Apparently Windsor is saying tomorrow they announce something (Annabel Crabb tweet)
Done deal: independents, leaders agree on last hurdle
September 6, 2010 - 5:32PM
Decisions, decisions ... Rob Oakeshott in his Parliament House office. Photo: Richard Briggs
The three rural independent MPs have reached agreement with both major parties on reforming parliamentary procedures.
The Member for Lyne, Rob Oakeshott - who outlined the changes with his fellow independent, Tony Windsor, Labor’s leader of the house, Anthony Albanese, and the Coalition’s manager of opposition business, Christopher Pyne - heralded the reforms as a "positive change for parliamentary democracy".
The breakthrough came after Mr Oakeshott had indicated earlier this afternoon that talks with Opposition Leader Tony Abbott had hit a snag.
Mr Oakeshott said the reforms would mean a bigger role for backbench MPs to be able to better represent their local electorates.
There would be time limits placed on parliamentary answers to make for "a more vibrant" Question Time, as well as an independent speaker.
He said former speakers, including the former Nationals leader Ian Sinclair, and former independent MP Ted Mack, had been consulted during the past fortnight on the nature of the reforms.
Mr Albanese said the changes would "increase democratic accountability of the parliament" that would make it a "better place".
Mr Pyne said although the reforms had experienced "a difficult birth", they would make political exchanges a far more productive exercise.
He lamented that more had not been done during the term of the Howard government.
Yesterday, Mr Pyne, said he was worried some of the reforms could "inadvertently strengthen the executive" at the opposition's expense.
Mr Pyne met Mr Oakeshott for an hour earlier today to discuss the sticking points, which include the role of the Speaker and the "pairing" of votes in the lower house.
A spokesman for Mr Pyne later described the meeting as "very positive".
Labor signed on to all the proposed parliamentary reforms on Saturday, but the independents are demanding both parties agree to the one final document.
