- The National Assembly will tackle the pandemic after sorting itself out
The National Assembly will meet next week to discuss the coronavirus issue after a parliamentary committee decided on a number of recommendations to enable the House to observe social distancing, an obstacle which had prevented the House meeting before, and the government will summon the session, with the opposition to withdraw the requisition which may have forced the government’s hand.
Perhaps the most import thing is that the House would not need any amendment of its rules for the meeting. The apparently unthinkable agreement not to have any privilege or adjournment motions, or questions, does mean that the government will escape accountability from ordinary members, but these generally cause members to attend, particularly when they have an issue they want to raise. This will also help considerably in ministers having no more than one member of staff in attendance. In previous sessions, ministers generally used to have a large staff in attendance that they helped answer members’ questions or address their concerns in adjournment motions. Not pointing out the quorum is also part of the rules, for the House is considered quorate so long as one member is present and another in the Chair and no one points out the lack of quorum. However, having a virtual meeting by teleconferencing was rejected. It would have required an amendment to the rules, quite apart from the issues of connectivity that might have arisen.
The House has much business before it, apart from the coronavirus itself, and there is much legislation that has to be carried out, like the NAB Ordinance amendments now that the Ordinance making them has lapsed. Legislation means voting, and agreements as to procedure have still to be made. Legislation also means the Senate being summoned. The small Senate chamber does not allow social distancing, and the National Assembly chamber may have to be used, in which case there would be scheduling difficulties. There is much to come. The Budget session is around the corner, and there is no indication of how the presentation, the debate, and then the actual passage are to take place safely. Still, a valuable first step has been taken.
