Points of Order

I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I respectfully raise the issue of the National Party’s request yesterday for a snap debate on the announcement of the power savings. We fully accept the ruling you gave us yesterday, but it has not been reported in Hansard as yet, and we have not been able to consider it at any great length. We certainly noticed that in the text of our own letter we covered all the points required for such a decision to be granted. We particularly note that this was a Government decision that had ministerial responsibility, and was of such importance that it was given priority at the press conference. Further, it was a new announcement, and it was the first time that the Government itself had sought to ask for savings of any type, or at any level. So we are a little perplexed that it did not seem to have the gravitas necessary, or meet the test that you set for such debates to take place.

We would respectfully ask whether you could give us a bit of paper that might give us greater guidance in the future as to how these debates should be requested. If it is a problem with the text, then we certainly want to know about that, but we would have thought that a problem with the way in which something is written would not alter the substance of the argument being advanced.

💬 Mr SPEAKER: I appreciate the way in which the member has raised the point of order. I made a decision—which, of course, I will not be reviewing—but I am prepared to consider it and give the member some advice. The Standing Order is quite specific.