Speaker of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly
Encyclopedia
The Speaker of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly is the presiding officer in the Legislative Assembly
. The office has existed since the creation of the Legislative Assembly in 1890 under the Constitution Act 1889. The Speaker's chair is currently filled by the National Party
's Grant Woodhams
, who was elected by the other Members on Thursday 7 November 2008 following the 2008 election
. His Deputy will be the Liberal Party's Michael Sutherland
.
The Speaker must be a member of the Assembly themselves, and is elected to the position by a ballot of the members of the Assembly. It is generally a partisan position. As with the other states and territories, the Speaker continues to attend party meetings and stands at general elections as a party candidate, if they are indeed a member of a party. There is no convention that the Speaker should not be opposed in his or her constituency.
On the other hand, the Speaker is not a political figure like those in the United States. He or she does not take part in debates in the House, does not vote in the House except in the (rare) event of a tied vote, and does not speak in public on party-political issues (except at election time in his or her own constituency). He or she is expected to conduct the business of the House in an impartial manner, and generally does so. The Speaker is assisted by a member-elected Deputy Speaker, who is usually also of the governing party.
The Speaker's principal duty is to preside over the Assembly. The occupant of the Chair must maintain order in the House, uphold the Standing Orders (rules of procedure) and protect the rights of backbench members.
Western Australian Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of parliament in the Australian state of Western Australia. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Perth....
. The office has existed since the creation of the Legislative Assembly in 1890 under the Constitution Act 1889. The Speaker's chair is currently filled by the National Party
National Party of Western Australia
The National Party of Western Australia is a political party in Western Australia. It is affiliated with the National Party of Australia but maintains a separate structure and identity....
's Grant Woodhams
Grant Woodhams
Grant Allen Woodhams in Sydney, New South Wales is an Australian politician. He has been a National Party member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly since February 2005....
, who was elected by the other Members on Thursday 7 November 2008 following the 2008 election
Western Australian state election, 2008
A general election was held in the state of Western Australia on Saturday 6 September 2008 to elect 59 members to the Legislative Assembly and 36 members to the Legislative Council...
. His Deputy will be the Liberal Party's Michael Sutherland
Michael Sutherland
Michael William Sutherland is an Australian politician. He has been a Liberal member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly since September 2008, representing the electorate of Mount Lawley. Michael is the Deputy Speaker of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly...
.
The Speaker must be a member of the Assembly themselves, and is elected to the position by a ballot of the members of the Assembly. It is generally a partisan position. As with the other states and territories, the Speaker continues to attend party meetings and stands at general elections as a party candidate, if they are indeed a member of a party. There is no convention that the Speaker should not be opposed in his or her constituency.
On the other hand, the Speaker is not a political figure like those in the United States. He or she does not take part in debates in the House, does not vote in the House except in the (rare) event of a tied vote, and does not speak in public on party-political issues (except at election time in his or her own constituency). He or she is expected to conduct the business of the House in an impartial manner, and generally does so. The Speaker is assisted by a member-elected Deputy Speaker, who is usually also of the governing party.
The Speaker's principal duty is to preside over the Assembly. The occupant of the Chair must maintain order in the House, uphold the Standing Orders (rules of procedure) and protect the rights of backbench members.
List of Speakers of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly
| Speaker | Party | Appointed | Left Office | Term |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sir James George Lee-Steere James George Lee-Steere Sir James George Lee Steere KCMG was a Western Australian politician and a prominent member of the six hungry families.... |
Ministerial1 | 30 December 1890 | 30 November 1903 | |
| Charles Harper Charles Harper Charles Harper is the name of:*Charles Harper , pastoralist, newspaper proprieter and politician in colonial Western Australia*Charles Harper , Western Australian businessman and mayor of two local governments... |
Opposition1 | 2 December 1903 | 27 July 1904 | |
| Timothy Quinlan Timothy Quinlan Timothy Francis Quinlan, CMG was a Member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from 1890 to 1911, and Speaker of the Legislative Assembly from 1905 to 1911.... |
Ministerial1 | 23 November 1905 | 8 October 1911 | |
| Michael Troy | Labor Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia... |
1 November 1911 | 13 February 1917 | |
| Edward Bertram Johnston | Country National Party of Western Australia The National Party of Western Australia is a political party in Western Australia. It is affiliated with the National Party of Australia but maintains a separate structure and identity.... |
13 February 1917 | 1 March 1917 | |
| James Gardiner James Gardiner (Australian politician) The Hon. James Gardiner was treasurer of Western Australia from July 1902 to April 1904, and June 1917 to April 1919.-Early life:... |
Country | 1 March 1917 | 28 June 1917 | |
| George Taylor | Nationalist Nationalist Party of Australia The Nationalist Party of Australia was an Australian political party. It was formed on 17 February 1917 from a merger between the conservative Commonwealth Liberal Party and the National Labor Party, the name given to the pro-conscription defectors from the Australian Labor Party led by Prime... |
19 July 1917 | 23 July 1924 | |
| Thomas Walker Thomas Walker (Australian politician) Thomas Walker was an Australian politician, a member of two different state parliaments.Walker was born in Preston, Lancashire, England, the son of corn miller and merchant Thomas Walker, and Ellen née Eccles. He was educated at Leyland Grammar School, then worked as a schoolteacher at Preston for... |
Labor | 24 July 1924 | 29 July 1930 | |
| Sydney Stubbs | Country | 30 July 1930 | 17 July 1933 | |
| Alexander Panton Alexander Panton Alexander Hugh Panton was an Australian politician. He was a Labor member of the Western Australian Legislative Council from 1919 to 1922, before entering the Western Australian Legislative Assembly in 1924, representing Menzies. He transferred to Leederville in 1930 and served until 1951. From... |
Labor | 18 July 1933 | 24 March 1938 | |
| William Johnson | Labor | 4 August 1938 | 2 August 1939 | |
| Joseph Sleeman | Labor | 3 August 1939 | 31 July 1947 | |
| Charles North Charles North (politician) Charles Frederic NorthBurke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition give his full name as "Charles Frederick John North", but most contemporary sources use "Charles Frederic". was an Australian soldier, lawyer and politician... |
Liberal Liberal Party of Australia The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office... |
31 July 1947 | 5 August 1953 | |
| Aloysius Rodoreda | Labor | 6 August 1953 | 1 August 1956 | |
| James Hegney | Labor | 2 August 1956 | 29 June 1959 | |
| John Hearman | Liberal | 30 June 1959 | 23 March 1968 | |
| Hugh Guthrie | Liberal | 25 July 1968 | 20 February 1971 | |
| Merv Toms | Labor | 15 July 1971 | 8 October 1971 | |
| Daniel Norton | Labor | 16 November 1971 | 30 March 1974 | |
| Sir Ross Hutchinson Ross Hutchinson Ross Hutchinson was an Australian rules footballer, coach and politician. He played for and coached East Fremantle, West Perth and South Fremantle in the West Australian National Football League before spending 27 years as a member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly.An alumnus of... |
Liberal | 22 May 1974 | 19 February 1977 | |
| Ian Thompson Ian Thompson (politician) Ian David Thompson was an Australian politician who served as Speaker of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly.... |
Liberal | 24 May 1977 | 21 March 1983 | |
| John Joseph Harman | Labor | 22 May 1983 | 8 February 1986 | |
| Mike Barnett | Labor | 10 June 1986 | 17 June 1993 | |
| Jim Clarko Jim Clarko Jim Clarko is a former Australian Liberal Party Member of Parliament for Karrinyup between 1974 and 1989, when the seat was abolished, and for Marmion from 1989 to the seat's abolition in 1996. From May 1982, he was Australia's Minister for Education.-References:... |
Liberal | 17 June 1993 | 14 December 1996 | |
| George Strickland | Liberal | 6 March 1997 | 10 February 2001 | |
| Fred Riebeling Fred Riebeling Fredrick Riebeling is an Australian politician. He was a Labor member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from 1992 to 2008.Riebeling was born in Bridgetown... |
Labor | 1 May 2001 | 6 September 2008 | |
| Grant Woodhams Grant Woodhams Grant Allen Woodhams in Sydney, New South Wales is an Australian politician. He has been a National Party member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly since February 2005.... |
Nationals | 6 November 2008 | present |
- Members of the Legislative Assembly were not officially associated with organised partiesPolitical partyA political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
until 1904.