Parliament vs. Council

Parliament vs. Council

A few months ago I visited Parliament House.

I was a guest of my local member and was invited to lunch in Parliament House.

Prior to lunch, I sat in the gallery and observed a motion being debated.

It had bi-partisan support and acknowledged the service of Police and those killed on duty.

It was interesting and presented an opportunity to note differences between Council meetings and Parliament sessions. Here is my take from the day visited:

·         Most Councillors are in the Chamber most of the time
·         There were 5-6 MPs present in Parliament
·         Unley has no security personnel in the Gallery
·         In Parliament’s gallery, there was a security person
·         Unley has a quorum for meetings
·         There doesn’t seem to be a quorum for MPs
·         The motion I watched passed with 5-6 MPs in attendance (out of 47 MPs)
·         We may not use a mobile phone in the Chamber
·         I watched 2 MPs use their mobiles
·         We may not use a tablet for personal use in the Chamber
·         I watched MPs playing with their tablets (for obvious personal use)
·         We may not talk to other Councillors during meetings
·         I watched MPs stroll around chatting to others
·         We may not engage staff for a chat during the meeting
·         I watched an MP engage with an attendant on very much a social matter, lots of joking
·         Oh, BTW we do not have attendants
·         MPs have a continually filled coffee pot in the corner, near the speaker
·         Attendants deliver water to the MPs
·         We have to get our own drinks (from another room) and then be recorded as absent
·         Unley Council meetings seem to be more interesting

Its interesting how there are different rules of conduct for Parliament and Councils.
BTW all the rules for Councils are determined by the State Parliament via the Local Government Act.