But, as the Government cannot take upon itself to decide what may be considered important or unimportant, if there is a formal demand for discussion forwarded through the usual channels from the Opposition or any other party, time will be found for the discussion of the Treaty in question.At the same time, he stated that: Resolutions expressing Parliamentary approval of every Treaty before ratification would be a very cumbersome form of procedure and would burden the House with a lot of unnecessary business.
The absence of disapproval may be accepted as sanction, and publicity and opportunity for discussion and criticism are the really material and valuable elements which henceforth will be introduced.The Ponsonby Rule was withdrawn during the subsequent Baldwin Government, but was reinstated in 1929 and gradually hardened into a practice observed by all successive governments.
In countries with a strong separation of powers, this may lead to treaties being signed by the executive, but not being ratified because of legislative opposition.
In the United States, the president must submit treaties to the Senate for its advice and consent to ratification, which requires a two-thirds vote.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade states "The power to enter into treaties is an executive power within Section 61 of the Australian Constitution and accordingly, is the formal responsibility of the Executive rather than the Parliament"[3] and discusses the issues surrounding this fact, including the way treaties are handled in practice (which does involve Parliament).