Tuesday, 5 March 2024

Business of the house

General business

The PRESIDENT (13:44): I thank the chamber for your licence for me to consider Minister Symes’s point of order regarding standing order 7.06, being the same question ruling. It has given me time to digest that. The point the minister is putting is that there were amendments to a bail bill that the opposition produced and argued for about five months ago that are now being proposed as a new question in the form of a private members bill. I uphold Minister Symes’s point of order. I will also say that my view – and I have been pretty clear on it – is that I like to see the standing orders as a way for people to be able to do what they would like to do on behalf of their community, but in this instance I cannot actually say to Mr Mulholland that he is not in breach of the same question ruling, so therefore he will not be able to proceed with his private members bill in the form that he has gone forward with at this point. But there may be some options for Mr Mulholland. One option is that if he brings the private members bill back after 5 April, it will not be offending the same question ruling. There is another option: he can seek to suspend the same question ruling to allow the debate to go forward.

Evan MULHOLLAND (Northern Metropolitan) (13:46): Having had a very cordial conversation with the Leader of the Government, I acknowledge her point. I move, by leave:

That:

(1) the following general business take precedence on Wednesday 6 March 2024:

(a) order of the day 24, second reading of the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Amendment (No New Oil or Gas Activities) Bill 2022;

(b) notice of motion given this day by Mr Somyurek on ASIO and their finding that a foreign spy unit had recruited a former federal member of Parliament;

(c) order of the day 1, listed for a future day: resumption of debate on the second reading of the Bail Amendment (Indictable Offences Whilst on Bail) Bill 2024;

(d) notice of motion 313, standing in Mr Davis’s name, referring the appointment of Jeroen Weimar as deputy secretary of housing implementation to the Ombudsman for investigation and report; and

(e) notice of motion 292, standing in Mr Davis’s name, on the Melbourne Youth Orchestras funding; and

(2) standing order 7.06 be suspended to the extent necessary to allow debate on the second reading of the Bail Amendment (Indictable Offences Whilst on Bail) Bill 2024 to occur.

Motion agreed to.