Factsheet
3.15
A Day in Parliament
The chamber of the Queensland
parliament is called the Legislative
Assembly of Queensland. The Queensland
parliament usually sits for three days each
sitting week - Tuesdays, Wednesdays and
Thursdays - with the dates of each sitting
week determined by the government at
the start of each calendar year or after
an election. On average, the Queensland
parliament meets for approximately 15
sitting weeks per year.
The Queensland parliament operates
according to a set of rules known as the
Standing Rules and Orders. Amongst other
things, the standing orders dictate what
occurs in the chamber each day and how
members are to behave.
Some items which occur at the start of each
day include: Speaker’s Statements; Petitions;
Ministerial Papers; Ministerial Statements and
Personal Explanations. An hour is allocated for this
preliminary business.
Question Time
Question time is scheduled to commence at 10.30
am on Tuesdays and Thurdays and at 3 pm on
Wednesdays. This is when the parliament becomes
a forum for the opposition and Independent
members in particular to extract information and
to question and scrutinise the policies and actions
of the government. The first two questions are
asked by the Leader of the Opposition followed
by questions alternating between government and
non-government members.
The parliament meets from 9:30 am
until adjournment each sitting Tuesday
and Thursday and from 2 pm to until
adjournment on each sitting Wednesday.
Committee meetings and hearings are
held prior to parliament sitting on
Wednesdays. The adjournment time can
be extended through the night if the
government decides that the business of
the parliament needs to continue.
The start of a sitting day
At the start of each sitting day, bells
ring throughout the building to call
the 89 members of parliament to the
chamber. When the bells stop, the
Speaker of the House is announced by
the Sergeant-at-Arms and the Speaker
then opens proceedings with a prayer and
acknowledges the traditional owners of the
land upon which parliament is assembled
and the custodians of the sacred lands of
Queensland.
The business of the chamber then begins
according to the program for each day.
Legislative Assembly Chamber
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A Day in Parliament
Questions are generally about current
government policies or programs. The
standing orders dictate what the sort of
questions which can be asked and how the
Premier or Ministers can answer them. The
member has one minute in which to ask
their question and the Premier or Minister
has three minutes to answer it.
Question time lasts for one hour and is
usually lively and intense. For this reason
the media usually focus their attention on
this one section of parliamentary business
each day.
Matters of Public Interest
On Tuesdays, the parliamentary schedule
also includes ‘Matters of Public Interest’
for one hour. During this time, members
may talk about a matter of interest
to them or their electorate. The first
speaker, which is usually the Leader of the
Opposition or another opposition member,
has 10 minutes to speak, and each speaker
after that has five minutes.
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Government Business
The majority of the parliament’s sitting
time is allocated to ‘Government
Business’. This is when members in
the chamber debate bills which the
government wishes the parliament to
pass so they can make or amend laws in
Queensland.
Debate on government business
commences after the ‘Matters of Public
Interest’ debate on a Tuesday, after
question time on a Wednesday and after
the debate of committee reports on a
Thursday.
Private Member’s Motions
At 6 pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, the
parliament considers what is known as a
‘Private Members’ Motion’. This is a topic
proposed by a non-government member
with the first speaker given 10 minutes and
each speaker after that given five minutes.
The debate continues for 30 minutes.
Some examples of recent motions include
the changed fishing zones in Moreton
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3.15
Bay, the cost of electricity and the government’s
handling of health issues in Queensland.
Private Members’ Statements
On Thursdays, from 2:30 to 3 pm, the Parliament
hears ‘Private Members’ Statements’. This allows
10 members to speak on a topic of interest to them
for three minutes each.
Non-Government Business
Private members’ bills may be debated after the
dinner break on a Wednesday. Any member may
introduce a bill as a private member. The House
may continue to debate bills on each following
Wednesday evening, from 7:30 pm to 10 pm, until
consideration of that bill has been finalised.
Adjournment Debate
The adjournment debate occurs at the end of
each sitting day and lasts for 30 minutes. It gives
members the opportunity to speak for three
minutes on almost any matter. Unlike most other
times in parliament, there are no limits to the
subject that a member may raise, although most
tend to speak about their electorate or their
constituents.
Divisions in the Chamber
Matters before the Legislative Assembly are decided
on by the vote of members who are present in
the chamber. When a question is put, the Speaker
usually says, “All in favour of the question say
‘Aye’, and those against say ‘No’.” Members
respond accordingly and the Speaker determines
which way the vote has gone by the number of
voices heard.
At this point, any member may call “Divide”,
and a formal count of members for and against
the matter before the House then occurs. When
a division is called for, the Speaker asks for the
division bells to be rung in order to alert members
who are not in the chamber that a vote is about to
occur.
The division bells then ring throughout the
parliamentary complex for four minutes unless it is
otherwise determined that they ring for one minute
when a succession of votes are about to occur. After
the bells have rung, the doors of the chamber are
closed and the formal count of members begins. At
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A Day in Parliament
the end of each division, the official result
is declared by the Speaker and recorded in
the Record of Proceedings.
Record of Proceedings
All of the debates which occur in
Parliament are recorded in writing and
published in the Record of Proceedings
(traditionally referred to as Hansard). This
is the official report of the debates and
proceedings of the parliament.
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3.15
parliament, such as the Ombudsman. Committees
also conduct inquiries to examine matters in detail.
After the committees have held their hearings,
committee members sort through the evidence
and reach a conclusion which they present to the
parliament in the form of a report.
Hansard is published on the parliament’s
website at the end of each sitting
day along with a video of each day’s
proceedings.
Parliamentary Committees
A parliamentary committee is a body
established by legislation or by the
parliament to inquire into specific matters.
It is made up of a group of members,
both government and non-government.
Committees generally have significant
powers to inquire into matters for the
parliament and often seek information and
views from people and organisations.
The main task of committees in
Queensland is to ensure government
administration is accountable to
the parliament and to the people of
Queensland.
Committees are able to do this in a
way that the whole parliament cannot.
They have more time, are more flexible,
and can gather evidence by speaking to
people and organisations in communities
throughout the state.
Committees carry out the responsibilities
assigned to them by legislation or the
parliament. They consider and report
on bills introduced into the parliament
and subordinate legislation, consider the
annual appropriation bills (the estimates
process), investigate issues of public
importance, consider whether policies
or past decisions could be improved
and make sure that public money is
used appropriately. They also meet with
public office holders who report to the
The Speaker’s Chair in the Legislative Assembly Chamber
Updated July 2015