UITA you missed the earlier attempt by the Heff for this private meeting to be allowed to be held:
Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee
Meeting
Senator McEWEN (South Australia—Government Whip in the Senate) (09:31): On behalf of the chairs of the Environment and Communications Legislation Committee, Senator Cameron, and the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee, Senator Heffernan, I seek leave to move a motion to enable the committees to meet during the sitting of the Senate today.
Leave not granted.
And hence the reason that Senator Heffernan had to formally refer to a section 33 request for a private meeting
:
33 Meetings during sitting
1. A committee of the Senate and a joint committee of both Houses of the Parliament may meet during sittings of the Senate for the purpose of deliberating in private session, but shall not make a decision at such a meeting unless:
a. all members of the committee are present; or
b. a member appointed to the committee on the nomination of the Leader of the Government in the Senate and a member appointed to the committee on the nomination of the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate are present, and the decision is agreed to unanimously by the members present.
2. The restrictions on meetings of committees contained in paragraph (1) do not apply after the question for the adjournment of the Senate has been proposed by the President at the time provided on any day.
3. A committee shall not otherwise meet during sittings of the Senate except by order of the Senate.
4. Proceedings of a committee at a meeting contrary to this standing order shall be void.
NB It is also worth noting that it would have been a very brief meeting (i.e. 10 minutes) as all the Senators are required to be present for question time at 2pm.
And Oleo a private meeting is a meeting of the committee members not an ‘in camera’ hearing. There is an example of how an in camera hearing is requested in today’s Dynamic Red…and that it is one where I’d liked to be a fly on the wall!
From Dynamic Red today (21/03/13):
*1216 Chair of the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee (Senator Heffernan): To move—That the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee be authorised to hold an in camera hearing during the sitting of the Senate on Thursday, 21 March 2013.
Now back to the Aherne supp submissions and somewhere down the track CAR265 etc needs exploring…..off doing a Kelpie!