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House of Representatives                                Ch 16                                                 p 563

Consideration at other times

From time to time, standing orders are suspended to permit specified items of private Members’ business to be called on and considered during government business time. ¹ This course has been taken to permit immediate consideration of a matter of which notice has just been given, such as a censure or no confidence motion, ² to initiate debate on a matter of particular significance to the Parliament ³ or to the community ⁴ or to bring on a matter when the time factor is significant, such as a motion for the disallowance of delegated legislation (regulations, ordinances ^, and so on). ⁵ Such action may also be taken when the Government has decided to support a private Member’s bill, to provide time for further debate and facilitate speedy passage. ⁶ A suspension of standing orders for any of these purposes is usually a government initiative and attempts by private Members alone to obtain precedence to a particular item of business without government support have invariably been unsuccessful. Standing orders have also been suspended to refer items of private Members’ business to the Main Committee. ⁷ Selection Committee determinations do not apply in the Main Committee or to items being taken in government time.

Such action was more frequent under arrangements for private Members’ business operating prior to 1998 ( see 1st edition).

E.g. VP 1978-80/269.

E.g. the reference of a matter to the Court of Disputed Returns, VP 1977/108-11.

E.g. VP 1978-80/683; VP 1980-81/139.

E.g. VP 1998-2001/382; see also ‘Delegated legislation’ in Ch. on ‘Legislation’.

E.g. VP 1998-2001/675-7.

E.g. VP 2002-04/436.