Serjeant-At-Arms
HistoryThe
name Serjeant-at-Arms derives from the latin serviens or servant. In
the United Kingdom in medieval times, monarchs used people who provided services
like the provision of arrows, fodder and waiting upon the King at table who were
called serjeanties. Later people who were permanently retained by
the Sovereign became known more particularly as serjeants. These
officers were required to be in immediate attendance on the Monarch's person to
arrest traitors and other offenders. In medieval times:
The
activities of the King's Serjeant-at-Arms included collecting loans and, impressing
men and ships, serving on local administration and in all sorts of ways interfering
with local administration and justice.
By 1415, a specific
officer was appointed 'AS SERJEANT-AT-ARMS FOR THE COMMONS' (Nicholas Maundit)
to be attendant upon the House of Commons or the Speaker. When Henry VIII
left the Palace of Westminster, two Serjeants, though still officers of the court,
continued to attend upon the Parliament - one serving the House of Lords and the
other the House of Commons. Today the Common's Serjeant is warranted to
attend upon Her Majesty's person when there is no Parliament; and at-the time
of every Parliament to attend upon the Speaker of the House of Commons. In
the Australian Parliament the Serjeant is a career officer of the Department of
the House of Representatives. The Serjeant's raison d'etre is the same in
Australia as in the United Kingdom and the classic explanation
is that given by Chief Justice Lord Coleridge in 1884 when he pointed out that,
"The Houses of Parliament cannot act by themselves in a body; they must act
by officers; and the Serjeant-at Arms is the legal and recognised officer of the
House of Commons (Representatives) to execute its orders." The
traditional responsibilities of the Serjeant as attendant upon the Speaker expanded
more broadly to being attendant on the House. In the House of Commons, the role
of the Serjeant extended to include being the Housekeeper for the Commons. The
Serjeant in the House of Representatives has important responsibilities for Members'
accommodation and furnishing. 
Major Roles and Responsibilities of the Serjeant-At-ArmsMany
of the contemporary roles of the Serjeant-at-Arms stem from the historical and
traditional aspects of the office – the ceremonial, security and 'housekeeping'
roles. However, the responsibilities have evolved over time and at present include
a wide and varied range of responsibilities in keeping with the needs of the House
of Representatives as a modern working organisation. While there has been an evolution
of the role, the focus very much remains on the provision of advice and services
to the Speaker and the provision of advice and services
to Members.
Ceremonial Occasions
 The Serjeant-at-Arms
is the custodian of the Mace, which is considered
to be the symbol of the authority of the House and the Speaker.
The Serjeant carries the Mace on his or her shoulder when leading the Speaker
into the House each day and on ceremonial occasions involving the Speaker. Ceremonial
occasions in which the Serjeant plays a prominent role include:
- the opening
of each session of the Parliament by the Governor-General;
- conducting
a newly elected Speaker to formally present himself or herself to the Governor-General;
and
- the procession of the Speaker and Members
to Government House to present their Address-in-Reply to the Governor-General's
speech on the opening of a new Parliament.
For formal ceremonies,
the Serjeant-at-Arms wears regalia based on clothing worn in the old royal court
in England. This comprises silver-buckled shoes, stockings, knee-breeches (or
skirt), black cut-away coat with a large rosette on the back, waistcoat, stiff
shirt front, butterfly collar and bow, white lace jabot and cuffs, white kid gloves,
cocked hat (carried under left arm), and ceremonial sword. More recently an adaptation
of this court regalia has been worn for some of the ceremonial occasions. For
normal sitting days, the Serjeant wears black trousers (or skirt) in place of
the breeches and stockings, and the gloves, buckled shoes, cocked hat and sword
are not used.
Support for the Chamber of the HouseThe
main Chamber responsibilities of the Serjeant during the sittings of the House
relate to assisting the Speaker to maintain
order and are laid down in the Standing Orders
(or rules) of the House. The Serjeant and his or her staff are required to help
the Speaker maintain order by removing disorderly people from the House or the
public or press galleries. The Serjeant also controls admission to the galleries,
maintains custody of the Members' attendance register, coordinates the allocation
of seats to Members in the Chamber,
and delivers messages (formal communications) from the House of Representatives
to the Senate.
Information and Services for Members and StaffThe
Serjeant is responsible for providing a number of services for Members and staff including: - office
accommodation, furniture and fittings, telecommunications, mail and courier services,
bookings for committee rooms and bookings for Chamber galleries.
- the maintenance
of a number of databases of information about Members and former Members and the
publication of certain information such as the contact details for Members;
- coordination
of car transport to and from Parliament House for Members;
- provision of
some secretarial assistance for Members' urgent and ad hoc stenographic and keyboard
tasks in Canberra;
Broadcasting and Televising of Parliamentary ProceedingsThe
Serjeant advises the Speaker on radio broadcasting
and televising policy, and on requests for filming and photographing within the
parliamentary precincts. The Serjeant-at-Arms is the Secretary to the Joint Committee
on the Broadcasting of Parliamentary Proceedings which is a committee of Members
and Senators responsible for overseeing, and policy on, broadcasting of the proceedings
of both Houses of Parliament.
SecurityThe Serjeant is responsible
for the security of the House of Representatives Chamber
and its galleries and, in conjunction with an overall Security Controller, the
(Senate) Usher of the Black Rod
and the Australian Protective Service, the security of the whole of the parliamentary
precincts.
School Visits
The Serjeant-at-Arms'
Office provides a one-stop shop booking service for all activities which school
groups engage in when they visit Parliament House including organised programs
(provided by the Parliamentary Education Office),
tours of Parliament House and hospitality events.
| 
