Stephen Jones (Throsby, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That Mr Georganas be elected Second Deputy Speaker of this House.

It is my honour to nominate the member for Hindmarsh. For all the reasons I set out in an earlier nomination, I think he is an excellent nominee for the Second Deputy Speaker's position. I also take the opportunity to congratulate the member for Maranoa on his successful election yesterday.

Harry Jenkins (Scullin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion, and I thank the member for Petrie for allowing me to the second the nomination. The member for Hindmarsh, Steve Georganas, has a big task today, for, if he fails today—twice in two days, Steve—I think it will be a very, very bad thing! But I looked at your CV and I thought, 'Anybody that survived being a taxidriver in South Australia can do lots of things.' I then saw 'Ministerial adviser to Jay Weatherill'. You have made sure that he has gone on to bigger and better things, so now is the hour for you to see that you get a deserved position in this place. I know that, if you are elected to the position of Second Deputy Speaker, your mentor John Trainer will make sure that you are well and truly versed in the way in which you should carry out your duties. I have witnessed the way in which former Speaker Trainer has liked to advise people about how they do their job. Now that there is a level playing field in this election and you are able to be nominated, it will be in the hands of the House to decide who is elected as Second Deputy Speaker. Yesterday, when the member for New England rose to nominate the member for Maranoa, I thought, Steve, that you had a problem. The fact that the member for Sturt nominated somebody else perhaps was out of some 'vindictiveness'—and, Hansard, please put that in inverted commas—a South Australian thing, but we allow these rivalries across the chamber from within states. I am sure that you will do a good job.

Can I use this opportunity, Speaker Burke, to congratulate you. I wish you all the best. I know that you will capably control the affairs within the chamber and I know that you will carry out your duties in administrating the affairs throughout the building with great distinction. I am amongst a whole host of people that are very proud to see you in the Speaker's chair.

To beam me up, I turn to the member for Maranoa—I nearly said 'marijuana' or 'marinara'! I also congratulate the Deputy Speaker on taking his high office. The fact that he got there after being defeated twice is a great credit to him.

I congratulate the member for Fisher on his period as Speaker, but more importantly I congratulate and thank him for his actions of yesterday, which were well and truly out of an interest in protecting the institution of Speaker. Many of us are not put to this type of test. For the former Speaker to do what he did yesterday, to go beyond his personal feelings, was a great credit to him as a member of this place. He now becomes the immediate past Speaker. That means that there needs to be a new title for a certain member of the House. I am willing to become the 'Speaker mentor', but that is for others to decide!

In conclusion, I hope that the House will give its support to the member for Hindmarsh, and then the team of Speaker Burke, Deputy Speaker Scott and Second Deputy Speaker Georganas can fulfil the required task of restoration, reformation and modernisation of the House of Representatives of the Parliament of Australia.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That Dr Stone be elected Second Deputy Speaker of this House.

The member for Murray is well known to the parliament, having been elected in 1996. The member for Murray served as a minister and a parliamentary secretary in the Howard government. The member for Murray is a longstanding member of the parliament, has served as a chair and a deputy chair of committees and is well aware of the standing orders of the House and what is required of a Second Deputy Speaker of the parliament. It is with great enthusiasm and honour that I nominate my friend and colleague the member for Murray as Second Deputy Speaker.

Mal Washer (Moore, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion. Madam Speaker, I would like to congratulate you on your appointment—that is fabulous—and also congratulate the member for Maranoa. I second the nomination of the member for Murray, but Luke just came up and said, 'Don't follow Harry; he's longwinded,' so I am not allowed to make a speech! Harry, you have taken away my sunshine! I do like the member for Hindmarsh, but I want to want to say just a couple of things. I think the member for Murray is prettier—with all due respect, Steve—and she is a very talented woman and she would make a wonderful Second Deputy Speaker. Thank you very much, and I'm sorry I spoke!

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

Are there any further proposals? The time for proposals has expired. In accordance with standing order 14, the bells will be rung and a ballot taken.

The bells having been rung and a ballot having been taken—

Order! The result of the ballot is: Mr Georganas, 73; Dr Stone, 71. Mr Georganas is elected Second Deputy Speaker. Congratulations!

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to congratulate the member for Hindmarsh on his election as Second Deputy Speaker. The member for Hindmarsh and I have known each other for what is quite a long time now. He is a very fierce advocate for South Australia in this place, which always resonates well with me, given my family interest in Adelaide and South Australia.

He is also known across the parliament, I believe, as one of the gentler souls in this parliament. He is well admired by those he has worked alongside, both in the government and across the chamber, through the work he has done on parliamentary committees and the like. I believe he will serve in this role with distinction, rounding out a terrific team: you, Madam Speaker, and the member for Maranoa, now joined by the member for Hindmarsh.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, I rise to congratulate the member for Hindmarsh. It is a great honour to be elected Second Deputy Speaker of this parliament, and I congratulate him on his success. I congratulate all those in the new Speaker's team on their positions and I trust that this team will fare better than previous ones in this parliament and will take us to an election.

Warren Truss (Wide Bay, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, may I join in congratulating the member for Hindmarsh on his selection and also compliment Dr Stone on her candidacy for this position. I am sure she would have also filled the office very ably.

If I may use the Leader of the House's favourite word, it has been quite an extraordinary election of new presiding officers, which I think reached a bit of a low today when the government decided to change the rules halfway through the election. It is also the final death of the new paradigm. Nonetheless, we were happy to overlook the way in which the member for Hindmarsh was elected, in the knowledge that he will undertake the task with distinction and that his manner will be well suited to keeping order and to delivering the business of the House. I congratulate the member for Hindmarsh on his election and wish the new presiding officers well.

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

I join with the Prime Minister and those opposite who have congratulated the member for Hindmarsh on his election to high office as Second Deputy Speaker. The member for Hindmarsh is a determined soul. He ran for the electorate of Hindmarsh not once, not twice but three times before he was given the honour of being elected to the House of Representatives. So he is someone who is tenacious. He sticks to it. He stuck to it through the night to ensure his election as Second Deputy Speaker this morning.

He is someone who is highly regarded across the chamber by all members in this House. As the Prime Minister has said, he is certainly a gentleman. He is someone who represents his electorate with a great deal of tenacity. I think the combination of the member for Maranoa and the member for Hindmarsh along with you, Madam Speaker, is a good one indeed. I have no doubt that the three of you will work together in a cooperative manner. All three of you have in common an absolute sense of decency. I congratulate you on your election.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Very briefly, Madam Speaker, I congratulate a fellow South Australian, the member for Hindmarsh, on his election as Second Deputy Speaker. While I am sorry that it is all in the rather surreal air of what seems like the last days of a poor government, I am sure in the time that is remaining to the member for Hindmarsh he will acquit his role well.

Steve Georganas (Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, can I just say that I am pleased this ballot is over! I start by congratulating you, Madam Speaker, on your elevation to high office, this great office which you now occupy. Having served on the panel with you, I have witnessed firsthand the good work that you have done as Deputy Speaker and standing in as Speaker. You have served this parliament extremely well and will continue to do so with distinction and with honour, and I look forward to working with you. One thing that we all pretty well agreed on yesterday and that we agree on today is the excellence with which you have discharged your duties, particularly in the last number of months in difficult circumstances. Madam Speaker, congratulations.

I would also like to congratulate the Deputy Speaker, the member for Maranoa. I think that he will perform his duties diligently and to the best of his abilities. Having served on the panel with him for a number of years now, I know that he is a great person for Deputy Speaker. Sometimes when we go into ballots we lose—that is part of our democracy, and it is fantastic—but I could not think of losing to a better person on the other side. So I congratulate the member for Maranoa as Deputy Speaker. I know that he will work diligently, with honour and distinction, as Deputy Speaker.

To my colleagues, I thank you all for nominating me, both as Deputy Speaker yesterday and as Second Deputy today. I endeavour to serve this parliament and the people of Australia to the highest of standards. When you think of this parliament and the positions that go with this parliament, it does not matter whether you are the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition, the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker, the Second Deputy Speaker or a minister; it is an absolute honour and a privilege to serve in this House in any capacity. Anyone who thinks it is a right is here for the wrong reasons. So I can say that it is an absolute honour and a privilege to be the Second Deputy Speaker.

Regardless of the circumstances of this nomination and the machinations that took place, I look forward to assisting you, Madam Speaker, and the Deputy Speaker to the best of my abilities so that we ensure that this place operates and works well. The standing orders of this House, the rules of this chamber, have served our democracy extremely well for over 100 years. Even in difficult circumstances we have seen this place running smoothly.

There may be from time to time a bit of a ruckus, but the standing orders that have been put in place—the rules of the running of this chamber—have, even under difficult circumstances, served this democracy well. I look forward to serving with distinction and honour and look forward to working with the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker, and all the speakers of the panel. Thank you.

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

I also congratulate the member for Hindmarsh, who I have had the pleasure of working with on the panel for many years. I know he will do an amazing job. The member for Murray would also have been a pleasure to work with. So, congratulations to everybody on the way this ballot has been conducted.