Julian Leeser (Berowra, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

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

It's an honour and a privilege to speak in favour of my friend the member for Fisher, Andrew Wallace. The member for Fisher is the son of Ian and Fay Wallace, a motor mechanic and a fabric importer. He was a trainee priest who became a carpenter and then a builder for 10 years before going to the bar and becoming Queensland's leading construction lawyer, practising for 16 years at the bar. He is husband to Leonie and the father of four adult daughters: Emma, Caroline, Rebecca and Sarah. One of the many things that COVID has robbed us of is the opportunity for family to be present on an occasion such as this, but I know his family will be watching these proceedings with justifiable pride.

The member for Fisher is a great advocate for his electorate, bringing the concerns of veterans, businesspeople, commuters and retirees to the attention of this House. Since his election in 2016, the member for Fisher has been a significant contributor to the business of the House. In the 45th and 46th parliaments, he has been among the most frequent contributors to debates in this place. He has served on many committees and represented the parliament in interparliamentary fora. He is an experienced committee chair. He's served as Chair of the House Standing Committee on Infrastructure, Transport and Cities, Chair of the House Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs, Chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services, Chair of the Defence Subcommittee of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, and Chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Mental Health, where he has been a significant thought leader and change agent. And he is the chair of so many international parliamentary friendship groups that I once asked him if it was true that he is the chair of the parliament friends of Burkina Faso. In his committee work, the member for Fisher has a reputation for being collegiate and very hardworking, with a good sense of humour and an almost endless supply of dad jokes. He has been a member of the Speaker's panel for the last two years, and in this role he has demonstrated a good knowledge of the standing orders and has developed a reputation for being firm but fair.

The speakership is an ancient office dating back at least to 1377—a once-dangerous role. Seven Speakers lost their heads between 1394 and 1535. I can assure the House that, with his innate humility, the member for Fisher will not let the office go to his head. The Practice suggests that a Speaker should be a 'person of the highest calibre' with 'a deep-seated reverence for the institution of parliament' and 'a faith in democratic government'. The member for Fisher's reverence for and faith in parliament is evident in his maiden speech, where he reflected:

It is testament to our Australian egalitarian way of life that a once-carpenter and the son of a motor mechanic and fabric importer can come to serve the community in this place. In Australia, there are no class structures; there are no hereditary entitlements to sit in this place; there are business people, farmers, bankers, tradesmen, unionists and labourers, among many others, who are privileged to take their seats in this chamber. That is a privilege I hope I will never take for granted during the time that the people of Fisher trust me to represent them.

Andrew Wallace is a thoroughly clean-living man. He doesn't drink and he's against gambling. I have once, perhaps unkindly, referred to him in this place as 'the wowser-in-chief'! He is good fun, though. Like the member for Casey, he's also a revhead, albeit of a different sort. He can be seen riding his motorbike around Canberra and has ridden with the member for Wide Bay on more than one occasion from the Sunshine Coast to Parliament House.

The member for Fisher is very much his own man. He is a deep thinker and a true parliamentarian. In my view, he is one of the most decent people ever to set foot in this place. He has never lost that pastoral concern for his colleagues, and he is known for randomly calling people to do a mental health check-in.

The member for Casey has set a very high standard as Speaker of the House. He is a tough act to follow, but I believe the member for Fisher will serve this House with dignity, with good humour and with distinction in accordance with the traditions fostered by the member for Casey. It is with great pleasure that I nominate Andrew Wallace, the member for Fisher, to be the 31st Speaker of the House.

The Clerk: Is the motion seconded?

Angie Bell (Moncrieff, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's a great honour to second the nomination of the member for Fisher for Speaker of the House. I remember more than one instance since meeting the honourable member in 2017 when he lent an ear to me as LNP Women state president, having been elected himself for only two years. He supported, he guided, he reasoned and he patiently offered no advice—just counsel and friendship. The honourable member listened, and, as we heard yesterday from many members in this place, that is the most revered attribute for a Speaker.

Since I joined the honourable member for Fisher in this place in 2019, our friendship and respect for one another has grown. I have had the privilege of working with the member on the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services, which he has ably chaired with confidence, grace, fairness, firmness, respect and dignity—and no shenanigans allowed! My fellow Queenslander is a good man, and there is no better member in this House to take the Speaker's chair. He is well respected across the chamber and eminently qualified and experienced as chair of three House committees, a member of the Speaker's panel and a former barrister.

The member for Fisher has produced a flurry of substantial reports over the past two years into homelessness, age verification, Pacific defence cooperation, credit cards and gambling, domestic and family violence, litigation funding and more. He is calm, measured, respectful and intelligent. He is a stickler for solid building engineering. He is never seen around this place without a highlighter pen, and, sadly, he does love his bike lycra outfit! In his own region, he led public campaigns against his local council to stop a lucrative casino development and an inappropriate light rail project because he believed both were wrong for the good people of the Sunshine Coast. He has proven himself as a passionate local member in his community.

The honourable member simply loves this place and this parliament. He reveres its tradition and revels in the standing orders. He has the fearless wherewithal required to keep us all in check to be the best we can be. There is no doubt that the member for Fisher will preserve the integrity and the dignity of the House of Representatives for the remainder of the 46th Parliament, and, hopefully, with the support of the Australian people and God willing, as the Speaker into the 47th Parliament.

Some would say that the member and I are unlikely friends, but we always seem to find a place where we can agree to disagree in the most democratic of ways. That is why we are mates. He has all the right attributes for Speaker of the House, and, simply put, I'm sure you'll all agree he's simply a great bloke who will do the right thing by Australians and every parliamentarian in this place. I commend this nomination to the House.

The Clerk: Does the honourable member for Fisher accept the nomination?

Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I do accept.

The Clerk: Is there any further proposal?

Joanne Ryan (Lalor, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

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

I firmly believe that there is no more experienced member of this House to take the chair than my friend the member for McEwen. We have heard much about the next chair of this House to follow the member for Casey. I think my colleagues would agree that the member for McEwen would be the best person to follow the member for Casey. Not only is he a fine local member of a periurban-cum-regional-cum-growth area seat, which gives him a breadth of experience of the Australian life; the member for McEwen has also served in this parliament in various roles. He has been a whip, and we know that is the most important job in the House. He has been a member of the Speaker's panel since 2012. He has also been the Second Deputy Speaker for the entire term of this government. No-one has been closer to observe the member for Casey than the member for McEwen over the eight years of this government. He is clearly the most experienced member of this House to take on the role.

Having joined the parliament in 2013, I have witnessed personally a number of times that the member for McEwen has sat with individuals in this chamber to talk to them about procedure, to explain the Practice or to give advice about what is parliamentary and what is not parliamentary. He is a great source of advice to parliamentarians. I only have one hesitation, and that is that it would put another Carlton supporter in that chair! But I am sure the member for Casey thinks that's a grand idea.

I believe the member for McEwen has served as a great Second Deputy Speaker for eight years in this place while I have been here, and I know my colleagues agree. I think he has a level of experience and a level of parliamentary maturity, which includes time in the Victorian parliament, which gives him an insight into other parliaments as well as our own. I think it is time that this House had a truly unique experience of having someone from this side of the House serve in that chair. As a friend and colleague of the member for McEwen, I am honoured to nominate him as Speaker for this House.

The Clerk: Is the motion seconded?

Ged Kearney (Cooper, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, I second the motion and support the nomination for the member for McEwen for the chair to replace the much-respected member for Casey, who I am sure will be missed. I am a very new member of parliament; I have only been here three years. When I first came here, I had the honour of being sat next to the member for McEwen here in this chamber. At times, it was highly amusing, but mostly I came to rely on his advice and his help. It became clear to me very early on that the member for McEwen had an intimate knowledge of the rules of this House and how it operated. He knew that inside out and he was able to advise me, a brand-new member, in a way that was clear, easy to understand and really fair and reasonable—no bullying, no antics; just, 'This is how it is.' That is something to be admired and something we need in a position as important as the chair of this House.

I think it's well known that the member for McEwen quite enjoys the antics of question time in this House, but when he is in that chair as Deputy Speaker—when he is sitting there, higher than all of us, presiding over this room—nobody can deny that he does that role with absolute respect, with fairness and with firmness. He brings to that role everything that that chair needs. There's no doubt about that. The member for Lalor mentioned that his seat is particularly unique. It is part rural, part metropolitan. He understands the breadth of the electorates represented here in this House, and he will have a good understanding of what is coming from each and every individual member as they rise to speak here. I know that he would give every single member in this House the respect that they are due.

He is a good family man. I have met his wife. I know he loves his family, he loves his cars and he loves his food. That's all fine. Being a good family man and being the person that he is, we know, he has enduring patience and an amazing sense of humour, and he will bring to that role everything that we expect in a good chair. I do not for a minute hesitate to nominate someone I call a good friend, a good colleague, an experienced man and somebody who will do that position proud.

The Clerk: Does the honourable member for McEwen accept the nomination?

Rob Mitchell (McEwen, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I do.

The Clerk: Is there any further proposal? There being none, the time for proposals has expired. In accordance with standing order 11, the bells will be rung and a ballot taken.

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

The Clerk: The result of the ballot is: Mr R G Mitchell, 59 votes; Mr Wallace, 70 votes. Mr Wallace is declared elected as Speaker.

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

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—

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, congratulations! Congratulations on being elected by this great House to this great honour. I have known the member for some time, since he came into this place in 2016. He knows how to connect with people, this Speaker. He has demonstrated that to his colleagues but also, more importantly, to those he has connected with over his entire life. We can speak of his achievements, as others have in making the nomination, and I thank my colleagues for their recommendation to this House, but I want to talk a bit, and briefly, about the man I know who now occupies this chair.

One of the things I've always admired about the now Speaker is the broad experience that he has brought to this place. He began working life as an apprentice carpenter and joiner, completing his apprenticeship, becoming a builder and starting his own business. Later, well into his 20s, with three young children—four daughters now—he completed a law degree at the Queensland University of Technology, becoming a construction lawyer and a barrister. Then he came here to this place as a member and now as the Speaker. He brings a life experience that I think will aid him much in the responsibility that he now holds.

Of all the qualities that I know of the Speaker, he is a considered man, he is a very intelligent man, he has a keen attention to detail—we all know—he's passionate and he has a compassion in his heart and in his soul which so many of us who know him well have been touched by. He has known difficult times, tragic times and hardships in his life. He has also enjoyed success. I think this enables him to connect with people through all manners of their life experience. He has a sensitivity to it. He is a good man, he is a very decent man and he is a very experienced person.

When asked to nominate one quality for why it's so important that he now occupies this chair, it's that the Speaker is a very fair man. He has a great sense of fairness about him. It is born of all those other qualities. That's why I think it has been right for this House to give him this opportunity to succeed. Of course, we all recognised the member for Casey yesterday for his fine work, but you, Mr Speaker, as you shared with us earlier today, are not Tony Smith mark 2; you're Andrew Wallace mark 1. I think you will bring your own values and your own experience to this chair and be able to ensure that you can continue that work of enabling all the members of this place to be able to realise through this place their aspirations for the people they've come here to represent.

Mr Speaker, I know you're a man of very strong faith—we share that together, and we have on many, many occasions—but I also know you're a man very dedicated to reason. I think that you will blend these two things extremely well in this place, and I think you will move quickly to establish the confidence of this place as it's been invested in you here today. I could not be more pleased for you personally. I am looking forward to your stewardship of this House in that chair. I think it will set a new mark and I look forward, with all of the ministers and members of the government, to working closely with you. I know you will engage with all members on both sides of this House and in all sections of this House and, indeed, with the clerks and others you'll work closely with to ensure the good management of this place. So I'm pleased that you have ascended to this high office this day, and may God bless you in that role.

Honourable members: Hear, hear!

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

Mr Speaker, I rise to congratulate you on your election on behalf of the Australian Labor Party. Of course, we had a different candidate, but I do note that in this ballot there was no voter ID shown by anyone before we had to cast the vote! I said to your distinguished predecessor yesterday that whoever followed him would have considerable shoes to fill—and indeed you do, Mr Speaker. In just your second term it is a credit to you that, having been here for such a short period of time, you have risen to the highest office in terms of the parliament, the speakership. With that high office comes a responsibility to represent the interests of all members of this chamber. Of course, that is something your predecessor distinguished himself on—very much so. This is a place where we can make a true difference, where we can anticipate and shape a better future for the nation, where we can turn into reality the aspirations of the Australian people that we represent.

Mr Speaker, you arrive at an interesting time in the history of the speakership. After today, we have another six days of sitting this year, and we will see what happens next year. It will be an important time for you to demonstrate the qualities which led your party to nominate you for this position. We will respect that decision and we respect the position of the speakership. It is important that you receive the cooperation of all in this chamber. On behalf of the Labor Party, we will endeavour to do that whilst seeking to hold the government to account, which is the job that we have.

I said yesterday that the Speaker is like a good ref in any sporting contest: you want to watch the play, not watch the ref. It has got to be said that your predecessor was very good at getting the balance between being in control of the chamber at all times—which can be difficult—and ensuring that it was about nothing other than the capacity of this chamber and members to fully participate in debate.

We wish you well, Mr Speaker. We don't know each other well, it has got to be said. I think we've said hello. I'm not sure we've had a conversation, but I'm sure that we will have. On behalf of myself, the Manager of Opposition Business, the Deputy Manager of Opposition Business and others, my door is always open and I'm always available to talk at any time, as previous Speakers have. I've spoken to your predecessor. We're going to be able to catch up for a beer, without any business, as a result of him leaving the chair. We wish you well, sincerely, Mr Speaker and, again, congratulations on behalf of this side of the House.

Honourable members: Hear, hear!

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

I thank the Leader of the Opposition. I want to begin by paying tribute to the service of the former Speaker the honourable member for Casey. The former Speaker is acknowledged by all of us to have been one of the very best to ever have taken this chair. His firmness, his fairness and his excellence in this role over more than six years is an example to all parliamentarians. Without a doubt, he is a tough act to follow. I look forward to hearing him speak in this place on behalf of his community once again in the months to come.

I thank all honourable members on all sides for their comments, and I thank the House for its confidence in me. The responsibilities that you have laid on me today have a history that stretches back some eight centuries. Across all of those years, the heart of what it means to be a Speaker has not changed. To be an effective Speaker is to enforce our standing orders fairly, to manage the administration of the House in the interests of all and to represent this place and the will of its members in the world outside. I intend to give my all in pursuit of those ancient duties. I will respect the independence of the chair and seek to enforce the standing orders without fear or favour. I will do my best to manage the parliament's day-to-day operations alongside the President of the Senate, in the interests of all of us. I will strive to give members on all sides of the House a fair go. That is what pre-World War I Speaker McDonald described as the golden rule.

When it comes to the evolution of the Westminster parliamentary system, many things have changed over the past 800 years, as the members for Leichhardt and Lingiari could no doubt attest. Unlike Speakers of the past, I have no need to fear imprisonment or worse for standing up for the will of this House. I can certainly promise all members that I will do my best not to lose my head. Most importantly, since 1901 this House and the 30 Speakers before me have developed a uniquely Australian approach to filling this chair. Unlike those in other countries, our Speakers do not resign from their political party. Outside this chamber, they do not withdraw from prosecuting the case for their communities or their vision for this country, albeit in a more measured way. I intend to be no different. I'm humbled by the faith the people of Fisher have twice placed in me. I want to assure them today that I will continue to stand up for them.

In taking this chair, I want to thank my wife, Leonie, for the tireless support she has shown me over the past 32 years and, in particular, the last six. We have had our ups and downs like every family, but Leonie has been our glue through thick and thin. I want to thank Leonie, our four daughters—Emma, Caroline, Rebecca and Sarah—and our wider families, especially my parents, Ian and Fay, for their patience, for their patience in the busy months to come, and for their constant love and support. Regrettably, due to COVID restrictions, my family aren't able to be here today.

I also wish to thank my long-suffering electorate staff, past and present, who've laboured so hard for the good people of Fisher. Where would any of us be without our electorate staff? The answer, of course, is: quite likely not here. I want to thank members on both sides of the House and the hardworking members of the various secretariats for working so constructively with me as chair of four parliamentary committees, and I would humbly ask that you show me the same goodwill and forbearance in this new role. I can't promise you that I won't make mistakes. What I can promise you is that I will execute my responsibilities fairly.

It is important for whoever sits in this chair to not only be fair and independent but be seen to be so. After much deliberation and consultation with many of my colleagues, I have decided, at least for the life of this parliament, not to sit in the Liberal party room, in keeping with the practice of my predecessors. That was not an easy decision for me. I should also take this opportunity to thank the countless Liberal Party members who have helped put me in this House in the first place.

Needless to say, the remaining period of this 46th Parliament is an incredibly important time for the people of Australia and for the institution that is the Australian parliament. At a time when many Australians have done it very tough over the past two years during this pandemic, emotions are understandably high, and that is never more true than as we inch closer to an election.

Today, when social media is awash with misinformation, fake news and thoughtless vitriol, the responsibility lies more heavily than ever on us as parliamentarians to embody the very best of political debate. This House is our people's house. We give all Australians a voice and we have the power to choose how that voice is heard. We represent, but we must also lead. It is up to each of us to show that, whatever the global crisis or the political pressures that are brought to bear, we can discuss the challenges we face rationally and calmly.

This place must represent conviction, but it must also represent respect, humility and kindness. As I take the chair, I commit to making it my mission as your Speaker to uphold all of these qualities in our debates across the vital months that remain to us.

This is our debating chamber. I want Australians to be proud of our democracy and those that serve them. The competition of ideas is necessarily robust. I do not expect this House to be like a monastical library, but we owe it to the people of Australia that it does not descend into a political colosseum.

The first two and half years of this parliament have brought unexpected challenges. I have no doubt that the remaining period of this term will have its own surprises in store. Once again, I think you all for the honour of being your Speaker, and I pray for wisdom and fortitude in serving you, whatever the future may bring.