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Title

Ch6 The Speaker, Deputy Speakers and officers / THE SPEAKERS VOTE / Exercise of the casting vote / To decide a matter before the House

Database

House Practice

Date

01-05-2005

Source

House of Reps

Parl No.

41

Chapter

The Speaker, Deputy Speakers and officers

Chapter No.

Chapter 06

Page

183

Section No.

 

System Id

procedural/practcer/chapter06.25.doc


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Ch6 The Speaker, Deputy Speakers and officers / THE SPEAKERS VOTE / Exercise of the casting vote / To decide a matter before the House



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House of Representatives                                Ch 6                                                 p 183

 

The Speaker, Deputy Speakers and officers / THE SPEAKER’S VOTE / Exercise of the casting vote

 

To decide a matter before the House

On sever al occasions, the Speaker’s casting vote has decided the matter before the House:

  • On 4 September 1913, when the vote was taken on an amendment to add words to the Address in Reply, the numbers were equal. Speaker Johnson then made the following statement:

    • There being an equality of votes, as shown by the division lists, it becomes necessary for me to give the casting vote. I take this opportunity of saying that, notwithstanding anything that has appeared in the press or elsewhere about the Speaker’s casting vote, I have not been approached in any way either by members of the House or the press outside or anybody else in regard to how my vote is to go, with the exception of one occasion when it was done on the floor of the House. In giving my casting vote on the amendment to the Address in Reply moved by the Leader of the Opposition, the Right Honourable Member for Wide Bay, without offering any opinion or comment upon the debate just concluded, I desire to point out certain facts. This is a Parliament met for the first time fresh from a general election. As the result of the election the Government in office at the time, finding itself in a minority in the House of Representatives and unable to carry on the business of the country, resigned. A new Government was formed which, on presenting a memorandum of its policy to the House, was met with a no-confidence amendment to the Address in Reply. The new Government has so far not been afforded an opportunity to submit any of its proposed legislative measures for the consideration and judgment of the House, whilst several honourable Members opposed to the Government have expressed the view that some of the proposed measures should be proceeded with. Guided by these and other public considerations, and supported by abundant authority, I give my vote with the Noes, and declare the amendment resolved in the negative.

    The Address was immediately agreed to, without a division. 1

    1. On 7 November 1913 a motion was moved that the resumption of the debate on the Government Preference Prohibition Bill be made an order of the day for the following Tuesday. An amendment was moved to omit ‘Tuesday’ and substitute ‘Wednesday’. The numbers being equal on the amendment, Speaker Johnson voted against it. 2
    2. On 11 November 1913 Speaker Johnson named a Member for disregarding the authority of the Chair. On the motion that the Member be suspended from the service of the House the numbers were equal and the Speaker gave his casting vote with the ‘Ayes’. 3
    3. On 6 May 1914 the numbers were equal on an amendment to add words to the Address in Reply. The amendment was negatived on the casting vote of Speaker Johnson. The Address was immediately agreed to, without a division. 4
    4. On 13-14 May 1914 debate resumed on the motion of a Minister ‘That he have leave to bring in . . .’ the Government Preference Prohibition Bill. An amendment was moved to insert certain words after ‘That’. Upon division on the amendment the numbers were equal, and Speaker Johnson gave his casting vote with the ‘Noes’. 5 The main question was then put and the numbers again being equal, the Speaker gave his casting vote with the ‘Ayes’. 6 On the motion for the first reading the Speaker was again required to exercise his casting vote which he gave with the ‘Ayes’, 7 and he took similar action in respect of the second reading on 21-23 May 1914, 8 and the third reading on 28 May 1914. 9
    5. On a motion on 10 May 1938 that a report of the Munitions Supply Board be printed, Speaker Bell gave his casting vote with the ‘Noes’. 10
    6. On 24 April 1931, on a question of privilege being raised and a motion being moved that the expulsion of a member of the press from the press gallery or precincts of the House was a question for the House to decide, and not a matter for decision by the Speaker, the numbers were equal. Speaker Makin declared himself with the ‘Noes’. 11

  • On 19 April 1972, in relation to an amendment to a proposed amendment to the standing orders, Deputy Speaker Lucock gave his casting vote with the ‘Noes’ ‘in order to retain the status quo and in view of the undertaking given by the Deputy Leader of the House that he would refer the matter to the Standing Orders Committee’. 12

    • In a ballot for the election of Deputy Speaker or Second Deputy Speaker, when there are only two candidates, with each receiving the same number of votes, the Speaker then exercises a casting vote. 13 There is no instance of the Speaker exercising a casting vote in these circumstances.



    VP 1913/43-4.



    VP 1913/149-50.



    VP 1913/151.



    VP 1914/31.



    VP 1914/39-40.



    VP 1914/41.



    VP 1914/41-2.



    VP 1914/48.



    VP 1914/61.



    VP 1937-40/87.



    VP 1929-31/593.



    VP 1970-72/1018-19.



    S.O.s 14(d), 14(e).