Vacancy to be notified.
21. Whenever a vacancy happens in the Senate, the President, or if there is no President or if the President is absent from the Commonwealth the Governor-General, shall notify the same to the Governor of the State in the representation of which the vacancy has happened.
HISTORICAL NOTE.—The clause in the Commonwealth Bill of 1891 was substantially in the same words, and was adopted verbatim at the Adelaide session (1897). (Conv. Deb., Adel., p. 680.) At the Sydney session Mr. Glynn suggested that there should be a resolution of the Senate declaring the vacancy. This, however, was thought unnecessary. The word “forthwith,” before “notify,” was omitted as unnecessary. (Conv. Deb., Syd. [1897], pp. 990–1.) At the Melbourne session, before the first report, a drafting amendment was made.