Member for Wide Bay Llew O’Brien has been elected the 44th Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Mr O’Brien was first elected to the House of Representatives at the 2016 general election. During his time as a Member, he has served on a number of parliamentary committees, including most recently as the Chair of the House Petitions Committee and the Joint Select Committee on Road Safety.
As Deputy Speaker, one of Mr O’Brien’s primary responsibilities will be to chair the Federation Chamber, a secondary chamber that operates in parallel with the Chamber of the House of Representatives. To learn more about the Federation Chamber, click here. Mr O’Brien’s other key role is to serve as deputy to Speaker of the House Tony Smith.
There were two nominations for the position of Deputy Speaker and so a secret ballot was held. Mr O’Brien received 75 votes, while the other nominee, the Member for Nicholls, Damian Drum, received 67 votes. You can learn more about the ballot process here.