Editing Division bell (section)

== In Australia ==

Both State and [[Parliament of Australia|Federal Parliament]] buildings use electronic division bells. In most states with [[bicameral parliament]]s, and in the Federal Parliament, red and green lights near the division bells flash to indicate which house is being called.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/House_of_Representatives/Powers_practice_and_procedure/00_-_Infosheets/Infosheet_14_-_Making_decisions_-_debate_and_division|title=Infosheet 14 - Making decisions - debate and division|website=Parliament of Australia|access-date=17 February 2019}}</ref> [[Parliament of Queensland|Queensland]] and the [[Territories of Australia|Territories]], which have [[unicameral parliament]]s, do not require the red light which indicates the [[upper house]]. In the [[Parliament of New South Wales]], the division bell rings differently for divisions in the Assembly and the council.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/about/Pages/Procedures-and-Processes-of-the-Houses.aspx|title=Procedures and Processes of the Houses|website=Parliament of New South Wales|access-date=17 February 2019}}</ref>

The bells are typically rung at the beginning of a sitting, because a member has challenged a vote (called a division), or because there are not enough members in the chamber to constitute [[quorum]].<ref name=":3" />

=== Federal Parliament ===
In both the [[Australian Senate|Senate]] and the [[Australian House of Representatives|House of Representatives]], the division bell is normally rung for four minutes, unless successive divisions are taken with no debate between, in which case they ring for one minute only. After this period has elapsed, the doors to the chamber are locked, and the vote takes place. The duration of the bell was increased to four minutes following the move to [[Parliament House, Canberra|Parliament House]] in 1988, and is measured by in the House of Representatives using a [[Hourglass|sandglass]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/House_of_Representatives/Powers_practice_and_procedure/Practice7/HTML/Chapter8/Divisions|title=Chapter 8: Divisions|website=Parliament of Australia|access-date=17 February 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Senate/Powers_practice_n_procedures/Odgers_Australian_Senate_Practice/Chapter_11|title=CHAPTER 11 {{!}} Voting and Divisions|website=Parliament of Australia|access-date=17 February 2019}}</ref> On one occasion, a young [[Paul Keating]] was furiously censured by his party’s whip for missing a division. Keating made the excuse that he could not hear the division bell in his office, when in fact he had simply turned it down.