The Tasmanian Government plans to abolish ‘Dorothy Dixers’ when the House of Assembly returns on May 14, following a break of just over five months.
‘Dixers’, often loathed by the opposition, are set-piece questions that government backbenchers ask ministers during Question Time.
The questions typically resemble something along the lines of ‘Can you outline to the House why Tasmania performs better under a Liberal government?’ and are frequently met with interjections from the opposition.
This leads the Speaker to say something such as ‘Order. The Premier has the call. No one else should be speaking or interjecting’.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff said he hoped to work with everyone to deliver a “functioning Parliament” that “acts in and has the best interests of Tasmanians” at heart at all times.
“While the Standing Orders are ultimately a matter for Parliament, our Government will put forward the recommendation to do away with “Dorothy Dixers” and replace them with constituent questions to give Tasmanians further access to the Tasmanian Parliament,” he said.
The Parliament will have only 33 ordinary sitting days in 2024.
