Procedure and House Affairs committee  That was one issue as well. The resources available for members to perhaps bring their own perspectives on legislation was identified as a major issue, where the members' capacity to have staff to conduct research and just sort of independently scrutinize legislation was seen to

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Samara has done a series of exit interviews with former MPs, beginning with those who left in 2006. The surveys we began with MPs on different subjects started in 2016. Our report on heckling was based on surveys. The specific issue of how satisfied people were with debates only

Procedure and House Affairs committee  The nature of the debates in Westminster Hall in part reflects the different tradition, it would be best to say, of the British House of Commons, where party discipline is much more fluid. They have the three-line whip system, so that the government stakes out aspects of business

Procedure and House Affairs committee  In this regard, as my colleague said, the parallel chamber has been part of a suite of reforms introduced in Westminster over the past 20 years. When it began, the only way of getting debates was through the ballot of application submitted to the Speaker. In 2009, the backbench b

Procedure and House Affairs committee  On the Australian context, I don't know. I've been to Westminster Hall to observe those debates but I have not had the chance to do that in Australia to the same extent.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  It varies by debate and by the subject. Some of them are hyper-local, about the issues in a particular community. It might be some from that community who are interested. However, especially with the petitions, some of them can be issues of national significance. The main element

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I would say that's beyond the current scope of our inquiry. It's an interesting idea. As was mentioned, there are precedents for joint House of Commons and Senate committees. In the U.K. they have something called the Joint Committee on Human Rights, which is a joint House of Com

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I think it would require more surgery to the Standing Orders and possibly some constitutional elements, given that, unless deemed in new laws to be legal, you go through both chambers. There would need to be something to make sure that such a body would be considered to have both

Procedure and House Affairs committee  What I was trying to say is, if reforming the main chamber hasn't worked, why not try something new?

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Could I add something? This is the main benefit, to be honest. The Westminster Hall model allows members to suggest issues that are relevant to them or their constituencies. This week, for example, there was a debate on pancreatic cancer. The goal was, hopefully, across party li

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I think the reason we suggested the Westminster Hall model as the inspiration—and particularly to have a space that would be qualitatively different from what goes on in the House in order to have a different type of debate—was precisely for the reasons that you address. It is th

Procedure and House Affairs committee  This is the element. It would be having a place where debates are chosen, ideally without the involvement of the party whips, and having a place where speakers would participate without involvement from the party whips. The goal, ideally, would be to have this as the beginning

Procedure and House Affairs committee  It's the same practice as in the House. There they also will often be asked in debates to give leave or give way for someone else to interject a question as the speech is being delivered.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I am less familiar with that, but perhaps.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  That's very much so, and that is the idea where it is not ceding the floor, but giving way temporarily. I guess it's one's convention as to how long such interventions would be. I imagine a Speaker may need to get involved if it becomes its own filibuster.