The new speaker Milton Dick has backed Greens MP Max Chandler-Mather when he refused to wear a tie in Question Time. auspol
“This is not a barbecue. This is question time in the Australian parliament. What next, board shorts and thongs? Maybe a onesie in winter,” he said in a statement following the controversy.
“Some may say that it’s a minor matter to not comply with the dress standard but what it says to many, including me, is that there is little respect for the tradition and history of our parliament.”the standard of dress in the chamber is a matter for the individual judgment of the member, but “the ultimate discretion rests with the Speaker”.
Indeed, the 1000-page tome documents the evolution of that discretion over the decades. In 1977, the Speaker ruled tailored safari suits without a tie were acceptable, laying the foundation for Ruddock’s camel-coloured number decades later. Earlier rulings dating back to the 1920s permitted members to wear hats, but not when entering or leaving the chamber or while speaking.
This was endorsed by Speaker David Hawker in 2005, who permitted tieless forays into the chamber in some circumstances, but drew a firm line at “casual wear”. “However, while I accept that members hurrying to attend a division or quorum will sometimes arrive without a jacket or tie, it is not in keeping with the dignity of the House for members to arrive in casual or sports wear,” he said.Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis from Jacqueline Maley.
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