LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF THE NORTHERN TERRITORY
ASSEMBLY CHAMBER DOCUMENTS
This Information Sheet describes
the formal documents of the
Assembly and other documents
used in the Assembly Chamber in
the course of business. Most of the
documents are available in hard
copy from the Table Office or on the
Legislative Assembly's website.
The basics
The Assembly's operating rules are
contained in the Standing Orders,
which govern the conduct of
proceedings. The Standing Orders
are supplemented by other orders,
determinations
and
resolutions
relating to:

parliamentary privilege

the registration and declaration
of Members’ interests

the broadcasting of Assembly
and committee proceedings

orders of the Assembly on the
Notice Paper.
Standing Orders are made and
amended from time to time by the
Assembly under the authority of
section 30 of the Northern Territory
(Self-Government) Act 1978:
The Legislative Assembly
may make standing rules and
orders, not inconsistent with a
law of the Territory, with
respect to the order and
conduct of its business and
proceedings.
Proposed changes to Standing
Orders or other orders are examined
by the Standing Orders Committee.
Standing Orders cover topics from
the election of the Speaker to the
composition
and
rules
for
committees,
the
handling
of
legislation, the rules of debate, the
routine of business and the conduct
of
Members.
These
are
supplemented by other procedural
orders. When a procedural question
arises, the Speaker makes a ruling.
If the Speaker's ruling is challenged,
the Assembly determines the
question. Where Standing Orders
are silent, the Assembly may look to
the House of Representatives
Practice.
The Assembly's proceedings are
guided by an agenda and recorded
in minutes and a transcript of
debate. The agenda is called the
Notice Paper, the minutes are the
Minutes of Proceedings, and the
transcript
of
debate
is
the
Parliamentary Record (often called
Hansard).
Daily Agenda
The Daily Agenda is a collection of
documents which sets out all the
business before the Assembly. It
includes the Program for Assembly
Sittings, which outlines what and
when business is likely to occur in
the Chamber; the Program for
Assembly
Committees,
which
describes
where
and
when
committees will meet; and the
Notice Paper. On the first Tuesday
of a Sitting the Written Question
Paper is also included.
Notice Paper
The Notice Paper contains a list of
business before the Assembly on a
particular day and other useful
information. Business is placed on
the Notice Paper in accordance with
Standing Orders.
For example,
items of business are grouped in
several categories which are listed
in order of priority. Standing Orders
93 and 93A specify how Orders of
the Day for debate on Government
and General Business are listed
(see Information Bulletin 11).
Minutes of Proceedings
The Assembly's minutes are a
procedural record of each day,
noting every decision, vote, tabled
document and other procedurally
significant event. Each Minutes of
Proceedings concludes with a
record of attendance to ensure
Information Bulletin 1
SUMMARY
The Daily Agenda is a
collection of documents for
Members and Staff which sets
out all the business before the
Assembly.
The Notice Paper contains a
list of business before the
Assembly on a particular day,
and also includes known
forthcoming business and
other useful information.
The Minutes of Proceedings
are a procedural record of
each day, noting every
decision,
vote,
tabled
document
and
other
procedurally significant event.
The Daily Hansard is an
informal
and
uncorrected
version of the transcript of
proceedings is published at
the end of each sitting day.
The Parliamentary Record or
'Hansard'
is
the
edited
transcript of proceeding in the
Assembly.
A Bill is a proposed Act of the
Assembly which becomes law.
only after is has been agreed
to in the Assembly and
assented
to
by
the
Administrator.
An Explanatory Statement is
a user's guide to a Bill which
explains its general policy and
financial impact, followed by
detailed explanations of the
individual clauses or items.
compliance with section 21 of the
Northern
Territory
(SelfGovernment) Act 1978, which
provides that a Member vacates his
or her office if they fail to attend the
Legislative Assembly for three
consecutive sitting days without the
permission of the Assembly. The
Minutes of Proceedings are issued
ASSEMBLY CHAMBER DOCUMENTS
as a draft at the end of each sitting
day and a final version is published
some weeks later when the contents
have been checked.
Daily Hansard
An informal and uncorrected version
of the transcript of proceedings is
published at the end of each sitting
day. The Daily Hansard is also
available for Members and their staff
to make corrections prior to the
Parliamentary
Record
being
produced. These corrections may
include the correction of names and
places that have been misspelt, or
facts that have been transcribed
incorrectly.
Parliamentary Record
The Parliamentary Record or
Hansard is the edited transcript of
proceedings in the Assembly. The
Parliamentary Record contains a
record of Questions and Debates. It
is published later when the contents
have been checked for accuracy
against the Minutes of Proceedings
and have been edited to a high
standard.
Documents
relating
legislative process
to
the
Explanatory Statement
is introduced without notice.
Each bill is accompanied on
introduction by an Explanatory
Statement (sometimes called the
Explanatory Memorandum).
This
document explains its general policy
and financial impact, followed by
detailed
explanations
of
the
individual clauses or items.
The Clerk Assistant – Chamber is
responsible for assisting Members
to prepare procedural scripts and
motions for signature, although any
of the Legislative Assembly Clerks
or procedural staff can assist.
Amendments
Several kinds of documents are
presented to the Assembly on a
daily or regular basis (see
Information Bulletin 10). The Clerk
presents many documents required
by law to be tabled. Most of these
are
regulations
and
other
instruments.
A list of these
documents is included in the
Minutes of Proceedings under
'Deemed Papers'. Debate on such
documents is rare but may occur.
Amendments are circulated in the
Chamber on the authority of the
Minister
sponsoring
them.
Amendments are usually produced
by the government drafters (the
Office of Parliamentary Counsel),
although the Clerks may on rare
occasions assist Members in
drafting their own.
Amendments are usually produced
as A4 sized documents with a
unique identifying number, the name
of the bill and the name of the
Member moving them.
Textual
amendments are made in the
Committee of the Whole.
Procedural and other documents
Certain other documents are
distributed
in
the
Assembly
Chamber to facilitate proceedings.
Bills
Procedural documents
A bill is a proposed act of the
Assembly which becomes law only
after it has been agreed to in the
Assembly and assented to by the
Administrator.
Most bills are
proposed by the government. As
soon as bills are introduced, they
are made available to all Members.
Bills can be accessed online on the
Department of the Chief Minister
website. Printed copies of bills and
related documents are distributed to
Members in the Chamber.
Procedural scripts are provided
when requested to assist Members
to transact business. They may
relate to giving notices of motion,
introducing
bills,
suspending
Standing Orders, and presenting
and tabling reports, or other
common or uncommon procedures.
Motions must be signed by the
Member (Standing Order 101) and
delivered to the Clerk. This may
occur when a Member gives a
notice of motion, or when a motion
Information Bulletin 1
Other documents
Government documents, most of
which are reports from government
departments or agencies, are
usually tabled by the Clerk on behalf
of the relevant Minister, and appear
listed in the Minutes of Proceedings.
A Minister may Table these
documents themself and provide a
tabling statement.
Assembly documents such as
Letters from the Administrator or
Members’ Travel Reports are tabled
by the Speaker and are not debated.
Looking for a Chamber
document?
You can find all the documents
discussed in this Information
Bulletin or how to get copies
on the Legislative Assembly's
website at www.nt.gov.au/
lant/index.shtml.