Chapter 9 - Times of sittings and routine of business

55 Times of meetings

The days and times of meeting of the Senate in each sitting week shall be:
Monday 10 am – 10.30 pm
Tuesday midday – adjournment
Wednesday 9.30 am – 8 pm
Thursday 9.30 am – 6 pm.
The President, at the request of an absolute majority of the whole number of senators that the Senate meet at a certain time, shall fix a time of meeting in accordance with that request, and the time of meeting shall be notified to each senator.
For that purpose a request by the leader or deputy leader of a party in the Senate shall be deemed to be a request by every senator of that party.
A request may be made to the President by delivery to the Clerk, who shall immediately notify the President.
If the President is unavailable, the Clerk shall notify the Deputy President, or, should the Deputy President be unavailable, any one of the Temporary Chairs of Committees, who shall be required to summon the Senate on behalf of the President, in accordance with this standing order.

(amended 13 February 1997, 4 September 1997, 7 December 1998, 28 August 2002, 14 May 2003, 24 June 2015: with effect from the first sitting day in August 2015, 26 June 2018, 25 August 2020)

56 Conduct of business

A motion connected with the conduct of the business of the Senate may be moved by a minister at any time without notice.

57 Routine of business

The routine of business shall be:
1. On Monday:
  1. Government business only
  2. At 1.30pm, statements pursuant to standing order 57(4)
  3. At 2 pm, questions
  4. Motions to take note of answers
  5. Petitions
  6. Notices of motion
  7. Postponement and rearrangement of business
  8. Formal motions – discovery of formal business
  9. Any proposal to debate a matter of public importance or urgency
  10. Consideration of documents under standing order 61 for up to 30 minutes
  11. Government business
  12. At 8 pm, adjournment proposed
  13. At 8.30 pm, adjournment.
2. On Tuesday:
  1. Government business only
  2. At 1.30 pm,statements pursuant to standing order 57(4)
  3. At 2 pm, questions
  4. Motions to take note of answers
  5. Petitions
  6. Notices of motion
  7. Postponement and rearrangement of business
  8. Formal motions – discovery of formal business
  9. Any proposal to debate a matter of public importance or urgency
  10. Consideration of documents under standing order 61 for up to 30 minutes
  11. Consideration of committee reports under standing order 62(4) for up to 60 minutes
  12. Government business
  13. At 7.30 pm, adjournment proposed
  14. Adjournment
3. On Wednesday:
  1. General business orders of the day for consideration of bills only, for up to 1 hour and 10 minutes
  2. Government business only
  3. At 12.15 pm, senators' statements [pursuant to standing order 57(2)]
  4. At 1.30 pm, statements pursuant to standing order 57(4)
  5. At 2 pm, questions
  6. Motions to take note of answers
  7. Petitions
  8. Notices of motion
  9. Postponement and rearrangement of business
  10. Formal motions – discovery of formal business
  11. Any proposal to debate a matter of public importance or urgency
  12. Consideration of documents under standing order 61 for up to 30 minutes
  13. Consideration of committee reports under standing order 62(4) for up to 60 minutes
  14. Government business
  15. At 7.30 pm, adjournment proposed
  16. At 8 pm, adjournment.
4. On Thursday:
  1. General business orders of the day for consideration of bills only, for up to 1 hour and 10 minutes
  2. Government business only
  3. At 11.15 am, petitions
  4. Notices of motion
  5. Postponement and rearrangement of business
  6. Formal motions – discovery of formal business
  7. Government business
  8. At 12.15 pm, non-controversial government business only
  9. At 1.30 pm, statements pursuant to standing order 57(4)
  10. At 2 pm, questions
  11. Motions to take note of answers
  12. Consideration of reports and documents for up to 60 minutes, in the following order:
    • tabling and consideration of committee reports and government responses [standing order 62(4)]
    • consideration of documents listed on the Notice Paper [orders of the day under standing order 61]
    • consideration of committee reports, government responses and Auditor-General’s reports listed on the Notice Paper [orders of the day under standing order 62]
  13. Consideration of general business only
  14. At 5.30 pm, adjournment proposed
  15. At 6 pm, adjournment.
On Wednesday, at 12.15 pm till 1.30 pm senators may make statements without any question before the chair, provided that a senator shall not speak for more than 10 minutes, and if a division is called for, the division shall be taken at a later hour of the day, not being earlier than 2 pm.
If a division is called for on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday after 6.30 pm, or on Thursday after 4.30 pm, the division shall be taken on the next day of sitting, at a time fixed by the Senate. If the matter before the Senate cannot proceed further until the division is taken, the matter shall be adjourned.
At 1.30 pm each day, for a period of not more than 30 minutes, senators may make statements without any question before the chair, provided that a senator shall not speak for more than 2 minutes and, if a division is called for, it shall be taken at a later hour of the day after the time for such statements.

(amended 13 February 1997, 7 December 1998, 28 August 2002, 14 May 2003, 10 March 2009, 12 March 2013, 24 June 2015: with effect from the first sitting day in August 2015, 26 June 2018, 25 August 2020, 2 December 2021, 8 September 2022; with effect from the first sitting day in October 2022)

58 Business of the Senate

The following business shall be placed on the Notice Paper as business of the Senate, and shall take precedence of government and general business for the day on which it is set down for consideration:

A motion for leave of absence to a senator.
A motion concerning the qualification of a senator.
A motion to disallow, disapprove, or declare void and of no effect any instrument made under the authority of any Act of Parliament which provides for the instrument to be subject to disallowance or disapproval by either House of the Parliament, or subject to a resolution of either House of the Parliament declaring the instrument to be void and of no effect.
An order of the day for the presentation of a report from a committee.
A motion to refer a matter to a standing committee.
A motion for the adoption of a report from the Committee of Privileges on serious breach findings referred to it by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Commission.

(amended 9 October 2024)

59 Government and general business

Government business shall take precedence over general business, except at the times indicated for the consideration of general business under standing order 57(1).

(amended 13 February 1997, 24 June 2015: with effect from the first sitting day in August 2015, 26 June 2018, 25 August 2020, 8 September 2022; with effect from the first sitting day in October 2022)

60 Reports of committees—precedence

A motion for the consideration or adoption of the report of a committee of the Senate and any government statement on such a report shall take precedence of any other general business on the day on which it is set down for consideration.

61 Consideration of documents

1. On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, documents presented by the President or by a minister shall be considered pursuant to this standing order at the time provided.
2. Immediately after prayers on any day when consideration of documents occurs, the President or a minister may present documents by handing them to the Clerk without any announcement to the Senate, and the presentation of such documents shall be reported to the Senate by the President when the consideration of documents is called on under this standing order.
3. Documents presented on Monday and not called on on Monday may be considered on Tuesday after the documents presented on that day, and documents presented on Monday and Tuesday and not called on on either day may be considered on Wednesday after documents presented on that day.
When documents are called on by the President pursuant to this standing order a motion may be moved without notice that the Senate take note of one or several of them.
The debate on any motion moved pursuant to this standing order shall be conducted as follows:
1. a senator shall not speak for more than 5 minutes;
2. if debate pursuant to this standing order is not concluded it shall be interrupted after 30 minutes;
3. if the debate is adjourned or interrupted, the resumption of the debate shall be an order of the day for the Thursday of that week at the time specified in standing order 57(1)(d), or, if it is so ordered, for the next day of sitting; and
4. on Thursdays, at the time provided, when an order of the day is called on under this standing order senators who have previously spoken to that order of the day may speak again for not more than 5 minutes.
Where a document is presented but is not called on under paragraph (1), the consideration of that document shall be made an order of the day for the next day on which general business is considered without any question being put, and where that order of the day is called on at that time, a motion may be moved without notice to take note of that document.
Where consideration of a document is an order of the day in accordance with paragraph (4), it shall remain an order of the day for each succeeding day on which general business is considered till:
1. the order of the day is called on and no motion to take note of the document is moved;
2. a motion to take note of the document is determined; or
3. the order of the day is discharged from the Notice Paper,
whichever first occurs.
Where debates on motions moved under the provisions of this standing order are adjourned or interrupted and are called on in the normal course of business, senators who have spoken to the motions under the provisions of this standing order may speak again for the time allowed by the standing orders for that business.

(amended 13 February 1997, 11 May 2004, 24 June 2015: with effect from the first sitting day in August 2015, 25 August 2020)

62 Consideration of committee reports and government responses and Auditor-General's reports

Where in any week there are orders of the day for the resumption of debate on motions for the consideration or adoption of reports of committees or government responses to such reports:
1. on Thursday at the time provided orders of the day relating to reports of committees or government responses presented to the Senate during that week shall be severally called on, in the order in which the respective reports or government responses were presented;
2. if there are no orders of the day relating to committee reports or government responses presented during that week, or if debate on motions relating to such reports or government responses concludes before the expiration of the time specified in standing order 57(1)(d), orders of the day relating to committee reports or government responses presented prior to that week shall then be severally called on in an order which is the reverse of the order in which the respective reports or government responses were presented; and
3. in any debate on such motions so called on, each senator may speak for not more than 5 minutes.
Reports of the Auditor-General in respect of which no motion is moved on their presentation, and orders of the day for adjourned debates on such reports, shall be placed on the Notice Paper for consideration on Thursday at the time for the consideration of committee reports and government responses under general business, after those reports and responses.
Where debate on a motion under the provisions of this standing order is adjourned or interrupted, senators who have spoken to the motion under the provisions of this standing order may speak again to the motion for the time allowed by the standing orders when the debate on the motion is again called on in the normal course of business.
1. If a committee report or government response to a report is presented at the time provided on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, a motion may be moved relating to the report or response.
2. A senator speaking to such a motion shall not speak for more than 10 minutes, and debate on all such motions shall not exceed 60 minutes.
3. If a debate is not concluded at the expiration of that time the debate shall be made an order of the day for Thursday at the time for consideration of committee reports and government responses.

(amended 14 October 1991, 13 February 1997, 10 May 2000, 24 June 2015: with effect from the first sitting day in August 2015, 25 August 2020)

63 Presentation of documents

Documents ordered to be presented, returns, and reports of committees may be presented at any time when no other business is before the Senate.

64 New business

No new business shall be commenced after the question for the adjournment of the Senate has been first put on any sitting day.

65 Government business on Notice Paper

Ministers may arrange the order of their notices of motion and orders of the day on the Notice Paper as they think fit.

66 Formal motions

At the time provided for formal motions the President shall inquire with respect to each motion of which notice has been given for the day, at the request of the senator who gave the notice, whether there is any objection to its being taken as a formal motion, and if no objection is taken by any senator, the motion shall be deemed to be a formal motion.
Formal motions shall take precedence of all other motions and orders of the day and shall be disposed of in the order in which they stand on the Notice Paper.
A formal motion shall be put and determined without amendment or debate.
The question on any motion to suspend standing orders moved in the following circumstances shall be put immediately without any amendment or debate:
1. any motion to suspend standing orders to provide for the consideration of a motion for which formality has been denied; and
2. any other motion to suspend standing orders moved during consideration of formal business under standing order 66.
A request for the consideration of general business notices of motion as formal business shall only be recognised in respect of motions for:
1. the consideration of legislation by the Senate (including the introduction of bills);
2. the conduct of Senate business;
3. the conduct of Senate or joint committee business (including the appointment of a select committee); and
4. proposing an order for the production of documents (including proposing further action in relation to an order for the production of documents).

(amended 13 February 1997, 4 July 2019, 2 December 2021)

67 Postponement of business

A senator, including a committee chair, who wishes to postpone a notice or order of the day of which the senator (or the committee) is in charge shall, before the time for postponement of business, deliver to the Clerk written notification of the postponement. At that time the Clerk shall read a list of such items, and they shall then be taken to be postponed accordingly, but, at the request of any senator, the question for the postponement of an item shall be put to the Senate for determination without amendment or debate.

This standing order does not apply to an order of the day for the presentation of a report of a select committee.

(amended 13 February 1997, 30 November 1999, 24 June 2015: with effect from the first sitting day in August 2015)

68 Interruption of business

If any business before the Senate or a committee of the whole is interrupted by the operation of any standing or other order, such business may be dealt with at a later hour of the day, or shall be set down on the Notice Paper for the next day of sitting.
Where an order of the Senate specifies a time for the consideration of a matter, at the specified time:
1. if a question is before the Senate consideration of that question shall be interrupted, a senator speaking shall be taken to have leave to continue the senator's speech, and resumption of debate on that question shall be made an order of the day for a later hour of the day without any question being put;
2. if the Senate is in committee the chair shall report progress, and further consideration of the business before the committee shall be made an order of the day for a later hour of the day without any questions being put; or
3. if a vote is being taken the vote shall be completed and the procedures in paragraph (a) or (b) then followed as appropriate.