Chairman Of Committees

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Speakers - Machin Ms Wendy; Jeffery Mr Bruce; Turner Mr John
Business - Committee

CHAIRMAN OF COMMITTEES

Election Resignation

Mr SPEAKER: Order! I inform the House that I have received a communication from the Minister for Consumer Affairs and Minister Assisting the Minister for Roads resigning from the Office of Chairman of Committees of the Whole House.

Ms MACHIN (Port Macquarie - Minister for Consumer Affairs, and Minister Assisting the Minister for Roads) [2.24]: I move:

That John Harcourt Turner be Chairman of Committees of the Whole House.

I have great pleasure in moving the nomination of John Turner.

Mr SPEAKER: Order! I call the honourable member for Coogee to order.

Ms MACHIN: The office of Chairman of Committees is a very old and historical position in Parliament, one that I was honoured to hold for four years and one that I enjoyed very much. I am pleased that it is my political neighbour who will follow me in this office. The origin of Chairman of Committees of the Whole House goes back to the fourteenth century and its concept is to enable all honourable members to participate in parliamentary debate in what may be described as a less formal way. Certainly that has been happening in this Parliament over the past couple of years. The honourable member for Myall Lakes is an apt person to take on this position. He follows on from the former member for Upper Hunter and subsequently Gloucester, in the person of Leon Punch, whom I had the honour of following in this Parliamentin both his seat and this office. Leon Punch served also as Acting-Speaker - his name is displayed somewhere in these halls - as did Jim Brown, a former member for Oxley, who actually got to wear the wig and have his photograph taken in it. That photograph hangs among those of other former Speakers of this House.

In this Parliament Chairman of Committees of the Whole House is traditionally a National Party office in coalition and one that it is happy to have. John Turner is a strong National Party member and a strong coalitionist. He was elected to Parliament in
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1988. Prior to that he had shown his interest in politics by standing at two Federal elections, in 1984 and in 1987. He is a former deputy mayor of Cessnock City Council and served on that council with distinction for seven years. In Parliament he is Chairman of the Committee on the Office of the Ombudsman and is a member of the Committee on the Independent Commission Against Corruption. I think members of the Opposition will concede that he does an excellent job in his committee responsibilities.

John Turner is known as an enthusiastic parliamentarian: he does not pull any punches, and he always demonstrates a capacity to be a fair member of Parliament and a fair man. Those attributes will hold him in good stead. He is also a lawyer, but those of us who are non-lawyers will not hold that against him. His legal knowledge and the interest he has shown in the procedures of this House will make him an excellent Chairman of Committees of the Whole House. I know, Mr Speaker, that he will honour the traditions of this House and will follow the good example that you have set as a very fair and independent Speaker. Sometimes it is a little constraining to occupy the Speaker's Chair, but I am sure that that will not be an inhibiting factor for the honourable member for Myall Lakes and he will perform both jobs well. It gives me great pleasure to move the nomination of John Harcourt Turner for election to the position of Chairman of Committees of the Whole House.

Mr JEFFERY (Oxley) [2.28]: I have great pleasure in seconding the nomination of my colleague and friend Mr John Turner, the honourable member for Myall Lakes, to the position of Chairman of Committees of this honourable House. The honourable member for Myall Lakes is a most worthy person to fill this position, not only because of his fine record as Chairman of the Committee on the Office of the Ombudsman and his involvement in various legislative committees, but also because of his legal background and his very broad experience in the community. John Harcourt Turner was born in 1949. I am not sure what the name "Harcourt" stands for, but I have no doubt that it is a family name, just as the names Gerald Beresford Ponsonby are family names of the honourable member for Dubbo.

Mr SPEAKER: Order! There is far too much interjection and audible conversation from members on both sides of the Chamber. I ask all honourable members to be somewhat more orderly and to be respectful of the person who has the call.

Mr JEFFERY: John Turner is a mature family man. He has a delightful wife, who is in the gallery today, and three lovely children - two of whom have grown up - Jacqueline, Christopher and Amanda. John Turner was first elected as the member for Myall Lakes on 19th March, 1988.

Mr SPEAKER: Order! I call the honourable member for Londonderry to order.

Mr JEFFERY: John Turner has provided in this esteemed Parliament outstanding representation for the people of the Great Lakes Shire and Taree district. He has a keen interest in the needs of his constituents. He is intelligent and deals practically with the often difficult job of representing a rural constituency and coastal seat - a constituency with a diverse population. As we have heard from the Minister for Consumer Affairs, John Turner, apart from his diligent service to the people of his electorate, has made an outstanding contribution to this Parliament with his debating skills and his attention to detail.

John Turner, in this new position, will bring to this House a sense of duty and respect for the traditions of our Westminster system. As the Minister for Consumer Affairs said, John, prior to entering Parliament, was an alderman on Cessnock City Council and deputy mayor in 1987. In the Myall Lakes area John represents commercial and manufacturing activities, industry, tourism, fishing, oyster growing and small businesses. However, the oysters grown in his electorate are not as good as those that are grown in mine. The position of Chairman of Committees of the Whole House, which is a highly honourable one, carries with it a fine tradition. In the life of a Parliament the Chairman of Committees must exercise great judgment, tolerance, tact and diplomacy. In fact, the Parliament must show great respect and high regard for the office of Chairman of Committees and Deputy-Speaker.

Mr SPEAKER: Order! I call the honourable member for Coogee to order for the second time. I call the honourable member for Burrinjuck to order.

Mr JEFFERY: The honourable member for Myall Lakes is the perfect choice for Chairman of Committees. As Chairman he will be primarily responsible for the Committee stage of every bill. All honourable members would know that the Chairman is a powerful vehicle in the legislative process. For the benefit of our new member - I congratulate him on his appointment - the Committee of the Whole is an important and serious part of legislative debate in this House. John Turner will carry out this role with flair and determination. Without hesitation I ask all honourable members to support the nomination of John Harcourt Turner for the esteemed position of Chairman of Committees of the Whole House and Deputy-Speaker.

Motion agreed to.

Mr Turner declared elected.

Mr TURNER (Myall Lakes) [2.34]: It would be remiss of me if I did not thank the House for according me the privilege of being elected Deputy-Speaker and Chairman of Committees of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly. It is obviously a great honour to serve as the thirty-eighth Chairman of Committees. I hope I perform that task with fairness and impartiality. I hope I will be firm but fair. The average life of a chairman of committees is about three and a quarter years, but I know that two chairmen of committees have held that position for only one day. I hope my tenure will be somewhat longer.

My desire to be even-handed stems from my knowledge of the backbench. Members of the backbench have a sense of fair play, even-handedness and impartiality in anything that they do. I hope that
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I will be able to hone those skills and become more even-handed. There is no doubt that I will have to go on to a learning curve, but I hope it is not as circuitous as the J-curve. I hope I do not have to call the honourable member for Blacktown to order as many times as you do, Mr Speaker. She has already started to interject, even before I am in the chair.

I thank the Minister for Consumer Affairs and Minister Assisting the Minister for Roads for nominating me and I thank the honourable member for Oxley for seconding me for the position. I congratulate the Minister for Consumer Affairs on her elevation to the ministry. I congratulate the honourable member for Oxley on his appointment as National Party Whip. I also thank the Minister for Consumer Affairs for the four and a half years that she served as Chairman of Committees. She did so in the face of hardship and difficult times, but she carried out her duties in an extraordinary way.

Finally, this is a tempestuous time in the Parliament - a time when restraint is needed. Let me reflect on the sentiments of L. S. Cushing, a former Clerk of the House of Representatives in Massachusetts, who said, "The great purpose of all the rules and forms by which the business of a Legislative Assembly is conducted, whether constitutional, legal or parliamentary in their origins, is to subserve the will of the assembly rather than to restrain it; to facilitate and not to obstruct, the expression of its deliberate sensors". I thank the House for its indulgence.

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