Queensland Parliamentary Debates [Hansard] Legislative Assembly WEDNESDAY, 2 DECEMBER 1987 Electronic reproduction of original hardcopy Vacancy in Office of Speaker 2 December 1987 4735 QUEENSLAND Parliamentary Debates [HANSARD] Klegtslatiue Assembly FIRST SESSION OF THE FORTY-FIFTH PARLIAMENT—continued (Third Period) WEDNESDAY, 2 DECEMBER 1987 Under the provisions of the motion for special adjournment agreed to by the House on 20 November 1987, the House met at 10 a.m. THE CLERK OF THE PARLIAMENT (Mr A. R. Woodward) took the chair. VACANCY IN OFFICE OF SPEAKER The CLERK: Honourable members, I have to inform the House that I have received the following letter from the Honourable K. R. Lingard, MLA— "Speaker's Room 24th Nov. 1987. Clerk of Parliament, Parliament House, Brisbane. Dear Sir, I hereby tender my resignation as Speaker of the Queensland Legislative Assembly as from midnight 24th Nov. 1987. Yours sincerely, Kev Lingard" 4736 2 December 1987 Election of Speaker In accordance with the provisions of Standing Order No. 9, I have to report that by reason of such resignation a vacancy exists in the office of Speaker. I might remind members that all nominations to this will have to be seconded. I now call for nominations. ELECTION OF SPEAKER Hon. M. J. AHERN (Landsborough—Premier) (10.01 a.m.): I move— "That Mr Lionel William Powell do take the chair of the House as Speaker." The job of Speaker is onerous. He is in effect the tme guardian of the parliamentary system. He must be all things to all people—the arbitrator, the mediator, the conciliator. It is not possible to hold such a position in a Parliament now dedicated to the Westminster system and remain a friend to all. He must place principle above personality. He must place convention above the whim or fantasies of any individual member. He must place the time-honoured mles of the parliamentary institution above all else. He must be fair yet firm. He must be honest, not only to himself but also to the very privileged position he holds. Mr Powell has been a member of Parliament since December 1974, representing the electorate of Isis, and since 1982 has been Minister for Education. Earlier this year he was also appointed Leader of the House in this Parliament, a position that will hold him in good stead as Speaker. I have no doubt that, as a former schoolteacher, he will bring the necessary discipline to this place. I can think of no better candidate to respect this position than Lionel William Powell, and therefore I urge all members to support his nomination. Hon. W. A. M. GUNN (Somerset—Deputy Premier) (10.02 a.m.): It gives me the greatest of pleasure to second the Premier's nomination of Mr Lin Powell as Speaker. The Speaker's role is an important though very difficult one. We should all ensure that the proceedings here are conducted in the best parliamentary traditions. The Speaker has to ensure that this is so. The standing of Parliament as assessed by the community at large is based largely on the Speaker's performance. Queensland was well served in this role by the former Speaker, Mr Kev Lingard, and I am sure that Mr Powell, as a former Leader of the House, will be a success in the position. He certainly was the best Leader of the House that I have ever known in my 16 years in Parliament. As the Premier has outlined, the Speaker's role is a demanding one. He must be fair to all and bring decomm to the House while doing so. Mr Powell has been a member since December 1974. I believe he is well equipped with knowledge and experience to fulfil the requirements of Speaker. I commend Mr Powell's nomination to this House. Mr WARBURTON (Sandgate—Leader of the Opposition) (10.03 a.m.): We have just heard from the National Party Ministry—Mr Ahem and Mr Gunn. It is the Opposition's intention to nominate one of our number for the position of Speaker of this House. However, it is important initially that a number of very important things be said and that we make some comment about the events of recent times. On 10 November, 22 days ago, I moved a want of confidence motion in the then Premier of this State, Sir Johannes Bjelke-Petersen. In the debate that ensued I outlined the reason why Sir Job should go. At that time I said the things that today—only 22 days later—the National Party hypocrites on that side of the House are now themselves saying. In 22 days this National Party's world has turned completely upside down. In the want of confidence debate only 22 days ago, this House heard the recycled Deputy Premier of this State and Mr Hinze heap praise upon Bjelke-Petersen. Today those two gentlemen are out publicly denigrating the very man whom they praised only 22 days ago. Mr Hinze appealed to National Party members to rally round Bjelke- Petersen and give him support. Election of Speaker 2 December 1987 4737 The Govemment Whip, Mr FitzGerald, followed in the debate. Let us hear what he had to say only 22 days ago. He said that the Premier—of course, that is Mr Bjelke- Petersen—was launching Queensland towards the twenty-first century. As I said yesterday, he has certainly had us in orbit for quite some weeks. Mr FitzGerald said that the then Premier was launching us towards the twenty-first century. He also said about Bjelke- Petersen that he was the leader of a vibrant party. Then there was the very emotional appeal from Mr PoweU, who said in his concluding remarks— "No decent member of this Parliament will not vote on this motion and no decent member of this Parliament will vote for this motion tonight." In saying that, he was saying that no decent member would support the want of confidence motion in the then Premier. Mr Powell continued— "In the interests of decency, I ask the Parliament of Queensland to stand firm behind the Premier, who stands firm for Queensland, and vote firmly against this motion." So all of the decent National Party members in the Queensland Parliament responded to Mr Powell's very valiant call on that day. When the vote was taken only 22 short days ago, in bulk the National Party members on that side of the House gave their unequivocal, their devoted and their decent support for Bjelke-Petersen. On that particular occasion, naturally the Labor Opposition voted for the want of confidence motion. Mr Powell's not so decent Liberal colleagues in the House stood outside the bar of the House, for reasons that only Liberals can explain, or attempt to explain. However, today Mr Powell, who carried the day for Bjelke-Petersen only 22 days ago and who fought tooth and nail against the Ahern regime and its sabotage of Bjelke-Petersen, evidently is prepared to accept nomination as Speaker of the Parliament with an Ahern Govemment at the helm. They are extraordinary circumstances. Only 12 days ago, on Friday, 20 November, the then Premier sang the praises of the then Speaker, Mr Lingard, who was described on that occasion as a Speaker who carried out his duties with great credit and great distinction. That was all said to the "Hear, hears" of the National Party members. But suddenly what happened? Mr Lingard became a Minister in the Bjelke-Petersen Govemment. Now he is not a Minister; he is certainly not the Speaker; and he has no damned chance of becoming Speaker again while the Ahern camp is in control of the National Party. Is it any wonder that the National Party Goverament in Queensland, which sits opposite unchanged except for one notable absentee, has brought complete discredit upon our State? Is it any wonder that Queenslanders have now given the thumbs down to this National Party? At this stage not even 20 per cent of the voters in our State think that the National Party is worth while worrying about. Let me say to all honourable members very, very clearly: no new broom, irrespective of the thickness of the gloss Mr Ahern: You admit to that. Mr WARBURTON: Before the member for Landsborough became the Premier, he used to sit in the House in a docile fashion. Today, he is interjecting. I do not know if this is the new, tough image. The Premier used to sit there quietly and complacently. As I was saying, irtespective of the thickness of that gloss, or that veneer that he is painted with at the moment, the tmst of the people of this State in his Govemment has gone. This is a very strange yet historic special sitting of what I can only describe as a highly unusual Parliament. This moming, we as members must elect our second Speaker of a Parliament that is just into the second year of its present three-year term. Since Parliament last sat on 18 November, our previous Speaker, who still sits in this Chamber 4738 2 December 1987 Election of Speaker today as a member, has, I am afraid, perished politicaUy, swimming ambitiously towards that sunken flagship of the National Party in this State. I repeat that this sitting today is historic. It is the first sitting in 40 years without the previous Premier and National Party member for Barambah, who, as everyone knows, was politically decapitated yesterday evening. It is the first sitting in 40 years without this reactionary old conservative hero whom the National Party wanted only months ago to make its Prime Minister of Australia but whom it has now dumped and savaged like a pack of hungry dogs.