List of Recommendations

Recommendation 1

2.5

That SO 209(c) be amended as follows:

The Chair of the Petitions Committee shall announce any ministerial responses to petitions. After the announcement, ministerial responses shall be printed in Hansard and published on the House’s website. The Petitions Committee may authorise the publication of a ministerial response prior to presentation to the House, and it must then be presented at the first available opportunity.

Recommendation 2

2.12

That SO 4(h) and SO 4(i) be amended as follows:

(h)The Prime Minister or another Minister shall inform the House the time when the Governor‑General will receive the Members of the House and the Speaker.

(i)Before any business of the House, the Speaker, leading other Members, shall present himself or herself to the Governor‑General at the appointed time. The Speaker and Members shall then return to the House. The Speaker shall resume the Chair and report to the House.

Recommendation 3

3.4

The committee recommends that SO 144 be amended to read:

144Report on bill referred to committee

When a standing or select committee has presented a report on a bill, the Member in charge of the bill shall may move a motion without notice to set a time for the consideration in detail of the bill.

Recommendation 4

3.6

The committee recommends that SO 193 be amended to read:

… The period for Members’ constituency statements may continue for 30 minutes, or longer if agreed, irrespective of suspensions for divisions in the House.

Recommendation 5

3.12

The committee recommends that SO 80 be amended to read:

80Closure of a Member speaking

If a Member is speaking, other than when giving a notice of motion or moving the terms of a motion, another Member may move—
That the Member be no longer heard.
The question must be put immediately and resolved without amendment or debate.

Recommendation 6

3.15

The committee recommends that SO 78(l) be amended to read:

78Matters not open to debate
…
(l) motion that further proceedings on a bill or order of the day be conducted in the House (standing order 197);

…

Recommendation 7

3.18

The committee recommends that SO 232 be amended with the addition of the following section:

(c) Appointments of Chair and deputy Chair made before a committee’s first meeting are deemed to take effect from the date of the committee’s first meeting. All other appointments of Chair and deputy Chair are deemed to take effect from the date of the appointment letter or the date of that Member’s appointment to the committee, whichever is the later.

Recommendation 8

3.21

The committee recommends that SOs 1, 2, 100, 215, 222 and 222A be amended to replace ‘non-aligned Member(s)’ with an alternative term, such as ‘cross-bench Member(s)’.

Recommendation 9

3.24

The committee recommends that Clerk’s amendments be made to the standing orders as outlined in Appendix B.

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List of Recommendations

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