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Annual Report 2002–03Performance ReviewOutput Group 2 Committee Services and Parliamentary Relations
DescriptionOutput Group 2 provides advice and support for House committees and joint parliamentary committees administered by the House, and fosters and maintains interparliamentary relations at both the international and regional levels. The functions and services of the output group are performed primarily by the Committee Office and the Parliamentary Relations Office (PRO). Committee Office staff provided administrative, policy and procedural support for the committee system. They were involved in the conduct of individual inquiries, from advertising to reporting and placing government responses to reports on the website. During the reporting year 2002–03 the Committee Office supported 22 House and joint committees, with the workload distributed across nine secretariats (1). The investigative committees supported by the department are listed in Table 3. (1) In addition, five House committees and a joint committee were supported through Output Group 1.
The PRO was responsible for organising and managing incoming and outgoing parliamentary delegations and providing support for interparliamentary conferences and for the Clerk in his executive role in the Association of Secretaries General of Parliaments. The PRO also supported the training of staff of other parliaments, and advised the Presiding Officers and members on international parliamentary matters. Actual expenses for the provision of services by Output Group 2 were $10 million, while the budget allocated was $9.86 million. Table 1 provides a summary of the financial resources for the output group. PerformanceThe year 2002–03 was a busy one for the output group as new inquiries were initiated and the Parliament moved towards the peak of its operational cycle. The Committee Office supported an increased number of committees, without an increase in departmental funding, while the PRO operated under constraints imposed by heightened domestic and international security concerns. Eighty five per cent of members surveyed who had used committee services recorded that they were either extremely satisfied (25 per cent), highly satisfied (30 per cent) or satisfied (30 per cent).
Improving performanceAs discussed, the Committee Office particularly sought to improve its performance in 2002–03 by encouraging and facilitating greater participation in parliamentary committees by members of the public. Anecdotal evidence suggested that efforts to increase public participation in the inquiry process were appreciated by both committee members and the broader community. Committee secretariats also sought to add value to their websites by offering additional background documents and links to relevant external sites. Such innovations have transformed the committee website from a passive advertising medium for inquiries to a useful source of information on the issues under investigation. Secretaries reported that, while still a significant budget item, newspaper advertising for committee inquiries had been more cost-effective since regular advertisements had been placed in The Australian to advertise the forthcoming inquiries of all committees. The effectiveness of the strategy in terms of public response was more difficult to gauge, but it was reported to be at least as useful as conventional, single-inquiry advertisements. During 2002–03, the department initiated a program of briefings for staff on procedural and practical issues relevant to the work of committees. The seminars gave staff opportunities to learn from and discuss practice and arrangements for the conduct of inquiries and the execution of general duties outside their immediate work areas. The interparliamentary study program continued, following its successful introduction in 2001. There is now a comprehensive training program in place for overseas and interstate parliamentary staff, resulting in fewer ad hoc visits, ensuring higher quality programs and utilising staff resources more effectively than in the past. The review of processes and procedures for the support of interparliamentary delegations continued and the relevant manuals continued to be updated. Programming of both incoming and outgoing delegations was much more actively managed in 2003 in order to ensure that visits were spread more evenly throughout the year. There was limited success, due to a significant increase in activity, and further refinements will be made to the approval process during preparations for 2004 programs. The improvements will enhance the effectiveness of visit programs and the utilisation of resources. OutlookThe 2003–04 reporting period will see the peak of the Fortieth Parliament's cycle, particularly its committee activity, resulting in increased demands on both committee support elements of the output group. The Committee Office will continue to support the additional select committee during this period within existing resources, and to use a mix of ongoing and non-ongoing staff. Emphasis will be given again to the development of staff skills. Attention will be given to feedback from the June 2003 members' survey. In view of the successful training program undertaken in 2002–03 for parliamentary staff from East Timor, the PRO anticipates that a similar exercise will be undertaken during 2003–04. An exchange of parliamentary delegations with East Timor is also planned for next year. The Fifteenth Joint Australian and Pacific Regional Parliamentary Seminar is due to be held in September 2003, and the program of incoming and outgoing delegation work is expected to reach high levels of activity.
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