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Title

Ch14 Control and conduct of debate / RULES GOVERNING CONTENT OF SPEECHES / References to other governments and their representatives

Database

House Practice

Date

01-05-2005

Source

House of Reps

Parl No.

41

Chapter

Control and conduct of debate

Chapter No.

Chapter 14

Page

505

Section No.

 

System Id

procedural/practcer/chapter14.33.doc


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Ch14 Control and conduct of debate / RULES GOVERNING CONTENT OF SPEECHES / References to other governments and their representatives



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House of Representatives                                Ch 14                                                 p 505

 

Control and conduct of debate / RULES GOVERNING CONTENT OF SPEECHES

 

References to other governments and their representatives

Although there is no provision in the standing orders prohibiting opprobrious references to countries with which Australia is in a state of amity or to their leaders, governments or their representatives in Australia, the Chair has intervened to prevent such references being made, on the basis that the House was guided by House of Commons usage 1 on the matter. 2 However, from time to time, much latitude has been shown by the Chair and on the one occasion when the House has voted on the matter it rejected the proposed inclusion of this rule into the standing orders. In 1962 the Standing Orders Committee recommended amendments to the standing orders to give effect to the House of Commons practice that questions should not contain discourteous references to a friendly country or its representative. 3 The House rejected the recommendation. 4

In more recent years the Chair has declined to interfere with the terms of a notice of motion asking the House to censure an ambassador to Australia ‘for his arrogant and contemptuous attitude towards Australia and . . . his provocative public statements’. 5 A notice of motion asking the House to condemn a diplomatic representative for ‘lying to the Australian public’ has also been allowed to appear on the Notice Paper. 6

In 1986 the Procedure Committee recommended that restrictions relating to reflections in debate on governments or heads of governments, other than the Queen or her representatives in Australia, be discontinued. 7 In practice, the latitude referred to earlier has continued to be evident, even though the Procedure Committee recommendation has not been acted upon formally.

The standing orders and practice of the House do not prevent a Member from reflecting on a State Government or Member of a State Parliament, no matter how much such a reference may be deprecated by the Chair. 8



May , 22nd edn, p. 385. The reference not repeated in the 23rd edn (2004).



E.g. VP 1951-53/117, 327.



H of R 1 (1962-63) 32.



VP 1962-63/455; H.R. Deb. (1.5.63) 896. For later comment see H.R. Deb. (19.8.76) 368.



NP 148 (28.2.80) 8700; H.R. Deb. (4.3.80) 580.



NP 168 (30.4.80) 10257.



Standing Committee on Procedure, The standing orders and practices which govern the conduct of Question Time , PP 354 (1986) 32.



H.R. Deb. (21.8.80) 590-1; H.R. Deb. (30.6.31) 3169; H.R. Deb. (25.9.18) 6368.