Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

By prior arrangement, the Manager of Opposition Business has indulgence to speak for a couple of minutes on some administrative matters.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

on indulgence—In the first instance, I note that, while it's understood that members from the major parties who aren't here because of the current circumstances would have voted with their parties, I want to put on the record that the member for Melbourne and the member for Clark both contacted me about their intention, had they been here, to vote with the opposition on the last two amendments, and to vote consistently with all of us with respect to the second and third readings of that bill. I'd also note that we now have two minutes until the adjournment debate, and, if I sit down now, we'll have a procedural problem!

What I think it would be appropriate to do at this point is to note that, a few days into these sittings, we have seen that a very large number of members have the capacity and the opportunity to participate in ways that might not have been possible were it not for the cooperation—and, I must say, leadership—that's been offered by the Presiding Officers in both houses. While some have wanted to argue this from the perspective of the convenience of members, what really matters is that they have had the opportunity to put the perspectives of their electorates. We ran a very real risk that a large part of Australia was not going to be represented when the House returned to sit. While that might well have been unavoidable and would have been where things ended up were it not for the decisions by the Speaker and the President, what we've ended up with, while not seamless technology—it's not quite the TV at home—has made sure that, whether it be question time, whether it be debating legislation, whether it be statements by leave—I saw the member for Isaacs made a statement by leave today on one of the committee reports—we have found ways for members of parliament to be able to participate that previously were impossible.

I don't think it's lost on any of us that this week is quite an historic moment for the parliament. This week, for the first time, we've used new technology—we're not just the size of a country; we are a continent—so that people from all corners of this nation have found a way of reaching into the national capital and making sure that their voices are heard, and the voice of their electorate is heard. That is a good thing, and the Presiding Officers deserve congratulations.