House debates

Tuesday, 30 August 2016

Parliamentary Office Holders

Speaker

11:19 am

Photo of Michael SukkarMichael Sukkar (Deakin, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

I move:

That the honourable member for Casey do take the chair of this House as Speaker.

It really is a true honour to nominate a most distinguished and respected member of our parliament, the member for Casey, as the Speaker of the House of Representatives in the 45th Parliament of Australia. As members of this House are aware, the member for Casey has given many years of dedicated service to his electorate and this House in a number of different capacities. As my electoral neighbour, I have had the absolute privilege of working closely with the member for Casey and, in doing so, I have seen firsthand the outstanding work that he has done representing the people of Deakin—Casey.

An honourable member: Old habits die hard!

We have had some redistributions! Importantly though, away from his electorate, as the Speaker in the previous parliament, the member for Casey demonstrated that he understands the robust nature of this House, not only respecting its traditions and conventions but also applying a sensible practicality which ensured its smooth operation. As Speaker, we also saw how scrupulously fair and impartial he was in the chair, and that impartiality was most obviously demonstrated to me when the member for Casey in the chair ejected me from the House—the first on the government side—just three days after I nominated him as Speaker the first time around. I really hope there is no repeat of that this week!

In my view, and in the view of many in this House, there is no-one in this parliament who is more qualified or deserving of the speakership than the member for Casey, who I know will bring to the House the experience and the stability that this parliament will require. It is therefore an honour to nominate Tony Smith, the member for Casey, as Speaker.

The Clerk: Is the nomination seconded?

11:22 am

Photo of Lucy WicksLucy Wicks (Robertson, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

It is an absolute honour to be able to second the nomination of the member for Casey as Speaker of this House. We know that it is a responsibility of each of us here to contribute to making this parliament a better place. In fact, I think the people of Australia believe and know that, and they expect no less. Since he was first elected as Speaker around 12 months ago, the member for Casey has acted in a most exemplary manner. He served our parliament and our nation with dignity, and he has earned the esteem of members from right across the chamber. He has used his considerable political experience to uphold the traditions of this place, and he has presided over the business of the House in a way that has elevated the tone of the chamber, as well as the respect in which this place is held. He has served in many capacities: as an outstanding community representative for the people of Casey, as the chair of various standing committees in the parliament, as a parliamentary secretary and a shadow minister and as a mentor, leader and friend to many.

He is somebody who has a great love of history and a deep appreciation and understanding of the importance of civics education in our society, especially for our next generations, and I know that this place, and indeed our nation, will be better served with the member for Casey as Speaker. In fact, it was his chairmanship of the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters, and particularly the inquiry into electoral education, that I am sure, in part, led to the member for Casey travelling to different electorates, including more recently Robertson and Grayndler, to share the importance of our parliamentary and democratic history with school students. I recall his words while he addressed a debate about democracy at the Kariong Mountains High School. The Speaker said, 'When you understand our democratic history, you then understand our democratic destiny.' From there, he went on to say, 'You also have a better understanding of your own ability to have a say and to participate in our democratic and political processes.'

And so I thank the member for Casey for both his service and his leadership. I know that he will continue to preside over the business of this House without fear or favour, while also continuing to promote and uphold the importance of our democratic traditions and our processes for the governance and for the future of this great nation. I commend the member for Casey's nomination to the House.

The Clerk: Does the member for Casey accept the nomination?

Photo of Tony SmithTony Smith (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

I accept.

The Clerk: Is there any further proposal? The time for proposals having expired, I declare the honourable member for Casey duly elected as Speaker.

Honourable members: Hear, hear!

I wish to express my grateful thanks for the high honour the House has been pleased to confer upon me.

The Speaker having seated himself in the chair—

11:26 am

Photo of Malcolm TurnbullMalcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr Speaker, and, on behalf of the government, the warmest congratulations on your elevation—or your re-elevation—to the great office of Speaker of the House of Representatives. You have conducted this vitally important office with elegance, intellect, dignity, charm and impartiality. This is a very robust chamber, as we all know, and sometimes in question time even people that are naturally very reasonable will become unreasonable and even intemperate. But you, Sir, have risen above that, and you project a calm that reflects so well on our House and so well on our democracy.

You have demonstrated that as Speaker in the last parliament, and it is a great achievement that you have done that because all of us understand that we come into politics as advocates, making a strong case for our principles, for our constituents, being prepared to take on arguments with force and sometimes with ferocity. So to translate from that role to one of calm, equanimity, impartiality yet nonetheless authority is a really profound transition, and you have achieved that. You have reflected so well on our democracy, so well on our House, and we from the government are so delighted that you have, once again, consented to be the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Congratulations and, of course, to Pam and your family without whose support we know you would not be able to perform your high office.

Honourable members: Hear, hear!

Photo of Tony SmithTony Smith (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

I thank the Prime Minister.

11:28 am

Photo of Bill ShortenBill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, congratulations on your re-election to one of the oldest and most important offices in our representative democracy, and congratulations to Pam and your family for the support which they provide you. On behalf of the opposition, can I say how pleased we were to support you for your role. In your time in the chair, you did earn the respect of both sides of the chamber. You have often been firm but always fair. Your efforts to be even-handed have gone a long way, I believe, to improving the accountability, the productivity and the civility of this place. Of course, all of us who speak in this chamber are only part-time residents of the parliament.

The beginning of the 45th parliament is an appropriate time for us to pay tribute to all of us who call this grand building home: the army of clerks and attendants, the cleaners and the caterers, the librarians, and even the baristas, the security guards and the drafting officers who work tirelessly behind the scenes. As we strut and fret upon this stage they are behind the curtain, keeping the show running smoothly.

Also today, we note the absence of some familiar faces—old friends and colleagues—but we also welcome 37 new members to the House of Representatives who will experience your leadership as Speaker. We congratulate the members for Hindmarsh and Eden-Monaro on their return. Looking out from the dispatch box for the first time in this 45th Parliament, I am pleased that the Labor Party takes up more room than we did before. I am also pleased now that there are more women in the chamber. The member for Barton becomes the first Indigenous woman to sit in the House of Representatives, and the member for Cowan, the first Muslim woman. Indeed, I am proud to say that Labor have more women members and senators than any time in the history of Federation. Improving the mix of experience and backgrounds and faiths in this House can only help make our parliament a more representative and more inclusive place.

On that positive note, I inform honourable members that I have written to the Prime Minister seeking his support for a motion reaffirming this House's commitment to the right of all Australians to enjoy equal rights and be treated with equal respect regardless of race, colour, creed or origin, consistent with the Speaker's values. Prime Minister John Howard and opposition leader Kim Beazley cooperated to support an identical resolution in 1996 and I believe this will be a powerful and bipartisan note to strike at the beginning of this term. Mr Speaker, let this spirit of cooperation, this spirit of diversity and respect, guide us all in the sitting days ahead.

Photo of Tony SmithTony Smith (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

I thank the Leader of the Opposition.

11:30 am

Photo of Barnaby JoyceBarnaby Joyce (New England, National Party, Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources) Share this | | Hansard source

Thank you very much, Mr Speaker, and I would like to concur with the partisan and bipartisan remarks of both the Leader of the Opposition and the Prime Minister. I want to convey the best of will to you in the conduct of your duties; to also acknowledge the work that Pam and your family do in supporting you in that role. It is a fact that so many people do watch parliament and they see this as a reflection of their nation and, as such, they expect there to be, as it is an adversarial chamber, the heat of debate, but they expect it to be conducted in such a way that they would feel proud to show it to their children. I know at times we are a little bit shy of that and it is your job to do your very best to keep this as a vibrant House, as a House that challenges ideas, as a House that puts people under pressure because if you are not good under pressure you are probably not going to be good at doing your job; also, that it is conducted in such a way that people remain with their dignity, and those who watch it believe that the person they voted for was worthy of their vote.

Mr Speaker, I am looking forward to the election of your deputy and I note the great aspirations that we have for a person of the calibre of Mark Coulton to ably assist you in that job. Until such time, I wish you all the best.

Photo of Tony SmithTony Smith (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

I thank the Deputy Prime Minister.

11:32 am

Photo of Tanya PlibersekTanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr Speaker, and congratulations to you on your reappointment in the role that all of us respect and admire so much. You have been a wonderful speaker, perhaps benefiting by comparison with your predecessor. We have appreciated, very much, your ability to guide the parliament to a respectful tone of debate. Winston Churchill said that democracy was the worst form of government except for all the others, and I think it really does take someone who loves our democracy, who loves our Westminster system and our Westminster traditions, to do your job well. I see that love in you—a respect for our traditions, a respect for the rules that we all abide by, and I wish you all the very best in this term as well.

Photo of Tony SmithTony Smith (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

I thank the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.

11:33 am

Photo of Christopher PyneChristopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | | Hansard source

Thank you very much, Mr Speaker, and I congratulate you on your re-election as Speaker of the House in the 45th Parliament. As you know, I have known you for about 30 years—it is now getting on far too long to even mention it any more—and we have been through a great deal together. I do concur with the remarks on both sides of the House, that you have been a very fair and reasonable Speaker, and I think that makes the whole parliament work much better. This is my 23rd year in the parliament and sometimes I have been on the Leader of the Opposition's side of the House and sometimes on this side of the House, and I have always tried to cooperate with all members to try and bring about a happier parliament, a better parliament.

Honourable Member:

An honourable member interjecting

Photo of Christopher PyneChristopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | | Hansard source

What is wrong? What are you talking about? But Mr Speaker, on a more serious note, I do know about both sides of the House and how they operate, and having a strong Speaker who tries to be fair to both sides, and keeps the standing orders, makes the parliament work better and it makes it look better, and I think the public appreciate it. You have done that in the almost 12 months that you have been the Speaker. I think in the years ahead, you will go down as one of the great speakers of the House of Representatives. I look forward to working with you again over the next three years as Leader of the House.

Photo of Tony SmithTony Smith (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

I thank the Leader of the House.

11:34 am

Photo of Mr Tony BurkeMr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | | Hansard source

Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. Congratulations! Whether your term is for three years, as the Leader of the House said, or for a different period for this parliament, we congratulate you. I want to note that the fact you were elected unopposed was deliberate. The opposition from time to time does put forward candidates; we did not in this situation quite deliberately. It is fair to say that since you took the chair the debate that has gone on in this chamber has been about the issues before the parliament rather than the procedure of the parliament. That is exactly what the chamber is here for and you have facilitated that. As well as managing the House, it will also fall to you as Speaker, given the issues that are already running, to have the role of someone defending the privileges of the parliament. We certainly trust that this House will defend parliamentary privilege as robustly as the Senate does.

Finally, the Leader of the Opposition in his comments made reference to the 'struts and frets' line in Macbeth in terms of the players here. There is something eerily familiar about that for the second term of this government. Shakespeare's tragedies run for five acts, so I will start this term by saying, 'Mr Speaker, welcome to act 4.' We look forward to it unfolding.

11:36 am

Photo of Adam BandtAdam Bandt (Melbourne, Australian Greens) Share this | | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, congratulations on your re-election. When you were elected last time, one of the requests that I made, and I think a number of the members of the crossbench made, was that when you look to the left and to the right you also look down the middle. I want to thank you for doing so. When you look down the middle in this parliament, you might not always be looking at the 'sensible centre', but you will see members who represent a very high number of people who voted at this election for third parties or independents. We hope that our voices continue to be heard in this parliament, where there may be many, many close votes, and that you always remember that there are not just two sides to this parliament but a number of people sitting down on the crossbenches as well.

11:37 am

Photo of Tony SmithTony Smith (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

I thank the member for Melbourne and all the previous speakers, led by the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition, for their generous remarks. I thank all of you for electing me as your Speaker in this 45th Parliament. It is truly a special honour to be chosen by you as Speaker, and especially so to be chosen unanimously, as the Leader of the Opposition referred to. To have the unanimous support of the House is not just a welcome endorsement; it is an important reminder that I am Speaker not only of the House of Representatives but also for the House of Representatives—that is, for you, the members of the House of Representatives. I am always mindful of that as I discharge my duties—I was in the last parliament and I will be in this one as well.

When I was elected just over a year ago, I pledged to do all I could to deliver a better parliament, to be as fair as I could in exercising my duties and responsibilities, and to strongly defend the contest of ideas and ideals—a contest that should be vigorous and at times will be willing. I also said it did not need to be as loud or rude as it is on some occasions. That does demoralise the public; we all know that. At the outset of this 45th Parliament, can I say I welcome the kind words but it is my job never to be satisfied. I will be doing everything I can to improve standards further, and of course each and every one of the 150 of us has a responsibility in that regard. I think, whether you represent a party or whether you are an independent, whether your electorate is inner urban, outer suburban, regional, rural or remote, none of the 150 of us can say that our constituents are satisfied with parliamentary standards as they are. We owe it to them to do more to improve things, and I will have more to say to that, not today but on another day.

But let me conclude my remarks on this first day of the 45th Parliament by congratulating each and every one of you on your election. As the Leader of the Opposition indicated, there are 37 members who have just been elected for the first time, two returning and 111 of us who have been re-elected. It is a rare honour indeed to be a member of the House of Representatives. Fewer than 1,200 people have had that honour since Federation, and on this first day of the 45th Parliament let us remember that. Thank you very much.