Speaker’s Rulings — Conversion Practices Prohibition Legislation Bill—Application for Personal Vote

Members, later today we are going to be considering the Conversion Practices Prohibition Legislation Bill. It is the sort of legislation where I would normally expect an application for a personal vote. I have not had any indication from any member that they request one. I would, however, ask that if members do intend requesting a personal vote, they indicate that to me before the debate starts, because it changes the method of selecting members to speak, and it also gives proper notice to those people who are organising proxy votes, which have to be organised in a different way. So it’s just a—it’s more than a request; it’s a requirement to let me know if there is to be a request for a personal vote before we get to the beginning of the debate. Thank you.

Point of order. Just in relation to that, just so we can get some clarity, are you saying, Mr Speaker, that if a member wishes to request a personal vote, it’s a requirement to let you know in advance of the debate rather than at the time the vote is cast?

Yes. That certainly has been the practice in the past so that consideration can be given. I have to make a ruling on the question about whether there’s a personal vote or not. It’s not something which is automatic, and in the past members have indicated that to me. Most of them are quite clear cut, and I’ll say right here and now that if a member indicated to me that they wanted to have a personal vote on this, I would grant it because it’s a classic conscience-type issue. But to be fair to other members, that should be made apparent before the debate starts because it will affect who gets called through the debate as well as the format of the vote. I’m not a whip any more, and we shouldn’t be running the place according to the whips, and I think that having a proxy vote for a personal vote cannot be covered by blanket proxy. It is something which requires an individual proxy for that occasion. Therefore, I think those who are casting votes by proxy do need to have the time to get that set up, and, frankly, the couple of hours of the debate is not long enough for that.