The Senate at Work

Note: This page contains links to PDF files. For more information, see the web page on Accessing files.

Page Menu:| Senate Chamber Seating Plan | Sitting schedule | Senate Business Documents | Senate Tabled Papers | Senate Committees | For Senators | Further Information |

Related links: | Broadcasting Parliament Live |

Senate Chamber Seating Plan

• by Office Holder
• by Senator and Party (PDF 130KB)

Sitting schedules

• Proposed sitting pattern for 2008 [Full description]
• Previous sitting schedules
• Weekly Routine of Business [PDF 152KB] [HTML format]

Presentation of documents when the Senate is not sitting

• Summary of procedures (PDF 183KB)
• Documents presented out of sitting from 27 June 2008
• Tabling of annual reports in October 2008 (Word 344KB)

Senate Business Documents

• Notice Paper - Official list of business (agenda) [A guide to the Notice Paper] [PDF format] [HTML format] [Business outstanding as at prorogation of the 41st Parliament (PDF format)]
  
  
• Order of Business ('Senate Red') - business proposed for each sitting day [Full description] [PDF 75KB] [HTML format]
  
  
• Dynamic Red - results of proceedings as they happen (updated continuously during the sitting day) [Full description] [Current issue]
  
  
• Journals - official record (minutes) of proceedings [Full description] [PDF format] [HTML format]
  
  
• Senate Daily Summary - convenient summary of each day's proceedings with links to official Senate records [Full description] [PDF 386KB] [Previous Issues]
  
  
• Hansard - official daily transcript [PDF format] [HTML format]
  
  
• StatsNet - detailed statistics of business
  
  
• Questions on Notice Summary - [16 November 2004 to 15 October 2007]
  

Senate Tabled Papers

• Senate Tabled Papers (pilot project 2002-04) – digital images of documents tabled in the Senate [Full description] [Tips on searching the database]

Senate Committees

• Committees at Work
  
  
• Business of Committees [Full description]
  Lists the time, place and business of forthcoming committee meetings and hearings, the names of committee chairs and secretaries, and a list of persons scheduled to appear as witnesses (when known).
  
  
• Senate Committee Transcripts/Hansard (PDF format) (HTML format)
  

For Senators: procedural proformas

• How to lodge a petition
• Questions on Notice Proforma (PDF 82KB) (Word 46KB)
• Matters of Public Importance (PDF 34KB) (Word 21KB)
• Matters of Urgency (PDF 35KB) (Word 20KB)
• Postponement of notices of motion (PDF 23KB) (Word 29KB)
• Proposal to refer a bill to a committee (PDF 34KB) (Word 24KB)
• Alteration of notices - standing order 77 letter (PDF 75KB) (Word 24KB)

Further Information

• Parliamentary Papers series printing standards
• Parliamentary Privilege
• Seminars for Public Servants
  The Department of the Senate conducts seminars for Public Servants and others who wish to develop their knowledge and understanding of the workings of the Senate.

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Last reviewed 7 July 2008 by the Senate Web Administrator
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