Sue Lines (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On behalf of the Chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Procedure, I present the committee's First report of 2016.

Ordered that the report be printed.

by leave—I move:

That consideration of the report be made a Business of the Senate order of the day for Tuesday, 8 November 2016.

Question agreed to.

I move:

That the Senate take note of the report.

This report addresses three matters that have been considered recently by the Procedure Committee. The motion I have just moved means that no decisions will be made on the report until the next sitting period so that senators may examine the two recommendations the committee has made for changes to the standing orders.

The first matter addressed in the report is the order of 21 March 2002 about photography in the chamber. Senator Hinch has a notice of motion for tomorrow to revoke the order, something that the committee recommended in 2014. The recommendation did not proceed at the time, when some senators expressed concerns. The committee respects that senators have different views and leaves it for the Senate as a whole to determine the matter when Senator Hinch moves his motion tomorrow.

The two recommendations made by the committee relate to ministerial statements and caring for infants.

The committee notes that the temporary order providing a right for senators to move to take note of ministerial statements without notice is working well and should now be incorporated into standing orders. That is its first recommendation.

The second recommendation arises from a proposal by Senator Waters in February this year for the rules prohibiting visitors on the floor of the chamber to be expanded to exclude infants being cared for by a senator. The current exclusion is for infants being breastfed. The committee felt that Senator Waters' proposal was a little too broad and involved difficult issues of definition. It revised a proposal examined (but rejected) in 2009, and decided that the 2009 proposal contained the necessary qualifications to provide senators caring for infants with a degree of flexibility, while recognising the essential character of the Senate as a forum for national debate and legislative deliberation.

The committee is recommending that standing order 175 be amended to provide that the prohibition against visitors on the floor does not apply in respect of a senator breastfeeding an infant or, at the discretion of the President, a senator caring for an infant briefly, provided the business of the Senate is not disrupted.

The committee thinks this strikes the right balance but understands that senators will want time to think about the proposal.

I commend the report to the Senate.

Question agreed to.