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| Speaker of the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea | |
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| Post | Speaker of the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea |
Speaker of the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea is the presiding officer of the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea, responsible for maintaining order in the chamber and overseeing parliamentary procedure, committee administration, and legislative debates. The office links to the legislative framework established at independence in 1975 and interacts with constitutional institutions such as the Monarch of Papua New Guinea, the Governor-General of Papua New Guinea, and executive ministries led by figures like the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea and the Cabinet of Papua New Guinea. The Speaker operates within traditions influenced by Westminster-derived practices similar to those in the Parliament of the United Kingdom, the Australian House of Representatives, and other Pacific legislatures like the Parliament of Fiji and the Legislative Assembly of Samoa.
The Speaker presides over sittings of the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea, enforces standing orders, and calls on members from parties and independents including representatives from constituencies such as those in Port Moresby, Madang, and Lae. The office interfaces with parliamentary committees like the Public Accounts Committee (Papua New Guinea), the Privileges Committee (Papua New Guinea), and the Public Works Committee while liaising with institutions including the Electoral Commission of Papua New Guinea, the Judiciary of Papua New Guinea, and provincial administrations such as those of East Sepik Province and Morobe Province. The Speaker also represents the Parliament at national ceremonies alongside the Governor-General of Papua New Guinea and in regional forums such as the Pacific Islands Forum and the Inter-Parliamentary Union.
The Speaker is elected by members of the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea at the first sitting following a general election conducted under laws administered by the Electoral Commission of Papua New Guinea and guided by the Constitution of Papua New Guinea. Election procedures draw on precedents from the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, the Parliament of Australia, and Pacific neighbours like the Parliament of Vanuatu. The Speaker normally serves for the life of the parliamentary term until dissolution by the Governor-General of Papua New Guinea on advice from the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea or until removal through motions considered under standing orders and constitutional provisions.
The Speaker determines admissibility of motions, points of order, and questions of privilege under the standing orders of the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea, exercising disciplinary powers such as naming members or ordering withdrawal from the chamber, analogous to functions exercised in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom and the Senate of Australia. The Speaker certifies bills, including appropriation and supply measures related to the Treasury of Papua New Guinea and budget processes involving the Minister of Finance (Papua New Guinea), and may administer oaths to members in conjunction with the Clerk of the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea. In constitutional crises the Speaker's rulings can intersect with the Supreme Court of Papua New Guinea and conventions deriving from the Constitution of Papua New Guinea and decisions referencing cases like those adjudicated in appellate panels.
Speakers since independence include officeholders who have worked alongside leaders such as Michael Somare, Jobsz Manibada (example), Sir Julius Chan, Paias Wingti, John Momis, Peter O'Neill, James Marape, and other prominent parliamentarians from constituencies across provinces including Western Highlands Province, Oro Province, and New Ireland Province. This list reflects parliamentary terms coinciding with general elections administered by the Electoral Commission of Papua New Guinea and political movements involving parties such as the People's National Congress (Papua New Guinea), the Pangu Pati, the National Alliance Party (Papua New Guinea), and independents representing electorates like Kairuku-Hiri District and Goroka District.
The Deputy Speaker, elected under the same standing orders of the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea, presides when the Speaker is absent and may be drawn from parties including the Melanesian Alliance Party or independents from districts like Karamui-Nomane District. Acting Speakers can be appointed during vacancies or suspensions and exercise powers comparable to those of the Speaker, engaging with parliamentary officials such as the Clerk of the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea and committee chairs from bodies like the Public Accounts Committee (Papua New Guinea).
The office emerged from constitutional arrangements at independence in 1975 negotiated between figures such as Michael Somare and colonial administrators from Australian New Guinea and institutions like the Australian Parliament. Parliamentary conventions evolved under influences from the Westminster system, legal traditions of the Supreme Court of Papua New Guinea, and regional practices seen in the Parliament of New Zealand and Papua New Guinea Defence Force interactions during times of emergency. Over decades, reforms affecting the Speaker's role involved changes to standing orders, engagements with agencies like the Electoral Commission of Papua New Guinea, and responses to political events including votes of no confidence and constitutional litigation.
Several Speakers have been prominent for rulings during high-profile disputes involving Prime Ministers such as Sir Mekere Morauta, Sir Michael Somare, and Peter O'Neill, and controversies touching on parliamentary privileges, alleged corruption investigated by bodies like the Ombudsman Commission of Papua New Guinea and the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary. Incidents have led to litigation in the National Court of Papua New Guinea and the Supreme Court of Papua New Guinea concerning standing orders, removal procedures, and the interface between parliamentary immunity and criminal investigations, involving political actors from parties including the Pangu Pati, People's National Congress (Papua New Guinea), and coalitions representing provinces such as East New Britain Province and Central Province.