Why do some members and senators not attend divisions?

Divisions are formal votes of the Parliament, and although there is an expectation that all senators and members will attend these votes, there is no requirement to do so.

There are several reasons why a member of parliament may not be in attendance:

• They could be abstaining from the vote, which means they have left the House of Representatives or Senate and are intentionally not participating in the division.
• The member or senator may be unwell, on leave, or undertaking ministerial or other official parliamentary duties.
• The member of parliament may be part of a ‘pair’. Pairing is an informal arrangement between political parties – organised by the party whips – that enables a member or senator on one side to be absent for a vote when someone from the other side is absent (for agreed reasons) at the same time.