43rd Parliament (September 2010 - August 2013)

Electronic Voting in the House of Representatives
Parliamentary Paper No. 172/2013; Presented 24 June 2013
Date of Government response: No response required.

Maintenance of the standing and sessional Orders
Parliamentary Paper No. 171/2013; Presented 24 June 2013
Date of Government response: 2 June 2014 (PDF 526K)

Monitoring and review of procedural changes implemented in the 43rd Parliament: 4th Report
Parliamentary Paper No. 438/2012;Presented 26 November 2012
Date of Government response: 2 June 2014 (PDF 1508K)

Interim Report No. 3: Monitoring and review of procedural changes implemented in the 43rd Parliament. The effectiveness of reforms to the House committee system
Parliamentary Paper No. 60/2012;Presented 1 March 2012
Date of Government response: No response required.

Interim Report No. 2: Monitoring and review of procedural changes implemented in the 43rd Parliament. Referral of bills to committees by the House Selection Committee
Parliamentary Paper No. 175/2011;Presented 4 July 2011
Date of Government response: 1 November 2012 (PDF 114K)

Interim Report: Monitoring and review of procedural changes implemented in the 43rd Parliament
Parliamentary Paper No. 116/2011;Presented 23 May 2011
Date of Government response: 1 November 2012 (PDF 114K)

42nd Parliament (February 2008 - July 2010)

Conduct of the business of the House (lapsed on the prorogation of the 42nd Parliament)

Maintenance of the Standing Orders (lapsed on the prorogation of the 42nd Parliament)

Buliding a modern committee system. An inquiry into the effectiveness of the House committee system
Parliamentary Paper No. 144/2010; Presented 21 June 2010
Date of Government response: 22 June 2015 (PDF 3000K).

The display of articles: An examination of the practice of the House of Representatives
Parliamentary Paper No. 201/2009; Presented 19 October 2009
Date of Government response: No response required.

Re-opening the Debate: Review of arrangements for the Opening Day of Parliament
Parliamentary Paper No. 489/2008; Presented 23 October 2008
Date of Government response: 3 February 2010 (PDF 199K)

41st Parliament (November 2004 - October 2007)

Making a difference: Petitioning the House of Representatives
Parliamentary Paper No. 189/2007; Presented 17 September 2007
Date of Government response: The House agreed to amendments to standing orders on 12 February 2008 to establish a Petitions Committee and made most of the changes recommended by the committee to the petitioning process.

Options for nursing mothers
Parliamentary Paper No. 126/2007; Presented 21 June 2007
Date of Government response: On 12 February 2008 the House passed a resolution making special arrangements for nursing mothers to have a proxy vote.

Motion to suspend standing orders and condemn a Member: Report on events of 10 October 2006
Parliamentary Paper No. 431/2006; Presented 7 December 2006
Date of Government response: 4 June 2013. (PDF 316KB)

Encouraging an interactive Chamber
Parliamentary Paper No. 430/2006; Presented 7 December 2006
Date of Government response: No response required.

Maintenance of the Standing and Sessional Orders: Second Report
Review of sessional orders adopted on 17 March 2005 and 9 February 2006; and other matters
Parliamentary Paper No. 294/2006; Presented 31 October 2006
Date of Government response: Amended standing orders recommended by the committee adopted 29 November 2006.

Learning from other parliaments: Study Program 2006
Parliamentary Paper No. 179/2006; Presented 4 September 2006
Date of Government response: No response required

Maintenance of the Standing and Sessional Orders: First Report
Debate on the election of Speaker and presentations of explanatory memorandums
Parliamentary Paper No. 64/2006; Presented 27 March 2006
Date of Government response: Amended standing orders recommended by the committee adopted 29 March 2006.

Procedures relating to House committees
Parliamentary Paper No. 451/2005; Presented 5 December 2005
Date of Government response: 7 December 2005; The government accepts the recommendations of the report (incorporated in Hansard).

A history of the Procedure Committee on its 20th anniversary
Parliamentary Paper No. 431/2005; Presented 28 November 2005
Date of Government response: No response required

Media coverage of House proceedings: Including the Chamber, Main Committee and committees
(Final Report)
Parliamentary Paper No. 259/2005; Presented 10 October 2005
Date of Speaker's response: 14 February 2007.

The Anticipation Rule
Parliamentary Paper No. 82/2005; Presented 14 March 2005
Tabling statement (Chair) (PDF 12KB)
Date of Government response: Sessional orders recommended by the committee adopted 17 March 2005.

40th Parliament (February 2002 - August 2004)

Opportunities for Private Members in the Main Committee (lapsed)

Media coverage of House proceedings: Including the Chamber, Main Committee and committees
(Interim Report)
Presented 9 August 2004
Date of Government response: No response required (interim report)

Arrangements for joint meetings with the Senate
Parliamentary Paper No. 151/2004; Presented 21 June 2004
Date of Government response: 9 December 2004; The government considers that the arrangements relating to joint meetings for distinguished persons to address both Houses of Parliament, that have operated since the first such meeting in 1992, continue to remain appropriate.

Renaming the Main Committee
Parliamentary Paper No. 118/2004; Presented 3 June 2004
Date of Government response: 9 December 2004; The government notes the recommendations, but considers that the proposed new name would not properly identify the role and function of the Main Committee and may lead to further confusion. Accordingly, the recommendations relating to a name change are not supported.

Trial of additional tellers
Parliamentary Paper No. 408/2003; Presented 1 December 2003
Date of Government response: No response required (recommendations implemented)

Arrangements for second reading speeches
Parliamentary Paper No. 407/2003; Presented 1 December 2003
Date of Government response: 7 December 2005; The government considers that the existing arrangements provide the opportunity for a significant debate on legislation and that they remain appropriate. Accordingly, the government does not support the recommendations of the report.

Revised Standing Orders (PDF 591KB)
Parliamentary Paper No. 394/2003; Presented 24 November 2003
Date of Government response: Report adopted 24 June 2004.
To be implemented in the 41st parliament

House Estimates: Consideration of the annual estimates by the House of Representatives
Parliamentary Paper No. 211/2003; Presented 13 October 2003
Date of Government response: 16 August 2007 (PDF 328KB)

Review of the conduct of divisions (PDF 239KB)
Parliamentary Paper No. 163/2003; Presented 18 August 2003
Date of Speaker's response: 19 June 2006; No response required to recommendations 2 and 3.

Sessional Order 344
Parliamentary Paper No. 119/2003; Presented 19 June 2003
Date of Government response: 24 June 2004 (as part of revised standing orders)

Discussion Paper Proposed Revised Standing Orders (PDF 1588KB)
Miscellaneous Paper No. 9847; Presented 16 September 2002

39th Parliament (November 1998 - October 2001)

Balancing tradition and progress: Procedures for the opening of Parliament
Parliamentary Paper No. 165/2001; Presented 27 August 2001
Date of Government response: 23 June 2005; The government considers that the current procedures for the opening of the Parliament continue to reflect Australia's parliamentary traditions and democratic heritage. Accordingly, the government does not propose to seek changes to existing procedures at this time.

Promoting community involvement in the work of committees
Parliamentary Paper No. 114/2001; Presented 18 June 2001
Date of Government response: 27 June 2002 (PDF 83KB)

The Second Chamber: Enhancing the Main Committee
Parliamentary Paper No. 158/2000; Presented 14 August 2000
Date of Government response: 27 June 2002 (PDF 180KB)

e-motions: The electronic transaction of questions, answers and
notices of motion and related matters
Parliamentary Paper No. 76/2000; Presented 12 April 2000
Date of Government response: 6 December 2000 (PDF 322KB)

It's Your House: Community involvement in the procedures and practices of the House of Representatives and its committees
Parliamentary Paper No. 363/1999; Presented 22 November 1999
Date of Speaker's response: 10 October 2000 (PDF 35KB)
Date of Government response: 10 October 2000 (PDF 23KB)

38th Parliament (May 1996 - August 1998)

Ten years on: A review of the House of Representatives committee system
Parliamentary Paper No. 91/1998; Presented 1 June 1998
Date of Government response: Amended Standing Orders, 3 December 1998

Provision for Members to make short speeches in the Main Committee
Parliamentary Paper No. 184/1997; Presented 20 October 1997
Date of Government response: Sessional Orders, 4 December 1997

Review of reports of previous Procedure Committees which have not
received a government response
Parliamentary Paper No. 350/1996; Presented 2 December 1996
Date of Government response: 19 June 1997

Conduct of divisions
Parliamentary Paper No. 290/1996; Presented 18 November 1996
Date of Government response: 19 June 1997

Bills—Consideration in detail: Review of the operation of standing order 226
Parliamentary Paper No. 190/1996; Presented 28 October 1996
Date of Government response: 5 December 1996

The operation of standing order 143: Questions to Members other than Ministers
Parliamentary Paper No. 115/1996; Presented 16 September 1996
Date of Government response: 10 October 1996

Earlier reports

For a list of earlier reports by this Committee, see the Register of Committee Reports (1901 to current day).

Copies of submissions and transcripts of public hearings

Printed volumes of submissions and transcripts of evidence taken at public hearings for each of the above reports can be accessed at the National Library of Australia or by contacting the Committee Secretariat.

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