Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland

The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland is elected by the members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly to preside over sittings of the Assembly and to maintain orderly proceedings. The Speaker must be a member of the Legislative Assembly. The position is currently held by Curtis Pitt, a former Treasurer of Queensland who was elected to the post on 13 February 2018.[2]

Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland
Incumbent
Curtis Pitt
since 13 February 2018
StyleThe Honourable
AppointerElected by the Queensland Legislative Assembly
Formation22 May 1860
First holderGilbert Eliott
DeputyJoe Kelly[1]
SalaryAUD $287,035 (2015)

Election

The Legislative Assembly must choose a new Speaker when it meets following a general election. The member with the longest period of continuous service presides during the election, which is conducted by secret ballot. The Government party nominates one of its own to serve as Speaker, and that nominee is likely to win since the party typically has a majority of the seats. If the office of Speaker falls vacant, for whatever reason, the Assembly must immediately elect a replacement. The Speaker remains in office "for all purposes" following a dissolution of Parliament until the day before the first day of the new Parliament, even if the Speaker was not a candidate for re-election or lost re-election.

Role

As the chief presiding officer of the Legislative Assembly, the Speaker is expected to be impartial in chairing debates and ensuring orderly conduct in the Chamber. When in the chair, the Speaker may only vote in the case of a tie, i.e. a casting vote. Unlike Speakers in many other Westminster system parliaments, when the Deputy Speaker or another member is in the chair, the Speaker may participate in debates and cast a deliberative vote. This is especially important in hung parliaments.

The Speaker is responsible for issuing writs for state by-elections, warrants for parliamentary privilege offenders and bringing before the bar of the Parliament such offenders for rebuke or sentence. Among the office's ceremonial duties are representing the Legislative Assembly to the Crown (as by, for instance, presenting the Address in Reply to the Throne Speech) and to entities outside Parliament.

Administratively, the Speaker has control of the Parliamentary Service and is responsible for the Parliament's budget, services, and administration.

Deputies

"As soon as practicable" after first meeting, the House must choose a member to serve as Deputy Speaker and Chairperson of Committees; in recent practice, the Premier moves the appointment of the Deputy Speaker without debate or opposition as the first matter of business on the second day of the Parliament. As with the Speaker, the House must immediately fill a vacancy in the office. Like the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker remains in office after a dissolution of Parliament until the day before the next Parliament convenes even if the deputy speaker loses re-election or did not run for reelection.

The role of Deputy Speaker is created by the Standing Orders of the Legislative Assembly, and that of Chairperson of Committees by section 17(1) of the Parliament of Queensland Act 2001. As Deputy Speaker, the member takes the chair when the Speaker is absent or at his or her request. When the House resolves into a Committee of the Whole, the Chairperson must take the chair. The current Deputy Speaker is Joe Kelly.

The Speaker also appoints up to eight Temporary Speakers who take the chair in the absence or at the request of the Speaker or Deputy Speaker. The Speaker may also dismiss members of the panel of Temporary Speakers. When in the chair, Temporary Speakers are referred to as “Deputy Speaker”.

When the Speaker is absent for a sitting day, the Deputy Speaker acts as Speaker and chooses a Temporary Speaker to act as Deputy Speaker during the Speaker's absence. If the Speaker and Deputy Speaker are both absent, the House must choose a member to act as Speaker for that day. This occurred most recently during 2020 when Speaker Pitt and Deputy Speaker Stewart (both regional MPs unable to travel due to COVID-19 restrictions) were absent and Temporary Speaker Joe Kelly was chosen by the House to act in their stead.

List of Speakers

MemberElectoratePartyStart of termEnd of termNotes
Gilbert EliottWide Bay22 May 186013 July 1870
Arthur MacalisterEastern Downs15 November 187021 June 1871Premier of Queensland 1866; 1866–1867; 1874–1876
Frederick ForbesWest Moreton7 November 18711 September 1873
William Henry WalshWarrego6 January 187420 July 1876
Henry Edward KingRavenswood/Maryborough25 July 187626 July 1883
William Henry GroomDrayton and ToowoombaProtectionist7 November 18834 April 1888
Albert NortonPort CurtisConservative/Ministerialist12 June 18885 April 1893
Alfred CowleyHerbertMinisterialist25 May 189315 February 1899
Arthur MorganWarwickMinisterialist16 May 189915 September 1903Premier of Queensland 1903–1906, then President of the Queensland Legislative Council
Alfred CowleyHerbertConservative17 September 190311 April 1907
John LeahyBullooConservative23 July 190720 January 1909
Joshua Thomas BellDalbyKidston/Ministerialist29 June 190910 March 1911Died in office
William Drayton ArmstrongLockyerMinisterialist/Liberal11 July 191115 April 1915
William McCormackCairnsLabor12 July 19159 September 1919Premier, 1925–1929
William LennonHerbertLabor9 September 19199 January 1920Became Lieutenant-Governor of Queensland, then President of the Queensland Legislative Council
William BertramMareeLabor9 January 192011 May 1929
Charles TaylorWindsorCPNP20 August 192911 June 1932
George PollockGregoryLabor15 August 193224 March 1939Died in office
Edward Joseph HansonBurandaLabor8 August 193931 July 1944
Samuel BrassingtonFortitude ValleyLabor1 August 19444 October 1950Died in office
Johnno MannBrisbaneLabor10 October 19503 July 1957
Alan FletcherCunninghamCountry27 August 195715 June 1960
David NicholsonMurrumbaCountry23 August 196025 May 1972Longest-serving Speaker
Bill LongeranFlindersCountry/National2 August 197228 October 1974
Jim HoughtonRedcliffeNational29 October 19744 July 1979
Selwyn MullerFassifernNational8 August 197917 October 1983
John WarnerToowoomba SouthNational22 November 19831 November 1986
Kev LingardFassifernNational17 February 198724 November 1987
Lin PowellIsisNational/Independent (after 3 May 1989)[3]2 December 19875 July 1989
Kev LingardFassifernNational5 July 19892 November 1989
Jim FourasAshgroveLabor27 February 19902 April 1996
Neil TurnerNicklinNational2 April 199613 June 1998
Ray HollisRedcliffeLabor28 July 199821 July 2005
Tony McGradyMount IsaLabor9 August 20059 October 2006
Mike ReynoldsTownsvilleLabor10 October 200621 April 2009
John MickelLoganLabor21 April 200914 May 2012
Fiona SimpsonMaroochydoreLiberal National15 May 201224 March 2015First female Speaker
Peter WellingtonNicklinIndependent24 March 201525 November 2017First Independent Speaker since 1883
Curtis PittMulgraveLabor13 February 2018Treasurer of Queensland (2015-2017)

References

  1. "FIRST SESSION OF THE FIFTY-SIXTH PARLIAMENT, Thursday, 15 February 2018" (PDF). Queensland Parliament. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 February 2018. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  2. Caldwell, Felicity (13 February 2018). "Dumped Labor treasurer Curtis Pitt elected Speaker despite LNP protest". Brisbane Times. Archived from the original on 17 February 2018. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  3. https://documents.parliament.qld.gov.au/hansard/Index_BV/1987_1989index.pdf

Sources

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