Speaker Sue Hickey adjourns proceedings in House of Assembly

UPDATED: State Parliament was plunged into chaos yesterday after Speaker Sue Hickey abruptly adjourned proceedings of the House of Assembly for 90 minutes.

UPDATED: STATE Parliament was plunged into chaos yesterday after Speaker Sue Hickey abruptly adjourned proceedings of the House of Assembly for 90 minutes.

The halt came at 4pm as Labor members spoke in support of government workers’ compensation legislation.

Shortly afterwards, Ms Hickey was seen having a hot drink in the parliamentary cafeteria.

Then, amid general confusion, government advisers were seen entering and leaving the Speakers’ Parliament House office. Parliament resumed as mysteriously as it had been suspended with Ms Hickey in the chair.

Debate on the Bill at hand resumed about 5.30pm — although most of the senior members of the Government were absent.

Ms Hickey later said she adjourned proceedings so she could seek advice.

“Parliamentary process is steeped in traditions and protocols such as having a 35-minute debate to discuss being able to proceed to a substantive debate!’’ she said.

“Most decisions made in our parliament affect the lives of our citizens so I was seeking advice on process.

“Given tensions I was detecting in the House, I sought guidance and this took longer than I had expected.”

It is understood she had concerns about the progress of controversial gender law reforms. It is understood the Government did not make a deal with Ms Hickey on the laws’ introduction to the House. Premier Will Hodgman said he was unaware of any request from the Speaker for a meeting.

Earlier, the Legislative Council finished dealing with amendments to the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act reforming laws relating to transgender people.

Ms Hickey was instrumental in helping the legislation pass through the Lower House, crossing the floor repeatedly to side with Labor and the Greens.

Speaker Sue Hickey says she adjourned proceedings today so she could seek advice. Picture: MATHEW FARRELL

It was anticipated that amended Bill may have reached the House of Assembly for a vote yesterday, but as Labor continued to speak on the Bill at hand, it became clear that little time would be available before it would be cut off by the scheduled 6pm adjournment.

Under parliamentary procedure, the timetable for the Bill’s fate would then have been in the hands of the Government — which said on Sunday it would not be rushed into a vote on “deeply flawed” reforms.

The Australia-first laws include parents being asked to opt-in to having their child’s gender on their birth certificate.

The legislation will also remove the requirement for surgery before gender on birth certificates can be amended and instead allows self-identification on birth certificates through a declaration. The Bill is expected to reach the House of Assembly today.

The Leader of the House Michael Ferguson blamed the opposition parties.

“It’s clear that Labor and the Greens are playing games with parliamentary time to try and delay the Government’s legislative agenda,” he said.

“The passage of this important Bill has now been held up as a result of Labor and the Greens trying to manipulate parliamentary time.

“We have remained ready to proceed with the Workers Compensation Bill all afternoon and it’s disappointing we have been unable to complete even our first item of Government Business.”

Leader of opposition business David O’Byrne said events showed the Government was in minority and out of control.

“The Premier has lost control of his party and he has no one to blame but himself,” Mr O’Byrne said.

Tasmania's Lower House sits empty during a 90-minute adjournment. Picture: DAVID KILLICK

EARLIER: The House of Assembly has been suspended in mysterious circumstances.

Speaker Sue Hickey has adjourned proceedings this afternoon after debate on Workers Compensation Legislation.

The suspension comes as the Liberal Government has so far avoided the introduction of controversial trangender reforms passed last week by the Legislative Council.

The Australia-first reforms include parents being asked to opt in to having their child’s gender on the birth certificate.

Speaker Sue Hickey, right, addresses members of the Lower House during Question Time in State Parliament this morning.

The legislation will also remove the requirement for surgery before gender on birth certificates can be amended and instead allows self-identification on birth certificates through a declaration.

The heavily amended Bill will now return to the House of Assembly, where it was originally passed by Labor and the Greens with the support of Liberal MP Ms Hickey.

But the State Government said on Sunday it would not be rushed into a vote on “deeply flawed” reforms.

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