16. NON-GOVERNMENT BUSINESS
Routine of business on Mondays
Most of each sitting Monday is reserved for non-government business.
The sequence of business after the meeting of the House at 12.30
p.m. is as follows (S.O. 101):
- Committee and delegation reports
- Private Members business (motions and bills)
- Members statements (at 1.45 p.m.)
- Question time (at 2 p.m.)
- Presentation of petitions
- Private Members business continued (for one hour)
- Grievance debate (for 1 hour 20 minutes).
The normal daily routine resumes (at approximately 5.20 p.m.) with
notices and orders of the day (i.e. government business).
To enable Members to be assured of a significant period free of
interruption, divisions called for during the non-government business
periods on Monday (that is, excluding question time and associated
business), except on a motion moved by a Minister, are deferred
until after the grievance debate (S.O. 193).
Committee reports
The first part of this period is reserved for the presentation
of reports of parliamentary committees and delegations. The Member
presenting a report and other Members may make statements in connection
with the report. The Member presenting the report may also move
a motion, for example, that the House take note of the report.
Debate on the motion is normally then adjourned until a future day.
Following the presentation of reports, the remainder of the period
until the start of private Members business is reserved for the
resumption of debate on reports presented previously. (S.Os 102A102C).
The Selection Committee decides the order of presentation, time
limits for statements and total time for consideration of each committee
and delegation report during this period.
After presentation in the House committee reports may be referred
to the Main Committee for further consideration. Main Committee
consideration is not subject to Selection Committee determination.
Private Members business
Following the presentation and debate of committee reports, and
continuing until 1.45 p.m., and again for another hour following
the presentation of petitions, debate takes place on private Members
business—that is, bills and motions sponsored by private Members.
A private Member wishing to move a motion or introduce a bill must
give notice (see Notice).
Notices are listed on the Notice Paper under the heading Private
Members Business. Private Members notices and orders of the day
not selected by the Selection Committee for debate within eight
sitting Mondays are removed from the Notice Paper (S.O. 104B).
Entries in the Notice Paper show the number of sitting Mondays remaining.
Private Members motions
By decision of the Selection Committee, the majority of motions
considered as private Members business are not voted on, the debate
being adjourned and made an order of the day for a subsequent private
Members Monday.
Private Members bills
The introduction of a private Members bill is given priority over
other private Members business. When the notice for a private Members
bill is called on by the Clerk, the Member presents the bill and
may speak in support of it for up to five minutes. It is then read
a first time, the second reading of the bill automatically becoming
an order of the day for the next sitting. The allocation of time
for the debate on the second reading is determined by the Selection
Committee. If the second reading is agreed to by the House, further
consideration of the bill is given priority over other private Members
business (S.O. 104A).
Private Members may not initiate a bill imposing or varying a tax
(S.O. 293) or requiring the appropriation of money (S.O. 292).
Selection Committee
The arrangement of private Members business and the order of presentation
and consideration of committee and delegation reports on Mondays,
and the allocation of time for their debate, is the responsibility
of the Selection Committee (S.O. 331). When the House is sitting
the committee meets weekly. It normally reports on Tuesdays, listing
the matters for debate on the Monday of the next sitting week.
The committee usually selects three or four items for each private
Members business period. In choosing items for debate the committee
pays regard to selection guidelines agreed to by the House. The
guidelines ensure that all Members have a fair chance of having
matters debated and also take into account the nature of the subject,
for example, its importance and the extent to which it comes within
the responsibility of the Commonwealth Parliament.
Members statements
During this 15 minute period (1.45 to 2 p.m. on Mondays) any Member
other than a Minister or a Parliamentary Secretary may be called
by the Chair to make a statement of up to 90 seconds in duration
(S.O. 106A). The call is alternated between non-government
and government Members. If no other Member seeks to speak, a Member
who has already spoken may speak again. Members may make statements
on any topic of concern to them. They may also use the occasion
to give an oral notice of intention to move a motion or present
a bill (S.O. 133), although this opportunity is rarely used.
Grievance debate
At approximately 4 p.m. each Monday, after the conclusion
of private Members business, the Chair proposes the question That
grievances be noted (S.O. 106). Debate on the question is
practically unlimited in scope, giving Members the opportunity to
raise matters in which they have a particular interest or to ventilate
complaints of constituents. Any amendment may be moved to this question,
although amendments are rare. The name of the debate and its technical
status as government business have no significance. In practice
it is no more than an opportunity for wide debate, similar to that
provided by the motion for the adjournment of the House.
The debate lasts for a maximum of 1 hour 20 minutes. Members may
speak for 10 minutes. The distribution of the call is similar to
that of the adjournment debate, the first call going to an opposition
Member, then alternating. Although, technically, Ministers and Parliamentary
Secretaries are permitted to participate, in practice they rarely
do.
Adjournment debate
A standard half-hour adjournment debate is scheduled at the end
of every sitting day (S.O. 48A). However, depending on the
pressure of business, it may sometimes commence earlier or later
than the specified time, or not take place at all. The procedures
for the moving of the adjournment are outlined under
Adjournment of sitting.
Debate on the motion That the House do now adjourn is specifically
exempted from the rule that debate must be relevant to the question
before the House, and in effect the scope of debate is practically
unlimited. Members may speak for five minutes each. An opposition
Member traditionally receives the first call and the call then alternates
in the normal way. If no other Member wishes to speak, a Member
who has already spoken may speak a second time.
The general rules of debate, other than relevancy, apply, and a
Member should not attempt to revive earlier debates of the session
unless the allusion is relevant to a new aspect or matter which
the Member is raising. This restriction does not prevent reference
to previous adjournment debates. No amendment may be moved to the
question for the adjournment.
A Member wishing to raise a matter in the adjournment debate falling
within the responsibilities of a particular Minister or concerning
a particular Member usually alerts that Minister or Member beforehand.
As well as being courteous, this practice allows the Minister or
Member to arrange to be present during the debate if he or she so
wishes and, in the case of a Minister, to make a response.
The debate may be extended by up to 10 minutes to permit a Minister
to respond to matters raised in the debate. However, a Minister
may speak in reply prior to this time if no other Member rises to
speak. If the debate is not extended, or if it is extended, after
10 minutes or the earlier ending of debate, the Speaker automatically
adjourns the House until the time of its next meeting.
Adjournment debate in Main Committee
Since 1998 a half hour adjournment debate has also taken place
on Thursdays in the Main Committee, from 12.30 p.m. or from
the earlier completion of business (S.O. 274A).
Members statements in the Main Committee
Since 1998 there has been a period reserved for statements by Members
in the Main Committee on Thursdays, and this has now been extended
to Wednesday sittings as well (S.O. 275A). Any Member other
than a Minister, and including Parliamentary Secretaries, may speak
for up to 3 minutes. This opportunity only occurs if the Committee
meets before 10 a.m. and lasts for 18 minutes or until 10 a.m.
(The Committee usually meets at 9.40 a.m. on Wednesdays and
Thursdays.)
Budget debate
The standing orders exempt the debate on the second reading of
Appropriation Bill (No. 1)—see
Second reading—Budget speech and debate—from
the usual rule of relevance by allowing matters relating to public
affairs to be debated. The Budget debate thus provides a significant
opportunity, often extending over several weeks, for Members to
speak on matters of their own choice.
The same exemption applies to the second reading debate of other
appropriation bills for ordinary services of the Government—that
is, (usually) Appropriation Bill (No. 3) and Supply Bill (No. 1).
However, these bills are not usually debated extensively.
Address in Reply debate
The wide ranging Address in Reply debate at the beginning of each
session of Parliament provides an opportunity for Members to speak
on any matter they wish, provided the other rules of debate are
observed. Each Member may speak for 20 minutes (see
Address in Reply debate).
Matter of public importance
A discussion of a matter of public importance (MPI) is scheduled
for every sitting day except Monday, following question time, the
presentation of papers, and any ministerial statements. An MPI is
a discussion, on which no vote is taken, on a topical issue (S.O. 107).
Although any Member may propose a matter for discussion, in practice
the matter discussed is usually one proposed by the Opposition.
Matters for discussion must be proposed to the Speaker in writing
no later than 12 noon on the day of the discussion. The letter takes
the following form:
[Date]
Dear Mr/Madam Speaker,
In accordance with standing order 107, I desire to propose that
[today] [tomorrow] [on Tuesday, . . . ] the following definite
matter of public importance be submitted to the House for discussion,
namely: . . .
Yours sincerely,
[Signature of Member]
In the event of more than one matter being proposed for the same
day, the Speaker gives priority to the matter which, in his or her
opinion, is the most urgent and important.
The Speaker determines whether or not the proposal is in order.
The proposed matter must be definite, that is, single, specific
and precise in its wording, and is expected to contain an element
of ministerial responsibility or come within the scope of ministerial
action.
At the time for the discussion, the Speaker announces the receipt
of the letter, reads the matter to the House, and calls on Members
approving of the proposed discussion to rise in their places. The
discussion may proceed only if supported by eight Members, including
the proposer. The Speaker then calls upon the proposer to open the
discussion.
The discussion may last for up to two hours but usually lasts for
50 minutes, by agreement between the parties; 15 minutes each being
allowed to the proposer and the Member next speaking and 10 minutes
each for other Members. The discussion may be terminated earlier
by the carrying of a motion moved by any Member That the business
of the day be called on.
(For discussion of matter of special interest initiated by a Minister
see Motion to discuss matter
of special interest.)
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