75. Ministers must seek to ensure that the routine business of the Parliament does not interrupt their Cabinet attendance. Ministers are responsible for making appropriate 'pairing' arrangements and for organising their routine chamber duty to be performed by other ministers where there is a conflict with Cabinet or Cabinet Committee meetings. It may not, however, be possible for ministers to attend Cabinet if the meeting coincides with their responsibilities for taking legislation through the House of Representatives or the Senate.
76. Ministers should ensure that neither they nor their offices commit to engagements that might conflict with scheduled Cabinet and Cabinet Committee meetings.
77. The Cabinet Secretary must be advised in writing of any planned absence from Cabinet or Cabinet Committee meetings. If a minister is absent, they generally cannot delegate their Cabinet or Cabinet Committee attendance to another minister.
78. However, when ministers are overseas or on leave, the Prime Minister will nominate another minister to exercise their full authority. Where the nominated minister is a Cabinet minister, this authority extends to matters under Cabinet consideration. Ministers not in Cabinet, who are acting portfolio ministers, do not represent the portfolio in the Cabinet or Cabinet Committees, unless expressly invited to do so by the Prime Minister or the Cabinet Secretary.
79. Cabinet ministers may seek the Cabinet Secretary’s agreement for another minister to represent them for portfolio‐specific items (see Annex C – Conduct of Cabinet and Cabinet Committee meetings).
Co‐opting ministers who are not members of the Cabinet
80. When Cabinet (or a Cabinet Committee) is scheduled to discuss a matter within the portfolio responsibility of a minister who is not a member of the Cabinet (or the relevant Cabinet Committee), that minister will receive access to the relevant papers and the Cabinet Secretary will co‐opt the relevant minister to attend the meeting for discussion of the item(s) concerned.
81. Ministers not in the Cabinet (including assistant ministers) with a portfolio interest in an item listed for Cabinet (or Cabinet Committee) consideration, who have not been co‐opted, may seek to be co‐opted for that item by having the responsible portfolio minister make a request to the Cabinet Secretary.
82. Co‐opted ministers leave the meeting once their item has been dealt with in the Cabinet room.
Quorum
83. There is no quorum for Cabinet or Cabinet Committees. The decision to proceed with a Cabinet or Cabinet Committee meeting is made by the Chair taking into account:
- the importance of the items under consideration
- the presence of relevant ministers
- the advisability of taking decisions if few ministers are present.
84. Chairs may seek the advice of the Cabinet Secretary.
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