Senate Information Guide
Note: This page contains links to PDF files. For more information, see the web page on Accessing files.
Often referred to as "Odgers", after the author of the first
editions, J.R. Odgers, Clerk of the Senate 1965-79, Odgers Australian
Senate Practice (OASP) is a detailed reference work on all aspects
of the Senate's powers, procedures and practices. Matters covered range
from broad constitutional principles to the fine details of the rules
of debate and procedure. The work has for its base the Constitution, the
standing orders, rulings of successive presidents, practice and precedent.
For information about procedural developments occurring since the latest
edition of OASP see the Procedural Information Bulletin. The electronic
versions of OASP, which are updated approximately twice a year, also include
a table of party affiliations in the Senate 1901-98.
In addition to reports on each area of the Department's activities for
the preceding year the Annual Report also contains the Clerk's Review
of major issues concerning the Senate which have arisen during the year.
Other major information items include: a list of Senators and details
of ministerial representation; a calendar of, and statistics concerning,
sitting days; list of committees on which senators serve; statistics on
petitions, questions, and legislation; overseas visits by Senators; financial
statements, staffing statistics; lists of Senate publications, seminars,
lectures, exhibitions, and addresses and publications by Senate officers.
Published annually, usually in September.
The Research Service of the Parliamentary Library publishes a digest
of most new bills introduced into either House. The digest contains a
brief description of the purpose of the bill; an outline of the background
to the bill; a summary of the main provisions; and in some cases references
to relevant documents such as ministerial media releases, Hansard, committee reports,
journal articles, court judgments etc. The Bills Digest should
not be confused with the Scrutiny of Bills Committee's Alert Digest.
Issued fortnightly in sitting periods by the Table Office, this publication
lists, in alphabetical order, all the bills currently before the Parliament.
The title of the bill is followed by a brief description of its purpose
and the dates of introduction into the Senate and the House of Representatives,
if applicable. There are also details of the Selection of Bills Committee
recommendations; the number of amendments proposed and adopted and whether
the House of Representatives has accepted these or not (or, in the case
of a Senate bill, whether the Senate has accepted any House of Representatives
amendments); the current status of the bill, e.g. second reading adjourned,
referred to a committee etc. The dates that a bill passed either or both
houses, the date of assent and the number of the consequent Act are also
shown. The Bills List also indicates the category of each bill
— Government, Private Senator's etc. — and in the case of non-Government
bills the name of the Senator or Member who introduced the bill. On sitting
days an abbreviated and updated version of the Bills List is produced
under the title Senate Daily
Bills Update (PDF format 64kb). The emphasis in this daily list is
on the stage the bill has reached in the legislative process.
This series is aimed at those who require a practical understanding of
the main procedures used in the Senate. A full account is contained in
Odgers’ Australian Senate Practice.
Forthcoming titles will be produced as quickly as possible and suggestions
for further titles are welcome.
Available: Clerk Assistant (Procedure) ca.procedure@aph.gov.au
Briefs. See Senate
Briefs
The Research Section of the Department publishes a 12-page colour brochure
about the Senate and its work. Versions are also available in a number
of foreign languages.
Available: Research Section - research.sen@aph.gov.au
Business of
Committees
Also known as the "Committee Red", this document is issued
the day before committees are scheduled to hold public hearings in Parliament
House*. It 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).
*Meetings to be held outside Parliament House appear on the Committees — Public Hearings/Meeting
List.
Prepared twice each year by the Table Office and consolidated annually,
this document contains a comprehensive summary of matters considered by
the Senate. There are statistics on the legislative work of the Senate,
hours of sitting, questions, petitions etc. Also included are: a list
of all legislation considered by the Senate in the period under review
and its current status; lists of bills to which amendments or requests
were moved, and bills which were referred to committees; notices of motion
for disallowance or disapproval of delegated legislation; lists of statements
by the President and ministerial statements, matters of public importance;
urgency, censure and condolence motions; principal motions agreed to;
orders for production of documents; government responses to committee
reports; and a list of petitions presented. There are tables showing the
details of the attendance of senators, including attendance in divisions.
For information about the activities of Senate and Joint committees see
Work of Committees.
"Committee Red ". See Business
of Committees
Contains date, time, venue and purpose of forthcoming public committee
meetings and hearings both at Parliament House and elsewhere. Lists the
name and phone number of the secretary of each committee scheduled to
meet. See also Business of Committees.
The Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act as amended prescribes
the membership and powers of the Senate. See especially Chapter Two. The
86-page AGPS edition of the Constitution also contains the Proclamation
Declaring the Establishment of the Commonwealth; the Letters Patent Relating
to the Office of the Governor General; the Statute of Westminster Adoption
Act 1942; the Australia Act 1986; and an index. The Parliamentary
Education Office publishes a pocket-sized edition of the Constitution.
The Senate Daily Summary is issued by the Senate Procedure Office
as a convenient summary of each day’s proceedings in the Senate.
For a complete account see the official record, the Journals of the
Senate. Most of the items in the Summary have direct links
to the relevant section of the Journals and other Senate documents.
The full text of the Journals is available under the heading "Publications"
on the Senate home page.
This publication, which is compiled by the secretariat of the Senate
Standing Committee on Regulations and Ordinances, lists disallowable instruments
of delegated legislation tabled in the Senate in the preceding week. Published
each week when the Senate is sitting the Monitor briefly summarises
the effect of the delegated legislation, cites the parent Act from which
it derives its authority, and notes the date it was made and the date
it was tabled. The weekly issues of the Monitor are also published
in consolidated form annually.
The Dynamic Red provides information on the proceedings of the Senate which is updated during the course of the sitting day. Until now this information has only been available through the Senate Daily Summary and the Journals of the Senate.
The Dynamic Red shows the progress of legislation and the results of motions moved and other business conducted in the Senate. Where possible, it also contains links to source documents such as those relating to committee memberships, tabled documents and amendments to legislation.
The information available on the Dynamic Red can be sorted into categories. The default is ‘All items’, but you can choose to view only the information pertaining to ‘Committees’, ‘Bills’ or ‘Documents’. For example, if ‘Committees’ is selected, the only items displayed will be those relating to the business of Senate committees. These will include motions by leave or notices of motion for new inquiries, extensions of time to present reports and authority for committees to meet during the sitting of the Senate; the presentation of reports; and committee membership variations. If a specific view is selected, you will no longer be able to see what the Senate is currently debating, or get the complete context of the business before the Chamber, but by clicking on ‘All items’ you will be returned to the full Dynamic Red.
The ‘Refresh’ button will update your screen with the latest information from the Senate chamber.
These Guidelines outline the procedure to be adopted by government officers
when requested to assist parliamentary committees. Matters covered include:
preparation for, and conduct during, committee hearings; claims of public
interest immunity; parliamentary privilege; guidance as to which matters
may be dealt with by officers and which must be referred to ministers;
appearances before the bar of a House of the Parliament. The guidelines
are a statement of the government's views on these matters and have not
been endorsed by either House of Parliament.
Hansard is the official record of what is said in Parliament and
is published in proof (daily) and official (weekly) versions and in bound
volumes covering each sitting period. The Proof Hansard and the
Official Weekly Hansard for the Senate also contain tables
of contents, the Hansard Internet address, a calendar showing the days
on which the Senate is scheduled to sit during the current year and the
radio frequencies for parliamentary broadcasts. The Official Weekly Hansard
also contains the name of the Governor General, and lists of: Senate office
holders and Senate party leaders; members of the Senate together with
their party affiliations, the State or Territory they represent and the
dates their terms expire; the complete Ministry, including Parliamentary
Secretaries; the Shadow Ministry and the names of the Heads of the Parliamentary
Departments. Hansard transcripts of public hearings of committees
are also published.
The bound volumes, consecutively numbered according to the number
of the Parliament, the Session and the Period, contain a subject index
and an index to speeches (which enables ready location of a particular
Senator's contributions to debates). Prior to 1992, references to matters
such as parliamentary committees, reports, notices of motion, petitions,
questions on notice, and rulings were indexed as sub-categories under
"Parliament", e.g. "Parliament (Committees)". Since
1992 these have been listed individually in alphabetical order. The first
bound volume for each new Period of Parliament contains lists similar
to those in the Weekly Hansard plus details of the membership of Senate
and Joint Committees and lists of the senior officers of the parliamentary
departments (and until the end of the 34th Parliament in 1987 these volumes
also contained a list of the Bills considered and the Acts passed in the
Period).
Information on Electronic
versions of Hansard are available on the Parliamentary Data Base
and the Internet (see Electronic data bases). Since June 1996 Hansard
has been loaded onto the Internet and the Parliamentary Database Service
at the same time as it is electronically despatched for printing and is
thus available within two or three hours of the adjournment of the chamber.
An alphabetical list of all papers and documents presented to either
or both houses of Parliament with page references to the Journals of
the Senate and the Votes and Proceedings of the House of Representatives,
and the parliamentary paper number of those ordered to be printed. This
index is incorporated into the bound volumes of the Journals of the
Senate. Issued twice a year and consolidated at the end of each parliamentary
session.
This leaflet describes the procedures relating to the appearance of witnesses
at committee hearings and contains advice to those appearing as witnesses.
See also Notes to Assist in the Preparation of Submissions to Senate
Committee Inquiries, Protection of Witnesses Before Senate Committees,
and Government Guidelines for Official Witnesses before
Parliamentary Committees and Related Matters).
The Journals of the Senate are the official record (minutes) of
the proceedings of the Senate and are the most authoritative source of
information about Senate activities and decisions. They record motions,
resolutions, progress of legislation, references to committees, presentation
of documents, and all actions taken by the Senate in the course of its
proceedings. Copies of the Journals are distributed in proof form
on the day following each sitting. Final Journals are issued after
these proofs have been checked. The Journals list the names of
Senators voting for and against a motion where a division has been called
and contain details of the attendance of Senators. The Journals
also list those bills which the Selection of Bills Committee has recommended
for referral to committees and those which it recommends not be referred.
At the end of each year the Journals are issued in rough bound
volumes which contain a general index, an index of papers presented
to Parliament, and a list of petitions presented. The general index is
continually updated and revised versions are issued at regular intervals
during each session. A final bound volume, issued at the end of
each session, also includes a number of appendices: Governor-General's
messages and proclamations received after the adjournment of the Senate;
lists of committee members, a list of Senators who served during the session
together with the dates of their election/appointment and commencement
of their term, and the actual or scheduled date of expiry of their term
of service; aggregated lists of Senators' attendance of sittings of the
Senate and in divisions. The Journals are available on the Parliamentary
Data Base (see electronic data bases).
A detailed guide for staff of legislation committees when considering
estimates, this manual contains an overview of the role and procedures
of legislation committees in relation to the examination of estimates
and advice and instructions on administrative matters for members of the
committee secretariat.
Lists Senators (and Senators-elect) by name, State/Territory and Party,
together with their State or Territory telephone and fax numbers and mailing
addresses; identifies Party Leaders, Ministers, Whips and other office
holders; includes a table showing dates of expiry of Senators' terms of
service, information relating to the filling of casual vacancies and appointments,
a summary of party representation, and a list of senior officers of the
Senate and other parliamentary departments. The list is updated as required.
This leaflet contains general advice to those wishing to make written
submissions to committees and gives details concerning preferred formats
(including technical specifications for material submitted on floppy disk).
See also Information for Witnesses Before Senate
Committees and Protection of Witnesses
Before Senate Committees.
The Notice Paper is the official list of all business before the
Senate—a list so long that it could not possibly be dealt with in
one day. (The matters which are scheduled for consideration on a particular
day are contained in the Order of Business [the Senate "Red"]
which is published on the morning of each sitting day.) The business is
listed as Matters of Privilege, Business of the Senate, Government Business,
General Business, Orders of the Day Relating to Committee Reports and
Government Responses, Orders of the Day Relating to Government Documents,
Business for a Future Day, and Questions on Notice. The cover of each
Notice Paper contains a table of contents.
Matters of privilege, which take precedence over all other business
when they arise, consist of notices of motion which the President has
determined warrant such precedence.
Business of the Senate, which takes precedence over Government
and General Business, consists of motions for the disallowance of regulations,
ordinances and other statutory instruments, orders of the day for the
presentation of committee reports, motions to refer matters to standing
committees under Standing Order 25 and motions for leave of absence or
relating to the qualifications of a Senator.
Government Business consists of business of which Ministers have
charge.
General Business consists of business which Senators other than
Ministers have charge.
Within each of these divisions, there may be notices of motion which
are statements of intention by Senators to move particular motions on
a future day, and orders of the day, which are items of business which
the Senate has ordered to be dealt with on a future day (usually motions
on which some debate has taken place and on which the debate has been
adjourned).
There are separate lists of orders of the day relating to committee reports,
Government responses and Government documents, which are considered on
Thursdays. These lists are printed in full on the first day of a sitting
fortnight. Only new items appear on other days.
Most business on the Notice Paper is listed for the next day of
sitting, but occasional items of business are listed for a particular
day in the future, or a number of sitting days hence. These may be found
in the Notice Paper under "Business for Future Consideration".
On the first sitting day of the Autumn and Budget sittings a complete
Notice Paper is published, showing all outstanding business and
all unanswered questions on notice. On other days, the Notice Paper
shows only the identification number of the unanswered questions
but includes the text of new notices of motion, new questions on
notice and new general business orders of the day. A summary list of unanswered
questions on notice and unresolved general business notices of motion
appears each sitting Thursday together with a full list of general business
orders of the day, orders of the day relating to committee reports and
Government responses, and orders of the day relating to Government documents.
All Government business notices of motion and orders of the day are shown
on each daily Notice Paper.
On Thursdays, when time is set aside for general business, the details
of the general business to be considered are circulated in the Senate
Chamber.
Towards the end of each Notice Paper is a list of committees which
shows their membership and current inquiries. Reports presented during
the session of Parliament are listed on sitting Thursdays. Senate representation
on statutory bodies is shown, as is a list of Senate Ministers and their
ministerial representation. There are also lists of: all bills discharged
from the Notice Paper, laid aside, negatived or withdrawn; bills
referred to committees; contingent notices of motion; temporary Chairmen
of Committees; and Orders of the Senate currently in force.
The daily Order of Business for the Senate, referred to as the
Senate "Red " because of its distinctive red stripe along
the top and side, is issued each day prior to the meeting of the Senate.
It indicates the time at which proceedings will begin and gives details
of the broadcasting arrangements for that day. The "Red "
provides the most up-to-date written information available concerning
the business proposed to be dealt with by the Senate that day (including
a list of Government documents to be tabled). It takes into account information
on the Notice Paper and any other items of business which it is
expected that the Senate will consider during the day's sitting. Items
are listed in the expected order of consideration. The "Red "
is intended merely as a guide to the probable order of business:
the information contained in it is subject to change, as the Senate
may rearrange the order of business at its discretion. Copies of the "Red
" are delivered to Senators' offices and distributed around the
Chamber before the Senate meets each day. Copies are also available from
the Table Office and through the Parliamentary Database and videotex service.
Volumes in this series of papers written by Senators, academics, Senate
officers and other experts, are published several times a year by the
Research Section of the Department of the Senate. The texts of the lunchtime
lectures sponsored by the Department are usually published in Papers
on Parliament.
The Parliamentary Education Office produces a range of educational material
in print, on computer disc and video cassette and on the Internet. The
material is intended principally for use by students and teachers. The
PEO student guide Parliamentary Government in Australia (35 pp)
outlines the role of Parliament, the executive government and political
parties, describes the legislative process and contains a useful glossary.
This compendium of information has been published since 1915. Contents
include:
The biographical information in the Handbook is available on the
Parliamentary Data Base (see electronic data bases).
Published by the Parliamentary Library, 700+ pp.
Available: AGPS, Parliamentary Library.
Formerly known as "Explanatory Notes on Estimates of Expenditure"
and "Program Performance Statements" these statements are tabled
twice a year—before the consideration of the main Appropriation Bills
(usually in May), and before the additional estimates (usually in November).
They outline the objectives and functions of each of the Department's
programs and give details of past and proposed expenditure with reasons
for any major variations.
This report is a comprehensive guide to the history, practice and procedures
of the Senate Committee of Privileges. It contains a history and analysis
of Senate privilege matters 1901-2005, a summary and index of Privileges
Committee reports from its establishment in 1966, statistics on the Committee's
work and lists of members, chairs and deputy chairs. The report also includes
a copy of the Parliamentary Privileges Act 1987, the Privilege
Resolutions of 25 February 1988, explanatory memoranda and a number of
other documents relating to matters of privilege.
Issued at the end of each block of sitting weeks the Bulletin
provides a commentary on the major procedural matters arising in the period
under review. Includes details of procedural resolutions or rulings which
have occurred since the last edition of Australian Senate Practice.
Procedural matters concerning committees are also included.
The Resource Centre maintains, for the use of Senate officers, a collection
of material relating principally to procedural matters in the broadest
sense. As well as standard texts on constitutional and parliamentary matters
there is a comprehensive indexed collection of journal articles, press
clippings etc. The Centre's collection includes: complete sets of Hansard,
Notice Paper, Journals, Acts of the Parliament, Statutory Rules, Commonwealth
Law Reports, the Parliamentary Handbook and a collection of photographs
relating to the Senate. The Centre subscribes to a number of journals
relating to parliament, government, the law, and public affairs. The Centre
also has two computer terminals connected to the World Wide Web. The Resource
Centre is located in Room SG54.
This leaflet outlines the rights and obligations of witnesses before
Senate committees. See also Information for Witnesses Before Senate
Committees and Notes to Assist in the Preparation of Submissions
to Senate Inquiries.
This publication is prepared by the Research Section of the Department
of the Senate to assist the Parliamentary Guides in their work. It aims
to explain, in non-specialist language, Australia's system of government;
the Constitution; the work of Parliament, its customs and traditions,
officers and committees; how laws are made; and the role of the executive.
Contains lists of Governors-General, Prime Ministers, Leaders of the Opposition,
ministries and referendums since 1901 and a glossary of parliamentary
terms.
Published at the beginning of each sitting period this summary lists
for each ministry: all questions on notice asked (only the question number
is listed); the name of the questioner; the dates each question was asked
and answered; the Hansard page number on which the reply is printed; and
the number of days elapsing between question and answer.
The Register of Senate Committee Reports and subsequent annual
supplements list reports tabled since 1970 by committees administered
by the Senate Committee Office in overall chronological order and chronologically
by subject matter and committee. Also contains a list of bills referred
to committees. The list contains the Parliamentary Paper number of each
report and the date it was tabled, the date of the government response
(if any) and an indication of whether evidence was tabled. A consolidated
register is published at the end of each Parliament.
(Note. This register does not include reports of the Regulations
and Ordinances and Scrutiny of Bills Committees nor reports of the Privileges,
Appropriation and Staffing or Procedure committees.)
Issued each week when the Senate is sitting, the Alert Digest
summarises the bills considered by the Scrutiny of Bills Committee that
week and sets out the Committee's views on any clauses which it considers
contravenes the principles contained in its terms of reference. (The Committee
examines all bills and reports to the Senate on whether they trespass
unduly on personal rights or liberties, whether they provide for adequate
review of administrative decisions, whether they inappropriately delegate
legislative power or provide insufficient opportunity for parliamentary
scrutiny of the exercise of legislative power.) The responses made by
Ministers and others to the issues raised in the Alert Digest are
published in one of the Committee's subsequent reports to the Senate.
The Alert Digest should not be confused with the Bills Digest
issued by the Parliamentary Library.
This brochure contains a diagram of the Chamber indicating the seat allocated
to each Senator. Also included is a list of Senators together with their
party affiliation and the name of the State or Territory they represent.
The brochure also contains: a table showing the distribution of Senators
by State/Territory and political party; lists of Senate office-holders,
party leaders, whips, ministerial representation, and senior officials
of the Department of the Senate.
This series, published by the Research Section, aims to give a basic
introduction to the Senate and its work. Topics available include:
No. 1. Electing Australia's Senators
No. 2. The Opening of Parliament
No. 3. Women in the Senate—A
History
No. 4. Senate Committees
No. 5. Consideration of Estimates
No. 6. The President of the Senate
No. 7. Disagreement between the Houses
No. 8. The Senate and Legislation
No. 9. The Origins of the Senate
No.10. The Role of the Senate
No.11. Parliamentary Privilege
No.12. Questions
No. 13. Rights and Responsibilities
of Witnesses before Senate Committees
No. 14. Ministers in the Senate
Outlines the work of each of the Legislative and General Purpose Standing
Committees during the period 1970-1990. Lists the members, chairmen, secretaries
and reports of each committee, and highlights significant achievements
and developments. The dates of Government responses to reports are also
listed. An introductory section outlines the origins of the standing committee
system.
The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet issues a schedule of
proposed sitting dates some time in advance of the Autumn and Budget sittings.
The details of any variations ordered by the Senate to the published sitting
patterns are published in the Notice Paper (Orders of the Senate).
Section 50 of the Constitution empowers the Senate to make rules and
orders with respect to the manner in which its powers, privileges, and
immunities may be exercised and upheld, and the order and conduct of its
business and proceedings either separately or jointly with the House of
Representatives. In addition to prescribing the procedures for debate
and the conduct of business the Standing Orders also deal with matters
such as: the President and other office-holders; committees, witnesses,
times of sitting.
The standing orders are supplemented by the following:
- Parliamentary Privilege: Resolutions agreed to by the Senate on
25 February 1988
These resolutions outline the types of action which may be treated as
contempt of the Senate; specify the rights and obligations of witnesses
appearing before Senate committees; set out procedures which enable persons
to respond to references to them in the Senate.
- Registration and declaration of senator's interests
These orders establish the procedures, which have operated in various
forms since March 1994, for the registration of the interests of senators,
their spouses or partners and dependents, the declaration of interests,
and the procedures relating to the receipt of official gifts.
- Broadcasting of Senate and committee proceedings
These orders establish the procedures for the broadcast and re-broadcast
of Senate and committee proceedings on radio, television and electronic
media.
- Procedural orders and resolutions of the Senate of continuing effect
These orders and resolutions which have the same force as standing orders
and are intended to be of continuing effect, relate to the manner in which
the Senate conducts its legislative and inquiry functions and exercises
and upholds its constitutional powers.
- Sessional Orders, which apply only for the current session,
are listed in the "Orders of the Senate" section of the Notice
Paper. They cover a variety of matters and may be renewed at the
beginning of each new session of Parliament.
- Orders of more limited duration such as those relating to times of
sitting and routine of business in the current period of sittings may
be found in the Notice Paper under "Orders of the Senate".
The Standing Orders and other orders of the Senate are available on the
Internet as well as in printed form.
Available: Table Office.
Tabled Papers
This database provides a search facility to enable access to digitised images of a growing collection of Senate Tabled Papers. Use the Help Menu (in the top right corner) to maximise your use of the database.
All documents tabled in the Senate during the 2002-04 Parliament are accessible through the database. As other documents are processed they will also become available.
All documents tabled since 2002 have been digitised. Documents tabled from 1901 until 2001 have been microfilmed. The microfilm is now being digitally backcaptured. This database is the result of a centenary of Federation project commenced by the Senate Table Office in 1994.
Please call 02 62773455 or email table.inquiries.sen@aph.gov.au if you have any questions or comments about the pilot project.
Issued twice yearly, Work of Committees provides an overview of committee
activities for the period under review and contains: statistical data,
committee membership, public hearings held, report and government response
summaries, current inquiries and reports tabled, details of debate on
Senate committee reports, extensions of time to report, bills referred
to committees, details of hearings on estimates, volumes of additional
information tabled by legislation committees. Work of committees also
includes summary information on domestic and legislative scrutiny committees,
and joint committees administered by the House of Representatives, details
of hearings on estimates, volumes of additional information tabled by
legislation committees.
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