Peter Slipper (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Would the member for Petrie resume her seat just for the moment. I ask the minister who is jacketless to leave the chamber—the minister will remain unnamed in Hansard. I ask honourable members to sit down or leave the chamber so that the due courtesies can be extended to the honourable member for Petrie, who has a question to me.

Yvette D'Ath (Petrie, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, my question to you relates to the appropriate use of iPads in this chamber. I should say that I have no objection with iPads being available in this chamber—they assist members in fulfilling their various duties as elected members. However, this morning when the Prime Minister was making a statement on the Closing The Gap report I was in the gallery with one of my schools. The school students asked me why a member was playing solitaire on their iPad in the chamber. I believe that type of contact and use of iPads is disorderly in this chamber.

Peter Slipper (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I advise the member for Petrie that while the playing of solitaire might not be a good use of time in the chamber, although some might say it is, it might not necessarily be a good thing for members to have people see them play solitaire. I do commend to the honourable member the contents of page 158 of House of Representatives Practice as it refers to the use of computers. Essentially, text messaging is permitted and notebook computers may be used for emails. I probably do not think that playing solitaire is beyond the standing orders, but I do not think it is necessarily a good use of technology in the House of Representatives of the Australian parliament. People who do play solitaire are obviously judged by those who can see them playing it. I imagine also that the result of the game would be obvious to those watching.