Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Before the next item on the Notice Paper is called on, I thought I might give members a bit of information as to how the debate for the referendum bill will proceed. Obviously, it being a referendum bill, it's the sort of legislation that the government won't be referring to the Federation Chamber; it will be, properly, here in the main chamber for as many people who want to be able to speak to it, and that will happen.

The procedure for referenda is one that most members won't have dealt with before—some will, but most won't. When we get to the third reading, whether a division is called or not, a division will happen automatically. Even if, on one side, there are only a few people voting, every name gets taken down. That's required because of the constitutional provision for an absolute majority on a referendum.

The normal pairing arrangements and everything that happens between the whips will still apply for amendments in the second reading vote, but the third reading vote is different. I will try to make sure that members get plenty of notice as to when that third reading vote is so that when people are scheduling different aspects of their lives, they know when that will be. But I want to basically give the undertaking to the House the intention of the government is that the third reading vote will not happen until next week, that this week we'll try to get through as many of the speeches as we possibly can.

Once it is returned to the Senate, if the Senate returns any messages, messages from the Senate again require the same absolute majority as a third reading. So when we come back after the short break after this sitting fortnight, if the message from the Senate is that it's carried in the same form as the House, then there's nothing for us to vote on. If there is a message that requires a vote, then that vote will also be one where there's an automatic division regardless of whether or not one's called for. I just thought that sort of information might be helpful for members.