6.
THE COMMITTEE'S RECOMMENDATIONS
6.1
Despite the evidence that, in the majority of countries throughout
the world, the respective Parliaments and Executives have made arrangements which provide for real
autonomy in relation to Parliamentary appropriations and staffing,
the Committee can understand that there may be a reluctance on the part of the Government to agree to an
immediate total reform package. In addition, the House of Representatives may deter
mine that in some areas other arrangements may be more suitable for their administration.
6.2 The Committee is mindful of the
need
for an experimental approach to be adopted in making any new arrangements for appropriations and staffing. This is
especially true in a bicameral
Parliament and in one in which there is a sharing of certain services such as the Library, the Reporting Staff and those areas administered by the Joint House Department.
6.3
For
these reasons, the Committee
does not see a Commission similar to that established by the United Kingdom
House of Commons,
for example, as being suitable
for adoption at this stage by the Commonwealth Parliament or either House
of the Parliament. The creation of a Commission would involve the passage of a statute which
would, of necessity, produce a rigid, structured approach, rather than the flexible
approach which is required at the moment.
6.4
Accordingly, the Committee believes
that the Senate,
and, where appropriate, the Government, should
agree to a trial of the following
arrangements.
A Senate
Appropriations and Staffing
Committee
6.5
As
a first step, it is recommended that the
Senate establish a Standing Committee to be known as the Senate Appropriations and Staffing Committee.
6.6 It is proposed
that the Committee
would be chaired
by the President and would comprise 6 other members-the Leader of the Government in the Senate to represent the Executive, and two other Government
Senators, and the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate and two other Senators not being members
of the Government.
6.7
The
Standing Committee would be charged
with the responsibility for the consideration of the proposed
estimates for the Senate and the consideration of staffing proposals affecting the Senate and its Committees.
6.8
In
relation to the Estimates, the Committee would examine the proposals of the President and the officers of the Senate at, unless otherwise
ordered, public hearings. The Estimates as finally
agreed by the Committee would be submitted
to the Minister for Finance for inclusion
in a separate Parliamentary Appropriation Bill. The Minister would then introduce the Bill in the House of Representatives in accordance with cur
rent practice. The Senate, upon receipt of the Bill from the House of Representatives
would consider its provisions in the normal way and, at that time, w0uld also have before
it a report from the Appropriations
and
Staffing Committee covering
its deliberations concerning the Estimates.
6.9 Should the Government of the day be opposed
to any of the Estimates
as agreed to by the Committee
and included in the Parliamentary Appropriation Bill, it has the opportunity (on matters affecting the Senate) to seek amendments
in the Bill during the Committee
of the Whole stage on the floor of the Senate. (The arrangement which operates in the Federal
Republic of Germany
is of relevance to this point. After the
Parliamentary Committee responsible for the preparation of the Bundestag's Budget has agreed to the Estimates, the Minister for Finance has the right to have his view recorded when the Budget is presented and where appropriate, to propose amendments to the Bundestag).
6.10
In
relation to staffing, the Committee would examine proposals
seeking to vary the
organisational structure of the Senate and its Committees, and staffing and recruitment policies and make recommendations to the President. It would report to the Senate on any matter it considered necessary.
6.11
The Committee would meet in public or in private session,
have power to call for persons,
papers and records, and would present an annual
report to the Senate on its
operations. Generally, it would operate
with the same powers and in the same way as the Senate's
Legislative and General
Purpose Standing Committees. Senators, not being members of the Committee would be able to attend meetings
of the Committee and question witnesses,
unless otherwise ordered,
but not vote.
6.12
A draft
resolution for the establishment of the Appropriations and Staffing Committee is included as Appendix 10.
A Parliamentary Appropriation Bill
6.13 The Committee recommends that the appropriations for the Parliament be re moved from the Bill for the ordinary annual services of the Government and included in a separate Parliamentary Appropriation Bill.
6.14 It is also recommended that all items of expenditure administered by the Executive departments on behalf of the Parliament be brought together
in the Parliamentary Appropriation Bill and that provision
be made for an Advance
to the President of the Senate on the same basis as the Advance
to the Minister for Finance.
6.15
A draft format for a Parliamentary Appropriation Bill is included as Appendix 2.
6.16 Following the implementation of these arrangements, the Committee recommends that the President arranges
for discussions to be held with the appropriate
Executive departments to review those functions which are currently
administered by them and subsequently to plan the transfer of functions suitable
for administration by the
Senate.
6.17
Some
items such as payment of Senators' electoral staff would be taken over by the
Senate almost immediately, others would be gradually transferred, whilst some, such as repair and maintenance could remain in the hands of the appropriate Executive department as the agent of the Parliament.
Amendment of the Public Service Act
6.18
The
Committee recommends that section 9 of the Public Service
Act 1922 be amended to vest in the Presiding
Officers, separately or jointly as the case may be, the
power of appointment, promotion, creation,
abolition and reclassification of offices, and the determination of rates of pay and terms and conditions of service.
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