Members

Speaker, Election

The CLERK: I advise the house of the vacancy in the office of Speaker. I remind the house that it is now necessary to proceed to the election of a Speaker. I call for nominations for Speaker.

The Hon. G.G. BROCK (Frome) (23:48): I nominate the member for Kavel as the Speaker of the house.

The CLERK: Member for Kavel, do you accept the nomination?

Mr CREGAN: Sir, I have given it deep consideration. I do.

The CLERK: Are there any further nominations?

The Hon. V.A. CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Premier, Attorney-General, Minister for Planning and Local Government) (23:48): I nominate the member for Flinders.

The CLERK: Member for Flinders, do you accept the nomination?

Mr TRELOAR: I do, sir.

The CLERK: Are there any further nominations? As there are two nominations, both members proposed may address the house, as may the movers and seconders and any other members.

Mrs POWER (Elder) (23:50): I certainly was not planning on speaking tonight, but I really want to put on record a few thoughts and, in particular, not let this moment pass given that I am so deeply disturbed by it. I am quite devastated. I look at the member for Kavel and, eye to eye, I do not know how you can do this: how on one week you can sit on this side and on the other side do this.

To the member for West Torrens, you must know better than anybody the number of times someone from your party was in the role of the Speaker and yet, the opposition—our party—was kicked out. I think the idea that you proposed in which your party or members of the Labor Party have been kicked out for some ridiculously high number in some unjust way is just absolutely ridiculous. Perhaps it is because your members did not meet the high standards of the standing orders.

Before we all cast our vote, there is one thing that I am absolutely certain of and that is that there are so many things that happen in our lives that we cannot control, but we can control who we are in this life and how we move through this life, and we can decide to do that with integrity. I think that what is happening does not come from a place of integrity: it comes from a place of ego, and you must take a moment to reflect on that.

I am absolutely devastated and I am really disappointed. I came into this place thinking it would be a place where we would all strive to be the best versions of ourselves for the benefit of South Australians, for the benefit of the community which we represent, and what I have seen happen over the course of today falls well and truly short.

We are human and we will not always achieve and succeed in our endeavours to be the best versions of ourselves, but we have this moment, and I certainly implore everybody in this chamber to think about what does being the best version of themselves and moving through this life mean. All we have at the end of the day is moving through this life with integrity and deciding who and how we are going to be, not what role we are going to perform, not how we are going to serve our party, not how we are going to be a slave to our ego but, rather, who and how we are going to be in this life for ourselves and for something much greater than ourselves. So perhaps we can all take a moment to reflect on that and cast our votes accordingly.

The CLERK: There being two members who have accepted nominations, there must be a ballot pursuant to standing order 8. Members are required to write the name of their chosen candidate on the ballot slips being distributed. Once completed, slips can be put into the ballot box as collected by the attendants.

The house then proceeded to a ballot.

The CLERK: There being 23 votes for the member for Kavel, 21 votes for the member for Flinders and three informal votes, the member for Kavel having received an absolute majority of validly cast votes I declare the member for Kavel to be elected as Speaker of the house. Will the mover and seconder escort the member for Kavel to the chair?

Mr Cregan was escorted to the dais by the mover and seconder of the motion.

The SPEAKER (Mr Cregan) (00:03): Parliament has asked for a Speaker who does not serve the executive but instead the parliament. It has done so not making a specific criticism of the skills or expertise of the previous Speaker; instead, parliament has said that the previous Speaker has been a tremendous advocate for his cause and for his party. I know that the previous Speaker will understand that when a corpus or body wishes to send a new representative or have a new officer presiding over them, that decision can be made for a number of vital and important reasons.

It is my sincere belief that the Westminster tradition of having an impartial speaker is a vital improvement to democracy in South Australia, that this is a historic moment and that we may seize that moment at a time when emergency powers are being exercised to bring to bear, if it is the will of parliament, more scrutiny on the executive.

I will well and truly serve this parliament. It is my hope that I will bring honour to the proceedings here. I take this role, as I say, without any criticism of the former Speaker but simply because a call has been made by parliament tonight to send a Speaker to preside who is not serving the interests of the executive. I have great respect for the government. I have great respect for the opposition. I hope that I can discharge my functions clearly and with great respect for all members present, and I will take into account advice given to me by both sides in hoping to see through my role. Thank you.

Honourable members: Hear, hear!