A two-day orientation for lawmakers-elect commenced on Thursday, with the first day dedicated to detailing core responsibilities and working procedures, which attendees described as highly productive and fostering active engagement.

During Thursday’s briefing, the Legislative Council Secretariat also announced that members are now required to vote in all recorded divisions and may no longer attend without voting.

On Monday, the city’s eighth-term LegCo was officially formed after 90 new lawmakers had been returned in the election the day before. Their four-year term commences on Jan 1.

READ MORE: Community leaders call for legislators to reform

The first day's closed-door orientation briefing started at 9:30 am and was structured into eight sessions. The lawmakers-elect, 40 of whom are fresh faces, were briefed on their powers and operational mechanisms, the oath-taking ceremony, declarations of interest, and on conduct and order during meetings, as well as on procedures for raising questions, bills, and motions.

The afternoon sessions featured a sharing segment chaired by incumbent LegCo President Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen and legislator Martin Liao Cheung-kong, during which other incumbent legislators passed on their experience and answered questions from the lawmakers-elect.

Leung likened lawmakers to "goldfish in a fishbowl", noting that they will be constantly under public and media scrutiny and must therefore uphold their own image as well as that of the LegCo as a whole. He also said that as representatives of the public, lawmakers must listen broadly and comprehensively to public opinion and treat Hong Kong's interests as their own responsibility.

The lively exchanges began before the orientation officially started. Throughout the sessions, lawmakers-elect actively sought clarification and engaged in discussions with the secretariat on unclear points.

ALSO READ: HK lawmakers-elect pledge to put expertise to good use

First-time lawmaker-elect Tam Chun-kwok told reporters that the briefings were highly informative. He said that the secretariat has assigned officers to each incoming legislator to address their questions — a support system he described as particularly valuable for newcomers.

Another new face, Elaine Chik Kit-ling, said the orientation gave her a deeper understanding of the LegCo's upgraded facilities, such as the smart office system. She also said that the session allowed her to meet many future colleagues, and added that talking with them will help her better prepare for the term ahead.

Re-elected Election Committee lawmaker Adrian Ho King-hong complimented the positive atmosphere and the constructive communication between new and returning members, and their serious engagement with the briefings. He said he has high expectations for the new term and is confident that the lawmakers-elect will support one another.

At the briefing, Dora Wai Pik-yiu, secretary general of the LegCo secretariat, introduced a new voting procedure.

READ MORE: Lee: Govt to drive reform with new-term LegCo

In future recorded votes, members must press both the “present” button and a voting button, eliminating the option of merely attending. For unrecorded votes, pressing the "present" button is still required to track participation, which will remain the same as the current practice. She stressed the change is solely for attendance logging.

Lawmaker-elect Mark Chong Ho-fung said the updated mechanism will aid in compiling work reports without discouraging members from voting.