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Ch16 Non-government business / MATTERS OF PUBLIC IMPORTANCE / Discussion / Matter read to House and supported



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House of Representatives                                Ch 16                                                 p 582

 

Non-government business / MATTERS OF PUBLIC IMPORTANCE / Discussion

 

Matter read to House and supported

If a matter has been proposed within the specified time, accepted as in order, and selected if more than one matter has been proposed, the Speaker reads it to the House before the calling on of government business.

After reading the matter to the House the Speaker calls on those Members who approve of the proposed discussion to rise in their places. The proposed discussion must be supported by at least eight Members, including the proposer, standing in their places as indicating approval. The Speaker then calls upon the proposer to open the discussion.

On occasions matters have not been further proceeded with because of the absence of the proposer 1 or because they lacked the necessary support. 2 The Member who proposes a matter for discussion must, under the standing orders, open the discussion in the House. However, on one occasion standing orders were suspended 3 and on another leave was granted 4 to enable another Member to act for the Member who had proposed a matter for discussion. On another occasion, when the Member who had proposed the approved discussion had been suspended from the service of the House prior to opening the discussion, standing orders were suspended to permit another Member to move a motion on a related subject. 5 The action of Members rising in their places does not necessarily indicate approval of the subject matter in any way, but simply indicates approval to a proposed discussion taking place. Government Members, including Ministers, have supported the discussion of matters proposed by non-Government Members. 6 Once a proposed discussion commences the only relevant provision concerning the number of Members present in the House is that relating to a quorum, and there is no requirement that all or any of the supporting Members remain. 7



H.R. Deb. (24.5.89) 2819, VP 1987-89/1273 (proposer suspended from House); H.R. Deb. (31.3.92) 1480; 

VP 1990-93/1404.



VP 1920-21/799; VP 1929-31/941; VP 1954-55/356, 365; H.R. Deb. (19.8.93) 356.



VP 1962-63/463. The Member’s plane had been delayed by fog, H.R. Deb. (7.5.63) 1043.



VP 2004-05/214.



VP 1987-89/527-8; see also VP 1987-89/1273.



E.g. H.R. Deb. (12.11.02) 8785.



H.R. Deb. (20.9.77) 1297-8.