Appendix 4- Public awareness activities and publications

During 2009–10, the Clerk and other senior officers made presentations on aspects of the Senate, Senate committees and parliamentary procedure to various Australian and international audiences, including:

• individual parliamentarians and their staff
• departmental staff, other parliamentary officers and staff from a wide range of Australian Public Service departments and agencies
• overseas visitors, including parliamentary delegations
• participants in conferences and seminars, including as part of programs conducted by the Australian National University Parliamentary Studies Centre
• schoolchildren and members of the public.

In particular, the Clerk made presentations at the following events:

• National Human Rights Consultation Committee meeting, 3 July 2009
• Scrutiny of Bills Conference, 8 July 2009
• Goodwin Village, Canberra, 15 July 2009
• Probus Club of Gungahlin, 3 August 2009
• Australian National Internships Program 2009, 6 August 2009
• launch of Annotated Standing Orders of the Australian Senate, 19 August 2009
• launch of the ‘Australia’s Magna Carta’ segment of the ‘Acting Wisely’ exhibition, 14 September 2009
• Australian Government Solicitor Employment Law Forum 2009, 21 October 2009
• launch of Agenda, College of Business and Economics, Australian National University, Canberra, 21 October 2009
• Centre for Defence and Strategic Studies, 29 October 2009
• seminar for the diplomatic community, 12 November 2009
• Australian National Internships Program 2010, 26 February 2010
• Inter-Parliamentary Study Program 2010, 1 March 2010
• 2010 Leadership Ballarat and Western Region Conference, 16 March 2010
• ‘Parliamentary Law Making’, University of Canberra, 7 April 2010
• Defence and Industry Study Course, 1 June 2010.

Departmental officers also presented and published papers on the powers, procedures and operations of the Senate or related issues, as detailed below.

The department maintained and updated an extensive catalogue of publicly available documents and other resources during 2009–10, as listed by category below. Contact details for each publication area are also listed at the end of this appendix.

Materials which are available on the Senate’s website (www.aph.gov.au/senate) or the Parliamentary Education Office website (www.peo.gov.au) are marked with the symbol . Materials which are available in hard copy are marked with the symbol . Materials available on CD are marked with the symbol .

Publications by subject area

Publications on the work and procedures of the Senate

Annotated Standing Orders of the Australian Senate		commentaries on and amendment histories ofthe Standing Orders
Bills List and Daily Bills Update		details of the status of bills before parliament
Brief Guides to Senate Procedure, Nos 1–23		practical guides to common practices and procedures
Business of the Senate		a comprehensive summary of business, prepared biannually
Chamber support services for senators		a guide to documents and services provided to the chamber
Dynamic Red		the daily Order of Business, updated online during each sitting day, together with outcomes
Journals of the Senate		the minutes of chamber proceedings
List of senators		senators’ contact information, terms of service and state and party representation
Odgers’ Australian Senate Practice, 12th edition and supplements		a comprehensive procedural reference work
Order of Business		the Senate 'Red' or daily program
Pocket Guide to Senate Procedure		a consolidation of the Brief Guides to Senate Procedure
Preparing private senators’ bills, explanatory memoranda and second reading speeches: A guide for senators		information about preparing bills, for senators and their support staff, also available on the departmental intranet
Privileges Committee 125th Report— Parliamentary privilege: Precedents, procedures and practice in the Australian Senate 1966–2005		the most recent consolidated account of the work of the Senate Committee of Privileges
Procedural Information Bulletin		a regular digest of events of procedural significance
Questions on Notice Summary		a statistical analysis of questions placed on notice by senators for a parliament, updated biannually
Routine of business		a guide to the routine of business for sittings days and the time limits for debate
Senate Briefs, Nos 1–16		general introductions to aspects of the Senate, including elections, legislation, parliamentary privilege, the committee system and ministers in the Senate
Senate Daily Summary		a daily digest of Senate business
Senate Notice Paper		the Senate’s daily agenda
Senate Statistical Summary		weekly statistics on Senate business
Senators’ Guide to Procedures		a practical introduction to the chamber
Senators’ Handbook—A guide to services, entitlements and facilities for senators		information for senators and their support staff,also available on the departmental intranet
Standing Orders and Other Orders of the Senate		the rules and resolutions governing the Senate’s proceedings
StatsNet		online statistical databases, including a list of bills that are possible double dissolution triggers and fortnightly updates of questions placed on notice by senators
The Senate		a brochure about the role and functioning of the Senate
Your Senate online		a brochure about online access to information about the Senate

Publications on the work and procedures of Senate committees

Bills referred to committees		an up-to-date list of bills referred to committees
Business of Committees		the Senate ‘Committee Red’ or daily program
Committee style guide		style guide for the preparation of Senate committee reports
Consolidated Register of Senate Committee Reports		a register of committee reports presented to the Senate since 1970
1970–2004 and annual supplements
1970–2010
Delegated Legislation Monitor		information on every disallowable legislative and non-legislative instrument tabled in the Senate during a sitting week, also prepared as an annual consolidated volume
Disallowance Alert		an up-to-date list of disallowance actions initiated by the Regulations and Ordinances Committee and individual senators, together with outcomes
Guide to committee procedure and practice		an easy-reference guide for committee staff
How to make a submission to a Senate committee inquiry		three information brochures for members of thepublic with an interest in participating in the work of Senate committees
Notes for the guidance of witnesses appearing before Senate committees
Procedures to be observed by Senate committees for the protection of witnesses
Public hearings/meetings		a program of scheduled meetings
RSS feeds		an alert service for new Senate committee inquiries, recently tabled Senate committee reports and public hearings
Scrutiny of Bills Committee Alert Digests		information for senators and the public about concerns raised by the Scrutiny of Bills Committee in relation to bills and Acts
Scrutiny of Bills Committee Reports		the observations and recommendations of the Scrutiny of Bills Committee in relation to bills and Acts
Scrutiny of Disallowable Instruments		a list of disallowable legislative and non-legislative instruments about which the Regulations and Ordinances Committee has raised concerns during a calendar year
Senate Disallowable Instruments List		a list of tabled instruments for which disallowance motions may be moved in the Senate, published for each sitting period
Work of Committees		a comprehensive summary of committee business, prepared biannually

Parliamentary, constitutional and historical publications

1903–2003: One Hundred Years of Women’s Suffrage in Australia		a poster commemorating the 100th anniversaryof the first federal election at which women in all Australian states were entitled to vote
A Nation at Last—the Story of Federation		the book based on the exhibition of the same name
Australia’s Constitution		an online version of the Australian Constitution
Australia’s Magna Carta		a booklet which chronicles the story of the Parliament’s acquisition of its 1297 Inspeximus copy of Magna Carta
Australia’s Parliament		a visitor guide, available in English and multilingual editions
Business of the Senate 1901–1910 (two volumes)		commemorative issues relating to the business of the early parliaments
Can Responsible Government Survive in Australia? David Hamer, revised edition, 2004		a comparative study of the powers and procedures of 20 Commonwealth legislatures, by a former senator and member
Eureka and the Prerogative of the People, John Molony, 2004		a booklet commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Eureka Stockade rebellion
Papers on Parliament, Nos 1–53		the department’s journal, which publishes the texts of occasional lectures and other essays
Platypus and Parliament: The Australian Senate in Theory and Practice, Stanley Bach, 2003		a comprehensive analysis of the Senate by a former Senate Fellow
Records of the Australasian Federal Conventions of the 1890s		the complete transcripts of the debates that led to the founding of the nation
Records of the Centenary of Federation Joint Commemorative Meeting of the Senate and the House of Representatives, 9 May 2001, and of the Sitting of the Senate, 10 May 2001		copy of the official transcript and other records of the centenary sittings in Melbourne
Senate Legislative and General Purpose Standing Committees—The First 20 Years, 1970–1990		a general history of the Senate’s committee system
Senate Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs—The Twentieth Anniversary of the Committee, 1991		a history of the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee
The Biographical Dictionary of the Australian Senate		an ongoing, multi-volume reference work on Australia’s senators, volume 1 covering 1901– 1929, volume 2 covering 1929–1962, volume 3 covering 1962–1983 and volume 4 forthcoming
The President of the Senate		an illustrated guide to the role and work of the President

Parliamentary Education Office publications

Assignment Assistant		a guide for students to resources about parliament
Australia’s Constitution		a pocket-sized edition of the Australian Constitution
Australia’s Constitution CD		a double-CD edition of the Australian Constitution, for people with a vision or print disability
Closer Look—A Comparison of the Australian and United States Federal Legislatures		a brief comparison of the political systems of Australia and the United States
Closer Look—A Multi-tiered System: governing Australia		an explanation, with examples, of Australia’s system of government
Closer Look—A Short History of Parliament		a description of the origins and development of parliament
Closer Look—Australia’s Parliament House		a brief history of the building used by parliament
Closer Look—The Australian Constitution		information about the Australian Constitution, its history and significance
Closer Look—The First Parliament of Australia: the ceremony		information about the opening ceremony of the first Parliament
Fact sheet series		57 fact sheets covering many aspects of the role and functions of parliament
FAQ database		answers to over 200 questions about parliament
Get Parliament		a project book about the history, role and work of parliament, for upper primary and lower secondary teachers and students
Hands-on Lesson Plans		12 lesson plans about parliamentary topics for teachers of middle to upper secondary students
Kidsview		interactive games and activities about parliamentary topics for students and teachers
Parliament in Pictures		ten posters and a classroom guide introducing teachers and students to parliament
Parliamentary glossary		a list of parliamentary terms and definitions
Parliament NOW		information about the 42nd Parliament and the operations of the Senate and the House of Representatives
Parliament of Wizards CD		teacher resource that introduces primary school students to parliament through the world of magic
poster of the Senate Chamber		A2-sized colour poster of the Senate chamber
poster of the House of Representatives chamber		A2-sized colour poster of the House of Representatives chamber
Role-play toolkit		role-play resources for teachers, including scripts, templates, rubrics and diagrams
Unravelling the parliamentary role-play		activities and instructions for using parliamentary role-play in the classroom

Publications providing departmental information

Annual report of the Department of the Senate
Corporate plan
Portfolio budget statements

Contact details by subject area