Senator BROWN —My question is to you, Madam President. I refer to an article in today's Sydney Morning Herald indicating that a display of photographs of East Timor, including some of the Dili massacre, has been banned from showing in parliament. If that is so, which of the criteria—and I thank you for a letter today—was used to levy that ban? Was it judged to be `acceptable' or `not acceptable' to the majority of members of parliament or `inconsistent with the dignity of parliament' or `likely to cause offence to a significant part of the Australian community'? If that is the case, would it not be true that banning this display will itself cause offence to a significant part of the Australian community? Would you with your fellow presiding officer send a questionnaire to members of parliament asking whether or not they are prepared to have such a display put up in parliament? (Time expired)

The PRESIDENT —I read the article and it seems to be somewhat a figment of somebody's imagination from information I am not quite sure from what source. The situation is that some weeks ago Mr Laurie Ferguson wrote to the Presiding Officers asking for permission, asking for an opportunity, to display some photographs of World War II in relation to that area. That has been agreed to. The time for the exhibition has not yet been agreed. Initially, they wanted it, I think, on 11 November. That was not possible within the structure of exhibitions because there are exhibitions booked in the Presiding Officers' area up until some time in 1998.

Subsequently, I had a telephone call from Senator Reynolds, I think more than two weeks ago now, when she raised the same issue you are now raising of photographs of Dili—as to whether or not they had been excluded from the exhibition. I told her that there had been no exclusion, that the letter from Mr Ferguson had asked for an exhibition of photographs of World War II. That was approved by the acting Presiding Officers when the Speaker and I were both away. So the question you raised last week when you wrote me a letter about a Dili exhibition is, as I have told you in a letter, a matter that has come up since the last meeting the Presiding Officers had and will be on the agenda for the next meeting.

Senator BROWN —Madam President, I ask a supplementary question as a matter of clarification. In your letter to me today, you have given the outlines of the criteria used for showing exhibitions in the house and in referring to an earlier approach by Mr Ferguson—which included, presumably, contemporary photographs of East Timor, including some of the east Dili massacre—you said, `We believe the exhibition proposed by Mr Ferguson does not fall within this policy.' Can I take this as an indication that the request I have made will find a similar fate. If that is the case, will you send a questionnaire to members so that they might have a say on this very important matter?

The PRESIDENT —The situation is that Mr Ferguson's request for an exhibition did not mention anything about photographs of the Dili massacre in the first instance. That has been looked at solely within the definition that he put in of World War II photographs. The matter will come up before the Presiding Officers. Your request for a Dili massacre exhibition will come before the Presiding Officers when we next meet. The matter has not yet been dealt with and no further action or decision can be taken by me alone or will be taken until we have an opportunity to look at it.