The 50th Parliament has adjourned for the final time.
After the completion of the adjournment debate, MPs left for the campaign trail with Parliament to be dissolved on August 14 ahead of the September 20 election.
Speaker David Carter thanked staff and MPs for their work, and in particular the Clerk of the House Mary Harris saying his job would be near impossible without her wise advice on a daily basis. Harris has signaled she would retire next year and would leave a large gap.
Carter said MPs would now wait nervously for the voters’ decision. If he was re-elected Carter said he would seek to make changes in the following areas:
Modernising the daily prayer in a way that was acceptable to the majority of MPs.
Revamping the way Parliament interacts with Maori protocols so all MPs are treated with respect.
Look to rules about MPs taking photos in the chamber which would probably be dealt with by the Privileges Committee.
Carter closed his speech repeating another Speaker’s farewell to MPs – May you all get the results you deserve.
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