Page 5929 - Week 14 - Thursday, 8 December 2011
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During 2004 to 2008 there were six opposition non-executive members, four crossbench members and three government non-executive members excluding the Speaker. In the period 2001-04—I am not sure of the actual date—then opposition whip Mr Stefaniak proposed to the Remuneration Tribunal that the services of the opposition whip were so similar to that of the government whip as to warrant payment of an allowance.
He proposed that as the opposition had a greater number of non-executive members than the government, this added weight to his proposal. The Labor government supported the proposal; so the Remuneration Tribunal, in its wisdom, determined that an allowance was appropriate.
In the period 2001-04, due to the varied nature of its membership, it was not possible for a concerted approach to managing non-executive crossbench business. So the crossbench did not act as one unit. Ms Dundas, the Democrat member, tried to act as a representative of that group but with varying rates of success.
In the period 2004-08 a similar process for the crossbench prevailed. However, in 2008, with the emergence of a single party crossbench, the services of a whip became appropriate, and Ms Bresnan is now performing that role. Interestingly, and almost uniquely, she is also the manager of crossbench business. It is usually the practice in this place that the roles are separate.
Mr Speaker, the duties of whips are not very well understood by members in this place and often in other parliaments in the commonwealth. I attended in July last year the Australian Parliamentary Whips Network and reported to the ACT branch of the CPA. I draw members’ attention to that report and can provide a copy to members if they wish.
At that conference workshop I gained an insight into the duties and responsibilities of whips and I would like to detail some of them here. The duties fall into two categories. The first is service to the parliament on behalf of a grouping of members. The second is the provision of mentoring and assistance to new members, pastoral care for continuing members, and assistance to retiring members and members who have had a change in circumstance, such as elevation to or exit from a ministry. I am happy to discuss the second of these categories with members at their leisure, but I will concentrate on the first for the purposes of advancing my motion.
The job of a whip is to manage the affairs of the house for non-executive members. This role is consistent in all parliaments in the commonwealth that have such positions. Indeed, in some parliaments not only is the role of the whip combined with the role of the manager of business but it is also a cabinet position. The whip arranges or articulates on behalf of a group the private members’ business, discusses or negotiates the timing of debates and the business of the day, assists the manager of business with the management of executive business as required.
Whips manage the membership of committees on behalf of their group and manage administrative matters also on behalf of their group. Whips generally assist the
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