Speaker Dan Cregan wants to open up South Australian Parliament’s cloistered areas

New Speaker Dan Cregan wants to fling open state parliament’s doors to reveal places like the MP’s dining room, normally hidden from uninvited members of the public.

Newly independent Speaker Dan Cregan wants to fling open state parliament’s doors, so people can visit for a cup of tea in areas including the dining room without being invited by an MP.

In his first major reform move as Speaker since being installed in a midnight coup on October 12, Mr Cregan wants to hold open days, build a public parents’ room, send staffers home after working hours and better accommodate people with disabilities.

Mr Cregan, who was confirmed as an independent Speaker after constitutional changes passed parliament’s upper house on Thursday, also wants to hire a people and culture manager to better manage staff issues, including bullying.

A former Liberal MP who defected just four days before becoming Speaker, Mr Cregan said his objective was to make parliament more open, accessible, family-friendly and community focused.

“We need to change our practices in this building if we are going to stay relevant and respected,” he said.

“I’d like to throw open the doors. Parliament belongs to every South Australian, they pay all our bills and they need to feel welcome here every day.”

Speaker Dan Cregan in the dining room of Parliament House, North Terrace, Adelaide – Picture: Michael Marschall

Mr Cregan said open days were staged by other institutions, such as Government House and Australian Defence Force facilities, so state parliament could give public access to the MPs’ dining room, library and other usually cloistered areas.

“Why can’t South Australians visit their parliament on an open day and have a cup of tea without necessarily being invited by an MP?” he said.

“There are certain times of the year when that could easily happen. In practice, if you don’t know an MP personally, you don’t usually visit.”

Guests attend the dining room, which is open throughout the year, only at the invitation of MPs.

This year, parliament is sitting for 55 days – with three scheduled for the remainder of the year and none yet before next March’s election.

Mr Cregan said parliament’s work practices needed to be updated urgently and he would seek to drive change through the Joint Parliamentary Services Committee, which oversees parliament’s operations. “The sitting hours mean that people with young children think twice about working at parliament – there should be a practice of sending staffers home – we can manage better on our own after hours,” he said.

“We also need a parent’s room to be constructed urgently and we need to better accommodate people with disabilities.

“There is only one spot way up the back of the public gallery that fits a wheelchair, only a single wheelchair, and you can barely see anything from there.

“ It’s a disgrace.”