Standing Orders
The Standing Orders are the rules under which the House of Assembly operates, covering a range of topics including time limits for speeches, procedures for the passage of Bills, the recording of proceedings, and the means of keeping order in the House.
Where situations arise that are not covered by these Standing Orders, the rules and practice of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom and of other Australian Parliaments can be used.
Sessional Orders are additional or revised rules agreed to by the House for the term of a particular Parliamentary session, which is the period between two elections or when Parliament is otherwise prorogued. They are generally debated and voted on at the start of the session but can be amended as needed throughout.
Sessional Orders are marked in the Standing Orders in bold italics. Standing Orders which have been superseded by Sessional Orders are indicated by strikethrough.
Under the Constitution Act 1934 both Houses of Parliament are empowered to create and update their Standing Orders.
The House of Assembly Standing Committee on Standing Orders, composed of seven members of the House, considers changes to the Standing Orders. Once the Committee has deliberated, proposed changes are reported to the House and then voted on by all Members. As per the Act, these changes are then approved by the Governor.