Questions On Notice
Questions on Notice
Senators may, at any time, address written questions on notice to ministers and other senators. As soon as practicable, questions are forwarded to the appropriate ministers’ offices and to the relevant departments where replies are drafted for consideration by the minister. When a reply is approved by the minister it is delivered to the senator who asked the question and both question and reply are printed in Hansard.
Questions without Notice
Question time in the Senate is scheduled to begin at 2.00 p.m. on each sitting day and usually continues for an hour. The President asks if there are any questions without notice and senators wishing to ask questions rise in their places. After the question has been asked the President calls on the appropriate minister to answer.