Standing Order 11 established a rather convoluted and complicated process for the election of Speakers (and by extension, Senate Presidents) which is not fit for the purpose of the Sim. It confuses meta and canon, and makes what is a canon position subject to a large meta process. Of particular note is Standing Order 11's requirement that a potential Speaker candidate be "seconded by at least four other Members or community members of AustraliaSim." This is not fit for purpose on a simulation as small as ours. In addition, the Standing Order requires a meta vote open to all community members. This seems out of place with established precedent, the canonicity of the position, and community ease. It is understandable that such a provision existed at a time in which the Speaker carried out ALL the relevant duties in parliament, but it has become a useless distraction at a time in which the parliamentary moderator and clerks do most the work and most Speakers (with some exceptions) do remarkably little. The standing orders can be read in full detail here.

For these reasons, I am using my powers as Parliamentary Moderator under Article 10 of the Meta Constitution to enact a retrospective Meta Rule to amend the Standing Order so the current election for Speaker and Senate President may proceed as planned. In this amended Standing Order 11 I return us to a state of affairs where nominated candidates must be parliamentarians, make it so that nominated candidates only require one seconder, or two if they are proposing themselves, reduce the required nomination period to 4 days in accordance with our established business cycle, and establishing a simple majority vote ballot for the positions. The Meta Constitution, which empowers me to make this Meta Rule, can be read in full here.

Standing Order 11 shall be amended to state:

11 Election procedures

When electing a Member to fill a vacant office the routine shall be as follows:

Nominees proposed

(a) The Parliament Moderator shall invite nominations for the vacant office.

(b) A Member may propose the nomination of another Member to the vacant office by moving, without notice, that such a person ‘do take the Chair of the House of Representatives as Speaker’. The motion must be seconded by at least one other Member. The mover and any seconders may speak in support of their nominated candidate.

(c) The nominated Member shall inform the House whether they accept the nomination.

(d) A Member may propose that they themselves ‘do take the Chair of the House of Representatives as Speaker’. The motion must be seconded by at least two other Members . The candidate may speak in support of themselves.

(e) After four days since the invitation of nominations under standing order 11(a) was conducted, no further nominations may be made.

Ballot

(f) If only one Member is nominated, that member is immediately declared elected.

(g) If more than one Member is nominated, each Member shall fill in a form provided by the Parliament Moderator, indicating their vote for who should fill the vacant office. Members may not abstain. The Parliament Moderator shall count the votes. If a Member receives a majority of submitted votes, that Member is immediately declared elected.

(h) If in the case of more than two nominated Members, with no nominated Members receiving a majority of submitted votes, the nominated Member with the lowest number of votes is to be excluded and a fresh ballot taken. This process continues until a nominee has the required majority.

(i) A nominee may, between ballots, withdraw his or her name from the election which then proceeds as if he or she had not been nominated. If a withdrawal leaves only one nominee, that person is immediately declared elected.

Per Article 21 of the Meta Constitution, Parliamentary Meta Rules can be approved by a Joint Sitting of parliament. I will be holding a joint sitting of parliament five days from now on 21/06/2023, in which the current members of parliament can vote to approve this meta rule. As the Meta Rule is retrospective it requires 70 percent approval from parliament. Parliamentarians will have two days (48 hours) to vote on approving the meta rule.