Department of the House of Representatives Service Charter

Service Charter: Community Service Standards

Message from the Clerk of the House of Representatives

To everyone interested in the Parliament.

The purpose of the Department of the House of Representatives is to provide cost effective advice and services of the highest standard to assist the House of Representatives in fulfilling its role as a representative and legislative body.

In supporting the House, the Department has a commitment to assist everyone who visits the House or wants to know more about or contribute to the work of the Australian Parliament.

This Service Charter has been developed to inform you of the services that we provide to the community. It has evolved from broad consultation, including discussions with staff and members of the public.

We intend to report annually on our performance in relation to this Charter and would welcome any comments you have on the services we provide. We invite you to forward your comments to the Department of the House of Representatives, Parliament House, Canberra ACT 2600 or to web.reps@aph.gov.au

Ian Harris
Clerk of the House of Representatives

May 2002

Our Charter

This Charter reflects our commitment to assist everyone who visits the House or wants to know more about or contribute to the work of the Australian Parliament.

The advice and services that we provide are non-partisan, focusing on the work of the House of Representatives and the committees which it appoints rather than the political or electorate interests of Members.

We are committed to providing you with the best service possible. We will do this in a manner consistent with the Parliamentary Service Values and the Parliamentary Service Code of Conduct.

Our Key Values

In providing you with information and services we will:

demonstrate high ethical standards;
be professional, impartial and non-partisan;
be open, honest and helpful;
be responsive to your requests;
treat you with respect and fairness; and
treat any complaints seriously and respond to them.

What we can do for you

Through our Internet site at www.aph.gov.au/house or through contact with us, we can assist you with information about:

the activities and procedures of the House;
the passage of legislation through both Houses;
lodging petitions;
the Chamber Galleries and making a booking to observe Question Time;
parliamentary committees and their inquiries;
participation in a parliamentary committee inquiry including advice on making a submission to an inquiry;
where parliamentary committee public hearings are being held;
access to documents, including committee reports, tabled in the Parliament;
community outreach initiatives such as seminars, displays and exhibitions;
parliamentary education activities including school visits;
contacting your local Member;
inter-parliamentary visits and conferences;
gaining access, including for the purposes of filming and photography, to the Parliament building and parliamentary precincts and the Chamber galleries; and
the guidelines for demonstrations in the parliamentary precincts.

Our Service Standards

We will ensure that the information available on our Internet site (www.aph.gov.au/house) will be up-to-date and accurate. The latest news from the House will be available at www.aph.gov.au/house/house_news.

If you telephone us, we will:

identify ourselves by name when answering the telephone; and
respond to your calls quickly.

If the information that you request is not immediately available, we will tell you when you can expect it. If we are not able to meet your request, we undertake to refer you to the appropriate organisation or service.

If you write, fax or email us, we will:

act on your requests for printed information within five working days;
reply to other written correspondence within 20 working days, sending an interim reply where a full response is not possible immediately; and
in our reply, give you the name and contact details of someone who can provide further help, if needed.

How to Contact Us

Mailing address:
PO Box 6021
Department of the House of Representatives
Parliament House
CANBERRA ACT 2600

Fax number:
02 6277 8519

Email address:
Web.reps@aph.gov.au

We welcome feedback on our performance so we can improve our standards of service. If you have any comments, including suggestions for improvement or complaints, please let us know. Contact details for all areas of the Department are as follows:

Clerk Assistant (Table)
Telephone: 6277 4777
Email: Table.Office.Reps@aph.gov.au
(legislation, petitions, papers tabled in the House of Representatives, information about how the House operates)
Clerk Assistant (Committees)
Telephone: 6277 4399
Email: Clerk.Assistant.Committees.Reps@aph.gov.au
(committee reports, inquiries, submissions, public hearing venues, inter-parliamentary visits)
Serjeant-at-Arms
Telephone: 6277 4444
Email: SerjeantatArms.Reps@aph.gov.au
(access to building, school bookings, security)