Speaker Of The House Roles

The Speaker of the House of Representatives is a member called to run the meetings of the House of Representatives. Explore the role of the Speaker with this fact sheet, which covers how they are chosen, their role in the Business firm and in the department, their chair and the history of the position.

The Speaker of the Business firm of Representatives and the President of the Senate are both Presiding Officers. The Speaker is addressed as Mr or Madam Speaker.

Choosing the Speaker

All members of the Firm of Representatives vote to elect a new Speaker. This is conducted past a secret vote in the Business firm later on the official opening of Parliament following a federal election. The Speaker is a member with a lot of parliamentary feel, usually nominated past the government. They are expected to care for all members of the House fairly and equally. A Deputy Speaker is also elected to assist the Speaker. The major parliamentary parties nominate a console of Acting Deputy Speakers to share the load of chairing the House of Representatives throughout the day.

House of Representatives role

The Speaker has several responsibilities within the House, including:

running meetings of the Firm of Representatives, much like a chairperson runs a meeting
making sure that the rules of the Firm of Representatives, known every bit the standing orders, are obeyed
participating in ceremonial occasions, such as the hosting of strange heads of state who address the Parliament.

Department role

When not in the House, the Speaker works in an function in the House of Representatives and has several responsibilities, including:

overall responsibility for the Department of the House of Representatives, including budgets, staffing and allocation of offices to members of the House of Representatives
working with the President of the Senate to ensure that many services in Parliament House are maintained, including dissemination and computing services and the cleaning and upkeep of Parliament House and its surrounds
representing the House of Representatives in dealings with the Senate, the government, the Governor-General, and other parliaments or strange heads of state.

Representation in the House

The Speaker does not unremarkably participate in debates. In accordance with section twoscore of the Australian Constitution, they practice not vote unless there is a tie, in which case the Speaker has the casting vote.

Speaker'due south Chair

The Speaker'due south Chair is located at i end of the House of Representatives facing the U-shaped seating. It is the focus of parliamentary meetings, positioned and then the Speaker can see and hear everything that happens, and then anybody in the House can encounter the Speaker.

The Speaker's microphone is always switched on, unlike those of other members of the House. This means that the Speaker can always be heard and so is able to maintain order.

The Mace

The Mace is the symbol of the Speaker'due south authority to preside over meetings of the House of Representatives. Information technology is placed on the central table in the House whenever the Speaker or their deputy is in the Chair and the Business firm of Representatives is meeting.

History

The part of Speaker dates back to 13th century England. In early on English parliaments the Speaker informed the monarch nigh the decisions of the Parliament. The part of the Speaker in those times was a dangerous one. Some Speakers were murdered, imprisoned or exiled as a result of speaking on behalf of a parliament that was beginning to claiming the authorization of the monarch.

Although the Australian Constitution was drafted with reference to the English language and Usa (U.s.) systems of parliamentary democracy, the office of the Speaker in the House of Representatives is different from that of English and US parliamentary presiding officers.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives in the Speaker's chair. There is a carving of leaves in the wood behind him.

Penny Bradfield/DPS Auspic

Description

A homo in a suit sits in a large green chair in front of a carved wooden screen. Iii people in blackness robes and wearing face masks sit at a table below him. On the other side of a clear scressn there are books and boxes. A man in a suit stands at the table, resting his hand on one of the boxes.

Copyright information

Permission should be sought from DPS AUSPIC for third-political party or commercial uses of this image. To contact DPS AUSPIC email: auspic@aph.gov.au or telephone: 02 6277 3342.