Senator REYNOLDS (Western Australia) (15:51): I move:

That the resolution of appointment of the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters be amended to provide for participating membership, as follows:

After paragraph (3A), insert:

(3B) for the purposes of the inquiry into matters relating to Section 44 of the Constitution only, participating members may be appointed to the committee on the nomination, in the House of Representatives, of the Government or Opposition Whips or any minority group or independent Member, and, in the Senate, of the Leader of the Government or Opposition, or any minority group or independent Senator, and such participating member:

(a) shall be taken to be a member of the committee for the purposes of forming a quorum; and

(b) may participate in hearings of evidence and deliberations of the committee and have all rights of a committee member, except that a participating member may not vote on any question before the committee.

Question agreed to.