Standing order review

Parliament’s Standing Orders Review Committee has agreed to limit the time that members can speak in the House of Representatives to 10 minutes.



An extension of this time is subject to the speaker’s discretion.



The Committee has also approved the recent practice for Opposition spokespersons to respond to statements by Government Ministers.



However, their responses should not be more than five minutes.



The Standing Order committee has also supported the proposal for the Prime Minister\'s Question Time every second Tuesday of each month.



During his Question Time, the Prime Minister will respond to queries from any Member of the House.



The Prime Minister will also now be required to respond to questions on urgent national matters within seven days.