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Ch18 Parliamentary committees / CONDUCT OF INQUIRIES / Reports / Drafting and consideration of reports



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House of Representatives                                Ch 18                                                 p 684

 

Parliamentary committees / CONDUCT OF INQUIRIES / Reports

 

Drafting and consideration of reports

Technically, it is the duty of the chair of a committee to prepare a draft report. 1 In order to pave the way for the preparation of a report after evidence has been received and reviewed, it is normal for members to discuss possible conclusions and recommendations at deliberative meetings. This process is normally assisted by advice and documentation from committee staff. In light of such discussions secretariats are able to develop draft report material for consideration, in the first instance, by the chair.

A member other than the chair may give a draft report to the committee. In this case the committee must first decide which report it will consider. 2

The procedures for the consideration of a draft report are set down in standing order 244:

(a) The Chair of a committee shall prepare a draft report and present it to the committee at a meeting convened for report consideration.

(b) The report may be considered at once if copies have been circulated in advance to each member of the committee. The report shall be considered paragraph by paragraph. When consideration of the chapters of the report is completed, the appendices shall be considered in order.

(c) After the draft report has been considered, the whole or any paragraph may be reconsidered and amended.

(d) A member objecting to any portion of the report may vote against it or move an amendment when the particular paragraph or appendix is under consideration.

(e) A member protesting about the report or dissenting from all or part of it may add a protest or dissenting report to the main report.

The committee may consider groups of paragraphs together, by leave. Amendments may be proposed by any member and are determined in the same way as amendments to a bill during the consideration in detail stage. The committee may divide on any question.

When all paragraphs and appendixes have been agreed to, with or without amendment, the question is proposed ‘That the draft report (as amended) be adopted’. The date which appears under the chair’s signature in the report is the date on which the report was adopted.

The procedures for the drafting, consideration, adoption, presentation and correction of inquiry reports apply equally to all committee reports, including special and interim reports.



S.O. 244(a).



S.O. 245.