Chapter 2 - Resolutions on Council

2.11 Alteration of Master Plan Report

Any departure from principles of the Master Plan report should be approved only at a meeting on a motion of which three months' notice has been given and passed by a two-thirds majority of members present.

2.12 Open Section of the Council Agenda

1. The agenda of each meeting of Council may include an open section where matters determined by the University Secretary in consultation with the Vice-Chancellor, after considering requests from intending visitors, will be placed for consideration in public by Council. All other matters on the agenda will be considered in camera.
2. The time at which matters to be considered in the open section will be discussed will be one hour after the time set for the commencement of the meeting and other business not concluded within five minutes of that time shall be temporarily suspended.
3. Confidential documents relating to matters which will be considered during the open section of a meeting will be distributed to members only.

2.13 Admission of Visitors to Council meetings

1. Visitors, as defined in paragraph 2.13.2 below, may be admitted to the open section of a Council Meeting
   
   Intending visitors may advise the Office of the University Secretary of reports or issues of interest to them and should do so by midday of the Wednesday prior to Council's meeting. The expressed interests of visitors will be considered in determining the content of the open section of the meeting, but a request by an intending visitor will not in itself be a sufficient condition for placing an item in that section.
2. Visitors must be members of staff* of the University, students of the University, or graduates of the University of Melbourne.
   
   * "Members of Staff" means any person employed by the University or appointed to perform teaching or research duties. (See also Membership of the University, Regulation 17.1.R9).
3. Admission will be by ticket only. Up to 25 tickets will be available from the Office of the University Secretary until 1.00 p.m. on the day of the meeting. The University Secretary will be responsible for issuing tickets to identified students, identified members of staff and to identified graduates. Each ticket will have the name and signature of the person to whom it is issued written on it and will be non-transferable. The University Secretary will keep a list of persons to whom tickets are given, showing their categories and departments (where applicable).
4. Visitors may not impede or interfere with the conduct of Council. Visitors will undertake to leave the meeting if Council resolves that a matter is to be discussed in camera, or at the direction of the Chairperson and are subject to the standing orders of Council while in the Council Chamber. Visitors will not have any speaking rights. Cameras and sound recording devices may not be brought into the Council Chamber.
5. Copies of the agenda and all non-confidential papers relevant to items to be considered in the open section will be made available to visitors.
6. The meetings are not open to the press.
7. Marked seats at the west end of the Council Chamber will be reserved for visitors. Visitors will be admitted through the west door only.

2.14 Standing Orders of Council

General procedure at meetings

1. Subject to the Melbourne University Act 1958 ("the Act"), The University of Melbourne Statutes ("the Statutes")¹ and the provisions of these standing orders, the rules, forms, and usages of the Legislative Assembly of the Parliament of the State of Victoria are to be followed in so far as they are applicable to Council meetings.

Notice paper

2. The University Secretary, subject to the directions of the Chancellor, must prepare a notice paper of the business of each meeting.
3. Matters deemed by the University Secretary to require discussion are designated by two "stars" on the notice paper. Matters which are to be moved for adoption or received as a whole are "unstarred". At the commencement of each meeting, members will be given an opportunity to star any or all of the items which are unstarred on the notice paper.
4. The notice paper is deemed to include all matters of which notice is given in preliminary or supplementary notice papers provided to members prior to the meeting in accordance with the provisions of section 4 of Statute 2.2.

Chairing of meetings

5. Section 12 of the Act states-

"At every meeting of the Council the Chancellor or in his absence one of the deputy chancellors elected by the meeting shall preside as chairman; and in the absence of the Chancellor and the deputy chancellors the members of the Council present shall elect a chairman."

Confirmation of minutes of previous meeting

6. On completion of all preliminary matters, including ceremonial, announcements, ordering of the agenda and matters relating to Council membership, the first business at every meeting is the consideration of a motion for the confirmation of the minutes of the preceding meeting ("the previous minutes").
7. Unless any member of the Council raises any question as to the accuracy of the previous minutes, no discussion with respect to the previous minutes is permitted, and, after insertion of any amendments agreed by a majority of members of the Council present, the previous minutes as confirmed must then be signed by the chairperson.

Usual order of business

8. Unless the Council otherwise resolves, the order of business of every ordinary meeting (after the signing of the previous minutes) must be as set out in the notice paper for the meeting as follows-
   
   1. Formal Matters, Reports of Council Officers and Committees;
   2. Reports of Other Governance Bodies;
   3. Legislation;
   4. Other Reports, Other Business;
   5. Open Section.

General Discussion Item

9. At each meeting of the Council, following receipt of the Vice-Chancellor’s report, provision will be made for members to raise issues of concern. During this session, the formal rules of debate do not apply and motions will not be considered. Any motion which might arise is to be taken as a motion on notice for the subsequent meeting.

Voting

10. The voting procedure at Council meetings is as follows-

10.1 Subject to paragraph 10.2 below, voting must be by show of hands and the result must be declared by the chairperson.

10.2 The Council may, with respect to any motion before it, resolve that voting is to be by secret ballot.

10.3 A motion is carried if voted for by a majority of the members present or, if the agreement of a specified number of members is required by statute, by the number of members so prescribed.

Petitions

11. After any petition or application of a similar kind has been presented at a meeting no motion is permitted on any of the matters raised therein until the next ordinary meeting unless the Council decides that in all the circumstances the matters should be dealt with urgently.

Nature of motion to be stated

12. Any member wishing to move a substantive motion or amendment must state the nature of the proposed motion before addressing the Council thereon and must complete their address by formally moving the motion.

Motion to be seconded

13. A motion or amendment moved by a member must not be discussed, nor put to the vote of the Council, unless it has been seconded by another member.

Motions to be in writing

14. At every meeting of the Council every motion other than a procedural motion, whether a substantive motion or an amendment, except-

14.1 a motion by a member presenting a report from a committee; or

14.2 a motion by the Vice-Chancellor presenting the Vice-Chancellor's report; or

14.3 when leave is granted by the chairperson;

must be reduced to writing, signed by the mover, and delivered to the chairperson immediately it has been moved and seconded.

Absence of members giving notice

15. A motion must not be proceeded with in the absence of the member who has given notice of the same unless the member so consents in writing.

Order of debate

16.	16.1 Each starred item must be placed before the meeting by the chairperson who must then call upon the appropriate member, or members, of the Council to present the item.
	16.2 If two or more members seek to address the meeting at the same time the chairperson must decide the order in which they are to be heard.
	16.3 Any member wishing to move a motion or amendment or taking part in any discussion thereon must address the chairperson and must not be interrupted except by the chairperson or upon a point of order being made. When a ruling has been made on the point of order, the member may, unless prohibited by the ruling, proceed with his or her address.

Members not to digress

17. A member must not digress from the subject matter of the question under discussion.

Enforcement of Standing Orders

18. A member may, at any time, seek the enforcement of any standing order by raising a point of order.

Withdrawal of motion

19. A motion or amendment must not be withdrawn except by the leave of the Council.

Chairperson addressing the Council

20. The chairperson must not leave the chair when addressing the Council or discussing any question.

Time for speeches

21. A member must not speak to any one motion for more than seven minutes without the leave of the Council. Any extension of time granted by the Council will not normally exceed five minutes.

Members not to speak twice

22. A member must not speak a second time on the same question, unless-

22.1 the member has a right of reply; or

22.2 the member wishes to explain any misrepresentation or misunderstanding apparently arising in connection with the motion; or

22.3 the chairperson gives leave; or

22.4 the member's address has been interrupted on a point of order.

For the purposes of this standing order, a member who has moved a substantive motion is deemed to have spoken thereon, but a member seconding the motion is deemed not to have spoken upon it.

Mover's right of reply

23. The mover of a substantive motion, but not a person moving an amendment to a motion, has a right of reply, after the exercise of which the motion must be put to the vote by the chairperson.

Points of order

24. When ruling upon points of order the chairperson must refer to the provision, rule, or practice which he or she considers to be applicable to the case and must give reasons for the decision. With the exceptions provided in standing orders 25 and 35 the chairperson's decision on the point of order is, in each case, final.

Out of order

25. If the chairperson rules any motion or amendment out of order it must be removed from the business of the meeting unless a further motion is passed by the Council permitting further discussion and voting on the original motion or amendment.

Amendments

26. If any amendment is rejected by the Council a second amendment may be moved to the question to which the first mentioned amendment was moved, but only one amendment is to be submitted to the Council for discussion at a time.

No second or subsequent amendment of a substantive motion is to be debated until the previous amendment has been disposed of. The chairperson must rule an amendment of an amendment out of order.

Effect of rejection of words in original motion

27. If any words in an original motion are deleted, any words proposed in substitution for them must form the next motion, after which any further amendment to substitute yet other words may be moved.

Rescission of resolution

28. No resolution of the Council may be rescinded within three months of the date on which it has been passed unless the Council resolves that special or changed circumstances make it necessary to do so.

Loss of Quorum

29. If a debate on any motion is interrupted because the number of members present ceases to be a quorum the debate may be resumed at the next meeting of the Council from the commencement point of that debate.

Motion that question now be put to the vote

30. Any member may move that a motion or amendment before the meeting be put to the vote. The Chairperson has the discretion to refuse the closure motion. If the closure motion is accepted and carried, the question must be put to the vote but only after a member entitled to reply has been given that right.

Suspension of rules

31. Any of these standing orders may be suspended for a special purpose if-

31.1 either notice of motion to suspend a standing order is given on the notice paper for the meeting or the majority of members present at a meeting have agreed that such a motion may be put;

31.2 members present have been given an opportunity to debate the question; and

31.3 the motion is carried by the majority of the members present.

Disorderly conduct

32. The chairperson may call to order any member who behaves in a disorderly or offensive manner or uses offensive language.

Members called to order

33. A member who is called to order must be seated and silent unless permitted by the chairperson to explain his or her conduct.

Misconduct

34. Any member or other person attending a meeting of the Council who behaves in a disorderly or offensive manner may be requested by the chairperson to leave the meeting.
35. Any person who engages in any disorderly or offensive conduct at a Council meeting, or who fails to leave the meeting when requested to do so, may be found by the chairperson to be guilty of misbehaviour unless the Council dissents from the chairperson's ruling.
36. Any member found guilty of misbehaviour who, when called upon to do so, fails to explain the misbehaviour or to offer an apology, in either case to the satisfaction of the chairperson, may be suspended for the remainder of that meeting by the chairperson or for any further period the Council may determine.

Removal of disorderly persons

37. Any disorderly person who fails to leave a meeting when so requested by the chairperson may be forthwith removed from the meeting.

Time of closure of meetings and unfinished business

38. Meetings of Council must conclude not later than three hours after their commencement, unless the majority of members present at a meeting resolves otherwise. Any unfinished business must be added to the notice paper for the next ordinary meeting of the Council.

Block passage of grouped recommendations

39. Where a report to the Council groups a sequence of similar recommendations, not being recommendations for the appointment of professors or deans, the recommendations may be considered and dealt with as a block, unless the Council resolves otherwise.

Removal of Members from Office

40. A notice of motion to remove a member from office pursuant to Section 6A(3)(a) of the Melbourne University Act must be submitted in writing, and is to be distributed by the University Secretary to members of Council only.
41. Written notice to a member of Council pursuant to section 6A(3)(a) of the Act must be given not later than 21 days prior to the meeting at which the motion for removal of that member will be considered.
42. Motions for removal will be considered in camera, with only members of Council and the University Secretary present, provided that the presiding officer may require the attendance of specified University officers to assist Council in dealing with the matter.

2.15 Protests

The practice of the Council is not to receive protests from individual members against resolutions of the Council.

2.16 Form in which committees report to Council

Council will be presented with reports of committee meetings which will contain-

1. recommendations to be resolved by Council
2. reports or lists (as appropriate) of decisions taken under delegated authority
3. other matters dealt with by the committee

The Council notice paper will contain a list of the recommendations and reports to be considered by Council.

The minutes of meetings supporting the reports, which will be attached to the business paper, will be available to Council members both from the University Secretary's Office before the meeting and in the Council Chamber on the day of the meeting.

1 See especially Statutes 1.3 and 2.2.