Rules Flashcards
When is an absolute majority required?
• decisions to suspend standing orders without notice; and
• decisions to rescind (or “undo”) an order of the Senate.
a bill to alter the constitution
When are secret ballots used?
standing orders provide for secret ballots to elect the President, Deputy President and members of committees where the number of candidates exceeds the number of positions available.
How many votes are needed to pass legislation.
The majority of senators in the chamber.
76 senators in total - so 39 to pass
How is a division called?
The chair’s call may be challenged by senators calling for a division. If two or more senators declared by the chair to be in the minority challenge the chair’s call, the chair informs the chamber that a division is required and orders that the bells be rung. The bells are rung for four minutes to enable senators to assemble in the chamber. The doors are then locked and the chair repeats the question, inviting those voting for the motion to sit to the right of the chair and those voting against the motion to sit to the left.
Who can call a division?
a division may be called for only by two or more senators who voted against the majority as declared by the chair;
• a lone senator calling for a division may have his or her vote recorded in the Journals without a division;
Can a senator change their vote on a division compared to the voices?
No
What other rules exist about a division?
senators must be present to vote;
• a senator who calls for a division must not leave the chamber until the division has taken place;
• the call for a division may be withdrawn by leave (unanimous consent of all senators present) at any time before the tellers are appointed;
senators must remain seated during a division;
• if a point of order is taken during a division, senators may speak to it while seated.
By leave, a group of senators voting against a motion may have their votes recorded, as an alternative to a division.
What are one minute divisions?
If divisions are held successively, without intervening debate, the bells are rung for one minute for each successive division, rather than the usual four minutes. Although the chair, if aware of the possibility, generally warns senators if a one minute bell is likely, noise in the chamber often prevents senators from receiving the message. Therefore, if the bells ring soon after a division, senators who have left the chamber need to be aware that they may have only one minute to return. Television monitors in Parliament House display a time signal in the top right hand corner indicating how much time remains for a senator to reach the chamber. A caption also indicates whether the bells are ringing for a quorum or a division.
What happens if a senator fails to make it to the chamber in time, and it changes the outcome of the vote?
If counting or recording errors or confusion occur which cannot be corrected (for example, by the tellers certifying that a pairing error occurred), another division is held. In practice, divisions may also be held again by leave if misadventure prevents a senator reaching the chamber and the result does not re ect the voting strengths of the parties and independents. Misadventure may include mechanical or electronic failures leading to malfunctioning bells or lifts. The Senate invariably grants leave to ensure that questions are not determined by accidents of this sort.
What is Business of the Senate?
Business of the Senate includes disallowance motions (Brief Guide No. 19—Disallowance), motions to refer matters to standing committees (Brief Guide No. 13—Referring matters to committees) and orders requiring the presentation of committee reports. Motions concerning leave of absence for senators and motions concerning the quali cation of senators under the Constitution also fall within this category. The Senate can also order that other items be considered in this category on an ad hoc basis. For example, when a report of the Procedure Committee is presented it is now common for
a motion to be moved proposing that consideration of the report be made a business of the Senate order for another day.
What is government business?
Government business is business initiated by (or on behalf of) a minister or a parliamentary secretary. The majority of this business consists of government legislation. A minister or parliamentary secretary can also move motions in a private – rather than a ministerial – capacity, in which case the business will fall into the appropriate category according to its subject
matter. In recent years, around 50% of the Senate’s time has been spent in the consideration of government business.
What is “General Business”?
General business consists of all other business initiated by senators who are not ministers or parliamentary secretaries and which doesn’t fall into any other category.
What is a ‘Notice of Motion’?
A notice of motion indicates a senator’s intention to move a particular motion on a particular day (see Brief Guide No. 8—Notices of motion). Notices are placed on the Notice Paper under the relevant category of business in the order in which they are given. Notices of motion are usually considered before orders of the day, although the Government has the right to place its notices of motion and orders of the day on the Notice Paper as it sees t. Where a motion is moved but not nally determined – that is, the debate is adjourned or interrupted by other business – the continuation of the debate on the motion becomes an order of the day for a later time.
What is an “order of the day’?
An order of the day is an item of business that the Senate has set down for consideration on a particular day. The most common orders of the day are orders to continue a debate adjourned on a previous day, orders requiring the presentation of committee reports, orders to commence the next stage of consideration of legislation and orders for the consideration of messages received from the House of Representatives.
The senate can introduce and amend any bill accept …
Money Bills (a bill proposing an expenditure or levying a tax),
