The Main Committee
House of Representatives
Infosheet No. 16 Revised October 1999 Page menu : What
is the Main Committee? | What can it do? | When
does it meet? | Why have the Main Committee? | Main
Committee procedures | Substantially the same as the House
| Guiding principle—co-operation | Other details
| Adjournment debate and Members' statements | Plan
of the House of Representatives Main Committee Room (2R3) | Suggestions
for further reading What is the Main Committee?
The Main Committee is essentially a debating committee. The description 'second
chamber' which has sometimes been used, exaggerates the function and importance
of the Main Committee, but is indicative of its role. The Main Committee is an
extension of the Chamber of the House, operating in parallel to allow two streams
of business to be debated concurrently. The Main Committee meets in the largest
of the House of Representatives committee rooms. This room has been dedicated
to its role and converted to a small-scale chamber setting. All Members of the
House are members of the Main Committee and eligible to participate in its meetings.
The Chair of the Committee is the Deputy Speaker, who is assisted in the chair
by the Second Deputy Speaker and members of the Speaker's panel. The Chief
Government Whip, has primary responsibility—following consultation with Ministers,
opposition whips and independent Members—for determining the agenda of the
Main Committee and organising the referral of business to it from the Chamber.
Meetings of the Main Committee are open to the public and are covered by a
dedicated channel of the television monitoring system. Its debates are recorded
in Hansard and the minutes of its proceedings are included in the
Votes and Proceedings of the House. Main Committee business is
listed in a separate section of the Notice Paper. On days the Main Committee meets
a program for the Committee is published as an attachment to the Daily Program.
What can it do? The Main Committee can take a
limited range of business—specifically, the second reading and consideration
in detail stages of bills (its major role), the debate of committee and delegation
reports, and the debate of papers presented to the House. Such business can be
referred to the Main Committee or taken in the House, Main Committee time being
an alternative to Chamber time. The Main Committee can debate and resolve motions
and process bills through the relevant stages, including making amendments to
them, just as the House can. However, as the Main Committee is a subordinate body,
any decision it makes on business referred to it must be later confirmed by a
decision of the House.
When does it meet? The Main Committee generally
meets on Wednesdays and Thursdays, starting at 10 am on Wednesdays and 9.40 am
on Thursdays, and finishing at 1 pm. These hours may be extended if the amount
of business necessitates. Although the standing orders permit the Main Committee
to meet at any time during a sitting of the House, in practice it does not meet
during question time, during the discussion of a matter of public importance or
at other times when all or most Members' presence might be expected in the Chamber.
The adjournment of the House causes the immediate adjournment of proceedings
in the Main Committee, if the Main Committee is meeting at the time.
Why have the Main Committee? The intention behind
the establishment of the Main Committee is to give Members extra opportunities
to speak on bills or reports of a relatively non-controversial nature and at the
same time free the Chamber for debate on other matters. This allows the time of
the House to be used more effectively, and in a sense, significantly increased.
Main Committee procedures Substantially the
same as the House Procedures in the Main Committee are
substantially the same as those operating in the Chamber for the same type of
business, with the exception of those relating to the subordinate nature of the
Main Committee—e.g. the need to report back to the House.
Guiding principle—co-operation There is
however the very important difference that there is no provision for division
in the Main Committee—if business cannot be progressed 'on the voices' it
is reported back to the House as 'unresolved'. This factor perhaps best highlights
the guiding principle behind the operation of the Main Committee—co-operation.
Only business on which it is hoped that agreement can be reached is referred to
the Main Committee. Disagreements occurring in the Main Committee are referred
back to the House for settlement; disorder in the Main Committee closes it down.
The Main Committee is intended for uncontroversial, unopposed business which is
only referred following agreement between government and non-government Members.
Other details Other details of the operation
of the Main Committee include: its proceedings are suspended while
divisions are taking place in the House; the quorum is three, to include,
in addition to the Chair, one government and one non-government Member; in
cases of disorder the Chair may suspend proceedings, and on motion by any Member
the Chair must do so; any Member may move that further proceedings
on an item of business be taken in the House, or that the Committee adjourn; decisions
are taken on the voices; even one dissenting Member can make a decision unresolved;
proceedings on a bill may be continued regardless of unresolved questions
(unless the nature of the unresolved question makes this impractical).
Adjournment debate and Members' statements In
1998 Main Committee procedures were revised to meet a demand for further opportunities
for private Members to speak on matters of their own choosing. The Main Committee
now usually meets at 9.40 am and proceedings start with a period for Members'
statements, lasting for 18 minutes or until 10 am. Members, other than Ministers
or Parliamentary Secretaries, may speak for up to 3 minutes. On Thursdays there
is also a 30 minute adjournment debate, commencing at 12.30 pm or on earlier completion
of business. See Infosheet No. 6— Opportunities for
Private Members.
Plan of the House of Representatives Main Committee Room (2R3)
Suggestions
for further readingHouse of Representatives Practice, 3rd
edn. A.G.P.S., Canberra, 1997. pp 214-215, 313-314, 363-364. House of Representatives
Standing Committee on Procedure.About time: Bills, questions and working
hours. Report of the inquiry into reform of the House of Representatives,
AGPS, Canberra, 1993. (Parliamentary Paper 194 of 1993) pp 6–15. House
of Representatives Standing Committee on Procedure.Time for review: Bills,
questions and working hours. Report of the review of procedural changes operating
since 21 February 1994, AGPS, Canberra, 1995. (Parliamentary Paper 108
of 1995) pp 12–18.
Last updated:
October 1999
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