Chapter 3 - Publication
of Senate proceedings
Proceedings public
Since the establishment of the Senate all of its proceedings have been
conducted in public. The standing orders contemplate that the Senate may meet in
private session (SO 175(2)(a)), but
this could occur only by a deliberate decision of the Senate.
Documents laid before the Senate are automatically published (SO 167; see also
Chapter 18, Documents).
Provision
is made in the Senate chamber for
public galleries, for a press gallery and for facilities for radio and
television broadcasting.
Any person may attend in the public galleries and observe the
proceedings. Visitors in the galleries are required to refrain from any
interruption to proceedings or discourtesy to the Senate, particularly any
interjection or demonstration of support or dissent in relation to the
proceedings (ruling of President Givens, SD, 2/12/1914, p. 1237; statement by
President McMullin, 25/3/1969, p. 599; by President Sibraa, 8/12/1993, pp
4162-3). A person who wilfully disturbs a meeting of the Senate may be guilty
of a contempt (see Chapter 2, Parliamentary Privilege, under Power to punish
contempts). The chair may order disorderly persons to withdraw from the
galleries (see SD, 13/6/1923, p. 16; 10/5/1973, pp 1508, 1514-5; 17/10/1973, p. 1307; 18/5/1976, p. 1670). The Usher of the
Black Rod, subject to any direction by the Senate or the President, may take
into custody any person who causes a disturbance in or near the chamber (SO 175(4)).
Only senators and
officers attending on the Senate may be present on the floor of the chamber
when the Senate is meeting. The President may, by leave of the Senate, invite
distinguished visitors to take a seat in the chamber (SO 174, 175). This procedure
is used for visiting presiding officers of foreign or state parliaments. The
practice is for the President to inform the Senate of the presence of the
visitor and announce that, with the concurrence of the Senate, the President
proposes to invite the visitor to take a seat in the chamber.
Journalists who are members of the Parliamentary Press Gallery are
provided with a gallery behind and above the President’s chair and a
soundproofed media workroom above that gallery. Membership of the Press
Gallery, granted by the Presiding Officers, entitles a member to admission to
the gallery and, subject to arrangements agreed upon by the Presiding Officers
and the Gallery Committee, to press office facilities.
Members of the Gallery must abide by conditions which cover such
matters as behaviour within the parliamentary precincts, and non-compliance
with the conditions by members of the Gallery may result in restrictions on an
individual’s or organisation’s rights of access to Parliament House. A press
gallery pass may be withdrawn by the Presiding Officers for breaches of the
conditions applying to membership of the Press Gallery. (See Supplement)
Places are reserved
for advisers to the government and senators in the chamber. Advisers attending
on senators are required to behave with decorum and not disturb proceedings
(ruling of President Sibraa, 8/12/1993, J.942; statement by chair 22/2/1994, J.1289). Subject
to that requirement, senators are entitled to have whomever they choose as
their advisers in their advisers’ benches (SD, 2/12/2005, p. 10).
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