Page 5091 - Week 13 - Thursday, 29 November 2018
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(a) proposed recommended amendment 1—Omit ‘Local indigenous people’, substitute ‘Traditional custodians’; and
(b) proposed recommended amendment 23—Omit all words after ‘censure’, substitute ‘, motions of no confidence and the proposed establishment of a privileges committee, copies of the relevant motions shall be provided to the Speaker for circulation to all Members 90 minutes prior to the time at which the motion is proposed to be moved’;
(2) Recommendation No 2 be adopted, commencing 1 January 2019, excluding proposed recommended amendments 69-71; and
(3) Recommendations Nos 3-9 and 11-12 be noted.”.
It is with great delight and relief that I present these amendments today. This has been a very long process and an iterative process resulting in a pretty genuine shake-up of how we do things in this place.
Some of the big changes will be an earlier question time and other things which I think will be genuinely helpful and improve efficiencies, such as being able to submit many things electronically rather than in hard copy. I am still not sure this will help some of those on the other side, not naming any names, submit their motions before midday on Monday, but we can but try.
Having more detail on the daily program about petitions and a limited time for statements to be given on petitions will assist everyone, including the whip’s office, who have sometimes pulled their hair out when our program and timings immediately blow out once the day starts.
I am proud that we had a genuine discussion about gender-neutral terms and how to make this place more welcoming and inclusive. We did not quite get there, but I am glad there will be a few more options available.
I will touch on the amendments. On further discussion, we are getting some terminology right regarding traditional custodians. On proposed amendment 23, we recognise that giving people notice of these sorts of motions is important. Expanding the notice to motions of no confidence in ministers is sensible, as is the change to 90 minutes from two hours. We have removed the recommendations about changes to the lobbyist register, due to the broader inquiry of admin and procedure, and we are removing a noting recommendation.
I do not think any of us quite expected the media interest in the standing orders. I stress that the work did not cost anything, despite what many in the public seem to think. It did not cost anything except our time and patience, which I appreciate is now wearing thin. We have had a lot of pretty complex stuff in admin and procedure this year which has required a lot of negotiation, including within our own parties and with each other, and this was yet another of those. As with almost everything that goes through admin and procedure, none of us got completely what we wanted but some of us got close.
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