Matter of public importance
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A matter of public importance a term used in the Australian Parliament is a subject put forward for debate by the parliament.
It can be put forward by a Senator in the Senate or a member of the House of Representatives. This must be supported by a certain number of Senators or Members before the discussion can begin.
MPI's are often used by opposition parties to draw attention to government failures or areas that are politically sensitive for the government.
In 2007 the rightwing Liberal-National government coalition signalled controversial changes the the MPI procedure, formalizing speaking times and reducing the amount of time that independents have to speak.
