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| (1) | The following rules shall apply to questions: | |
| questions shall not contain: | ||
| (a) | statements of fact or names of persons unless they are strictly necessary to render the question intelligible and can be authenticated; | |
| (b) | arguments; | |
| (c) | inferences; | |
| (d) | imputations; | |
| (e) | epithets; | |
| (f) | ironical expressions; or | |
| (g) | hypothetical matter; | |
| questions shall not ask: | ||
| (h) | for an expression of opinion; | |
| (i) | for a statement of the government ’s policy; or | |
| (j) | for legal opinion; | |
| questions shall not refer to: | ||
| (k) | debates in the current session; or | |
| (l) | proceedings in committee not reported to the Senate. | |
| (2) | Questions shall not anticipate discussion upon an order of the day or other matter which appears on the Notice Paper. |
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| (3) | The President may direct that the language of a question be changed if it is not in conformity with the standing orders. | |
| (4) | In answering a question, a senator shall not debate it. |
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| (1) | Notice of a question shall be given by a senator signing and delivering it to the Clerk, fairly written, printed, or typed. Notice may be given by one senator on behalf of another. |
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| (2) | The Clerk shall place notices of questions on the Notice Paper in the order in which they are received. | |
| (3) | The reply to a question on notice shall be given by delivering it to the Clerk, a copy shall be supplied to the senator who asked the question, the publication of the reply is then authorised, and the question and reply shall be printed in Hansard. | |
| (4) | A senator who has received a copy of a reply pursuant to this standing order may, by leave, immediately after questions without notice, ask the question and have the reply read in the Senate. |
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| (5) | If a minister does not answer a question on notice asked by a senator within 30 days of the asking of that question, or if a question taken on notice during a hearing of a legislative and general purpose standing committee considering estimates remains unanswered 30 days after the day set for answering the question, and a minister does not, within that period, provide to the senator who asked the question an explanation satisfactory to that senator of why an answer has not yet been provided: | |
| (a) | at the conclusion of question time on any day after that period, the senator may ask the relevant minister for such an explanation; and | |
| (b) | the senator may, at the conclusion of the explanation, move without notice – That the Senate take note of the explanation; or | |
| (c) | in the event that the minister does not provide an explanation, the senator may, without notice, move a motion with regard to the minister’s failure to provide either an answer or an explanation. | |
Senate Table Office
As at 29 January 2009
