Amendments to standing orders

Remove Monday dinner suspension; adjust Thursday adjournment

Standing order 55, Times of meeting:

Amend paragraph (1) to read as follows:

Monday         10am – 6.30pm, 7.30pm 10.30pm

Tuesday         midday – adjournment

Wednesday   9.30am – 8 pm

Thursday       9.30am – 6 pm

Standing order 54, Adjournment without motion

Omit paragraph (5), substitute:

(5)       The individual and total speaking times on the adjournment debate on each day shall be as follows:

Day	Individual time	Total time
Monday	10 minutes	40 minutes
Tuesday	5 minutes or 10 minutes	n/a
Wednesday	5 minutes	40 minutes
Thursday	5 minutes or 10 minutes	30 minutes

(5A)    The President shall adjourn the Senate without putting the question:

(a)  if there is no debate, or

(b)  at the conclusion of debate, at the expiration of the total time specified for that day, or at the time specified for adjournment, whichever is the earlier.

After paragraph (6), add:

(7)       On the question for the adjournment of the Senate on Thursday, a senator shall speak to that question for not more than 10 minutes, except that the chair may indicate that arrangements have been made for senators to instead speak for not more than 5 minutes, in which case those arrangements will apply.

Trial routine of business for Thursdays

Standing order 57, Routine of business

Omit subparagraphs (d)(x) – (xv), substitute:

(x)       Consideration of reports and documents for up to 60 minutes, in the following order:

• tabling and consideration of committee reports and government responses [standing order 62(4)]
• consideration of documents listed on the Notice Paper

[orders of the day under standing order 61]

• consideration of committee reports, government responses and Auditor-General's reports listed on the Notice Paper

[orders of the day under standing order 62]

(xi)     Consideration of general business only

(xii)    At 5.30pm, adjournment proposed

(xiii)   At 6pm, adjournment

After paragraph (1), insert:

(1A)    If a division is called for on Monday between 6.30 pm and 7.30 pm, the division shall be taken at a later hour of the day, not being earlier than 7.30 pm.

Amend standing order 59, Government and general business, to read as follows:

Government business shall take precedence over general business, except that general business shall take precedence over government business all other business as follows:

(a) On Mondays, from 10 am until 12.20 pm, general business orders of the day for the consideration of bills shall be considered; and

(b) from not later than 4.30 pm, for a period not exceeding 2½ hours, general business orders of the day shall take precedence over general business notices of motion on alternate Thursdays On Thursday at the time specified in standing order 57(1)(d) an item or items of general business shall be considered, pursuant to order.

Standing order 61, Consideration of documents

Amend paragraphs (3)(c) and (d) to read as follows:

(c) if the debate is adjourned or interrupted, the resumption of the debate shall be an order of the day for the Thursday of that week at the time for the consideration of government documents under general business specified in standing order 57(1)(d), or, if it is so ordered, for the next day of sitting; and

(d) on Thursdays, at the time provided, when an order of the day is called on under this standing order senators who have previously spoken to that order of the day may speak again for not more than 5 minutes, and debate under this standing order at that time shall not exceed 60 minutes.

Standing order 62, Consideration of committee reports and government responses and Auditor-General's reports

Amend paragraphs (1)(b), (c) and (d) to read as follows:

(b) if there are no orders of the day relating to committee reports or government responses presented during that week, or if debate on motions relating to such reports or government responses concludes before the expiration of 60 minutes the time specified in standing order 57(1)(d), orders of the day relating to committee reports or government responses presented prior to that week shall then be severally called on in an order which is the reverse of the order in which the respective reports or government responses were presented; and

(c) in any debate on such motions so called on, each senator may speak for not more than 10 minutes 5 minutes; and

(d) any debate pursuant to this standing order shall be interrupted at the expiration of 60 minutes.

Paragraph (2), omit "under general business".

Reduce general speaking times

Amend standing order 189, Time limits on speeches, to read as follows:

1. Subject to other time limits specified, a senator shall not speak for more than 20 minutes 15 minutes in any debate in the Senate. A senator may move that that time limit be extended by not more than 10 minutes, and such a motion shall forthwith be put without debate.
2. Where a right of reply is allowed in a debate a senator speaking in reply shall speak for not more than 20 minutes 15 minutes.
3. In committee a senator shall not speak for more than 15 minutes 10 minutes at a time on any question, but where the speech of a senator is interrupted by this provision, and no other senator rises to speak, the senator so interrupted may continue to speak for a further 15 minutes 10 minutes but no longer continuously on a question.

Navigation: Previous Page | Contents