MOTIONS

Mr HASTIE (Canning) (14:43): I second the motion. Mr Taylor interjecting— The SPEAKER: The Leader of the Opposition, resume your seat. It doesn't work that way.

Mr Taylor: He had to second it. The SPEAKER: You second it after the person speaks. The Leader of the House?

Mr Burke: As the Leader of the Opposition would know, because he's been here for a long time, when you move a resolution you say you move it, and you give the entirety of your speech. At whatever time you have finished your speech, you sit down. That can be right at the start.

It can be at the end of the time limit. But when you sit down that's the end of your speech. At that point, you, as Speaker, would ordinarily ask, 'Is the motion seconded?' The seconder gets up, and at that point the seconder gives their speech, which will always begin with 'I second the motion', and then when they finish their speech they sit down.

I'd suggest we're in a situation now where the Leader of the Opposition, under the standing orders, has actually finished his speech—which was relatively short—and his alternative has seconded the motion and finished his speech too. It's an unusual approach to the debate, but for the Leader of the Opposition to now seek the call would be out of order. The SPEAKER: It has always been the convention, and the way the standing orders work, that someone, when they move a suspension, gives their speech—they don't sit down—and the seconder then stands and gives their speech.

This has not happened before in this way. I think the Leader of the Opposition was just intending to get the debate going; I understand where he's coming from. Under the standing orders now, the call does go to the other side, once it's been moved and seconded.

There are provisions of the House to deal with this after question time under the standing orders.