Federal Member for Parkes, Mark Coulton has been elected to the role of Deputy Speaker in the House of Representatives for the 45th Parliament.
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The election of the Deputy Speaker occurred on Tuesday afternoon as the Parliament sat for the first time.
Mr Coulton, who was The Nationals’ chief whip for six years, brings nine years of parliamentary experience to the position. Mr Coulton looks forward to assisting the Speaker, Federal Liberal Member for Casey, Tony Smith MP, in the running of the parliament.
“I wish to express my gratitude for the high honour the House has given me,” Mr Coulton said.
As Deputy Speaker, Mr Coulton’s responsibilities will include running the Federation Chamber, the second chamber of the House.
He will host foreign delegations, as well as assisting the Speaker and becoming the Acting Speaker in the Speaker’s absence.
Mr Coulton looks forward to his new position, as well as getting on with the task at hand as the Member for Parkes.
“Representing half of NSW is a privilege and a great responsibility that I take very seriously, and it is an honour to have been elected to the Deputy Speaker role on top of that. It is another milestone on my timeline in serving the Australian Parliament and I’m privileged to be involved in the running of the parliament,” Mr Coulton said.
Mr Coulton congratulated the Member for McEwen Rob Mitchell on his election to the role of Second Deputy Speaker and looks forward to working with him to lift the profile and reputation of the Parliament.