On the final sitting days before the winter break, the Upper House elected a new Assistant President, considered a range of private members' bills and motions and passed two items of government legislation. In addition there were further developments regarding a significant non-compliance with an order for the production of government documents.
Private members’ (Wednes)Days
With the Legislative Council returning to a full sitting program in June, refresh your knowledge of private members' business (Wednes)day with our latest blog post.
It’s a total recall… of the House!
When members of the Council need to meet urgently – the real hero is parliamentary procedure!
It’s not a regular adjournment – it’s a special adjournment!
Unique circumstances call for a special adjournment. Read on to find out how this procedure works and how it was used to amend the 2020 parliamentary sitting calendar.
In the House – Tuesday 25 February 2020
The first sitting day in 2020 was a solemn occasion with the House suspending consideration of government legislation to debate a condolence motion.
Public or privileged?: Part 2
The substantial rise in the number of orders for government papers in 2019 has also seen a rise in the number of disputes over confidentiality. Read more in our 'public or privileged' update.
Activating an Act: proclamation (and other commencement activities)
Our last procedural blog post detailed the assent process, noting that a bill that has passed both Houses becomes an Act when the Governor gives assent. One might think that a new law comes into effect as soon as it is assented to, but this is not necessarily the case. Some Acts commence on the … Continue reading Activating an Act: proclamation (and other commencement activities)
In the House – Thursday 17 October 2019
On Thursday, the NSW Parliament elected Sam Farraway to a seat in the Legislative Council at a joint sitting of both Houses, and we debated 10 motions and passed six orders for government documents.
In the House – Tuesday 15 October 2019
On the first sitting day in October, the House bid farewell to Nationals member Niall Blair and passed a bill to dissolve Roads and Maritime Services and transfer its functions to Transport for NSW.
Assent: When a bill becomes an Act
What happens when a bill passes Parliament? Read about the process of assent.