Summary of Procedures

Extract from PM&C tabling guidelines, January 2010

Presentation of documents when the Senate is not sitting

• Senate standing order 166 provides for the presentation of documents when the Senate is not sitting (see appendix J). Presentation of documents when the Senate is not sitting is coordinated by the Senate Table Office. Departments should contact the Programming Officer in the Senate Table Office directly to make the appropriate arrangements (see appendix G for detailed procedures). The responsible Minister writes to the President of the Senate (see form letter of transmittal at appendix K).

• Upon receipt by the President the document is deemed to have been presented to the Senate and is authorised for publication. Departments should note that parliamentary privilege and the authority to release a document is not obtained until the President has received the document, so the documents are under embargo until that time.

• Documents presented out of sitting are usually tabled in the Senate on the next sitting day and senators have the opportunity at this time to speak to any of the documents.

• Documents to be presented in this way must have received the required policy approval (eg. by Cabinet or the Prime Minister) and clearance by relevant Ministers before presentation to the President of the Senate.

• Access to Parliament House — Due to security arrangements in place around Parliament House, external pass holders should access the building through Security Point 1 (not the Senate, House of Representatives or Ministerial entrances). Security Point 1 is located in the public car park under the Forecourt at the front of Parliament House. After passing through Security Point 1, follow the red line painted on the concrete which will direct you to the relevant lift to access the Senate side of the building. It is the responsibility of departments / agencies and couriers to organise a parliamentary pass to gain access into Parliament House.

• Copies should be packaged and delivered according to appendix G

• Documents presented out of sitting will be tabled in the House of Representatives at the earliest opportunity when it next meets, unless the document relates to the Senate only (eg. a government response to a Senate committee report). Departments should arrange with the PM&C Tabling Officer for documents to be tabled in the House of Representatives.

APPENDIX G — PRESENTATION OF DOCUMENTS WHEN THE SENATE IS NOT SITTING

The following procedures should be followed when presenting a document to the President when the Senate is not sitting:

1. Notification of the intention to present the document is to be advised to the Senate Programming Officer, Angie Lilley.

   Notification can occur by either:

   • email angie.lilley@aph.gov.au;
   • telephone (02) 6277 3012; or
   • fax a memo to (02) 6277 5784 (non-sitting days) or (02) 6277 3099 (sitting days).

   Notification must include:

   • name of document;
   • proposed presentation date and time (if applicable); and
   • phone, fax and email details of the contact officer in the department/agency.

2. On the day of presenting the document:

   1. enter Parliament House via Security Point 1, then proceed directly to SG 25 to hand deliver to Angie Lilley the Minister’s letter to the President of the Senate (see appendix K ), together with a copy of the document, the required 5 copies for the PM&C Tabling Officer, and the covering memorandum, and the relevant copies for the Senate Table Office, House of Representatives Table Office, Parliamentary Press Gallery; and the Parliamentary Library;
   2. the document will be processed immediately upon receipt by Angie Lilley (the procedure can take up to 15-30 mins). Once the document has been presented (made public), a copy of the signed certification letter will be given to you for your records; and
   3. then proceed to distribute copies of the document to the relevant areas of Parliament House (namely, the House of Representatives Table Office, Parliamentary Press Gallery and the Parliamentary Library).

3. On the nominated day of presenting the document, an email should be sent to the Senate Programming Officer attaching the relevant web link address to the document. It is the responsibility of the author department/agency to ensure that the electronic version of the document is identical to the printed version presented to the President of the Senate.

4. Once the document has been presented (and made public), the Senate Programming Officer will notify the relevant contact officer in the department/agency and forward a copy of the signed certification letter. Departmental officers then distribute the document in Parliament House in accordance with the requirements in the following table overleaf. This is the responsibility of the author department/agency. The Senate Programming Officer will immediately notify senators and members, and other interested parties, of the tabling via email, including the web link.

SUMMARY OF COPY REQUIREMENTS ––PRESENTATION OF DOCUMENTS WHEN THE SENATE IS NOT SITTING

Prerequisites

• Appropriate approval specified for the particular category of document.

• Prior arrangement made with Senate Programming Officer, Angie Lilley, on (02) 6277 3012 and prior notification to the PM&C Tabling Officer.

Distribution

President

1

deliver to the Senate Programming Officer, SG 25, together with letter to the President of the Senate

PM&C Tabling Officer

5

together with departmental covering memorandum (copies may be left with the Senate Table Office Programming Officer, SG 25)

Senate Table Office

60

location: SG 25

House of Representatives Table Office

40

location: RG 89

Press Gallery

60

location: S2

Parliamentary Library

19

location: M2

 

Additional copies

Parliamentary Papers Series

100

PPS
CanPrint Communications Pty Ltd
1 Tralee Street
HUME ACT 2620

Library Deposit and Free Issue Schemes

36

Library Deposit Distribution Service
C/- Decipha Pty Ltd
Level 1, Canberra GPO
53 – 73 Alinga Street
CANBERRA CITY
(Deliveries: enter via Australia Post loading dock from Rudd Street; on delivery, please call Decipha staff on (02) 62091800)

 

Email copy of government responses to Senate /joint parliamentary committee reports to Hansard.esg@aph.gov.au and hansard-hsu@aph.gov.au

Distribution to all addressees must take place immediately after the document is received by the President.

APPENDIX J––EXTRACT FROM THE SENATE STANDING ORDERS

(issued June 2009)

166.     Other methods of tabling documents

1. Other documents may be presented pursuant to statute, by the President, or by a Minister.

2. If:

   1. the President certifies that a document is to be presented to the Senate; or

   2. a Minister or the Auditor-General provides to the President, or, if the President is unable to act, to the Deputy President, or, if the Deputy President is unavailable, to any one of the Temporary Chairmen of Committees, a document which is to be laid before the Senate,

      on the certification or the provision of the document, as the case may be:

   3. the document shall be deemed to have been presented to the Senate;

   4. the publication of the document is authorised by this standing order;

   5. the President, the Deputy President, or the Temporary Chairman of Committees, as the case may be, may give directions for the printing and circulation of the document; and

   6. the President shall lay the document on the table at the next sitting of the Senate.

(amended 13 February 1997, 7 December 1998)

Appendix K - Form letter to the President of the Senate to present a document when the Senate is not sitting

[date]

Senator the Honourable John Hogg
President of the Senate
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600

Dear Mr President

Pursuant to standing order 166, relating to the presentation of documents when the Senate is not sitting, I present to you [insert details of document].

Yours sincerely

[signature block of Minister]

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