The Short Title of this Act shall be “The Standing Orders for Private Bills Act 1861.”

It shall be lawful for the Speaker of the Legislative Council the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Chairman of Committees of the House of Representatives (hereinafter called the Officers) at any time before the first day of January next ensuing by an Instrument in writing under their hands to declare that all existing Standing Orders of the Houses of the General Assembly respecting Bills subject to the payment of fees commonly called Private Bills shall be annulled Provided that they shall by the same Instrument declare that other Standing Orders to be prepared by them or by their authority and to be set forth in such Instrument in writing shall be the Standing Orders of the Houses of the General Assembly affecting such Bills as aforesaid.

Such Instrument in writing shall as soon as may be after the preparation thereof be transmitted by the Officers to the Governor and if approved by him shall be published in the Government Gazette Provided that such publication shall be not later than the first day of February next.

After such publication the now existing Standing Orders affecting Private Bills shall be annulled and shall cease to have any operation or force and the Standing Orders then so published shall have the same force and effect until the end of the next Session of the General Assembly as if they had been made and authorised in manner provided by the Constitution Act.

Within one week after the commencement of the next Session of the General Assembly the Officers shall lay upon the Table of each House of the General Assembly a copy of the Gazette in which the publication aforesaid shall have been made.

The Officers may employ such professional and clerical assistance as they may find requisite to enable them to carry this Act into execution and may authorise the payment to the persons employed by them of such remuneration as to them may seem meet.