Page 605 - Week 02 - Thursday, 6 March 2008
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MR SMYTH (Brindabella) (12.16): I seek leave to move my amendment.
Leave granted.
MR SMYTH: I move:
Add the following words “with the following changes to the proposed amendments and a new amendment:
(1) Proposed amendment 18: After ‘substitute’, omit ‘Assistant’, substitute ‘Deputy’.
(2) Add new proposed amendment 93A:
Standing order 140, after ‘amend’, insert ‘and an amendment which omits a substantial part of a motion or offers an alternative proposition will not be accepted.”.
The matters in these amendments are matters that discussion occurred on in the committee and, indeed, the committee minutes will record that my proposed amendment to amendment 18 was moved and negated, but I still think it is important to move it, particularly as, in the form of address that we have here, we will now end up with Speaker, Deputy Speaker and Assistant Speakers. Most other parliaments, to the best of my knowledge, use just Speaker and deputy and I think it is a worthwhile amendment.
The second amendment was also subject to some discussion about what a member can do to amend another member’s motion. We had this issue again yesterday, when the Chief Minister removed entirely the words that Mr Seselja had moved and replaced it with an alternative proposition. The notion of alternative proposition is well understood in parliamentary practice but I think there is a case that says, “If you have an alternative proposition, vote the existing motion down and put your own proposition up.” That is why I am moving this amendment.
I would like to say that, in terms of process, I think the process has been fine. I think casting slurs that it has taken 3½ years is inappropriate. I do not believe that Mr Mulcahy ever attended a single meeting, including the roundtable when he was free to. That shows his lack of interest in the whole process. Indeed, if he wanted this done clause by clause, if he wanted it done by line by line, he could have so moved. He has chosen not to. Again, it shows his ignorance of the standing orders. And that is unfortunate. I would just like to make a few—
Standing orders—suspension
The extended time allotted for the discussion of Assembly business having expired—
Motion (by Mr Corbell) agreed to, with the concurrence of an absolute majority:
That so much of the standing orders be suspended as would prevent the Assembly completing its discussion on order of the day No 1, Assembly business, by 12.30 pm today.
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