Save Search
    Prev (12)   Next (14)   Return to results listPrint ListEmail Document Link

Title

Ch8 Order of business and the sitting day / ORDER OF BUSINESS / Ordinary order of business / Government business / POSTPONEMENT OF NOTICES AND ORDERS OF THE DAYRE-ARRANGEMENT OF ITEMS OF BUSINESS

Database

House Practice

Date

01-05-2005

Source

House of Reps

Parl No.

41

Chapter

Order of business and the sitting day

Chapter No.

Chapter 08

Page

251

Section No.

 

System Id

procedural/practcer/chapter08.28.doc


Note: Where available, the PDF/Word icon below is provided to view the complete and fully formatted document
Previous Fragment    Next Fragment
Ch8 Order of business and the sitting day / ORDER OF BUSINESS / Ordinary order of business / Government business / POSTPONEMENT OF NOTICES AND ORDERS OF THE DAYRE-ARRANGEMENT OF ITEMS OF BUSINESS



Download WordDownload Word

House of Representatives                                Ch 8                                                 p 251

 

Order of business and the sitting day / ORDER OF BUSINESS / Ordinary order of business / Government business

 

Postponement of notices and orders of the day—re-arrangement of items of business

The order in which items of business are taken in the House is determined by the order of the notices and orders of the day on the Notice Paper. Variation of the predetermined order is generally achieved by the selective postponement of items of business. The day for moving a notice of motion or a notice of intention to present a bill may be changed or the notice postponed:

  • by the Member who gave notice moving a motion without notice to postpone the motion; 1

  • by the Member who gave notice changing the day proposed for moving the motion to a later day by notifying the Clerk in writing before the motion is called on; 2

  • by the Member who gave the notice setting a future time for moving the motion when the notice is called on; 3 or

  • by another Member, at the Member’s request, setting a future time for moving the motion. 4

    • The practice of the House is that one Minister may act for another and, accordingly, a Minister may move the postponement of a notice given by another Minister.

    An order of the day may be postponed on motion without notice moved by the Member in charge of the order or , in the Member’s absence, by another Member at the Member’s request. 5 The Member in charge is the Member who moved the motion or presented the bill. As with a notice the practice of the House is that one Minister may act for another Minister in moving for the postponement of an order of the day. The motion should be moved before the order is called on. 6

    A private Member cannot move to vary the order of government business in the House, 7 nor can he or she move an amendment to a postponement motion which would have the effect of varying the order of government business. 8 An amendment expressing a no confidence in the Prime Minister has been moved to a postponement motion. 9

    A Minister may not move for the postponement of any item of private Members’ business. The House has, by arrangement, agreed to a government motion to postpone general business until after certain government business. 10 It was not uncommon, under the arrangements in force until 1988, for the Government to move that government business take precedence of general business until the main appropriation bills had passed all stages in the House. 11 Standing orders have been suspended on the motion of a Minister to enable a particular private Member’s business item to be called on during time when government business would normally be considered, 12 and to make alternative arrangements for private Members’ business. 13

    Postponement of an order of the day may be until a later hour of the day, until the next sitting or until a specified day. Consideration of an order of the day has been postponed until certain bills, which were themselves orders of the day, had become law. 14



    S.O. 112.



    S.O. 110(b).



    S.O. 113; VP 1974-75/790; VP 1993-95/2636.



    S.O. 113; VP 1956-57/89; H.R. Deb. (19.4.56) 1479; VP 1974-75/959; H.R. Deb. (9.10.75) 1932; VP 1993-95/2572.



    S.O. 37(b).



    H.R. Deb. (22.7.20) 2951.



    VP 1968-69/297. This is permitted in the Main Committee, where private Members (usually committee chairs) may be rostered to have regard to government interests.



    VP 1951-53/285.



    VP 1970-72/609. The relevance of such an amendment would be open to question.



    VP 1922/79; H.R. Deb. (17.8.22) 1459.



    VP 1978-80/365.



    E.g. VP 1978-80/133; VP 1990-93/918-9; VP 1993-95/2453; VP 1998-2001/675.



    E.g. VP 1998-2001/1531-2.



    VP 1907-08/381; NP 114 (22.4.08) 541.