The department’s operations are primarily administrative and are therefore not usually subject to formal external scrutiny.

Freedom of information

The department is excluded from the application of the Freedom of Information Act 1982, under section 68A of the Parliamentary Service Act.

Public interest disclosure

The Clerk, as the principal officer of the department for the purposes of the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2013, has appointed authorised officers and established procedures for facilitating and dealing with public interest disclosures relating to the department in accordance with that Act.

Judicial and administrative decisions

No judicial decisions or decisions of administrative tribunals or by the Australian Information Commissioner during 2014–15 had, or are anticipated to have, a significant effect on the operations of the department.

Reports by the Auditor-General, a parliamentary committee or the Commonwealth Ombudsman

The Australian National Audit Office audited the department’s 2013–14 financial statements and provided an unqualified audit report.

During the reporting year, the Clerk made submissions to:

• the House of Commons Governance Committee on the inquiry into the governance of the House of Commons

• the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee on the inquiry into the Acts and Instruments (Framework Reform) Bill 2014

• the Senate Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee on the inquiry into the Parliamentary Service Amendment Bill 2014

• the House Standing Committee on Procedure on the inquiry into the role and operations of the Federation Chamber

• the Senate Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee on the inquiry into the proposed Parliament House security upgrade works

• the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit on the inquiry into the development of the Commonwealth Performance Framework.

The department continued to support the Standing Committee on Appropriations and Administration in its consideration of the department’s funding requirements. The Clerk and other departmental staff provided the committee with information on the department’s budget position and attended the committee’s meetings to enable the committee to discharge its responsibilities under Standing Order 222A. On 14 May 2015, the committee tabled Report No. 8: Annual report 2013–14 and Report No. 9: Budget estimates 2015–16.

In the annual report, the committee noted that it had met three times during the period covered by the report and concluded that it has played a positive and responsible role in assessing the department’s funding requirements and bringing them to the attention of the government. In the budget estimates report, echoing previous reports, the committee commended the department’s careful financial management over many years, and indicated that it will continue to monitor closely the department’s financial position into the future.

No investigations by the Commonwealth Ombudsman in 2014–15 involved the department.

Privacy

While not an agency to which the Privacy Act 1988 applies, the department abides by the principles of the legislation in its dealings with employees, including handling employees’ records.

Disability reporting mechanisms

The National Disability Strategy 2010–2020 sets out a 10-year national policy framework to improve the lives of people with disability, promote participation and create a more inclusive society. A high-level two-yearly report will track progress against each of the six outcome areas of the strategy and present a picture of how people with disability are faring. The first of these reports was published in 2014 on the Department of Social Services website (www.dss.gov.au).

Members of the Defence Sub-Committee of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade with Commander Andrew Willis MVO RAN, Commanding Officer of HMAS Warramunga, during an inspection of Navy Base HMAS Stirling in Western Australia.