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Title

Ch6 The Speaker, Deputy Speakers and officers / SPEAKERS PANEL

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

201

Section No.

 

System Id

procedural/practcer/chapter06.42.doc


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Ch6 The Speaker, Deputy Speakers and officers / SPEAKERS PANEL



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House of Representatives                                Ch 6                                                 p 201

 

The Speaker, Deputy Speakers and officers

 

Speaker’s panel

At the commencement of every Parliament the Speaker nomina tes a panel of not less than four Members to assist the Chair. At any time during the Parliament the Speaker may nominate additional Members or revoke the nomination of a Member. 1 The Speaker’s nomination of the members of the panel has traditionally been by warrant which he or she has presented to the House early in a new Parliament, although the standing order does not specify that a warrant or other instrument is necessary. Sometimes nominations may be spread over some days, if, for instance, there are delays in persons being proposed by their parties.

The role of a member of the Speaker’s panel is:

  • to take the Chair of the Main Committee (as Deputy Speaker) when requested to do so by the Deputy Speaker, or in the absence of the Deputy Speaker, the Second Deputy Speaker; and

  • to take the Chair of the House as Deputy Speaker when requested to do so by the Speaker or, more usually, by the Deputy Speaker. 2

    • If disorder does arise or if special circumstances apply when a member of the Speaker’s panel is presiding, the Speaker or Deputy Speaker will often resume the Chair.

    On occasion, when neither the Speaker or the Deputy Speaker, nor any Member entitled to serve as Deputy Speaker has been available to take the Chair (or in the past to take the Chair in committee as Deputy Chairman) other Members have taken the Chair with the concurrence of the House so that business could proceed. 3 On 18 September 1986 when neither the Deputy Speaker nor any of the Deputy Chairmen were available to take the Chair at 8 p.m., the Member for Hindmarsh (Mr Scott) took the Chair with the concurrence of the House so that business could proceed. 4

    The number of Members nominated by the Speaker has varied. Formerly, Members were nominated as Deputy Chairmen, or earlier, as Temporary Chairmen. In the 18th Parliament, 13 Temporary Chairmen were nominated and in the 19th Parliament only six. In the 32nd and 33rd Parliaments eight Deputy Chairmen were nominated, but in later Parliaments 10 Members have been nominated (since February 1994 as members of the Speaker’s panel). 5

    It is the practice for the Speaker to appoint both opposition and government Members to the Speaker’s panel, with government Members being in the majority. In 1951 Speaker Cameron nominated three government and three opposition Members as Temporary Chairmen. The three opposition Members declined nomination. 6 The Speaker did not vary the warrant nominating them, and all six names were shown on the Notice Paper although the opposition Members did not take the Chair. The names of the opposition nominees were omitted from the first Notice Paper following the announcement that they would decline to serve but were inserted in the subsequent Notice Papers on the Speaker’s instructions. 7

    In 1954, after nominating government and opposition Members as Temporary Chairmen of Committees, Speaker Cameron told the Deputy Leader of the Opposition that he was not obliged to ask the Opposition about who he intended to nominate, and did not intend to do so. 8 In 1956 Speaker Cameron did not nominate any opposition Members as Deputy Chairmen of Committees. In reply to a question without notice the Speaker said that he understood that Members of the Opposition did not intend acting as Temporary Chairmen unless they were able to select their own Members. In view of this he had selected only Members who were prepared to act. The Speaker stated ‘the right to select the Temporary Chairmen is entirely the prerogative of Mr Speaker and nobody else’. 9

    Speaker Cameron died on 9 August 1956 and Speaker McLeay was elected on 29 August 1956, it then being necessary to make new nominations. 10 Speaker McLeay’s first warrant nominated only government Members as Temporary Chairmen. 11 However after the Leader of the Opposition had discussed the matter with him, Speaker McLeay later nominated four opposition Members as Temporary Chairmen. 12

    In 1962 no opposition Members were nominated as Temporary Chairmen of Committees, 13 due to the fact that the margin in numbers between government and opposition Members was only one, and the Opposition preferred not to have any of its Members act as Temporary Chairmen.

    Recent practice has been for the Clerk or a senior member of staff, on behalf of the Speaker, to approach both the government and opposition parties and request a list of nominees for the Speaker’s panel.

    It is usual for the Speaker to nominate Members who are not in the Ministry or the opposition executive. A member of the panel who becomes a Minister is normally removed from the panel without any announcement being made to the House. 14 In 1958 Speaker McLeay nominated a member of the opposition executive (Mr Webb) as a Temporary Chairman. 15



    S.O. 17(a).



    S.O. 17(b)(c).



    H. R. Deb. (8.7.15) 4723.



    And see H.R. Deb. (14.3.91) 2054.



    VP 1993-95/785; 1996-98/46-7, 64.



    VP 1951-53/29.



    NP 6 (26.6.51) 13; NP 7 (27.6.51) 18.



    H.R. Deb. (10.8.54) 96.



    H.R. Deb. (28.2.56) 258.



    See also VP 1974-75/512 for warrant by new Speaker Scholes.



    VP 1956-57/263.



    VP 1956-57/281.



    VP 1962-63/17.



    E.g. Mr White, 8 March 1933; Mr K. Beazley removed in 2005 after being elected Leader of the Opposition.



    VP 1958/13.