National Congress Standing Orders

Draft Congress Standing Orders
Please note that these are draft orders, and may be changed. If you want to propose changes to the standing orders, please use the discussion page.

Submissions
There are two types of submission that can be made to the Congress.

Discussion Paper
Discussion papers are for people wishing to speak on the first day and can cover any aspect of Pirate Party politics or campaigning. These reports don't need an attached motion. Any motions from these discussions can be voted on during the second day.

Motion
Regular Motions are proposals that deal with Pirate Party policy or constitutional issues. Procedural Motions are motions to facilitate discussion and to facilitate the smooth running of the Congress.

Motions can be put from the floor of the congress. If the facility exists, remote delegates may also be considered to be part of the Congress and be able to put forward motions.

Regular Motions
Regular Motions must contain a statement outlining the proposed change precisely, then can have an accompanying statement outlining the reasoning, need for the change, background etc. If the Motion is particularly important or in-depth an accompanying discussion paper for presentation on the first day can be presented.

Regular Motions must be in writing and must spell out the resulting change to platform, constitution or whatever structural change is being proposed.

Procedural Motions
Procedural Motions can be brought to bring discussion to a close, amend motions, temporarily waive rules of discussion or anything else that helps facilitate the smooth running of the Congress. Procedural Motions are heard with one speaker (the person putting the procedural motion) for, one opposed (if there is someone) and a vote. No more discussion will be entered into as Procedural Motions can stall real debate.

Amendments
Amendments are proposed as Procedural Motions, to amend the motion that is the subject of the debate. If the original mover agrees to the amendment they can be made with no further debate, if the Amendment is opposed by the original mover then the amendment requires a seconder and is voted on at the end of discussion, before a final vote is put on the actual motion.

Amendments can be put to any motion from the time of publication, although the discussion and voting will be carried out at the congress. Amendments must be heard and voted on the Congress floor. The final motion will be put to the broader membership.

All submissions are to be made 7 days before Congress for publication in the Congress handbook.
Due date for the 2011 Congress is Friday, October 21.

(N.B motions can be submitted later, but will miss publication deadline and will probably receive a poorer hearing.)

Example Motions
The following is an example of a proposed Regular Motion. This is followed by an example of an amendment of that motion.

Proposed Regular Motion: Motion for Pirate Party Australia to adopt a 3 day weekend as part of the platform. Motion Add following statement to Pirate Party Australia platform:

2.15 Three Day weekend

Pirate Party Australia realise that people are generally overworked and could use an extra day off a week.

An amendment is put to the above motion.

Motion to amend policy 2.15 Three Day Weekend to 2.15 Four day Weekend.

This vote would then be taken on the amendment at the congress, the final wording would be put to the membership.