|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The House normally meets on a Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of a sitting week. On a Tuesday the House starts sitting at 2.00 pm and, on other days, at 9.30 am.
The business of the Legislative Assembly for each sitting day is listed in the notice paper. This is the formal agenda and it lists all business to come before the House for which notice has been given. The listing of business can cover a period of several weeks. Items of business (Orders of the Day) are listed in the order that they are to be considered, although this order can and does change.
Click here to download a diagram representing a guide to normal sitting days. The major elements of such days are described below. The order and nature of business considered is governed by standing and sessional orders; see Fact Sheet 4: Parliamentary Terminology.
On a sitting day bells ring throughout the Parliament to call members to the Chamber for the start of the day’s proceedings. To distinguish between bells for the Assembly and those for the Council, lights are also displayed — green for the Assembly and red for the Council. When a quorum is present, the Presiding Officer enters the Chamber. In the Assembly, the Presiding Officer is the Speaker and he or she is preceded by the Serjeant-at-Arms who announces, ‘Honourable Members — the Speaker’ and then, after escorting the Speaker to the Chair, places the Mace on the Table of the House.
On taking the Chair, the Speaker bows to each side of the Chamber and the clerks, and is bowed to in return by the members and clerks. The Speaker then reads the Lord’s Prayer while members stand in their places. At the conclusion of the Prayer, the Speaker proceeds to the business of the House.
The Speaker calls on question time, officially known as questions without notice, immediately after the Prayer on a Tuesday and at 2.00 pm on a Wednesday and Thursday. The Speaker asks, ‘Are there any questions?’ to which members respond by standing to attract the Speaker’s attention for the right to ask the first question, traditionally given to an opposition member. On each sitting day question time lasts for 30 minutes, or until 10 questions have been answered, whichever is the longer. For further details see Fact Sheet 15: Guide for Visitors to Question Time.
Formal business follows question time on a Tuesday. On the other sitting days formal business occurs at the start of the day. This part of the day is made up of notices of motion, the introduction of bills, the tabling of petitions (see Fact Sheet 8: Petitions) and select committee reports, the tabling of other documents under Acts of Parliament, messages from the Governor, messages from the Council and motions by leave.
Each sitting day a time is set aside for members to make statements. Members may make statements on any topic of concern; each statement cannot last longer than 90 seconds and the total time allocated every day is 30 minutes.
Time is set aside each sitting Wednesday (other than when there is a grievance debate) to provide for a discussion on a matter of public importance immediately after members have finished making statements.
A member may propose to the Speaker that a definite matter of public importance is submitted to the House for discussion. The discussion can be no longer than two hours. The first government and non-government speakers may speak for a maximum of 15 minutes and any other member for a maximum of 10 minutes. No vote is taken at the end of the discussion.
On the first sitting Wednesday of each Autumn and Spring sitting period, and every subsequent third sitting Wednesday, debate takes place on the question ‘That grievances be noted’. (The current practice is for sitting periods to last for the whole year.) The debate gives members the opportunity to raise matters of specific concern relating to individual constituents or other issues of significance. Each member may speak for no more than 15 minutes. The whole debate lasts for two hours, or until eight members have spoken, whichever is the shorter.
Each Wednesday members may make statements about any parliamentary committee report (other than some specific reports of the Scrutiny of Acts and Regulations Committee) which has been tabled during the current parliament. A statement can last for a maximum of five minutes. The total time allocated is 30 minutes, or until six members have spoken, whichever is the shorter.
Government business consists of legislation and motions introduced by ministers. Such business takes up the largest portion of the House’s time and includes, for example, debate on bills listed on the notice paper.
The length of time devoted to debate on each item depends on its urgency, the amount of time available and the number of members wishing to speak on it. Often such matters are negotiated between the parties.
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. For further details see Fact Sheet 32: Divisions.
The present practice is for the House to break for lunch between 1.00 and 2.00 pm and then to break for dinner between 6.30 and 8.00 pm.
At 10.00 pm, unless a minister moves to continue the sitting, debate is interrupted and the House starts the adjournment debate. Two bells are rung to indicate that the adjournment debate has started.
The adjournment debate gives members an opportunity to raise issues relating to their electorates with the relevant ministers. Members have three minutes each to raise issues within a 30 minute period, or until 10 members have spoken, whichever is the sooner. Ministers then have an opportunity to respond to any of those issues within a 30 minute period.
At the end of the adjournment debate, the Speaker is escorted from the Chair by the Serjeant-at-Arms and the bells are rung four times to signal the adjournment of the House. For further information see Fact Sheet 29: Adjournment of the House.
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.
Legislative Assembly Procedure Office
Parliament House
Spring Street
EAST
MELBOURNE VIC 3002
|
Phone: |
03 9651 8563 |
|
Fax: |
03 9650 7245 |
|
Email: |
To make our Fact Sheets as effective as they can be, we need your feedback. Click here to complete an online questionnaire.
Compiled by the Procedure Office
and issued by the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly
April 2007
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|