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24A Selection of Bills

(1) A Selection of Bills Committee shall be appointed at the commencement of each Parliament to consider all bills introduced into the Senate or received from the House of Representatives, except bills which contain no provisions oth er than provisions appropriating revenue or moneys, and to report--

(a) in respect of each such bill, whether the bill should be referred to a legislative and general purpose standing committee; and

(b) in respect of each bill recommended for referral to a standing committee:

(i) the standing committee to which the bill should be referred,

(ii) the stage in the consideration of the bill at which it should be referred to the standing committee, and

(iii) the day which should be fixed for the standing commi ttee to report on the bill.

(2) (a) The committee shall consist of the Government Whip and 2 other senators nominated by the Leader of the Government in the Senate, the Opposition Whip and 2 other senators nominated by the Leader of the Opposition in the S enate, and the whips of any minority groups.

(b) The quorum of the committee shall be 4 members.

(c) The chair of the committee shall be the Government Whip, and the chair shall appoint from time to time a deputy chair to act as chair when the chair is not present at a meeting.

(d) In the event of votes on a question before the committee being equally divided, the chair, or the deputy chair when acting as chair, shall have a casting vote.

(3) Where the committee reports on any sitting day, the report sha ll be presented after the giving of notices of motion.

(4) Following the presentation of a report by the committee, the chair of the committee, or a member of the committee on behalf of the chair, may move without notice a motion for the adoption of the report.

(5) Amendments may be moved to a motion under paragraph (4), including amendments to refer to a standing committee any bill of the kind referred to in paragraph (1) which is not the subject of a motion moved pursuant to paragraph (4).

(6) An amendment of the kind referred to in paragraph (5) shall specify--

(a) the standing committee to which the bill is to be referred;

(b) the stage in the consideration of the bill at which it is to be referred to the committee; and

(c) the day on which the commit tee is to report.

(7) On a motion moved pursuant to paragraph (4), a senator shall not speak for more than 5 minutes, and at the expiration of 30 minutes, if the debate be not sooner concluded, the President shall put the question on the motion and any ame ndments before the chair, but if a senator wishes to move a further amendment at that time, that amendment may be moved and shall be determined without debate.

(8) Where a motion moved pursuant to paragraph (4) is agreed to with or without amendment, at the conclusion of the stage of the consideration of a bill referred to in the report adopted by that motion or in an amendment, the bill shall stand referred to the standing committee specified, and the further consideration of the bill shall be an order of the day for the day fixed for the presentation of the report of the standing committee.

(9) In considering a bill referred to it pursuant to this standing order, a standing committee shall have no power to make amendments to the bill or requests for amendments, but may recommend amendments or requests for amendments which would be in order if proposed in a committee of the whole.

(10) A report from a standing committee relating to a bill referred to it under this order shall be received by the Senate without debate, and consideration of the report deferred until the order of the day relating to the bill is called on.

(11) Where:

(a) the committee recommends that a bill be referred to a select committee; or

(b) a senator indicates that the senator intends t o move to establish a select committee to consider a bill or to refer a bill to an existing select committee,

this standing order shall have effect as if each reference to a standing committee included reference to a select committee.

(adopted 13 February 1997)