Chapter 5 - Officers
of the Senate:
Parliamentary administration
Absence
of President and Deputy President
If the President is absent at the commencement of a sitting of the
Senate, the Clerk informs the
Senate, and the Deputy President takes the chair. The Deputy President then
performs the duties and exercises the authority of President in relation to all
proceedings of the Senate until the next meeting of the Senate, provided that,
if the Senate adjourns for more than 24 hours, the Deputy President acts for
the President for 24 hours only after the adjournment, unless the Senate
otherwise provides (SO 13).
When it is known that the President will be absent from the sittings of
the Senate for longer than one sitting, it is the practice to empower the
Deputy President by motion to perform the duties and exercise the authority of
President during such an absence. Where appropriate the President announces a
forthcoming absence in advance and a motion is then moved to empower the Deputy
President to act. This procedure obviates the necessity for the daily
announcement by the Clerk of the President’s absence.
If both the President and the Deputy President are absent, the senators
present, if a quorum, must elect a senator present to act as President for that
day only, the question being put to the Senate by the Clerk (SO 14; 6-8/11/1962,
J.165, 167, 169). The Senate may also appoint a senator to act as President by
a special order in circumstances not covered by the standing order (5/10/1993, J.562-3).
On 21 December 1990, as a courtesy to a long-serving senator who was
retiring on that day, the senator took the chair by leave of the Senate granted
on 20 December (20-1/12/1990, J.663, 675).
In 1965 the Parliamentary
Presiding Officers Act was passed to provide a legal basis for the performance
of certain statutory powers of the President of the Senate and the Speaker of
the House of Representatives when their offices are vacant. Provision was also
made in the Act for the presiding officers’ statutory functions to be performed
by the deputy presiding officers when required.
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