Speaker of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly

Last updated

Speaker of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
Incumbent
Greg Piper
since 9 May 2023
Style The Honourable
Mr/Madam Speaker (In the House)
Appointer The Monarch's Representative at the behest of the Legislative Assembly
Term length Elected by the Assembly at the start of each Parliament, and upon a vacancy
Inaugural holder Sir Daniel Cooper
Formation1856

The Speaker of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly is the presiding officer of the Legislative Assembly, New South Wales's lower chamber of Parliament. The current Speaker is Greg Piper, who was elected on 9 May 2023.

Contents

Role

The Speaker presides over the House's debates, determining which members may speak. The Speaker is also responsible for maintaining order during debate, and may punish members who break the rules of the House. Conventionally, the Speaker remains non-partisan, and renounces all affiliation with their former political party when taking office. The Speaker does not take part in debate nor vote (except to break ties, and even then, subject to conventions that maintain their non-partisan status), although the Speaker is still able to speak. Aside from duties relating to presiding over the House, the Speaker also performs administrative and procedural functions, and remains a constituency Member of Parliament (MP).

The office of the Speaker is recognised in section 31 of the Constitution Act 1902 as the Legislative Assembly's "independent and impartial representative". The first act of the new Parliament, after the swearing in of Members, is the election of a Speaker. Section 31B of the Constitution Act outlines the method of election. Under section 70 of the Parliamentary Electorates and Elections Act 1912, the Speaker issues writs to fill vacancies caused otherwise than by a General Election, which would be issued by the Governor.

The Speaker's role in the House is to maintain order, put questions after debate and conduct divisions. In maintaining order the Speaker interprets and applies the Standing Orders and practice of the House by making rulings and decisions.

The Speaker also has extensive administrative functions, being responsible, with the President, for the overall direction of the Parliament. In this, the Presiding Officers are advised by the Clerks of both Houses. The Speaker is solely responsible for the operation of the Department of the Legislative Assembly.

If only one candidate is nominated for election, then no ballot is held, and the Assembly proceeds directly to the motion to appoint the candidate to the Speakership. A similar procedure is used if a Speaker seeks a further term after a general election: no ballot is held, and the Assembly immediately votes on a motion to re-elect the Speaker. If the motion to re-elect the Speaker fails, candidates are nominated, and the Assembly proceeds with voting. Upon the passage of the motion, the Speaker-elect is expected to show reluctance at being chosen. Customarily the speaker-elect is "dragged unwillingly" by MPs to the Speaker's bench. This custom has its roots in the Speaker's original function of communicating the House of Commons' opinions to the monarch. Historically, the Speaker, representing the House to the Monarch, potentially faced the Monarch's anger and therefore required some persuasion to accept the post.

After election, the Speaker ceases to be associated with their former party. In 2007, Richard Torbay was the first independent Speaker since 1917, breaking a pattern of alternation between Labor and Conservative members which had occurred from 1917 through to the 2003 elections of Speakers.

James Dooley (1925-1927) as Speaker, wearing the Labor variation of the dress. James Dooley (Australian politician).jpg
James Dooley (1925–1927) as Speaker, wearing the Labor variation of the dress.

Many Speakers also held higher or other offices while in Parliament: The first Speaker, Sir Daniel Cooper (1856–1860) was later made a Baronet, of Woollahra in New South Wales, in 1863; William Arnold (1865–1875) served in the Robertson and Cowper Ministries before becoming Speaker; Sir George Wigram Allen (1875–1882) also served as a Minister in the first Parkes Government; Edmund Barton (1883–1887) entered the new Federal Parliament in 1901 as the first Prime Minister of Australia (1901–1903) and thereafter served as a Puisne Justice of the High Court of Australia until 1920; James Dooley (1925–1927) before taking up the role of Speaker had served two terms as the Premier of New South Wales in 1921 and from 1921 to 1922; Reginald Weaver (1937–1941), later served briefly as Leader of the Opposition of New South Wales and as the first Leader of the NSW Liberal Party in 1945 before his death and John Aquilina (2003–2007) also served as a Minister in the Unsworth and Carr Labor Governments.

Dress

Following the Westminster tradition inherited from the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, the traditional dress of the speaker includes components of Court dress such as the black silk lay-type gown (similar to a QC's gown), a lace collar or jabot (another variation included a white bow tie with a lace jabot), bar jacket, white gloves and a full-bottomed wig. Often the dress variated according to the party in power, with most Labor party speakers eschewing the wig while retaining the court dress, while conservative and independent speakers tended to wear the full dress.

Reginald Weaver (1937-1941) as Speaker, wearing the full traditional dress. Reginald Weaver.jpg
Reginald Weaver (1937–1941) as Speaker, wearing the full traditional dress.

The Speaker, currently, no longer wears the traditional court dress outfit. Kevin Rozzoli was the last speaker to do so. From 1995 to 2007, Speakers Murray and Aquilina opted not to wear any element of the traditional outfit, preferring business attire as appropriate for a member of parliament. Speaker Torbay also chose not to wear the full court dress of the speaker upon his election in 2007, nevertheless he returned to tradition by wearing the gown during question time and significant occasions such as the Budget. Speakers Hancock and O'Dea have continued this practice. However, there is nothing stopping any given Speaker, if they choose to do so, from assuming the traditional court dress or anything they deem appropriate.

Speakers of the Legislative Assembly

#Name [1] PartyTerm startTerm endTerm in office
1 Sir Daniel Cooper  None 22 May 185631 January 18603 years, 254 days
2 Terence Murray  None 31 January 186013 October 18622 years, 255 days
3 John Hay  None 14 October 186231 October 18653 years, 17 days
4 William Arnold  None 1 November 18651 March 18759 years, 120 days
5 Sir George Allen  None 23 March 187523 November 18827 years, 245 days
6 Edmund Barton  None 3 January 188331 January 18874 years, 28 days
7 James Young   Free Trade 8 March 188721 October 18903 years, 227 days
8 Sir Joseph Abbott   Protectionist 22 October 189012 June 19009 years, 233 days
9 William McCourt   Liberal Reform 13 June 190014 November 191010 years, 154 days
10 John Cann   Labor 15 November 191031 July 1911258 days
11 Henry Willis   Liberal Reform 24 August 191122 July 19131 year, 332 days
12 Henry Morton  Independent 22 July 191322 December 1913153 days
13 Richard Meagher   Labor 23 December 191316 April 19173 years, 114 days
14 John Cohen   Nationalist 17 April 191730 January 19191 year, 288 days
15 Daniel Levy   Nationalist 19 August 191912 December 19212 years, 115 days
16 Simon Hickey   Labor 13 December 192120 December 19217 days
(15) Daniel Levy  Nationalist 20 December 192123 June 19253 years, 185 days
17 James Dooley   Labor 24 June 19252 November 19272 years, 131 days
(15) Sir Daniel Levy   Nationalist 3 November 192724 November 19303 years, 21 days
18 Frank Burke   Lang Labor 25 November 193023 June 19321 year, 211 days
(15) Sir Daniel Levy   United Australia 24 June 193220 May 19374 years, 330 days
19 Reginald Weaver   United Australia 4 August 193727 May 19413 years, 296 days
20 Daniel Clyne   Labor 28 May 194127 May 19475 years, 364 days
21 Bill Lamb   Labor 28 May 194720 April 195911 years, 327 days
22 Ray Maher   Labor 21 April 195929 January 19655 years, 283 days
23 Sir Kevin Ellis   Liberal 26 May 19653 December 19738 years, 191 days
24 Jim Cameron   Liberal 4 December 197324 May 19762 years, 172 days
25 Laurie Kelly   Labor 25 May 197626 April 198811 years, 337 days
26 Kevin Rozzoli   Liberal 27 April 19881 May 19957 years, 4 days
27 John Murray   Labor 2 May 199528 April 20037 years, 361 days
28 John Aquilina   Labor 29 April 20037 May 20074 years, 8 days
29 Richard Torbay   Independent 8 May 20072 May 20113 years, 359 days
30 Shelley Hancock   Liberal 3 May 20117 May 20198 years, 4 days
31 Jonathan O'Dea   Liberal 7 May 20199 May 20234 years, 2 days
32 Greg Piper   Independent 9 May 2023Incumbent337 days

Deputy and Assistant Speakers

Deputy Speakers

#Name [1] PartyTerm startTerm endTerm in office
1 John Price   Labor 11 May 19992 March 20077 years, 295 days
2 Tony Stewart 8 May 200711 September 20081 year, 126 days
3 Tanya Gadiel 23 September 20084 March 20112 years, 162 days
4 Thomas George   National 3 May 20111 March 20197 years, 302 days
5 Leslie Williams 7 May 201920 September 20203 years, 203 days
  Liberal 20 September 20209 May 2023
6 Sonia Hornery   Labor 9 May 2023Incumbent337 days

Assistant Speakers

#Name [1] PartyTerm startTerm endTerm in office
1 Alison Megarrity   Labor 8 May 2007 4 March 2011 3 years, 300 days
Grant McBride
3 Andrew Fraser   National 3 May 20111 March 20197 years, 302 days
4 Mark Coure   Liberal 7 May 20192 February 20222 years, 271 days
5 Greg Piper   Independent 15 February 20229 May 20231 year, 83 days
6 Jason Yat-Sen Li   Labor 9 May 2023Incumbent337 days

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Part 10 Officers of the Parliament" (PDF). NSW Parliamentary Record. Parliament of New South Wales . Retrieved 12 October 2021.