Clerks

The Senate and the House of Representatives each have a Clerk, who is the top-level parliamentary officer. The Clerks are the only non-elected people who regularly speak in the Senate or House.

The Clerks have several responsibilities in the Senate or House, including:

• assisting the President of the Senate or the Speaker of the House of Representatives to run proceedings, including having a thorough knowledge of the standing orders and tabling all documents
• helping the President, the Speaker and members of parliament to organise the order of business each day, including providing advice on procedure
• certifying the passage of bills through the Parliament
• recording the actions and decisions of Parliament in a daily publication—in the Senate this is called Journals of the Senate, and in the House of Representatives this is called Votes and Proceedings
• assisting with ceremonial occasions, such as the opening of Parliament and the swearing-in of new members of parliament.

The Senate and House also have a Deputy Clerk and several Clerk Assistants who support the Clerks in their duties.

Department role

When the Clerks are not in the Senate or House of Representatives, they work from an office in Parliament House. They have several responsibilities, including:

• organising the daily operations of the Parliament and assisting members of parliament in their work
• advising members of parliament on parliamentary rules, practice and procedure, the requirements of the Australian Constitution and laws that affect Parliament.

History

The role of the Clerk dates back to the origins of the British Parliament, with the first Clerk appointed in 1363. In keeping with tradition, the Clerk reads the title of each bill aloud 3 times before it is passed, signalling agreement to the bill at different stages. This practice dates back to the early British Parliament, before printing or literacy was widespread. The Clerk had to read the whole bill aloud to inform members of its contents.

In previous Australian parliaments and in keeping with tradition, the Clerk wore a wig and gown. This practice stopped in the Senate in 1996. In 1995, the Clerk of the House of Representatives ceased wearing a wig, although they still wear a gown.