2nd Parliament · 1st Session
The President took the chair at 2.30 p.m., and read prayers.
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– By permission pf the Senate, and before the business of the day is proceeded with, I beg to move -
Thai Senator Dawson and Senator McGregor be discharged from attending the Select Committee 3D privilege - Case of Senator Neild.
– I beg to second the motion^ »
– I will put this motion without notice having been given, _ because under standing order 61 any Minister of the Crown - .arid I presume that Senator Dawson is a Minister of the Crown, although I have no official notice of the fact at present - may move any motion in connexion with the business pf the Senate without notice.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
– It will now be necessary to nominate or ballot for two senators to fill the places of Senator Dawson and Senator McGregor.
-Col. NEILD (New South Wales). - I understood from Ministers that, this course was to be adopted. I have ascertained that Senator Higgs and Senator Best-
– Unless a Minister of the Crown submits the motion, notice ought to be given under standing order 61.
-Gol. NEILD. - I suppose that weshall have an adjournment for two or three weeks, and, with your permission, sir, I would point out that as the Select Committee is now reduced to five members, and a quorum is four, it will be practically impossible to hold meetings. Therefore, I was going to ask the leave of the Senate to propose that Senator Best and ‘Senator Higgs be appointed to the Select Committee. But perhaps it will be more convenient for. a Minister to move the motion.
– It will be more in order if a Minister moves the motion.
– I have no objection to the proposed course. I move -
That two senators be appointed by ballot to the Select Committee on privilege in place of Senators Dawson and McGregor, discharged.
– I beg to second the motion.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
– I wish to call the attention of honorable senators to the standing ‘order with reference to procedure on ballot. Every senator will be. given a list containing the names of all the members of the Senate, and will strike out two names, and two only. That is the shortest and speediest way of proceeding with the business.
– Is it needful for any member of the Senate to be asked if he is willing to sit on the Committee?
– The parliamentary rule is that it is not a privilege to serve on a Committee, but a duty, and that unless excused by the Senate or by a standing order any senator appointed must serve.
– Under present circumstances, should we not receive a formal announcement from Ministers as to the constitution of the new Administration? You have already stated, sir, that you have no official knowledge that the two honorable senators, whose names have been mentioned, are Ministers. It appears to me that the proper course to have pursued would have been for one of the new Ministers to make an announcement. Then, the Senate having ascertained that they were Ministers, they could have said that, having been appointed members of the Government, they would like to be relieved from attendance on the Committee on Privilege. That appears to be the natural order in which the business should have been conducted.
– I might state that I am prepared to make an announcement, but we took the present course on very good advice, and to suit the convenience of the Senate. If it is the wish of the Senate that an announcement should be made before the ballot is taken, I am prepared to make it.
– I do not think it can be made now.
– We have gone so far in the matter of the ballot, that I think it would be wise to allow it to continue.
A ballot having been taken,
- Senator Best and Senator Higgs have been appointed to fill the vacancies on the Committee.
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– With the permission of the Senate, I wish to submit a motion for the purpose of enabling me to make a statement with respect to what has transpired within the last few days. I move -
That the Senate at its rising adjourn until Wednesday, 18th May.
Honorable senators will recollect that, last week, in consequence of a vote taken in another place, the Government of which Mr. Deakin was Prime Minister, resigned office. On Saturday Mr. Watson was sent for by His Excellency the GovernorGeneral, and was requested to form a new Administration. I have, to-day, to announce that he has been successful in doing so. The names of the new Ministers, and the positions which they occupy, are as follow.: -
Vice-President of the Executive Council - The Honorable Senator G. McGregor. In “moving that the Senate adjourn until the 1 8th May, I think that honorable senators will acknowledge that, on account of the length of the present session, and the many difficulties that naturally face a new Ministrymany of the members of which have had very little Ministerial experience in the past, whilst some have had none whatever - they are really entitled to a little consideration. I am almost certain that every member of the Senate will be magnanimous enough to grant to the new Ministry the length of time asked for. Without going into any statement of policy - which would really be injudicious, and which, in fact, I should be unable to do at present- I may state that in due course the Government will put their policy before Parliament, and will await the approval of both Houses. I therefore submit the motion which I have already indicated.
– I beg to second the motion.
– It is, of course, natural that the incoming Ministry should ask for some time to prepare their policy. Those who have been in office - and there are many honorable senators who have been in that position - recognise the difficulties that face the Government. We in the Senate shall, I hope, be in the future, as we have been hitherto, critics, but I trust that we shall always be fair critics. We recognise that in order that a new Ministry may have absolutely fair play it is necessary that they should have sufficient time to prepare their Bills and to bring them down to Parliament. When we do meet again I hope that the Government will have their Bills ready, and that we shall be able to go on with the work of the session. I have therefore no objection whatever to the motion moved by my honorable friend the Vice-President of the Executive Council.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
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Motion (by Senator McGregor) proposed -
That one month’s leave of absence be granted to Senator Lt.-Col. Gould on account of urgent private business.
– It must be understood that it would be a very objectionable practice if motions which may involve principles should as a rule be moved without notice. As the motion which the VicePresident of the Executive Council has just moved is connected with the leave of absence of an honorable senator, and as under the peculiar circumstances at present existing an- unexpected adjournment of the Senate for three weeks is about to take place, I feel that I am justified in putting the motion without notice.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Motion (bv Senator McGregor) agreed to -
That one month’s leave of absence be granted to Senator Stewart on account of urgent private business.
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Motion (by Senator McGregor) agreed to-
That the Order of the Day for the second reading of this Bill be read and discharged.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
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Motion (by Senator McGregor) agreed to -
That the Order of the Day for the second reading of this Bill be read and discharged.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
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Tasmanian Defence Force. Motion (by Senator McGregor) proposed - . That the Senate do now adjourn.
– I ask the consideration of honorable senators for a few moments that I may correct a mistake which affects others as well as myself. During the course of the speech made by Senator O’Keefe in the debate on the AddressinReply, by way of interjection, I took, on behalf of the late Government of Tasmania, a certain amount of responsibility, in fact, the principal responsibility in connexion with the position which had arisen between the Defence Department and the Military Forces in Tasmania. At the time believing that the late Tasmanian Government were, to some extent, to blame for the members of the Defence Force in Tasmania being paid at a lower rate than those in other parts of the Commonwealth, I made the interjection to which I have referred. I did so in a spirit of fairness to the present Tasmanian Government. In justice to my late colleagues in the Government of Tasmania, as well as to myself, I now desire to make an explanation. I have to say that my attention has been called to the matter by the late Premier of Tasmania”, Sir Elliot Lewis, and the late Treasurer of Tasmania, Mr. Bird, and both those gentlemen have assured me that my statement was erroneous. The late Premier of Tasmania, I find, made no request whatever to the Defence Department of the Commonwealth to have the Military Forces in Tasmania placed upon a footing in any way different to the Military Forces in the other States. As a matter of fact, in justice to the late Premier of Tasmania, I should state that his policy was to leave entirely to the Commonwealth Government and the Tasmanian representatives in the Federal Parliament the conduct of all matters connected with the Commonwealth Departments. Sir Elliot Lewis has called my attention tq the matter because my statement has been made use of in the Parliament of Tasmania. I make the correction at the earliest possible moment, and I have now to say that any action taken as between the State Government of Tasmania and the Commonwealth Government in connexion with the Defence Force in’ that State originated entirely with the present Tasmanian Government.
Question resolved in the affirmative. Senate adjourned at 3.57 p.m.
Cite as: Australia, Senate, Debates, 27 April 1904, viewed 22 October 2017, <http://historichansard.net/senate/1904/19040427_senate_2_19/>.