PARLIAMENT AND DEMOCRACY - Inter-Parliamentary Union

Foreign Affairs in the Norwegian Stortinget gives the government the
opportunity to discuss important issues related to trade, national security and
other foreign policy with all the factions of Parliament before any decision is
finalised. ‘The existence of this committee has contributed to a…common
political consensus in the field of foreign policy that Norway has experienced
since the Second World War.’ In the Senegalese Assemblée Nationale legislation
of particular importance can be referred to an ad hoc Commission
comprising the leaders of all political groups, in order to obtain the widest
possible agreement.
In Australia this consensus approach extends across many committees:
One feature that marks House of Representatives committees is that
they usually do not adopt a political approach to subjects considered
by them; members from across the political spectrum usually adopt a
non-confrontational attempt to reach a common solution. As such,
their outputs are usually more productive and bring about effective
change in governmental policy on issues of great importance to the
Australian public.
Where consensus is not possible in committee work, many parliaments
make provision for the tabling of minority reports.
Specific rights for opposition or minority parties
and groups
A representative parliament I 29
Opposition or minority parties have a key role to play in holding the government
to account, and in providing alternative policy options for public consideration.
In parliamentary systems, where the government can exercise the
initiative over debate and legislation through its parliamentary majority, it is
important that there be guaranteed rights for an official opposition to place
items for legislation and policy debate on the parliamentary agenda, as well as
guaranteed time for such debate. By the same token, minority parties in legislatures
under a presidential system need similar rights. Even in the monarchical
system of Saudia Arabia, any group of ten members of the legislature is
now entitled to propose a draft law or an amendment to a law already in force.
Such rights are recognised by almost all parliaments.
For example in the Italian Camera dei Deputati, which has very precise regulations
governing the allocation of its time, opposition groups are guaranteed
a minimum quota of subjects they can introduce, and a guaranteed proportion
of the speaking time allocated to any subject. In the case of bills introduced by