“Your Parliament – Your Voice”
From
the Office of the Speaker
The
Offices of Speaker, Deputy Speaker and Acting Deputy Speaker (the Presiding
Officers) in Norfolk Island … continued from
25 November 2011
Last week’s Norfolk Islander recorded the
passing of Sir Zelman Cowan AK. GCMG, K.St.J, QC, former Governor-General of
Australia in the 70’s. It was Sir Zelman Cowan who in the Federal Executive
Council assented to the Norfolk Island Act in 1979 which brought the
Legislative Assembly of Norfolk Island into being; and it was Sir Zelman who
opened the First Legislative Assembly of Norfolk Island on 10 August 1979 in
the Assembly Chamber that we continue to hold our meetings in today. In March
1980 Sir Zelman advised that Her Majesty the Queen had been pleased to approve
the grant of the prefix “Honourable” to the President (today read Speaker) of
the Legislative Assembly and Members of the Executive Council of Norfolk Island
(today read Ministers) during the tenure of those offices.
The first business meeting of the
Legislative Assembly was held on 15 August 1979 and on that occasion the
Assembly agreed that there be two executive offices – Chief Minister and Deputy
Chief Minister. The President David
Buffett and the Deputy President Mr William Blucher were appointed respectively
to these positions. From the very
beginning of the Legislative Assembly in 1979 right up to 2010 – a period of
some 31 years – the presiding officers could also be Ministers of the
Government; and were in the First, Second, Third, Fifth, Sixth, Eighth and
Ninth Assemblies.
In late 2010 the Norfolk Island Act 1979
(the Act) was amended by the Territories Law Reform Act 2010 (Cwlth) and
section 13(4) of the Act now reads –
“The Speaker or Deputy Speaker is not
eligible to be appointed under subsection (2) as a Minister.”
Who
sits in the “Chair”?
The Speaker “takes the Chair” at the
commencement of an Assembly meeting and reads the Assembly Prayer. If the Speaker is absent, the Deputy Speaker
will start the meeting and read Prayers (Standing Order 7). The Deputy Speaker is required to take the
Chair whenever requested to do so by the Speaker during a sitting of the
Assembly. (Standing Order 8) The Speaker or the Deputy Speaker may also call on
any one of the Acting Deputy Speakers to take the Chair (Standing Order 10).
The
Speaker “on the floor of the House”
I was recently provided with guidance
notes for participation in debate from the floor of the House by the Speaker
and other occupants of the Chair in the Legislative Assembly of New South
Wales. Those notes in the main reflect
the accepted practice in the Legislative Assembly of Norfolk Island since 1979
up to the present day. I will quote from those guidance notes.
“It is accepted that the occupants of the
Chair will hold firm views and opinions, particularly in relation to issues
that may affect their local communities. Accordingly, there may be times when
occupants of the Chair participating in proceedings from the floor of the House
speak in opposition to motions moved in the House and make critical comments
during debate. The Constitution Act (of New South Wales
“Order
in the House”
Order is maintained in the House by the
Speaker (Standing Order 44). When the
Speaker is on the “floor of the House” participating in debate or has carriage
of a Bill or other business before the House the Deputy Speaker or Acting Deputy
Speaker “takes the Chair” and maintains order in the House.
The next sitting of the Legislative
Assembly is on Wednesday 1 February 2012 at 10 am.
To read the Notice Paper, Programme and
Minutes of Proceedings and legislation tabled in the House go to www.info.gov.nf. Issued from the Office of the Speaker on 16 December
2011 and posted on the blog site http://yourparliamentyourvoice.blogspot.com
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