House of Representatives                                Ch 10                                                 p 370

Postponed clauses

A clause,¹ clauses which have been taken together by leave,² a clause and an amendment moved to the clause,³ or a clause which has been amended,⁴ may be postponed. The postponement may be specific, for example, ‘until after clause 6’.⁵ If not specific, postponed clauses are considered after schedules and before the title, or if there is a preamble, before the preamble.⁶ Part of a clause may also be postponed.⁷

A postponement of a clause is regarded as a motion, not an amendment. The motion to postpone a clause may be debated.⁸ Debate is limited to the question of postponement, and the bill or the clause may not be discussed. In relation to the Family Law Bill 1974 the House agreed to a procedural motion which, inter alia, postponed clauses 1 to 47 until after clause 48,⁹ the clause that was attracting the attention of most Members. On occasions a motion has been moved that a clause be postponed ‘as an instruction to the Government that . . .’¹⁰ or ‘so that the Government may redraft it to provide . . .’.¹¹ The proposed instruction was not recorded in the Votes and Proceedings.

VP 1974–75/583.

VP 1970–72/975.

VP 1970–72/1294.

VP 1956–57/192.

VP 1970–72/975.

S.O. 149(a).

VP 1970–72/771.

VP 1962–63/28; H.R. Deb. (27.2.62) 222–34.

VP 1974–75/639–40.

H.R. Deb. (18.5.56) 2269.

H.R. Deb. (18.5.56) 2294.