What happens if a member of parliament is late to a vote?
Decisions are made in the Australian Parliament by voting on a question. Although senators and members of the House of Representatives don’t have to be present during all the debate, it is expected that they will be present for formal votes called divisions.
When a division is called, the Clerk rings the division bells for 4 minutes to request senators or members return to vote. After 4 minutes, the doors are closed and locked, and members of parliament are not allowed to enter or leave the room until the end of the division.
Sometimes, a senator or member may be late and the doors are locked before they arrive. They will not be counted.
However, a rule in the House of Representatives says that a member may ask ‘That the House divide again’. If this is agreed to, the vote is retaken and the result of the new division is recorded as the decision of the House.
The Senate also allows another division for ‘Errors, confusion or misadventure in divisions’.
The House of Representatives during a division.
DPS Auspic
The House of Representatives during a division.
DPS Auspic
Description
This image is of a large room with green furnishings. The seats are arranged around a large central table. There is a large chair at the open end of the U-shaped seats that is elevated above the other chairs. There are people milling around, especially at the end of the central table.
Permission should be sought from DPS AUSPIC for third-party or commercial uses of this image. To contact DPS AUSPIC email: auspic@aph.gov.au or phone: 02 6277 3342.