15th Jun 2020, 3:58 PM – Senate Motions - Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Bills - Initial reports before debate

The majority voted against a motion introduced by Tasmanian Senator Anne Urquhart (Labor), which means it failed.

Motion text

(1) That the Senate notes that:

(a) the Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Bills plays an essential role in the Senate's legislative function by drawing the attention of the Senate to bills that:

(i) trespass unduly on personal rights and liberties;

(ii) make rights, liberties or obligations unduly dependent upon insufficiently defined administrative powers;

(iii) make rights, liberties or obligations unduly dependent upon non-reviewable decisions;

(iv) inappropriately delegate legislative powers; or

(v) insufficiently subject the exercise of legislative power to parliamentary scrutiny;

(b) this role is undermined when a bill is passed before the committee has had an opportunity to table its initial report on the bill; and

(c) except in circumstances where a bill needs to be considered and passed urgently, the Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Bills should have an opportunity to report on a bill before it is passed by the Senate.

(2) The following operate as a temporary order from the first sitting day in August 2020 to the last sitting day of June 2021:

(a) When a motion for the second reading of a bill is moved by a minister –if the Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Bills has not yet presented its initial report on the bill, debate on the motion be adjourned at the conclusion of the speech of the minister moving the motion and resumption of the debate be made an order of the day for the Wednesday of the first sitting week following the introduction of the bill in either House.