (standing order 34); or

(ii)

at any time when other business is not before the House.

(b)

Members may make statements in relation to these reports:

(i)

during the period for committee and delegation reports on Mondays in the House (standingorder 34); the whips shall recommend time limits for statements, of not more than 10 minutes for each Member; or

(ii)

at any other time, by leave of the House.

(c)

The Member presenting a report may move without notice, a specific motion in relation to the report. Debate on the question shall be adjourned to a future day.

(d)

If, on Mondays, the Speaker presents a report referred to in this standing order, the following steps are deemed to have occurred in respect of the report —a motion to take note of the report, debate on the motion to be adjourned to a later hour and the order of the day to be referred to the Main Committee for further consideration within any parameters adopted by the House on the recommendation of the whips.

40  Resumption of debate on reports

(a)

After presentation of reports on Mondays proceedings may be resumed on motions in relation to committee and delegation reports moved on an earlier day.

(b)

For debate in accordance with paragraph (a) the whips shall recommend:

(i)

the order in which motions are to be considered;

(ii)

time limits for the whole debate; and

(iii)

time limits for each Member speaking, of not more than 10 minutes.

(c)

During the period on Mondays provided by standing order 192, proceedings may be resumed in the Main Committee on motions in relation to committee and delegation reports referred that day or on an earlier day.

41  Private Members’ business

(a)

In the periods set for committee and delegation reports and private Members’ business under standing orders 34 and 192, private Members’ notices and orders of the day shall be considered in the order shown on the Notice Paper. When the time set by standing orders 34 or 192 or recommended by the whips ends, the Speaker shall interrupt proceedings and put the question.

(b)

If

(i)

the whips have recommended that consideration of a matter may continue on a future day;then

(ii)

at the time set for interruption of the item of business or if debate concludes earlier, the Speaker shall interrupt proceedings and the matter shall be listed on the Notice Paper for the next sitting.

Private Members’ bills—priority

(c)

The whips, in making recommendations to the House:

(i)

shall give priority to private Members’ notices of intention to present bills over other notices and orders of the day; and

(ii)

shall set the order in which the bills are to be presented.

First reading

(d)

When each notice is called on by the Clerk, the Member in whose name the notice stands may present the bill, together with an explanatory memorandum (if available), and may speak to the bill for no longer than 5 minutes. The bill shall be then read a first time and the motion for the second reading shall be set down on the Notice Paper for the next sitting.

(e)

If, on Mondays, the Speaker presents a bill for which notice has been given by a private Member, the first reading of the bill is deemed to stand referred to the Main Committee.  When the bill is called on in the Main Committee by the Clerk, the Member sponsoring the bill may present an explanatory memorandum (if available), and may speak to the bill for no longer than 5 minutes. The bill shall be then read a first time and the motion for the second reading shall be set down on the Notice Paper for the next sitting. Second reading

(f)

If the motion for the second reading is agreed to by the House, further consideration of the bill shall be accorded priority over other private Members’ business and the whips may recommend times for consideration of the remaining stages. Alternation of notices

(g)

Subject to paragraph (c)(i), the whips shall provide for the consideration of private Members’ notices to alternate between those of government and non-government Members. Private Members’ motions

(h)

If, on Mondays, the Speaker presents a copy of the terms of a motion for which notice has been given by a private Member, the following steps are deemed to have occurred—the motion is deemed to have been moved and debate on the motion adjourned to a later hour and the order of the day referred to the Main Committee for further consideration in accordance with any parameters adopted by the House on the recommendation of the whips.

41a       Selection of private Members’ and committee business

(a)

For the period for committee and delegation reports and private Members’ business on Mondays, the whips shall recommend the order of consideration of the matters, the times allotted for debate on each item and for each Member speaking, and the matters to be considered in the Main Committee.

(b)

The Chief Government Whip shall report the recommendations of the whips to the House and shall move without notice the motion— That the House adopt the report.

(c)

The Chief Government Whip must report to the House under paragraph (b) in time for the report to be adopted by the House and published on the Notice Paper of the sitting Thursday before the Monday being considered.  The report shall be published in Hansard.

(d)

The House may grant leave for the order of consideration of the matters, and the times allotted for debate on each item and for each Member speaking, set by the House to be varied.

42  Removal of business

The Clerk shall remove from the Notice Paper items of private Members’ business and orders of the day relating to committee and delegation reports which have not been called on for eight consecutive sitting Mondays.

43  Members’ statements on Fridays, to be omitted.

44  Grievance debate, to be omitted.

55  Lack of quorum

(a)

When the attention of the Speaker is drawn to the state of the House and the Speaker observes that a quorum is not present, the Speaker shall count the Members present in accordance with standing order 56.

(b)

On Mondays and Tuesdays, if any Member draws the attention of the Speaker to the state of the House between the hours of 6.30 pm and 8 pm, the Speaker shall announce that he or she will count the House at 8 pm, if the Member then so desires.

(c)

If a quorum is in fact present when a Member draws attention to the state of the House, the Speaker may name the Member in accordance with standing order 94(b) (sanctions against disorderly conduct).

97  Daily Question Time

(a)

Question Time shall begin at 2 pm on each sitting day, at which time the Speaker shall interrupt any business before the House and call on questions without notice.

(b)

The business interrupted shall be dealt with in the following manner:

(i)

if a division is in progress at the time, the division shall be completed and the result announced; or

(ii)

the Speaker shall set the time for resumption of debate.

106 Giving notice

(a)

A Member giving a notice of motion must deliver it in writing to the Clerk at the Table.

(b)

The notice may specify the day proposed for moving the motion and must be signed by the Member and a seconder.

(c)

A notice of motion which expresses censure of or no confidence in the Government, or a censure of any Member, must be reported to the House by the Clerk at the first convenient opportunity.

133 Deferred divisions on Mondays and Tuesdays

(a)

On Mondays and Tuesdays, any division called for between the hours of 6.30 pm and 8 pm shall be deferred until 8 pm.

(b)

The Speaker shall put all questions on which a division has been deferred, successively and without amendment or further debate.

(c)

This standing order does not apply to a division called on a motion moved by a Minister during the periods specified in this standing order.

138 Initiation of bills

A House bill may be initiated:

(a)

by the calling on of a notice of intention to present a bill;

(b)

by an order of the House;

(c)

without notice by a Minister under standing order 178 (Appropriation Bill or bill dealing with taxation); or

(d)

by presentation under standing order 41(e).

A bill not prepared according to the standing orders of the House shall be ordered to be withdrawn.

139 Notice of intention to present bill

(a)

A Member giving a notice of intention to present a bill must deliver the notice in writing to the Clerk at the Table.

(b)

The notice must:

(i)

specify the title of the bill and the day for presentation; and

(ii)

be signed by the Member and at least one other Member.

(c)

A notice of intention to present a bill shall be treated as if it were a notice of motion.

140 Signed copy of bill presented

(a)

Member presenting a bill must sign a legible copy of the bill and give it to the Clerk at the Table, or to the Speaker for the purposes of standing order 41(e).

(b)

The title of a bill must agree with the notice of intention to present it, and every clause must come within the title.

141 First reading and explanatory memorandum

(a)

Subject to standing order 41(e), when a bill is presented to the House, or a Senate bill is first received, the bill shall be read a first time without a question being put. A Member presenting a bill during private Members’ business may speak to the bill, before it is read a first time, for no longer than 5 minutes.

(b)

For any bill presented by a Minister, except an Appropriation or Supply Bill, the Minister must present a signed explanatory memorandum. The explanatory memorandum must include an explanation of the reasons for the bill.

192 Main Committee’s order of business

(a)

If the Committee meets on a Monday, Wednesday or Thursday, the normal order of business is set out in figure 4.

(b)

If the Committee meets on a Monday to consider orders of the day relating to committee and delegation reports, these orders of the day shall have priority over other business, unless otherwise ordered.

Figure 4. Main Committee order of business

The meeting times of the Main Committee are fixed by the Deputy Speaker and are subject to change. Adjournment debates can occur on days other than Thursdays by agreement between the Whips. The Main Committee may also meet on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon and evening, if required.

192a     Members’ statements on Mondays

Before committee and delegation reports and private Members’ business on Mondays, the Deputy Speaker shall call on statements by Members. The Deputy Speaker may call a Member, but not a Minister (or Parliamentary Secretary*), to make a statement for no longer than 90 seconds. The period allowed for these statements shall extend until 6.55 pm.

* Including Assistant Ministers who are Parliamentary Secretaries

192b     Grievance debate

(a)

At the conclusion of committee and delegation reports and private Members’ business on Mondays, the first order of the day shall be grievance debate.  The order of the day stands referred to the Main Committee.

(b)

After the Deputy Speaker proposes the question—

That grievances be noted—

any Member may address the Main Committee or move any amendment to the question. When debate is interrupted after one hour or if it concludes earlier, the Deputy Speaker shall adjourn the debate on the motion, and the resumption of the debate shall be made an order of the day for the next sitting.

207 Presenting a petition

A petition may be presented in one of two ways:

(a)

The Speaker shall present petitions and the Clerk announce them each sitting Monday, in accordance with standing order 34 (order of business).

(b)

A Member may present a petition during:

(i)

the period of Members’ statements in the Main Committee, in accordance with standing order 192A and standing order 193;

(ii)

adjournment debate in the House in accordance with standing order 31, and in the Main Committee in accordance with standing order 191; and

(iii)

grievance debate in accordance with standing order 192B.

208 Action by the House

(a)

Discussion on the subject matter of a petition shall only be allowed at the time of presentation as provided for under standing order 207(b).

(b)

Each petition presented shall be received by the House, unless a motion that it not be received is moved immediately and agreed to.

(c)

The only other motion relating to a petition that may be moved is a motion on notice that the petition be referred to a particular committee.

(d)

The terms of petitions shall be printed in Hansard.

(e)

The Standing Committee on Petitions shall respond to petitions on behalf of the House and report to the House.

On 20 December 2007, I announced on behalf of the government that private members’ business would be transferred to Fridays as part of our commitment to parliamentary reform. That was directed towards enhancing the status of private members’ business and giving extra time for private members’ business, as well as allowing for extra time for government business. In these reforms, the government maintained four q

Russell Broadbent (McMillan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Broadbent interjecting

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Those opposite can say what they like. But the fact is that, say what you like about John Howard, John Howard would not have allowed a political party which he led to treat the parliament in that way. They know it and the Australian public know it. On that date, their objection was to working five days a week. We know that they are struggling to work four days a week. We have a situation where we have had members of the opposition staying out at lunch and justifying doing so. We have had overseas trips and the justifying of making overseas trips while being paid as local members. Perhaps the most bizarre is the member for O’Connor, who is absent from the parliament during this sitting week. During recent times, it has come to light—

Russell Broadbent (McMillan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise on a point of order, Mr Speaker. What has this got to do with the motion before the House?

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for McMillan does not have the call yet. The member for McMillan may now raise his point of order.

Russell Broadbent (McMillan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My point of order goes to relevance. What has this diatribe got to do with the motion before the House, which is on procedure?

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for McMillan will resume his seat. The Leader of the House will continue.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In terms of private members’ business, the fact is that they are struggling to turn up from Monday to Thursday, let alone on Friday. That is the issue here. They are off on cruise ships, on which they have had to lock in the lifeboats. Imagine being on a cruise ship and getting a lecture on climate change from the member for O’Connor. They are the only cruise ship passengers to ever pray for an iceberg. That is what they are doing on that particular ship.

Don Randall (Canning, Liberal Party, Shadow Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. It has become patently clear that this is irrelevant and I ask you to rule that way.

Russell Broadbent (McMillan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We’re trying to keep order; he’s baiting!

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for McMillan is warned! I remind the member for McMillan again as I have reminded other people that, no matter how they feel aggrieved about things that are happening, they show some respect and dignity to the chamber and to the House.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am going through why the opposition was so opposed to Friday sittings, because I am surprised that the opposition has been so opposed to enhancing the status of private members’ business. Indeed, the House of Representatives Practice makes it very clear that it is oppositions that benefit from private members’ business. Indeed, on page 80 it says:

While all private Members are to some extent involved in such functions as petitions, grievances, questions, and participation in committee work, the effective performance of the functions listed above is largely dependent on a vigilant, industrious and organised Opposition. Members supporting the Government are able to play an effective part in this parliamentary process but the Opposition may be expected to do so and to articulate, for example, the views of various groups within the community.

That is the role of private members’ business. Private members’ business gives an opportunity for members of the opposition executive, opposition backbench and government backbench to move private members’ bills. Indeed, those on this side of the House now, when in opposition, moved a number of private members’ bills. I myself moved a bill which led to the cap of 80 movements on Sydney airport. I moved a bill that we ratify Kyoto. I moved a bill stopping exploration on the Great Barrier Reef. I moved a bill about same-sex superannuation entitlements. These are the opportunities that from opposition you can take up.

I want to address some of the myths that are here. One is the issue of ministers and their participation in private members’ business. The very purpose of private members’ business is that it is the one area of parliamentary debate which is not led by the executive, in which the executive do not participate. The former Prime Minister and those people who were ministers over on that side of the House did not participate in any of the private members’ business during the entire 12 years that they were in government—not for one minute did they participate in debate; not for one minute did they sit in the chamber and listen to that debate. The other issue that characterises private members’ business is that you do not have divisions. That is what private members’ business does. Private members’ business is an opportunity for people to raise issues, to lift up the profile of issues of concern either to their electorate or to the nation. We had absolute nonsense from those opposite about these very issues.

There was another statement made by the coalition frontbenchers, who engaged in an extraordinary disruption of the parliament, the most serious of which was the defiance of the Speaker. I have been in this chamber for 12 years. I never once saw a member of the former opposition—and there were over 170 asked to leave under standing order 94(a)—basically say, ‘No, I’m not going.’ That is what we saw during that Friday sitting. At the same time, we saw an abuse of the Deputy Speaker in particular when she was in the chamber which was, quite frankly, a disgrace. It brought this parliament into disrepute. We should never forget that the kids in schools, who look towards this parliament, expect some dignity. But, since then, we have had the shadow minister for foreign affairs go on the Insiders program on 24 February. There was no apology but a statement that disorderly conduct on Fridays would continue as a premeditated strategy—an extraordinary position!

The fact is that these standing orders were debated in this House for some 15½ hours, beating the previous record from 1969 by an hour and a half. We said that we would not gag the debate. We had a number of speakers. The opposition had 28 speakers in a row, talking to themselves about the debate that was going on. Indeed, you had the extraordinary position that the member for Fisher, at 12.39 am in the debate, stated:

I think it is unfortunate that, in this debate, we started with 15 minutes and then it was cut to five minutes and now it has been cut to three minutes. I also think it is unfortunate that here we are at 20 to one in the morning ...

Well, we were not gagging them; they were gagging themselves. They had a speaking list on which they put every single one of their members and then they made them all speak, but they realised when it was not being gagged that they would have to cut their own speaking list down. So they gagged their own members—told them they could speak for five minutes and then told them they could speak for only three minutes. It is extraordinary that that is the case. But they did not tell each other, obviously, because the member for Barker last night in the adjournment debate said:

We have had three disasters already. On the first day of sitting we sat until two o’clock in the morning...

That was because members of the opposition—who now say they want to do the same thing—just talked and talked among themselves, in spite of the fact that twice yesterday in this chamber I said I would table the standing orders in order for them to be on notice and debated properly and in spite of the fact that the Leader of the Opposition was notified last Friday in writing of what the changes would be. Those changes do nothing more and nothing less than transfer Friday sittings through to Monday night. So it is extraordinary that they have been prepared to go to this length.

We know that there is a problem when it comes to negotiating good outcomes because, after the first suspension during the last sitting, I asked the Leader of the Opposition whether there was going to be further disruptive behaviour and he indicated there would not be. I am not sure whether that was a breach of faith or whether he simply could not control the troops on his own side. It is very interesting that the people who were actually thrown out were not the Leader of the Opposition or the Manager of Opposition Business in the House; it was the poor old member for Cowper. He got the hospital pass: ‘Here you go, buddy. Up you go. You do the job.’ The member for Moncrieff, who probably does not know better, was the first member of a serious political party to be marched out of the chamber.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Mackellar, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Veterans' Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I ask you to pull the member back to the substance of the motion proposed, which is to promote the reason for the change in the standing orders and not to simply indulge in a diatribe of infantile nonsense.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the House knows that he has to be relevant to the motion.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

They actually do not want this debate either. The truth is that they do not want to sit on that side of the House. What we saw in the debate about these standing orders was the largest group therapy session ever held in this parliament. It was a group therapy session where 28 members of the coalition spoke one after the other about these issues being gagged by the Manager of Opposition Business. On Friday, we saw all their frustration and anger at their rejection by the electorate taken out not on us but on the parliament of the nation, on the House of Representatives chamber, on the Speaker and on the Deputy Speaker. The fact is that, in terms of debate, a great opportunity is presented for members of the opposition by private members’ business.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Mackellar, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Veterans' Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Find a man to talk, instead of a boy!

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This is the future of the Liberal Party over there. She has just made the front bench from the back bench. When the Leader of the Opposition sat down and worked out his executive, he appointed 45 members to it. Everybody got a prize in order to lock in support for the opposition leadership versus the person who wants to be the Leader of the Opposition. What we are really seeing played out here is people playing to their own backbench. This is just like before the election when they forgot about the Australian public—they are still talking about themselves. In the entire term of this parliament, there will not be a speakers list as long as the one on the standing orders. It will be longer than their list on climate change, industrial relations, the environment, health or education. The big issue that they were obsessed about on day one of this parliament—on the first sitting day, when new members have their families here—was to make the parliament sit until 2 am. Congratulations; you did that.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Mackellar, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Veterans' Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Joe, can you control—

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the House will resume his seat.

Don Randall (Canning, Liberal Party, Shadow Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Randall interjecting

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Canning is not assisting. The member for Mackellar has the call.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Mackellar, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Veterans' Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, the member opposite is continually straying from the substance of the motion. I know this represents a long time for him to have to talk, but he really does have to address the motion and not waffle.

Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We certainly won’t be here until 2 am.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We certainly will not be here until 2 am, because the government has gone to great lengths to be fair to the opposition. If you look at the Laura Tingle article or the Michelle Grattan article—people who have actually been around this place for a while—you will see that they knew the opposition had the potential to gain a great advantage by Friday sittings running into Saturday media. It was a great chance to get publicity for their private members’ business and a great chance to get publicity for their ideas—the problem is that they do not have any. They do not have any plan for the future. All they have is an inward-looking party which is focused on who is going to lead the opposition.

From time to time parties go through these struggles; I am fully aware of that. But let me tell you that it is only when you focus outwards that you actually have a chance. If you think that the Australian public approve of your efforts and your behaviour on that Friday, then you are more out of touch than can be believed. These amendments go to protecting private members’ business in terms of maintaining the same amount of time it had previously. They have been tabled in accordance with what I said I would do yesterday, yet it is still not good enough for the opposition. When they ask for further concessions, they get person after person to stand up and move— (Time expired)

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Hopefully, this puts an end to the farcical Fridays that the government initiated. I remind the Leader of the House that his Prime Minister said that, if parliament did not sit five days a week, parliamentarians were lazy. Then the Prime Minister himself did not turn up on the fifth day—to use a Smithian comment. We received these changes to the standing order at 7.30 this morning. I had a phone conversation—

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I ask that the Manager of Opposition Business withdraw that. It was tabled in the parliament last night, as I said I would do.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The Leader of the House will resume his seat.

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am sorry, but that is actually wrong. The Notice Paper came out at 7.30 this morning. The blue comes out at around 7.45 am. We have not had any opportunity to peruse the new standing orders or sitting patterns of this chamber. Importantly, in relation to the order of business—

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Albanese interjecting

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Well, you go ahead and do that. If you look at the Notice Paper now, you cannot even tell what the sitting days are in the new sitting schedule for 2008. It is not a colour printout. We do not know what the hell the sitting days are for the year ahead, yet the Leader of the House in this place expects members of parliament to vote in support of the new standing orders, which we did not see until 7.30 this morning.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, if it would assist the Manager of Opposition Business, I would be prepared to move that the debate be adjourned and that he be given permission to continue—

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The Leader of the House knows that is not—

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am trying to help. Do you want it or not?

Alby Schultz (Hume, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This is just sanctimonious, pompous, hypocritical—

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am actually helping you, you goose. Fair dinkum!

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Hume is not helping, and I ask that he withdraw in the context that it is not helping. I ask that the member for Hume withdraw that remark.

Alby Schultz (Hume, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I withdraw.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Albanese interjecting

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Mackellar, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Veterans' Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Go on, spit the dummy!

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The Leader of the House and the member for Mackellar.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Mackellar, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Veterans' Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Go on, spit the dummy!

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Mackellar is denying the member for North Sydney the call.

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Just to continue, as the Manager of Opposition Business, I would like the opportunity, in consultation with my members, to be able to peruse the proposed standing orders and to peruse the proposed sitting pattern for 2008. Accordingly, I seek leave to continue my remarks at a later hour.

Leave granted; debate adjourned.