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Departmental Overview

Figure 1: Organisational structure, outcome and outputs

Departmental Overview

The department is one of the three parliamentary departments supporting the Australian Parliament.

The main responsibility of the department is the effective and efficient provision of services to support the functioning of the Senate, its committees and senators.

The department also runs education programs and prepares publications to promote an understanding of parliamentary processes.

These responsibilities are reflected in the intermediate outcomes shown in the diagram on the opposite page.

Organisational Structure

The department is responsible to the Senate through the President of the Senate. The administrative head of the department is the Clerk of the Senate.

The department is organised into five offices which also equate to the department’s output groups:

• Output Group 1 – Clerk’s Office – provides advice in relation to the proceedings of the Senate and its committees, provides secretariat support to various committees and provides strategic direction for the department.
  
  
• Output Group 2 – Table Office – provides procedural advice and programming services; processes legislation; produces procedural documents, including records of Senate proceedings; takes custody of Senate records; provides an inquiries service; and provides secretariat support to various committees.
  
  
• Output Group 3 – Procedure Office – provides advisory and drafting services to non-government senators; provides secretariat support to the legislative scrutiny committees and policy support for inter-parliamentary relations; conducts parliamentary research; and promotes awareness and knowledge of the Senate and the Parliament in the community.
  
  
• Output Group 4 – Committee Office – provides secretariat support for most Senate and certain joint committees and strives to increase the public’s awareness of the work of committees.
  
  
• Output Group 5 – Black Rod’s Office – provides office, information technology, printing and ceremonial support services; provides human resource, financial and records management services for senators and departmental staff; and provides security advice.

Appropriations and variations

There are no major changes, variations or initiatives in relation to the departmental appropriation for the 2006-07 financial year. The Citizenship Visits Program will be transferred to the Department of Education, Science and Training from the commencement of the 2006-07 budget year.

Figure 2:  Departmental appropriation by output group ($’000)

Figure 3:  Departmental appropriation by output group (% of total)

Australian Government Indigenous Expenditure

The department has no 2006-07 Australian Government Indigenous Expenditure to report.

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