Personal Explanation

DIVISION COUNT

Mr VENNING (Schubert) (15:45): I seek leave to make a personal explanation.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: The member claims to be misrepresented?

Mr VENNING: No; I just want to clarify a situation in relation to a division before lunch.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: You wish to correct the record?

Mr VENNING: No; I don't think I can do that. I can just explain what happened.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: So it is for clarification.

Leave granted.

Mr VENNING: During the division just before lunch, right on 1 o'clock, I was in charge of the numbers on this side of the house, and there were three members who were excluded from the count, because I had given the pairs. They were the members for Kavel, Morphett and Finniss. They were all paired out. They were actually present in the house but they were paired out from the chamber. Because of a technicality in relation to—well, one was that one of the members came back. The Government Whip did give me correct advice; it was after 1 o'clock. The member involved with a pair did arrive, so it did put our pairing arrangement out. So, I just wish to tell the house that I apologise for that. It was because of a technicality. These members were present in the house, and should have voted. If it had not been right on 1 o'clock the confusion would not have happened. I do apologise. I do not want to see the record of these members besmirched by missing a division, when they didn't, technically.