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Report on the review of annual reports No. 1 of 2000

1998-99 annual reports tabled in the Senate to 31 October 1999

March 2000

Copyright Commonwealth of Australia 2000

ISSN 1441-9904

Download this report as a single file (PDF)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Membership
Members
Substitute Members
Participating Members
Secretariat
Review of Annual Reports
Introduction
- Senate Standing Orders
- Annual Report Requirements
Evaluation of Annual Reports
Reports Referred to the Committee
Tabled Between 1 May and 31 October 1999
National Australia Day Council - Annual Report 1997-98
Director of Nation Parks and Wildlife - Annual Report 1998-99
Australian Broadcasting Corporation - Annual Report 1998-99
Appendix 1
Appendix 2 (available in hard copy only)
Appendix 3 (available in hard copy only)

Committee Membership

Members

Senator A Eggleston, Chair (LP, WA)
Senator A Bartlett, (AD, QLD)
Senator M Bishop, (ALP, WA)
Senator the Hon N Bolkus (ALP, SA)
Senator M Payne (LP, NSW)
Senator J Tierney (LP, NSW)

Substitute Members

Senator N Stott Despoja (AD, SA) to substitute for Senator Bartlett for matters relating to Information Technology

Participating Members

Senator the Hon Eric Abetz (LP, TAS)
Senator Ron Boswell (NP, QLD)
Senator Vicki Bourne (AD, NSW)
Senator Bob Brown (AG, TAS)
Senator the Hon David Brownhill (NPA, NSW)
Senator Paul H. Calvert (LP, TAS)
Senator George Campbell (ALP, NSW)
Senator Kim Carr (ALP, VIC)
Senator Hedley Grant P. Chapman (LP, SA)
Senator Helen Coonan (LP, NSW)
Senator Winston Crane (LP, WA)
Senator the Hon John Faulkner (ALP, NSW)
Senator Alan B. Ferguson (LP, SA)
Senator Jeannie Ferris (LP, SA)
Senator The Hon Brian F. Gibson, AM (LP, TAS)
Senator Brian Harradine (IND, TAS)
Senator Steve Hutchins (ALP, NSW)
Senator Susan C. Knowles (LP, WA)
Senator Brett J. Mason (LP, QLD)
Senator Julian J.J. McGauran (NPA, VIC)
Senator Meg Lees (AD, SA)
Senator Ross Lightfoot (LP, WA)
Senator Kate Lundy (ALP, ACT)
Senator the Hon Chris Schacht (ALP, SA)
Senator Tsebin Tchen (LP VIC)
Senator John O. W. Watson

Secretariat

Ms Roxane Le Guen, Secretary (Communications, IT and the Arts)
Mr Richard Selth, Secretary (Environment and Heritage)
Mr Stuart Rendell, Estimates Officer

Department of the Senate
Suite S1.57
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600

Ph 02 6277 3626
Fax 02 6277 5818
Email: erca.sen@aph.gov.au

Review of annual reports

1. INTRODUCTION

Senate Standing Orders

In accordance with Senate Standing Order 25(21) the Senate referred annual reports from departments and agencies to the Environment, Communications, Information Technology and the Arts Legislation Committee for examination and report. This report deals with those reports tabled between 1 May and 31 October 1999 for the portfolios:

Communications, Information Technology and the Arts; and

Environment and Heritage.

Senate Standing Order 25(21) requires that the Committee shall:

(a) examine each annual report referred to it and report to the Senate whether the report is apparently satisfactory;

(b) consider in more detail, and report to the Senate on, each annual report which is not apparently satisfactory, and on the other annual reports which it selects for more detailed consideration;

(c) investigate and report to the Senate on any lateness in the presentation of annual reports;

(d) in considering an annual report, take into account any relevant remarks about the report made in debate in the Senate;

(e) if the committee so determines, consider annual reports of departments and budget-related agencies in conjunction with examination of estimates;

(f) report on annual reports tabled by 31 October each year by the tenth sitting day of the following year, and on annual reports tabled by 30 April each year by the tenth sitting day after 30 June of that year;

(g) draw to the attention of the Senate any significant matters relating to the operations and performance of the bodies furnishing the annual reports;

(h) report to the Senate each year whether there are any bodies which do not present annual reports to the Senate and which should present such reports.

Annual Report Requirements

Revised Requirements for Departmental Annual Reports (hereafter referred to as Requirements (1994)) were put forward by the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and were agreed to by the Joint Committee of Public Accounts (JCPA) on 17 March 1994 and updated by PM&C on 12 May 1999.

In order to lead to a more concise, economical and informative presentation of annual reports, the JCPA agreed to a significant reduction in the number of detailed requirements on which departments must report in annual reports. The information which is not contained in an annual report must be kept separately and be available to members of parliament within five working days from the date of the request after the report has been tabled.

Under these arrangements, the annual reports of departments must be tabled by 31 October. If a department is unable to meet this deadline, the secretary is to advise the responsible minister of the reasons for the slippage, the expected tabling date and what action is proposed so that the deadline will be met for the following years annual report. The responsible minister is to table this explanation in the Parliament on the next available sitting day.[1]

Guidelines for the Content, Preparation and Presentation of Annual Reports by Statutory Authorities (1982), (hereafter referred to as Guidelines (1982) provides that all authorities are to provide annual reports as soon as possible after the end of their financial year, if possible in time for the estimates debate in the Budget Sittings. At the very latest, reports should be submitted within six months in accordance with the Acts Interpretation Act 1901, (unless a shorter period is provided in the legislation of an individual authority). An explanation is to be submitted to Parliament if the deadline has to be extended in exceptional cases (the new deadline is to be mentioned in the explanation). Ministers are to ensure that reports are tabled within fifteen sitting days of receipt.[2]

Some statutory authorities are required to follow the departmental guidelines if their head has the powers of a secretary as defined under the Public Service Act 1922.

Requirements for the annual reports of non-statutory bodies are set out in the Government response to recommendations of the then Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Government Operations in its report on Non-statutory Bodies. The response was incorporated into the Senate Hansard for 8 December 1987.[3]

2. EVALUATION OF ANNUAL REPORTS

This report reviews annual reports of the Communications, Information Technology and the Arts portfolio, and the Environment and Heritage portfolio, which were tabled in the Senate between 1 May and 31 October 1999. Thirty reports were referred to the Committee during that period.

The table at Appendix 1 provides a record of:

• the departments or agencies whose annual reports have been referred to the Legislation Committee for consideration;

• the body under which the organisation operates, ie department, statutory authority;

• dates outlining the progressive stages in presentation of the annual report; and

• the date the report was tabled in the Senate.

The annual reports referred to the Committee for examination were, generally speaking, of a high standard of design and presentation. In providing a comprehensive description of the activities of reporting bodies, the reports complied with their appropriate guidelines.

The Committee considers that the Annual Reports 1998-99 listed at Appendix 1, presented to the Senate between 1 May and 31 October 1999, generally meet the requirements of the various guidelines that apply to them, and were timely in their presentation before the Parliament.

1. REPORTS REFERRED TO THE COMMITTEE TABLED BETWEEN 1 MAY AND 31 OCTOBER 1999

The following reports have been referred to the Committee for examination and report. The committee is pleased to note that the reports listed below fulfil reporting requirements and are “apparently satisfactory” (see Appendix 1):

Australia Council - Annual Report 1998-99

Australia Broadcasting Authority - Annual Report 1998-99

Australian Communications Authority - Annual Report 1998-99

Australian Film Commission - Report 1998-99

Australian Film Finance Corporation Limited - Annual Report 1998-99

Australian Film Television and Radio School - Annual Report 1998-99

Australian Greenhouse Office - Annual Report 1998-99

Australian Heritage Commission - Annual Report 1998-99

Australian National Maritime Museum - Annual Report 1998-99

Australian Postal Corporation - Annual Report 1998-99

Bureau of Meteorology - Annual Report 1998-99

Department of the Environment and Heritage - Annual Report 1998-99

Film Australia Limited - Annual Report 1998-99

Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority - Annual Report 1998-99

National Archives of Australia and National Archives of Australia Advisory Council - Annual Report 1998-99

National Australia Day Council - Financial Statements 1998-99

National Gallery of Australia - Annual Report 1998-99

National Library of Australia - Annual Report 1998-99

National Museum of Australia - Annual Report 1998-99

National Science and Technology Centre (Questacon) - Annual Report 1998-99

Public Lending Right Committee

Special Broadcasting Service Corporation - Annual Report 1998-99

Telstra Corporation Limited

SceenSound Australia - Annual Report 1998-99

Wet Tropics Management Authority - Annual Report 1998-99

Those reports that do not fulfil reporting requirements are noted in sections 4, 5 and 6 below:

2. NATIONAL AUSTRALIA DAY COUNCIL - ANNUAL REPORT 1997-98

The National Australia Day Council failed to report to Parliament for the 1997-98 reporting period. The 1997-98 report was tabled in the Senate, 12 October 1999, as was the Council's report for the 1998-99 reporting period. In addition to the 1997-98 report the Council tabled a "Statement of reasons for non-tabling of NADC 1997-98 Annual Financial Statements in Parliament"[4]

The Committee draws the National Australia Day Council's statement to the attention of the Senate. (see Appendix 2)

3. DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL PARKS AND WILDLIFE - ANNUAL REPORT 1998-99

The Director of National Parks and Wildlife report for 1998-99 was not presented by the 31 October 1999 deadline. The Director has provided a statement of reasons why the report is to be tabled late[5], thus fulfilling its reporting requirements at this stage. The Committee will comment on the report in its Report on Annual Reports No.2 of 2000.

4. AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION - ANNUAL REPORT 1998-99

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation Annual Report for 1998-99 fails to include a letter of transmittal from the corporation's head. The Committee understands that this oversight may be an anomaly and recommends the ABC include such a letter in its 1999-2000 report. The remainder of the report fulfils the ABC's reporting requirements to a very high standard.

Senator Alan Eggleston

Chairman

Appendix 1

Commonwealth Annual Reports referred to the Environment, Communications, Information Technology and the Arts Legislation Committee between 1 May and 31 October 1999.

1 'Statutory Authority' includes statutory office-holders

2 Dates shown are:

A The date shown on a letter of transmittal printed with the annual report (if any)

B Date submitted to the Minister, as recorded in the Senate's Order of Business (if any)

C Date received by the Minister, as recorded in the Senate's Order of Business (if any)

Remove and replace with NADC statement

Remove and replace with appendix3

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