Meeting of the Parliament

Meeting date: Thursday, February 6, 2020

Official Report 1100KB pdf

Point of Order

On a point of order, Presiding Officer. Rule 3.1.3 of standing orders says:

“In exercising any functions, the Presiding Officer and deputy Presiding Officers shall act impartially, taking account of the interests of all members equally.”

I understand from a media report today, which has been confirmed by the Government, that the First Minister will be afforded time prior to the start of First Minister’s question time to make remarks about the resignation of the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Economy and Fair Work. I contacted your office to ask about extra time for party leaders to respond to whatever the First Minister wishes to say about the issue, but I was advised that they would have to use their normal allocation of time.

Although I appreciate that making preamble remarks is allowed, it cannot be right that party leaders have to use their time for scrutiny of the First Minister to comment on the issue, while the First Minister is, in effect, given extra time to do so, because that will eat into the time for scrutiny of the questions that follow.

I ask that members are treated equally in this regard and that extra time be given to party leaders.

I thank Elaine Smith for advance notice that she intended to raise a point of order.

I reiterate that this is the normal procedure that we follow. After we abandoned the previous process that we had, in which party leaders had to read out a diary question, we introduced a procedure that allowed the First Minister or other party leaders to make a short statement on a matter of importance before the questions. The First Minister asked my office whether she could make such a statement, to which I agreed. However, it is a statement by the First Minister to which the Opposition party leaders may make a very short response, and it is not for the party leaders to make a statement on the matter.

As a business manager, if you wish to have a statement and parliamentary time to be devoted to the matter, it is up to you to make a proposal to the Parliamentary Bureau, which will discuss making parliamentary time available.

I emphasise that if any of the party leaders wishes to pursue the matter, they can use their question to do so, as is always the case.

I hope that that addresses the point of order.