Suspension of certain standing orders agreed to.

The Hon. J. P. HANNAFORD (Attorney General, Minister for Justice, and Vice President of the Executive Council) [3.10]: I move:

That the following Sessional Orders be adopted:

That, during the present Session and unless otherwise ordered, Standing Order 10A be amended to read:

10A. Upon the President taking the Chair each day, if there be a Quorum present as provided by the 10th Standing Order, he shall offer the following Prayers:

"Almighty God, we humbly beseech Thee to vouchsafe Thy blessing upon this Parliament. Direct and prosper our deliberations to the advancement of Thy glory, and the true welfare of the people of our State and Australia.

Our Father, which art in Heaven: Hallowed be Thy name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil: For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever, Amen."

That, during the present Session and unless otherwise ordered, this House shall meet for the despatch of business at 10.30 a.m. on Monday, Thursday and Friday and at 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday each week.

(1) That, during the present Session and unless otherwise ordered, Questions shall commence at 4.00 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and at 12 noon on Thursday and Friday.

(2) If, at the time for interruption:

(a) a division is in progress, the division shall be completed and the result announced;

(b) the House is in Committee of the Whole, the Chairman shall leave the Chair and report progress,

and any business then under discussion, if not disposed of, shall be set down on the Notice Paper for a later hour of the sitting.

That, during the present Session, a copy of every Petition received by the House shall be referred by the Clerk to the Minister responsible for the administration of the matter which is the subject of the Petition.

That, during the present Session:

(1) Whenever a Minister shall intimate to the House that Bills specified by the Minister are cognate Bills:

(a) such Bills may be introduced upon one Motion for leave and be presented and read a first time together;

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(b) one Motion may be moved and one Question put in regard to each of the several stages for the passage of such Bills through the Council; but

(c) such Bills shall be considered separately in Committee of the Whole.

(2) When Bills sent from the Assembly are reported by the President as cognate Bills, the first reading and subsequent stages shall be proceeded with in a similar manner.

That, during the present Session and unless otherwise ordered, the Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of any other party or group, where such leadership has been previously announced to the House, or a Member nominated by any such Leader, may speak to a ministerial statement. The remarks of any speaker shall not exceed the time taken by the Minister in making the statement.

That, during the present Session and unless otherwise ordered:

(1) On any Motion for adjournment to terminate a sitting:

(a) the Question shall be put not later than 15 minutes after such Motion has been moved or, when a Minister desires to speak or is then speaking, at the conclusion of the Minister's remarks;

(b) any Member may speak for 5 minutes on matters not relevant to the Motion, but shall not refer to matters which are otherwise not in order.

(2) Proceedings shall be interrupted at 4.15 p.m. on Thursday and 3.45 p.m. on Friday to permit a Motion for adjournment to be moved, if a Minister shall think fit, to terminate the sitting.

(3) If, at the time of interruption:

(a) a division is in progress, the division shall be completed and the result announced;

(b) the House is in Committee of the Whole, the Chairman shall leave the Chair, report progress and seek leave to sit again.

(4) When any business under discussion, if not disposed of, is interrupted by operation of this Sessional Order, the debate shall stand adjourned and be made an Order of the Day for the next sitting day at the end of Government or General Business, as the case may be, fixed for that day (but so as not to preclude the operation of Standing Order 67), unless a motion is moved without amendment or debate for the adjournment of the debate to another day (to be stated).

That, during the present Session and unless otherwise ordered, Members pairing on any division shall be recorded by the tellers and the names of all Members so paired shall be recorded upon the tellers' lists and printed in the Minutes of the Proceedings and Hansard.

That, during the present Session and unless otherwise ordered, a Minister may, before the House proceeds to the business of the day, make a statement in relation to any matter or matters raised on the Adjournment at a previous sitting.

That, as soon as practicable after each periodic Council election and whenever change shall occur, announcements may be made in the House as to the leadership in the House of parties or groups represented at such elections and of which parties or groups there are two or more persons who are Members of the House.

That, during the present Session and notwithstanding anything contained in the Standing Orders, the procedure in relation to Questions on Notice is varied, as follows:

(1) Notices of Questions shall be handed to one of the Clerks at the Table during the sitting of the House, duly signed.

(2) The Clerk shall enter in a Questions and Answers Paper printed and circulated to Members, Notices of Questions in the order in which they are received.

(3) The reply to a Question on Notice shall be delivered to the Clerk and shall appear in the Questions and Answers Paper.

(4) During any adjournment of the House, replies to Questions on Notice may be delivered to the Clerk who shall cause a Questions and Answers paper to be printed and circulated.

(5) A Questions and Answers paper shall be printed and circulated on any prorogation of the House.

That, during the present Session and unless otherwise ordered, Standing Order 191 be amended to read:

191. After the third reading the Bill shall be deemed to have passed the House and the Clerk shall so certify, and the Bill shall be sent, with a Message, to the Assembly for concurrence.

That, during the present Session and notwithstanding anything contained in the Standing Orders:

(1) When any Bill, except a Bill sent from the Assembly, has been read a first time and ordered to be printed the second reading may be moved forthwith or made an Order of the Day for a later hour or for a future day. Immediately following the second reading speech by the mover, debate thereon shall be adjourned until a future day which shall be at least five clear days ahead.

(2) Provided that if a Minister declares a Bill to be an urgent Bill and copies have been circulated among Members, the Question "That the Bill be considered an urgent Bill" shall be put forthwith, no debate or amendment being allowed. On such Question being agreed to, the second reading debate and subsequent stages may be proceeded with forthwith or at any time during any sitting of the House.

That, during the present Session and unless otherwise ordered:

(1) A Member may make a Motion, pursuant to notice given at a previous sitting "That the following important matter of public interest should be discussed forthwith (here stating the matter to be discussed)".

(2) On the day proposed for bringing on such Motion it shall be called on immediately before the House is to proceed to the consideration of business set down on the Notice Paper for that day, except business taking precedence under Standing Order 55.

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(3) When the Motion has been made, the Question shall be decided without amendment or debate except a statement by the mover and a statement by a Minister not exceeding 10 minutes each.

(4) If the Question is decided in the affirmative, subsequent discussion of the matter shall not exceed one and one half hours, whether on the same or subsequent sitting days, excepting the reply of the proposer.

(5) The speech of:

(a) the Member proposing the matter;

(b) the Minister first speaking;

(c) the Leader of the Opposition, or a person nominated by the Leader, first speaking when the Motion has been moved by a Member of the Government,

shall not exceed 15 minutes each. The speech of any other Member or the proposer in reply shall not exceed 10 minutes each. Every Member shall confine himself or herself to the one subject in respect of which the motion has been made.

(6) When discussion of such a matter is adjourned until a subsequent sitting day the Order of the Day for its resumption shall take precedence of all other business on the Notice Paper for that sitting day except business taking precedence under Standing Order 55.

(7) Only one such matter shall be proceeded with on any sitting day, but this provision shall not operate so as to preclude the resumption of an adjourned discussion and one such matter being dealt with.

That, during the present Session and unless otherwise ordered, the House shall proceed each day with its ordinary business in the following routine:

(1) Formal Business under Standing Order 57.

(2) Presentation of Petitions.

(3) Notices of Motions.

(4) Any proposal under Standing Order 13.

(5) Ministerial Statements.

(6) Ministerial replies to matters raised on the Adjournment.

(7) Motions and Orders of the Day, or vice versa, as set down on the Notice Paper.

That, during the present Session, and notwithstanding anything in the Standing Orders to the contrary, on any amendment proposed in the House or Committee of the Whole, the Chair, unless otherwise determining, will put the question "That the amendment be agreed to".

That during the present Session and unless otherwise ordered, Standing Order 171 be substituted as follows:

171. After the second reading of a Bill, unless the Bill is referred to a Select or Standing Committee:

(a) the President may inquire of the House if leave is granted to proceed to the third reading of the Bill forthwith; or

(b) a motion may be made "That the President do now leave the Chair, and the House resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole to consider the Bill in detail", which shall admit of no debate or amendment, or a future day may be appointed for the purpose.

That, notwithstanding anything contained in the Standing Orders, during the present Session and unless otherwise ordered:

Whenever the President has several Messages from the Legislative Assembly to report transmitting Bills for concurrence, the President may inquire if leave is granted for procedural motions for the first reading, printing, suspension of Standing Orders (where applicable) and fixing of sitting day for second reading to be dealt with on one motion without formalities.

That during the present Session and unless otherwise ordered:

(1) Government Business shall take precedence of General Business on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and after 4.15 p.m. on Thursday each week;

(2) General Business shall take precedence until 4.15 p.m. on Thursday each week.

These sessional orders are the same in substance as those adopted last session, and copies have been circulated to members.

The Hon. M. R. EGAN (Leader of the Opposition) [3.11]: In supporting the motion of the Minister I simply urge that it is time that those sessional orders which have been customary should become part of the standing orders.

Motion agreed to.