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A right of reply on a substantive motion allows the mover to answer questions and debating points that have been posed during the debate and to make the final case for the motion. A reply is not confined to this purpose, however, and, as with any speech on a motion, the only restriction on content is relevance.
The right of reply is confined to “substantive” motions which have been distinguished by Presidential rulings from procedural motions, such as motions for the recommittal of a bill or an instruction to a committee.[1] A motion for a reading of a bill is clearly a substantive motion and a superfluous reference to such motions was removed in the course of the 1989 revision. Other motions which have been characterised in practice as procedural motions include the following:
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to suspend standing orders;
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for items of business to have precedence till determined;[2]
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to take bills together;
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for bills to proceed without formalities.
A reply is not permitted on an amendment or on the previous question (see SO 94).
See SO 186 for the rule that senators who would otherwise be entitled to the call under the practices of the Senate are discouraged from seeking it where they would close the debate and other senators wish to speak.
See Odgers’ Australian Senate Practice, 12th edition, pp.215–16 for further analysis.
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