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Some of those changes are straightforward, Mr Speaker, in that they were temporary orders for the last six years. We have said, “Yes, they are working very well; they need to become standing orders”. For those members who are not aware of the difference, at the end of an Assembly a temporary order wanes, whereas a standing order continues. We believe that it is appropriate that we put these into standing orders and that they become part of the normal working document for the Assembly as we go through this transition period that we are currently going through. If we get these standing orders right, Mr Speaker, as I hope we will, there will be no necessity, for example, for the motion that Mr Humphries put to us and that we discussed a little earlier. Generally, Mr Speaker, I think that these standing orders, with two exceptions, will be uncontroversial. The two exceptions that I would like to mention, Mr Speaker, are to do with Tuesday night sittings and the prayer.

Before I move on to those I would like to foreshadow that next Thursday, as part of Assembly business, I will be moving a motion to implement the report. That motion effectively will cover paragraph 11 of this report, which you will find on page 13. It is headed “Conclusion and Final Recommendations”. I think that the most controversial part of that motion will be to do with the Tuesday night sittings. When I look around here this evening, Mr Speaker, I see that there are probably more people in the chamber this evening than usual. That may well be due not only to the interest of new staff members but also to interest in the inaugural speeches of our new colleagues, who have done so well. You, Mr Speaker, would be aware that it is a fairly unusual occurrence to have so many people. Normally on a Tuesday night, particularly in winter, if there was one person present apart from staff members we would probably all go over and say hello to find out why that person happened to be here. Perhaps I exaggerate somewhat, but not much.

Mr Speaker, I did draw members’ attention earlier to standing order 27. Originally it stated that our sittings started at 2.30 pm each day. We varied that somewhat. I think it is appropriate to go with the majority recommendation of the committee. What will happen is that we will start sitting at 10.30 am on each day and have question time, as we always do, at 2.30 pm. Mr Speaker, in agreeing to this recommendation by the committee, I believe that it is appropriate to give that a trial period. I am very happy to reassess that after a three-month trial. If there appears to be considerable community distress by then, I would be prepared to reconsider the issue.

The other issue that may be controversial to a certain extent - dissent is recorded in our report - is the issue of the prayer. I draw members’ attention to the fact that the issue of the prayer will not be dealt with in the motion next Thursday but rather, as indicated in the report, the debate will not be scheduled until 1 June 1995. It is really worth while reading that section of the report so that people understand the intention of the majority of the members of the committee. The committee considered the inclusion of the prayer as part of the routine of business, which is dealt with in standing order 74. The report states:

Some Members of the Committee were concerned that the wording of the Prayer in its current form did not reflect all the spiritual groups of the community which they represented.

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