Committees - Legal and Constitutional Affairs

Full Terms of Reference
(Section 21B of the Standing Orders)

(1) A committee to be known as the Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs shall be appointed at the commencement of each Assembly to inquire, report and make recommendations upon such constitutional and legal matters as may be referred to it by:

(a) the Attorney-General; or
(b) resolution of the Assembly.

(2) The committee shall consist of five members.

(3) Any appointed alternate opposition member may participate in a meeting of the committee or sub-committee as if he of she were a full member provided only that two opposition alternate members shall vote at a deliberative meeting of a committee or sub-committee.

(4) Any appointed alternate government member may participate in a meeting of the committee or sub-committee as if he of she were a full member provided only that three government members shall vote at a deliberative meeting of a committee or sub-committee.

(5) In the event of an equality of voting, the Chairman shall have a casting vote.

(6) The committee have power to appoint subcommittees and to refer to any such subcommittee any matter which the committee is empowered to examine.

(7) Three members of the committee constitute a quorum of the committee and three members of a subcommittee constitute a quorum of the subcommittee.

(8) The committee or any subcommittee have power to send for persons, papers and records, to adjourn from place to place, to meet and transact business in public or private session and to sit during any adjournment of the Assembly.

(9) The committee shall be empowered to print from day to day such papers and evidence as may be ordered by it and, unless otherwise ordered by the committee, a daily Hansard shall be published of such proceedings of the committee as take place in public.

(10) The committee have leave to report from time to time and any member of the committee has power to add a protest or dissent to any report.

(11) Unless otherwise ordered by the committee, all documents received by the committee during its inquiry shall remain in the custody of the Assembly provided that, on the application of a department or person, any document, if not likely to be further required, may, in the Speaker's discretion, be returned to the department or person from whom it was obtained.

(12) Members of the public and representatives of the news media may attend and report any public sessions of the committee, unless otherwise ordered by the committee.

(13) The committee may authorise the televising of public hearings of the committee under such rules as the Speaker considers appropriate.

(14) The committee shall be provided with all necessary staff, facilities and resources and shall be empowered, with the approval of the Speaker, to appoint persons with specialist knowledge for the purposes of the committee.

(15) The committee be empowered to consider the minutes of proceedings, evidence taken and records of similar committees established in the previous Assembly.

(16) The foregoing provisions of this resolution, so far as they are inconsistent with standing orders, have effect notwithstanding anything contained in the Standing Orders.

Contact Details
Ms Julia Knight
Committee Secretary
GPO Box 3721
DARWIN NT 0801
Telephone: (08) 89401 4149
Fax: (08) 8941 2567
Email: lcac@nt.gov.au

>return to Committees