House debates Motions

Speaker

Thursday, 27 March 2014 House of Representatives

Mr Tony Burke

Mr Tony Burke Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance

2:21 pm

Madam Speaker, I seek leave to move a motion which has not been moved in this form in the House since 1949:

That the House has no further confidence in Madam Speaker on the grounds:

(a) that in the discharge of her duties she has revealed serious partiality in favour of Government Members;

(b) that she regards herself merely as the instrument of the Liberal Party and not as the custodian of the rights and privileges of elected Members of the Parliament;

(c) that she constantly fails to interpret correctly the Standing Orders of the House; and

(d) of gross incompetency in her administration of Parliamentary procedure.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker

Before I call the Leader of the House, I would say to the Manager of Opposition Business that earlier today the opposition was unable to call a division on a second reading motion because they had one member only in the House. Subsequent to that, they called a division on the question that the bill be agreed to and then called the division off. Then, when we had a division on the third reading and all the members were present, they failed to provide a speaker on the next piece of business. I suggest they get their own house in order. I now call the Leader of the House.

Christopher Pyne

Christopher Pyne Sturt, Liberal Party, Minister for Education

Leave is not granted.