In the 44th Parliament, Monday is Private Member Business day.

As well as debating legislation, on sitting Mondays, time is set aside for members to raise motions before the House.

Members write a motion, have another member second it and then submit it for listing. The Selection Committee decides which of the motions to list for debate and how much time will be given to each motion and to each speaker. Time varies for the first speakers from 5 minutes to 15 minutes but generally, speakers after the first two, are given five minutes to speak to the motion.

Motions can range from highly political issues to community based issues.

For example I have had two motions selected and debated in the house. One was a call for the reinstatement of funding for the Regional Development Australia Fund which included funding for the Tarneit library. Another was about the value of the Gonski funding for schools and calling for the Government to deliver the full funding model.

I have also spoken on other member motions. I have spoken about the importance of positive body image for young people and also spoken in support of a motion celebrating and commending netball as a sport.

This link takes you to a video of the netball speech

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14Q51HD2dvM

You can find transcripts of speeches made on the Parliament House website in Hansard or on this website following the link below.

http://www.joanneryan.com.au/speeches

The netball motion I spoke to is below -

That this House:

(1) recognises that:

(a) there are three significant netball events approaching over the next four years, the:

(i) Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014;

(ii) Netball World Cup in Sydney in August 2015; and

(iii) Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in 2018; and

(b) netball:

(i) continues to be one of the most popular sports in Australia with the highest participation rate of any team sport amongst girls; and

(ii) has been identified as not only having notable fitness benefits but also significantly decreasing the likelihood of depression; and

(2) acknowledges that:

(a) Australia's elite netball players have opportunities to interact with parliamentarians as they prepare for the upcoming Commonwealth Games and the Netball World Cup;

(b) the Australian media plays an important role in highlighting the role that netball has in our cultural identity, which in turn promotes the sport and increases participation rates; and

(c) Netball Australia should be congratulated for its impact in boosting the profile of women in sport, providing its members with valuable leadership skills and supporting world-class athletes.