35   TREATIES—PROPOSED JOINT STANDING COMMITTEE

Mr Albanese (Leader of the House), pursuant to notice, moved—

(1)    That a Joint Standing Committee on Treaties be appointed to inquire into and report on:

(a)    matters arising from treaties and related National Interest Analyses and proposed treaty actions and related Explanatory Statements presented or deemed to be presented to the Parliament;

(b)   any question relating to a treaty or other international instrument, whether or not negotiated to completion, referred to the committee by:

(i)    either House of the Parliament, or

(ii)   a Minister; and

(c)    such other matters as may be referred to the committee by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and on such conditions as the Minister may prescribe.

(2)    That the committee consist of 16 members, 6 Members of the House of Representatives to be nominated by the Government Whip or Whips, 3 Members of the House of Representatives to be nominated by the Opposition Whip or Whips or by any non-aligned Member, 3 Senators to be nominated by the Leader of the Government in the Senate, 3 Senators to be nominated by the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate and 1 Senator to be nominated by any minority group or groups or independent Senator or independent Senators.

(3)    That every nomination of a member of the committee be notified in writing to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

(4)    That the members of the committee hold office as a joint standing committee until the House of Representatives is dissolved or expires by effluxion of time.

(5)    That the committee elect a Government member as its chair.

(6)    That the committee elect a non-Government member as its deputy chair to act as chair of the committee at any time when the chair is not present at a meeting of the committee and at any time when the chair and deputy chair are not present at a meeting of the committee the members present shall elect another member to act as chair at that meeting.

(7)    That in the event of an equally divided vote, the chair, or the deputy chair when acting as chair, have a casting vote.

(8)    That 3 members of the committee constitute a quorum of the committee, provided that in a deliberative meeting the quorum shall include 1 Government member of either House and 1 non-Government member of either House.

(9)    That the committee have power to appoint not more than 3 subcommittees each consisting of 3 or more of its members, and to refer to any subcommittee any matter which the committee is empowered to examine.

(10)  That, in addition to the members appointed pursuant to paragraph (9), the chair and deputy chair of the committee be ex officio members of each subcommittee appointed.

(11)  That the committee appoint the chair of each subcommittee who shall have a casting vote only, and at any time when the chair of a subcommittee is not present at a meeting of the subcommittee the members of the subcommittee present shall elect another member of that subcommittee to act as chair at that meeting.

(12)  That 2 members of a subcommittee constitute the quorum of that subcommittee, provided that in a deliberative meeting the quorum shall include 1 Government member of either House and 1 non-Government member of either House.

(13)  That members of the committee who are not members of a subcommittee may participate in the proceedings of that subcommittee but shall not vote, move any motion or be counted for the purpose of a quorum.

(14)  That the committee or any subcommittee have power to call for witnesses to attend and for documents to be produced.

(15)  That the committee or any subcommittee may conduct proceedings at any place it sees fit.

(16)  That a subcommittee have power to adjourn from time to time and to sit during any adjournment of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

(17)  That the committee may report from time to time.

(18)  That the committee or any subcommittee have power to consider and make use of the evidence and records of the Joint Standing Committees on Treaties appointed during previous Parliaments.

(19)  That the provisions of this resolution, so far as they are inconsistent with the standing orders, have effect notwithstanding anything contained in the standing orders.

(20)  That a message be sent to the Senate acquainting it of this resolution and requesting that it concur and take action accordingly.

Question—put and passed.