Sessional orders: Council

In Standing Order 4.07(7) for “will” substitute “may”.

Standing Orders 5.02(2) and (3) are suspended and the following order of business will apply on Wednesday —

Messages

Formal business

Members’ statements (up to 15 members)

Private member bills – moving second readings of bills for which precedence has been ordered

Short form documents motions (up to 2 motions)

General business

At 12.00 noon Questions

General business (continues)

At 5.15 pm, or after 300 minutes of general business has elapsed (whichever is later) Statements on tabled papers and petitions (30 minutes)

Petitions (qualifying for debate) (30 minutes)

Government business (maximum 60 minutes)

Adjournment (up to 20 members)

Notwithstanding Standing Order 13.03(2), if —

(1)   a member is ordered to withdraw from the House under Standing Order 13.03(1) during questions without notice; and

(2)   the time for questions without notice concludes before the expiration of the suspension period —

the member may return to the Chamber at the conclusion of question time and must serve the remainder of their suspension during the next occurrence of questions without notice.

Standing Order 23.05(1) is suspended to the extent necessary to allow the following committees to consist of the following number of members:

(1) Economy and Infrastructure Standing Committee will consist of nine members; and

(2) Environment and Planning Standing Committee will consist of nine members.

After Standing Order 10.01(3) insert:

(4)  A motion under this Standing Order (other than a motion that imposes a sanction) may be treated by the Council as a short form documents motion. The following short form documents motion procedures
will apply —

(a)  a member must advise of the intention for the motion to be treated by the Council as a short form documents motion at the time of giving notice under Standing Order 6.01;

(b) a maximum of two motions under this Sessional Order may be —

    (i)  moved by non-government members and debated each Wednesday;

   (ii) moved by government members and debated on Tuesday and Thursday;

(c) if additional notices above the number permitted for debate each sitting day are given for short form documents motions, they will be listed on subsequent sitting days in the order that notice was given;

(d) a motion proposed to be debated under this Sessional Order will take precedence on —

   (i) Tuesday and Thursday at the time prescribed for government business;

   (ii) Wednesday at the time prescribed for short form documents motions in Sessional Order 2;

(e) the following time limits will apply to a short form documents motion —

   (i)  the mover of the motion may speak only once for up to six minutes;

   (ii) any other member may speak for up to five minutes;

   (iii) the total time for consideration of the motion will be up to 20 minutes; and

(f) at the conclusion of debate or after 20 minutes of debate (whichever occurs first), the President will put all questions necessary to dispose of the motion and any amendments.

The foregoing provisions, so far as they are inconsistent with the Standing Orders or practices of the Council, will have effect notwithstanding anything contained in the Standing Orders or practices of the Council.

After Standing Order 10.01 insert:

(1)  The Secretary, Department of Premier and Cabinet, may write to the Clerk at any time up to and including the seventh day prior to the date for the return of documents and request that the scope of an order be varied.

(2)  A request to vary the scope of an order for the production of documents must include reasons why the scope of the order should be varied, which may include but are not limited to —

(a)  why the timeframe for the production of the documents cannot be met; and/or

(b)  why the terms of the order are likely to result in the production of a large number of documents reasonably believed to be irrelevant to the intent of the order for documents.

(3)  The Clerk will provide the request and any accompanying documents to the President and the member who moved the original order for documents. The Clerk will advise all members and publish notification that a request has been received.

(4)  When a request under this Sessional Order is received —

(a) the original order and the date for return of documents is suspended; and

(b) if —

(i)  the request is rejected, the original order stands and the documents ordered are to be produced to the House by the original due date, or if that date has passed, within a further seven calendar days, and the Clerk will advise all members and publish any correspondence received relating to the rejection;

(ii)  agreement is not reached within 14 calendar days, the original order stands and the documents ordered are to be produced to the House by the original due date, or if that date has passed, within a further seven calendar days, and the Clerk will advise all members and publish notification that the request has lapsed;

(iii)  an agreement is reached between the member and the Secretary, Department of Premier and Cabinet, and is certified by the President, the Clerk will advise all members and publish the terms of the agreement, the President’s certification, and any correspondence received relating to the agreement.

(5)  On the next sitting day, at the start of formal business, the President will report the agreement to the House and table all relevant documents.

(6)  The President will then propose the question to the House “That the varied terms of the order be agreed to”. This question may not be amended or debated except for the member who moved the original order and a Minister may make a statement of up to
5 minutes each.

(7)  If the question is resolved in the negative, the original order remains in force.