Appendix 3

Appendix 3

In considering whether there was a need for procedural change in relation to the formal business procedure, the committee noted several trends in its use:

The graphs, below, show further trends in the use of the procedure.

The committee considered a range of procedural options, including:

The committee considered recommending two changes – strict word limits on non-technical notices and limits on the number of requests for formality that may be entertained from each senator in a given week – but decided not to proceed after consulting senators.

The committee also considered whether it was desirable to change the process for seeking to suspend standing orders during formal business time, or to remove the ability to suspend standing orders at all during this period, and agreed to recommend that the temporary order adopted on 28 November 2018 be made permanent.

Graphs relating to formal business

 

* routine motions for Senate committee extensions and meetings have been excluded,  noting that the requirement to move those motions was removed in 2015

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