House debates Business
Suspension of Standing and Sessional Orders
Greg Hunt Flinders, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Climate Action, Environment and Heritage
9:01 am
I move:
That so much of the standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent the Member for Flinders from moving the following motion forthwith:
The Government urgently bring forward a bill which will provide that the legislated increase in the carbon tax from 1 July 2013 does not proceed.
We do not know who will be Prime Minister of Australia tomorrow. We do not know who will be Prime Minister on Friday.
Greg Hunt Flinders, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Climate Action, Environment and Heritage
But we do know that the carbon tax goes up—
Stephen Smith Perth, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the House
Speaker, on a point of order: if the member for Flinders wants to seek to suspend standing orders, he needs to advise the House as to the reasons for that. His opening remarks bore no relationship to the reasons, if any, for the suspension. If he wants to move a suspension, he needs to speak in accordance with the standing orders.
Ms Anna Burke Speaker
The member for Flinders has the call and needs to address the motion before the chair.
Greg Hunt Flinders, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Climate Action, Environment and Heritage
Thank you very much, Speaker. The reason why this motion is both urgent and imminent is that on Monday the carbon tax goes up, on Monday the first of a triple whammy comes into play, on Monday the price goes from $23 to $24.15.
Stephen Smith Perth, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the House
9:02 am
We gave him every opportunity, and today is Wednesday, not next Monday. I move:
That the member be no longer heard.
Ms Anna Burke Speaker
The question is that the member be no longer heard.
Is the motion seconded?
Sophie Mirabella Indi, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Innovation, Industry and Science
9:14 am
I second the motion and reserve my right to speak.
Stephen Smith Perth, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the House
9:15 am
The opposition has moved that the House suspend standing orders to enable a debate to occur on climate change. This is a debate which the government has been mounting in the community for all of this term. The one thing that the opposition—neither the member for Flinders nor the member who has reserved her rights—have not told us this morning is why standing orders ought to be suspended today. I heard briefly from the member for Flinders about matters relating to Monday.
Christopher Pyne Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training
Speaker, on a point of order: how can the minister claim that the other side has not had an opportunity to say why the suspension should be moved when in fact he shut the member for Flinders down in a vote of the House?
Ms Anna Burke Speaker
The Manager of Opposition Business will resume his seat. The minister has the call.
Stephen Smith Perth, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the House
On the point of order, Speaker, it was because he was speaking out of order. I gave him the appropriate warning. I told him he needed to speak in accordance with the standing orders. He needed to outline to the House as to why standing orders needed to be suspended now. The only thing I heard him talk about was next week. He needed to tell the House why standing orders needed to be suspended this morning and he did not. The member for Indi had that opportunity and she squibbed that opportunity.
What the House has not yet been apprised of is, from the member for Flinders or the member for Indi, as to why standing orders need to be suspended. It is a requirement of the standing orders and practice and procedure that some such reason be given to the House and no such reason has been given to the House.
Sophie Mirabella Indi, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Innovation, Industry and Science
9:17 am
Madam Deputy Speaker.
Sophie Mirabella Indi, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Innovation, Industry and Science
Okay.
Ms Anna Burke Speaker
By now I reckon I have been lenient enough. I am the Speaker. It is really easy. Just use the title.
Sophie Mirabella Indi, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Innovation, Industry and Science
Speaker.
Sophie Mirabella Indi, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Innovation, Industry and Science
Standing orders need to be suspended because there is a vital issue facing Australia. That is the carbon tax. After this government has arrogantly ignored the people's wishes they now wish to increase the carbon tax next week. It is a disgrace.
Stephen Smith Perth, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the House
Speaker, on a point of order: again, I have done my best to outline to the House, to the member for Flinders and to the member for Indi that the contributions have to be why standing orders need to be suspended now. You were telling me that we have been having a debate about climate change for three years. You then started to tell me about Monday which is precisely the same mistake that the member for Flinders made. The member must speak in accordance with the standing orders.
An opposition member: That is embarrassing.
Ms Anna Burke Speaker
Order! I am not going to tolerate that from anybody. The member for Indi has the call.
Sophie Mirabella Indi, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Innovation, Industry and Science
Thank you, Speaker. This is an urgent issue that requires the suspension of standing orders because this government, having failed to listen to the wishes of the Australian—
An honourable member interjecting—
What is your problem? Why don't you want a woman—
Honourable members interjecting—
Ms Anna Burke Speaker
Order! The member for Indi will resume her seat. The Minister for Defence has the call.
Stephen Smith Perth, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the House
Speaker, on a point of order: the member must speak in accordance with the standing orders. She has had sufficient—
An opposition member interjecting—
Well, she is not and as a consequence of that, I move:
That the member be no longer heard.
Ms Anna Burke Speaker
The question is that the member be no longer heard.
The time for the debate has expired.
Stephen Smith Perth, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the House
Speaker, I ask leave of the House to make a ministerial statement on full knowledge and concurrence.
Christopher Pyne Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training
On a genuine matter of clarification, Speaker, I understood that if you put that the question is that the motion be agreed then when the time expires the actual motion is also put for a vote. That is why the member for Indi only seconded the motion, so that you would call the speaker from the other side.
Ms Anna Burke Speaker
My apologies. I assumed, as with previous ones, that the time for the debate had expired, but we can put the question if that is what would be called. I assumed the debate had expired even though I had put the question—my apologies. The question is that the motion be agreed to.