The department conducted its annual members’ survey in May and June 2015 to identify levels of satisfaction with services provided by the department. The survey followed the same format as last year’s survey. The information gathered is required for internal and external reporting purposes and as a benchmark for service provision.
Thirty members were selected randomly for survey and interview. Members were assured of confidentiality in the survey. A total of 22 respondents completed the survey (73 per cent).
All participants in the survey were asked if they were satisfied overall with the services they received from the department. Members were unanimously satisfied with the department’s support in helping them fulfil their parliamentary duties. The responses to the other questions asked in the survey and during interviews are contained in the table below (which also shows the responses from the 2014 survey, in brackets). The result is an overwhelming endorsement of the quality of services provided by the department, with a 99 per cent satisfaction rate overall. The satisfaction rate last year was also 99 per cent.
The participants in the survey were also asked about their satisfaction level with the legislative drafting support they received. Seven respondents stated they were satisfied with the service, compared with 11 last year. The remainder stated they had not used the service.
Suggestions for change by members included recommendations for further technological advancements such as the development of apps for mobile devices.
Members’ satisfaction levels with departmental services, 2015 survey (2014 in brackets)
| Service area |
Extremely
satisfied |
Highly
satisfied |
Satisfied |
Not satisfied |
| Advice and services received from the Clerks-at-the-Table in the Chamber and Federation Chamber |
10 (15) |
9 (6) |
2 (0) |
0 (0) |
| Advice and services received from other staff in relation to Chamber and Federation Chamber duties |
7 (14) |
11 (7) |
4 (2) |
0 (0) |
| Quality and availability of procedural and statistical publications and support in obtaining such information |
5 (8) |
8 (9) |
7 (4) |
1 (0) |
| Procedural advice, research, analytical drafting and administrative support services in relation to committee inquiries and publication of the final report |
8 (10) |
7 (6) |
7 (2) |
0 (1) |
| Rating of the House of Representatives magazine About the House, the Twitter feed, the Facebook page, the YouTube channel, TV programs and the Meet your MP touchscreen |
3 (5) |
4 (3) |
9 (8) |
0 (1) |
| Advice and support received in relation to overseas parliamentary delegation visits |
6 (8) |
3 (1) |
4 (2) |
1 (0) |
| Services in relation to pay entitlements supplied by the department |
8 (7) |
8 (10) |
5 (3) |
1 (1) |
| Services provided by the Serjeant-at-Arms’ Office |
9 (13) |
9 (8) |
4 (0) |
0 (0) |
|
Information on the RepsApp and on the members’ home pages on the Parliament of Australia website
|
4 (5) |
7 (8) |
7 (6) |
1 (0) |
Note: Not every member who completed the survey had used the full range of services.