Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

(1)

That standing orders 240 and 241 be amended to read: 240 Admission of visitors

(a)

A committee or a subcommittee may admit visitors when it is examining a witness or gathering information in other proceedings.

(b)

All visitors must leave if:

(i)

the Chair asks them to;

(ii)

the committee or subcommittee resolves that they leave; or

(iii)

the committee or subcommittee is deliberating or hearing witnesses in private.

(2)

That, unless otherwise ordered, the following amendments to the standing orders be adopted to operate for the remainder of 2006:

(A)

In standing order 1, Maximum speaking times, the section of the table headed Committee and delegation reports on Mondays be amended to read:

Committee and delegation reports on Mondays in the House Each Member in the Main Committee Each Member (standing orders 39, 40, 192(b))

10 mins maximum, as allotted by the Selection Committee 10 mins

(B)

In standing order 1, Maximum speaking times, after the section of the table headed Condolence motion, the following new section be inserted:

Dissent motion Whole debate                Mover                Seconder                Member next speaking                Any other Member (standing order 87)

30 mins 10 mins 5 mins 10 mins 5 mins

(C)

Standing order 39 be amended to read: 39  Presentation of reports

The following general rules apply to meetings of the Main Committee:

(a)

The Deputy Speaker must suspend proceedings in the Committee to enable Members to attend divisions in the House.

(b)

If a quorum is not present the Deputy Speaker must immediately suspend proceedings until a stated time, or adjourn the Committee.

(c)

If the House adjourns, the Deputy Speaker must interrupt the business before the Committee and immediately adjourn the Committee.

(d)

The Committee need not adjourn between items of business, nor during a suspension of the House.

(e)

The Committee shall stand adjourned at 6 pm, unless otherwise ordered, when the committee meets on Mondays in accordance with standing order 192(b), or on completion of all matters referred to it, or may be adjourned on motion moved without notice by any Member—

That the Committee do now adjourn.

(f)

No amendment may be moved to the question.(G)   Standing order 192 be amended to read: 192 Main Committee’s order of business

(G)

Standing order 192 be amended to read: 192 Main Committee’s order of business

(a)

If the Committee meets on a Wednesday or Thursday the normal order of business is set out in figure 4.

(b)

On sitting Mondays the Committee shall meet from 4 pm to 6 pm if required to consider orders of the day relating to committee and delegation reports in accordance with standing order 40 (resumption of debate on reports).

Figure 4 Main Committee order of business

The sitting times of the Main Committee are set by the Deputy Speaker and are subject to change. Additional sittings may be scheduled if required. Adjournment debates can occur on days other than Thursdays by agreement between the whips.

(H)

Standing order 193 be amended to read: 193 Members’ three minute statements

If the Main Committee meets before 10 am the first item of business shall be statements by Members. The Deputy Speaker may call a Member, including a Parliamentary Secretary but not a Minister, to make a statement for no longer than three minutes. The period for Members’ statements may continue for 30 minutes, irrespective of suspensions for divisions in the House.

This motion gives effect to recommendations of the Procedure Committee. There are five matters covered by the motion.

The motion amends the standing orders to deal with the presence of visitors and members who are not committee members in private meetings of committees of the House. The standing orders are amended to allow the Main Committee to sit on Monday afternoons to deal with committee and delegation reports. The standing orders are amended to ensure that the full 30 minutes is available for members’ statements in the Main Committee, notwithstanding divisions which might interrupt it. The standing orders are amended to provide more options for the Deputy Speaker to ensure order in the Main Committee and, finally, the standing orders are amended to provide for a maximum limit for dissent motions here in the House. As I said, they are all recommendations of the Procedure Committee. I commend the committee for its work, and I commend the motion to the House.

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