Legislative Assembly
Parliament of
Fact Sheet 4
Parliamentary Terminology
The
Parliamentary Calendar
Session of Parliament
A session is a period of Parliament that starts on the
first sitting day following a general election or prorogation and ends when the
Legislative Assembly expires or is prorogued or dissolved.
Sitting of Parliament
A sitting refers to the period or periods each year
when Parliament ‘sits’ or is meeting. Current practice is for a sitting period
to last for the whole year. Previously there were two distinct periods each
year — the Autumn and Spring sittings. When the
Parliament is not sitting it is ‘in recess’. During
sitting weeks the Legislative Assembly normally sits on Tuesday, Wednesday and
Thursday, although it can sit on a Friday too.
Proclamations
An official
announcement by the Governor; usually concerning the date for an Act to come
into operation, the beginning or end of a parliament, or appointments of
ministers. All proclamations are
published in the Victorian Government Gazette. See www.gazette.vic.gov.au/.
Expiration
The Parliament of Victoria has fixed four year terms.
That means that every four years the Assembly ‘expires’ and a general election is held. The election is held on the last Saturday in November
and the Assembly expires on the Tuesday 25 days before then.
The expiration of the Assembly has the following
effects:
· All proceedings
come to an end — that is all bills, motions and questions on notice that have
not been dealt with lapse.
· Any sessional
orders cease to have effect.
· All committees
cease to exist.
Prorogation
The process where the
Governor issues a proclamation ending the current session of the Parliament. This also has the effect of terminating
all business before the House, ie any outstanding
business on the notice paper automatically lapses. If the Assembly is prorogued
there is not a general election, a new session of Parliament simply begins.
Dissolution
The Legislative Assembly is dissolved through a
proclamation issued by the Governor. This results in a general election being
held and the end of the Parliament. The Assembly can be dissolved for either of
two reasons: If the Assembly passes a motion of no confidence in the Premier
and other ministers, or on the advice of the Premier in the case of a
deadlocked bill.
Debates
Address-in-Reply
When a new session is opened, the Governor makes a
speech outlining the Government’s plans. Both the Assembly and the Council
separately respond to the speech, that response is known as the
Address-in-Reply. Debate on the Address-in-Reply usually takes place over a
number of days and is then presented to the Governor.
Further information:
· Fact Sheet 5: Opportunities for Debate
· Fact Sheet 26: Opening of Parliament
Inaugural Speech
An inaugural speech (traditionally known as a ‘maiden
speech’) is the first speech a new member of Parliament makes to the House. It
is normally heard without interruption and is non-political, providing some
information about the member’s background and areas of interest. It is usually
a contribution to the Address-in-Reply.
Further information:
·
Fact
Sheet 5: Opportunities for Debate
Parliament House and the Legislative Assembly
Chamber
The Assembly and Council each have their own Chamber
where they meet to conduct parliamentary business and debate. There are public
galleries where people may view proceedings, but only members of that House and
authorised parliamentary officers may enter the
debating area.
Further information:
· View the Virtual
Tour under The Parliament Building section of the Parliament Website
·
Fact Sheet 14: Why is the Assembly Green?
House
There are two Houses of Parliament, the Legislative
Assembly and the Legislative Council and the term is often used interchangeably
with ‘Chamber’. It is also used to mean the Parliament in session, for example
‘the House agreed to the motion’ or ‘the House considered the amendments’.
Further information:
·
Fact Sheet 12:
Parliamentary Procedures
Tabling of Documents
To ensure that information is available to both
members of Parliament and the public, documents such as government reports,
petitions and planning scheme amendment summaries have to be presented (or
‘tabled’) in Parliament.
Further information:
·
Fact Sheet 18: Documents Tabled in the Legislative
Assembly
Division
When the debate on an item has
concluded, a vote is taken. This may be
without a count (known as ‘on the voices’) or, if demanded by more than one
member, by a division. If a division is
called, the bells are rung to summon members to the Chamber.
Traditionally, members have moved to
opposite sides of the Chamber to vote for or against a question. Under current
procedures, however, party votes are normally held. The independent members are
each asked for their vote, and then the whip of each party states the total
vote on behalf of all their party members present. The votes are then tallied
by the Clerk and the result announced. The members voting for and against the
question are recorded in the Votes and
Proceedings.
Further information:
·
Fact Sheet 32: Divisions
·
Fact Sheet 35: Votes and Proceedings
Standing Orders
Standing orders are the comprehensive, permanent set
of rules that regulate procedure (such as the stages through which bills
proceed), debate and the conduct of members.
Further Information:
· View Standing
Orders under the Legislative Assembly section of the Parliament Website
Sessional Orders
Sessional orders are the temporary rules governing the
conduct of business in the Assembly and apply only for the session in which
they were adopted. They may vary the operation of the standing orders.
Further information:
· View Sessional Orders under the Legislative Assembly
section of the Parliament Website
May’s Parliamentary Practice
Also known as Erskine May, it is
the procedural reference text produced by the House of Commons, first written
over 150 years ago. May is used as a
procedural guide by parliaments following the
Legislation
Second Reading
The stage in Parliament’s consideration of a bill,
when a minister proposes that ‘a bill be read a second time’ and then makes a
speech outlining its purpose and effect. The bill is made public at this stage.
When the bill is next considered, a wide-ranging debate takes place.
Further information:
·
Fact Sheet 2: Stages of a Bill
· Information Sheet How
a Law is Made in Victoria
Consideration in Detail
This is an optional stage in the Assembly’s
consideration of a bill. The bill is examined clause by clause and amendments
may be moved. It is usually chaired by the Deputy Speaker.
Further information:
· Fact Sheet 17: Amendments to Bills — A
Practical Guide
·
Information Sheet How a Law is Made in Victoria
Royal Assent
When a bill is given royal assent it becomes an Act.
This occurs when the Governor, on behalf of the Queen, approves a bill which
has been passed by both Houses. The Act does not necessarily come into
operation on the day of royal assent.
Further information:
· Fact Sheet 2: Stages of a Bill
· Information Sheet How
a Law is Made in Victoria
Official Records
Votes and Proceedings
The Votes and
Proceedings are the official minutes of the Legislative Assembly. Unlike Hansard, which is an almost verbatim
account of debates, the Votes are a
summary of all the House’s formal actions and decisions.
Further information:
· View Votes and Proceedings under the
Legislative Assembly, Chamber Documents section of the Parliament Website
· Fact Sheet 35: Votes and Proceedings
Notice Paper
Each House produces its own notice paper which is an
agenda for the day’s proceedings. It shows items for discussion including bills
and motions.
Further information:
· View notice papers under the Legislative Assembly,
Chamber Documents section of the Parliament Website
Hansard
Hansard is the official printed reports of the
debates and proceedings of the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council.
Further information:
· ‘About Hansard’ under the Hansard section of the Parliament Website
Issued by the Clerk of the Legislative
Assembly, July 2007
Fact Sheets
The Legislative Assembly Procedure Office
has produced a series of Fact Sheets that explain parliamentary procedure and
terminology. All Fact Sheets are available on Parliament’s website www.parliament.vic.gov.au or through the Procedure
Office. Contact Details
Procedure Office, Legislative Assembly,
Parliament House, Spring Street, Phone No: 03
9651 8563 Fax No: 03 9650 7245 Email: assembly@parliament.vic.gov.au |