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House of Representatives                                Ch 8                                                 p 239

Joint meetings

On several occasions ‘conferences’, or alternatively ‘joint meetings’ (as used on these occasions the terms would appear effectively synonymous ¹ ), of all members of both Houses have been proposed. A meeting of this kind (as distinct from a joint sitting— see above ) is not provided for in the standing orders or the Constitution but would not be prevented should both Houses agree and determine the procedure to be followed.

On 22 September 1903 the Prime Minister moved that a ‘conference’ be held of all Members of both Houses to consider the selection of a site for the seat of Government. and that the Senate be requested to concur with the resolution. The motion was agreed to, after amendment, on 23 September. ² On 30 September the Senate resolved not to concur with the House’s resolution ³ and the proposal was not further proceeded with.

On 14 May 1931 the Prime Minister made a statement to the House suggesting a ‘conference’ of all Members of Parliament to consider Australia’s economic and financial problems. ⁴ His suggestion was that such a conference last for a week during which there would be ‘a general frank discussion, devoid of party feeling’. Some days later the Leader of the Opposition made a statement in which he opposed such a conference ⁵ and the proposal was not further proceeded with.

On three other occasions proposals for a conference or joint meeting of Members of both Houses have been put forward, in each case on the subject of the site for a new and permanent Parliament House. On 28 May 1969 the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate moved that a ‘conference’ of both Houses be convened to express a point of view on the site of the new and permanent Parliament House. ⁶ The motion was debated and negatived by the Senate on 29 May. ⁷ On 6 May 1971 a similar motion was again moved and agreed to by the Senate. ⁸ The message from the Senate requesting consideration by the House of the Senate’s resolution was received by the House on 7 May ⁹ but was never debated. On 23 August 1973 a motion was moved in the House proposing a joint meeting of both Houses to determine the site of the new and permanent Parliament House. ¹⁰ On 24 October the House agreed to the motion which was transmitted to the Senate. ¹¹ The House received a message from the Senate not agreeing with the proposal on 20 November 1973. ¹²

On 2 January 1992, 20 November 1996 and 23 October 2003 the House and the Senate met (concurrently rather than jointly) in the House of Representatives Chamber to hear an address by the President of the United States. ¹³ The Senate met in the House Chamber at the House’s invitation; the Speaker presided and the procedures of the House applied so far as they were applicable. ¹⁴ A similar arrangement applied for an address by the President of China on 24 October 2003. ¹⁵ At the close of the joint meeting on 23 October 2003, two Senators who had caused disruption to proceedings and who had refused to leave when ordered to leave the House (under then standing order 304A) were named and suspended for 24 hours for defying the Chair. ¹⁶ Following this incident the Senate endorsed the view of its Procedure Committee that in future such occasions be conducted as sittings of the House to which Senators are invited. ¹⁷ The House Procedure Committee made a recommendation to the same effect. ¹⁸

On 9 May 2001 the House met with the Senate at the Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne to mark the centenary of the first meetings of the Houses of the Commonwealth Parliament in 1901. At the end of the common proceedings the two Houses were adjourned s eparately by their respective Presiding Officers. ¹⁹

For conferences of delegates representing the two Houses see Ch. on ‘Disagreements between the Houses’.

VP 1903/141-2, 146.

J 1903/189.

VP 1929-31/621; H.R. Deb. (14.5.31) 1935.

H.R. Deb. (21.5.31) 2179.

J 1968-69/490.

J 1968-69/495-6.

J 1970-72/574-5.

VP 1970-72/631.

VP 1973-74/289-90.

VP 1973-74/476.

VP 1973-74/545.

VP 1990-92/1305; J 1990-92/1995; VP 1996-98/841; J 1996/1058; VP 2002-2004/1275; J 2002-04/2597.

VP 1990-92/1220-21, 1233; VP 1996-98/702, 742, 792, 806; VP 2002-04/1213-5, 1244.

VP 2002-2004/1279; J 2002-2004/2599.

Thus preventing their attendance at the joint meeting the following day. VP 2003-2004/1276; J 2002-04/2597.

J 2002-04/3377-8.

Standing Committee on Procedure, Arrangements for joint meetings with the Senate, June 2004.

VP 1998-2001/2259-60.