Claressa Surtees is the current Clerk of the House of Representatives – the 17th in the House’s history and the first woman to hold the position. The Clerk is the principal adviser to the Speaker and Members on House and committee procedure, parliamentary privilege and other parliamentary matters. Outside of the Chamber, one of the Clerk’s many other duties is being the administrative head of the Department of the House of Representatives. For International Women’s Day, we asked Claressa about her time as Clerk and her reflections on the role.
What does a day in the life of the Clerk look like?
The Clerk’s day varies depending on whether or not the House of Representatives is sitting. On a non-sitting day, the Clerk focusses on running a Commonwealth department with the usual staffing, governance and budget concerns. Of course, issues about the Members and Parliament always have a presence. On a sitting day, the focus is on the Chamber, the Speaker and Members, especially for the commencement of the sitting and, at 2 pm every sitting for Question Time. On sitting days, the department and parliamentary service issues must recede a little.
What does it mean to you to hold the position and to be the first woman to do so?
When I was first selected for the role, my first thoughts were of the enormous privilege it was to be the 17th Clerk of the House, with responsibilities to support the most important institutions in Australia and work closely with our elected representatives. I felt pride that I was the first female Clerk of the House of Representatives, there had already been a female Clerk of the Senate, Rosemary Laing. It wasn’t until other people, mainly women, spoke to me about being the first female Clerk that I realised I had underestimated the significance of it. One of the Members remarked about it as a guide for all women “you can’t be what you can’t see”. That aspect brings with it another kind of responsibility for me.
What was your career path to get to the position of Clerk?
I worked in public service agencies for a number of years before I came to the Parliament, from the Attorney-General’s Department in 1993, to work with the House Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs. Apart from a few months in 1994 working in the Department of the Senate with the new Parliamentary Joint Committee on Native Title, I have since worked in the Department of the House of Representatives. I was Secretary to the Joint Select Committee on the Republic Referendum in 1999 before I undertook a project to review House Standing Orders, which was a period of procedural immersion for me. In this time I commenced clerking in the Chamber and I found just how much I enjoyed it. I spent the next years learning about the business of Parliament from the standpoint of the Serjeant-at-Arms, then more procedural immersion as Clerk Assistant (Table) and renewing my understanding of committees as Clerk Assistant (Committees). All this led to being selected as Deputy Clerk in 2014 and Clerk in 2019, five months before COVID-19 entered our lives.
Did you always have an interest in Parliament?
My earliest interest in Parliament was in terms of Australia’s democratic framework, and knowing the Parliament of Australia resulted from British colonies federating. I see voting in elections as important and have always voted since I was eligible. I studied for a law degree while I was in the public service, and throughout these study years I thought more and more about the primacy of Parliament. I was first attracted to working here because I wanted to research and write to support the work of parliamentary committees. Once I was here I wanted to understand as much as possible about Australia’s system of parliamentary government so I could be better in my roles for the Parliament. After 30 years I understand so much more about Australia’s Parliament and I share this with others.
What do you enjoy about working in the Department of the House of Representatives?
There are so many aspects of the role of Clerk to enjoy. The department is a great place to work for the curious. I am continuously learning and stretching as the parliamentary environment is expansive and dynamic, and I enjoy the challenges. We are constantly faced with something novel, so I find a first principles approach is helpful. Of course, interaction with people is a significant aspect of the role of Clerk and I find these interactions are one of the key aspects of enjoyment about working in the department, whether the people are departmental colleagues, parliamentarians, parliamentary service colleagues, or visitors to Parliament. I see I have a role to help them enjoy their experience here too.