The Government Business Program is agreed to in the Legislative Assembly at the beginning of each sitting week.  It lists the government business, normally bills, to be completed in the Assembly by the end of that sitting week.  The Program includes a completion time, by which all the government business on the Program must be completed.

At the completion time, regardless of what stage the House is up to in debating each item of programmed business, no further debate can take place.  Members must then vote on all the outstanding business, for example whether to pass a bill.

This fact sheet explains what government business is, how the Government Business Program is decided and what happens at completion time. 

The Government Business Program was introduced in 1993 by the Kennett government.  The then Leader of the House, the Hon Phil Gude, provided several reasons for the introduction of such a program, including:

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that the time in the House ‘should be used efficiently and effectively’;

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a desire to discontinue late night sittings;

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to stop ‘time-wasting and filibustering’, which ‘does no-one any credit and does nothing to raise the standard of Parliament or its members in the eyes of the public’; and

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to provide a guide for interested parties both within Parliament and outside.

The Government Business Program has been included in the Assembly’s procedures continually since 1993.  Although some changes have been made, the main elements have not altered.  The current procedures are set out in Standing Orders 94 to 102.

Any matter introduced by a minister for debate is classified as government business.  The most common items of government business are bills, but it also includes motions — for example to set up a new parliamentary committee inquiry.

Before the House meets in any sitting week, the Government works out which business it wishes to program and may hold discussions with the other parties.  When the Program is finalised, it may be made public. 

On the first day of the sitting week (usually Tuesday), the Government then formally proposes which business should be programmed for that week and what the completion time should be.  The proposal can be debated for up to 30 minutes, or until six members have spoken (maximum five minutes each), whichever is the shorter.

Usually the items on the Government Business Program are bills.  Occasionally other items of government business are included, for example a motion moved to agree to the address-in-reply to the Governor’s Speech.  This item was programmed on 14 March 2000.

Yes.  The government can propose an amendment to the Program.  This proposal can also be debated for up to 30 minutes or until six members have spoken (maximum five minutes each), whichever is the shorter.

Any changes to the program come into operation one hour after the proposal is agreed to.

When the completion time comes around, which is usually 4.00 pm Thursday in a normal sitting week, the Chair interrupts the House, stopping all discussions, in order to turn everybody’s attention to the business that still needs to be completed under the Government Business Program. 

If at the completion time the House is in the middle of a division (see Fact Sheet 32: Divisions), the division must be completed and the result announced.  After that, the Chair then interrupts the House.

Depending on what was being discussed when the Chair interrupts, different things may happen before the House can properly complete all the programmed business. 

… what if the House is debating something which is not on the Program?

If the House is debating something which isn’t on the Government Business Program, debate on that item stops immediately.  The discussion that was interrupted will continue after all the programmed business has been completed, allowing any member who was speaking at the interruption to carry on with his or her speech.

… what if the House is debating something which is on the Program?

If programmed business is being debated when the Chair interrupts, members first vote on the question being debated — for example, the second reading of a bill — and then they must consider all the other questions needed to pass the bill.  After this has been completed the House turns its attention to the rest of the Government Business Program.

… completing all programmed business

Each item of remaining programmed business is dealt with separately.

If the item of government business is not a bill, the Chair will ask members to vote on the question needed in order to complete that item.

For a bill, any further discussion or debate about the bill is not allowed.  The Chair will combine into one question all the questions needed to pass the bill. 

If there are any amendments to the bill which have been circulated but not yet decided upon, only those amendments from the Government will be included in this final question to pass the bill (provided they have been circulated more than two hours before the completion time).  Amendments announced and circulated by non-government parties and independent members do not get included in the final question and are not voted on.

… combining questions

All remaining questions to pass a bill may be combined unless an absolute or special majority of all the members of the Assembly is required to pass the third reading stage of a bill.  This question must be asked separately.  Bills that require an absolute or special majority for the third reading are listed in Victoria’s Constitution, and are bills which contain proposals to change particular provisions of the Constitution.

An absolute majority is simply a majority of all of the members of the Legislative Assembly.  This means at least 45 votes (out of 88) in favour of the proposal put by the Chair.

A special majority is a 3/5^ths majority of all of the members of the Legislative Assembly.  This means at least 53 votes (out of 88) in favour of the proposal put by the Chair.

For further details, see Fact Sheet 25: Altering Victoria’s Constitution.

No points of order (questions about procedure or conduct in the house) will be accepted by the Chair once the completion time has arrived until all the required questions to complete the Government Business Program have been dealt with.

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Parliament’s web page, www.parliament.vic.gov.au, gives access to the Votes and Proceedings (the minutes of the day’s sitting).  Tuesday’s Votes and Proceedings will be online by Wednesday morning, and the Government Business Program will be included (provided it was agreed on the Tuesday).

Parliament’s web page - Legislative Assembly - Documents - Chamber Documents - Votes and Proceedings - [choose relevant or most recent Votes and Proceedings]

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The Legislative Assembly Procedure Office can provide details of the Government Business Program as soon as it is decided.  Email the Procedure Office: assembly@parliament.vic.gov.au

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Procedure Office: 03 9651 8564.

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Visit the Procedure Office and ask for details.

Phone:

03 9651 8563

Fax:

03 9650 7245

Email:

assembly@parliament.vic.gov.au