Bob Baldwin Paterson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Tourism
That’s unusual!
John Murphy Reid, Australian Labor Party
Yes, it is unusual. Today I have presented a number of petitions that the petitions committee has found comply with the standing orders. I will repeat a remark that I make from time to time about this: the committee may or may not agree with the contents of a petition but its role is to consider whether a petition complies with the rules of the House in terms of its form, content and language. If it complies the committee will authorise its presentation. This approach reflects the historic nature of petitions, the committee’s role as a conduit between the people of Australia and this House, and the House’s respect for freedom of speech.