Tasmanian Greens MPs

Original Motion

That:

(a) all stages of the Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2019 and the Appropriation Bill (No. 2) 2019 shall have allotted a maximum total of 97 hours as follows:

(i) up to the Second Reading: Maximum 16 hours;

(ii) in the Estimates Committees: Maximum 63 hours; and

(iii) in Committee of the whole House and Third reading: Maximum 18 hours;

(b) on the Second reading, the Premier and the Leader of the Opposition have unlimited speaking time and other Members speak for not longer than 30 minutes each;

(c) when the Appropriation Bills (No. 1 and No. 2) 2019 have been read the Second time in the House of Assembly, the Bills be referred to Estimates Committees A and B of the House of Assembly.

Such Committees may not vote on, but may examine and report upon the proposed expenditures contained in the Bills by no later than 11 June 2019, with such expenditures being considered on an output by output basis, including Grants, Subsidies and Loans and the Capital Investment Program.

The following Ministerial portfolio units are allocated to House of Assembly Estimates Committee A:—

...

House of Assembly Estimates Committee B:—

...

MEMBERSHIP OF COMMITTEES - HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY ESTIMATES

(1) Estimates Committee A consists of the following Members:

The Chair of Committees (Chair);

Mr Tucker (Deputy-Chair);

One member nominated by the Leader of the Opposition; and

Ms O’Connor.

(2) Estimates Committee B consists of the following Members:

Mrs Rylah (Chair);

Mr Tucker (Deputy-Chair);

One member nominated by the Leader of the Opposition; and

Dr Woodruff.

(3) The Chair of a Committee has a deliberative and a casting vote.

(4) During sittings, substitute Members may be allowed.

(5) If a vacancy occurs in the membership of a Committee, the Speaker may nominate a Member in substitution, but in so doing has regard to the composition of the Committee as appointed by the House.

(6) A Committee may proceed with business despite a vacancy in its membership.

(7) The quorum of a Committee is a majority of the Committee.

(8) If at any time a quorum is not present, the Chair will suspend proceedings of the Committee until a quorum is present or adjourn the Committee.

(9) Any time lost for lack of a quorum shall be added to the time allocated to that session.

(10) Members of the House who are not Members of the Committee may participate in proceedings by asking questions, but may not vote, move any motion or be counted for the purposes of a quorum.

SITTING TIMES

(1) Each Estimates Committee meets only in accordance with the abovementioned time-table adopted by the House or as varied by the Chair.

(2) Estimates Committees may sit only when the House is not sitting.

OPEN HEARINGS

All hearings of the Estimates Committees are open to the public.

PROCEEDINGS OF AN ESTIMATES COMMITTEE

(1) Consideration of proposed expenditures in an Estimates Committee follows as far as possible the procedure observed in a Committee of the whole House.

(2) A Committee will consider expenditures on an output by output basis, including Grants, Subsidies and Loans and the Capital Investment Program.

(3) A Committee may ask for explanations from a Minister relating to the outputs.

(4) The Minister who is asked for explanations may be assisted where necessary by officers in the provision of factual information.

(5) Officers may answer questions at the request of the Minister but shall not be required to comment on policy matters.

(6) Time limits of one minute for a question and three minutes for an answer shall apply in Estimates Committees.

(7) Questions may be asked on a ratio of three Opposition, one Government and one other Member or in such form as the Committee determines.

(8) A Minister may advise an Estimates Committee that an answer to a question, or part of a question, asked of the Minister will be given later to the Committee, where possible that Committee sitting day.

(9) A Minister may provide additional information to a Committee about an answer given by or for the Minister.

(10) Additional information -

(a) is to be written;

(b) is to be given by a time decided by the Committee; and

(c) may be included in a volume of additional information laid on the Table of the House by the Committee.

(11) If any Member persistently disrupts the business of an Estimates Committee, the Chair-

(a) names the Member;

(b) if the Member named is a Member of the Estimates Committee, suspends the sitting of the Estimates Committee until the Chair has reported the offence to the Speaker; and

(c) if the Member named is not a Member of the Estimates Committee, orders that Member's withdrawal from the sitting of the Committee until the Chair has reported the offence to the Speaker;

as soon as practicable, the Chair advises the Speaker who then gives notice that the Member of the Estimates Committee be replaced.

(12) If any objection is taken to a ruling or decision of the Chair -

(a) the objection must be taken at once and stated in writing;

(b) the Chair, as soon as practicable, advises the Speaker who makes a ruling on the matter; and

(c) the Estimates Committee may continue to meet but may not further examine the output then under consideration.

(13) Television coverage will be allowed, subject to the same conditions that apply to televising of the House of Assembly.

HANSARD REPORT

An unedited transcript of Estimates Committee proceedings is to be circulated, in a manner similar to that used for the House Hansard, as soon as practicable after the Committee's proceedings.

REPORTS OF ESTIMATES COMMITTEES

(1) A report of an Estimates Committee is presented by the Chair or Deputy Chair of that Committee to a Committee of the whole House, such reports containing any resolution or expression of opinion of that Committee.

(2) When the reports of the Estimates Committees are presented they may be taken into consideration at once or at a future time.

(3) The following time limit applies to consideration of reports of Estimates Committees on each portfolio unit on the question “That the proposed expenditures be agreed to and that the resolutions or expressions of opinion agreed to by the Committees in relation to those expenditures be noted.”

One Minister, the Leader of the Opposition or Member deputised by the Leader - 20 minutes, any other Member - 10 minutes. A maximum period for consideration of 2 hours for each Minister.

(4) When the consideration of reports of Estimates Committees A and B has been completed, the question is proposed and put forthwith without debate “That the remainder of the Bills be agreed to.”

(5) When the Bills have been agreed to by the House, the Third reading of each Bill may be taken into consideration at once or made an order of the day for the next sitting day.