Page 1010 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 19 April 1994
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ADJOURNMENT
Motion (by Ms Follett) proposed:
That the Assembly do now adjourn.
Suspension of Sitting
MR KAINE (10.44): I would like to make some comments in connection with the powers of the Speaker, and I begin with the premise that the Speaker is the servant of the Assembly and not its master. Having said that, I note that earlier this evening the sitting was suspended. When we reconvened Mr Humphries questioned the suspension of the sitting, and the Speaker's response was, "I have the power to suspend the sitting". I think I know my standing orders pretty well. Unless my standing orders are wrong, or unless they have been amended without my knowledge, there are only three ways in which a sitting of the house can be suspended. One is by resolution of the house. The second is for want of a quorum. The third is when the house is in a state of disorder. It is only in that last case that the Speaker can suspend the sitting. Since the house was not in disorder, and as there was no lack of a quorum and there was no resolution of the house, I do not believe that the Speaker did have the power to suspend the sitting in that fashion. If she believes that she does, perhaps she can tell us under which standing order she believes that the Assembly has conferred that power upon her.
Suspension of Sitting
MR BERRY (10.45): Mr Kaine, quite conveniently, forgot the fourth - when the Leader of the Opposition is too incompetent to keep up with the legislation. That occurred in 1989 when Mr Kaine could not keep up with the budget debate, and the Assembly was adjourned, briefly, in order that we could explain how it worked. The precedent was well and truly set.
Mr Kaine: I take a point of order, Madam Speaker. What happened in 1989 is totally irrelevant to the point that I have raised.
MADAM SPEAKER: It is an adjournment debate. He is allowed to be irrelevant. There is no point of order.
MR BERRY: We are talking about precedents, Mr Kaine. We can go back to 1989 and we have a beauty.
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