Points of Order — Assistant Speaker Simich—Ruling Questioned by Member Ahmed Zaoui—Birthday 
Points of Order — Assistant Speaker Simich—Ruling Questioned by Member Ahmed Zaoui—Birthday 
[Volume:622;Page:17421] 
Points of Order 
Assistant Speaker Simich—Ruling Questioned by Member 
RODNEY HIDE (Leader—ACT) 
: 
 I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I want to raise with you a point of order about questioning the decisions of the Speaker. We in the ACT party were surprised by this and I am sure that other parties will be surprised as well. On 2 December the Hon Jim Sutton wrote you a letter questioning the decision made by the Assistant Speaker Mr Clem Simich. It is a longstanding convention that a Speaker’s decision cannot be questioned. As I read the letter it definitely questions the ruling of Assistant Speaker Simich. Not only that it is written in a way that carries a veiled threat from a Minister of the Crown to the Speaker. 
I notice that the letter states that the Minister approached the Clerk about what he considered to be a failure to have his honour protected. The Clerk advised that there was a proper procedure to follow. The Minister certainly was not advised that the proper procedure was to write a private letter to the Speaker questioning the judgment of an Assistant Speaker. I make the point that we learnt of this letter only because Mr Sutton’s office inadvertently sent it to Mr Eckhoff and then— 
Simon Power 
: Outrageous! 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I did not hear any word said that was outrageous. [ 
Interruption 
] If there is any more interjection the member will leave. 
RODNEY HIDE 
: The letter was sent to Mr Gerrard Eckhoff and Mr Sutton’s secretary tried to retrieve it. Mr Eckhoff then wrote to you about what he considered to be an abuse of the process. You wrote back on 6 December and said that you actually encourage this! 
We would like to know when it became a rule of the House that when a Minister is upset with a decision of an Assistant Speaker he or she can write a private communication to the Speaker complaining about it. I would like to know just how many of these letters you have had and whether you intend this process to continue. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Members are perfectly at liberty to write to me and I have been written to often by many members. I have replied to Mr Eckhoff. 
Hon RICHARD PREBBLE (ACT) 
: 
 I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I presume this is about this matter. 
Hon RICHARD PREBBLE 
: It is about this matter. I am interested to hear that many members write you letters. As it is a matter of interest to the House I invite you to table them all. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I will not be doing that. 
RODNEY HIDE (Leader—ACT) 
: 
 I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I am not taking this any further. I have made my ruling. 
RODNEY HIDE 
: I seek the leave of the House to table the Hon Jim Sutton’s letter to you Mr Eckhoff’s letter to you and the letter that you wrote in reply to Mr Eckhoff. 
Documents by leave laid on the Table of the House. 
Ahmed Zaoui—Birthday 
ROD DONALD (Co-Leader—Green) 
: 
 I seek leave to move a non-debatable non-controversial motion that this House extend its best wishes to Ahmed Zaoui on his 44th birthday. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Is there any objection to that course of action being followed? There is. [ 
Interruption 
] Those balloons will now be removed. The point has been made and the balloons will be removed or the member will be too. 
Hon KEN SHIRLEY (Whip—ACT) 
: 
 I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. You asked that the balloon be removed. I take it you meant removed from the Chamber— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Removed from my sight. 
Hon KEN SHIRLEY 
:—because could it not burst and cause some alarm? It is still here in the Chamber. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I have now had enough. In the presence of so many distinguished parliamentarians I think that some people’s conduct is a little bit silly today. That point has been made. The balloons will not be shown here. If there is any noise the members concerned will leave the Chamber.