Parliamentary committees
The department continued to provide effective secretariat and advisory support to a number of House committees, and to one joint committee dealing with the powers and procedures of the House (see Table 6).
In 2014–15, these committees held a total of 78 meetings (55 in 2013–14) and produced 35 reports (17 in 2013–14). Details of meetings and reports are set out in Appendixes 5 and 6.
Table 6 Committees supported by the Chamber and Federation Chamber component, 2014–15
House committees |
Selection Committee |
Standing Committee on Appropriations and Administration |
Standing Committee on Petitions |
Standing Committee of Privileges and Members’ Interests |
Standing Committee on Procedure |
Standing Committee on Publications |
Joint Committee |
Joint Committee on the Broadcasting of Parliamentary Proceedings |
Selection Committee
The standing orders require the Selection Committee to fulfil three important roles:
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selecting and programming private members’ business and committee and delegation business
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setting speaking times for second-reading debates (the committee has not as yet exercised this role)
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considering all bills introduced and determining whether to refer bills directly to House or joint committees for inquiry.
The committee has 11 members: the Speaker (as chair), the chief whips of the three parties, four government members and three non-government members. The committee met 18 times during the reporting period. It is supported by Table Office staff.
Standing Committee on Appropriations and Administration
The Standing Committee on Appropriations and Administration considers, among other things, estimates of the funding required for the operation of the department each year. When conferring with its counterpart Senate committee—the Senate Standing Committee on Appropriations and Staffing—the House committee may consider estimates of the funding required for the operation of the Department of Parliamentary Services each year.
The committee has nine members: the Speaker (as chair), four government members and four non-government members. It is supported by the Clerk, the Serjeant-at-Arms and other
officers of the department. During the year the committee met four times and presented three reports.
Standing Committee on Petitions
The Standing Committee on Petitions continued to assess petitions for compliance with relevant House standing orders and to enable the presentation of petitions found to be in order and of ministerial responses to petitions presented previously. The committee and secretariat continued to interact with principal petitioners about petitions being prepared for collection of signatures and about completed petitions received by the committee.
On sitting Mondays, the chair of the committee presented in-order petitions that other members had not elected to present, and also presented written responses from ministers
to petitions presented earlier on which the committee had sought comment. The ‘terms’ (the stated reasons for the petition and the action requested) of petitions presented and the corresponding ministerial responses were published in Hansard and on the Parliament of Australia website in accordance with standing orders.
During the year, 101 petitions were presented with a total of 250,369 signatures. A total of 71 ministerial letters were presented responding to 79 petitions (in some cases, a single letter may respond to similar requests made in multiple petitions). Responses from ministers explain the government’s policies and programs on the subject matter of petitions.
The committee may hold public roundtable hearings with principal petitioners and representatives of relevant government agencies to explore issues with petitioners and to allow
public servants to explain the relevant legislation, policy, programs or administration. Four roundtable hearings were conducted in 2014–15, as well as a school visit.
In October 2014, the secretariat of the Petitions Committee was moved to the Committee Office, but the Chamber Research Office continued to provide some administrative support to the committee during the year.
Standing Committee of Privileges and Members’ Interests
The Standing Committee of Privileges and Members’ Interests met five times during the reporting period and presented one report to the House on a right of reply matter. The
committee’s inquiry referred by the House in February 2014 into whether the former Member for Dobell (Mr Craig Thomson) deliberately misled the House in the course of his statement to the House and having regard to the findings of the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on 18 February 2014, is ongoing.
In March 2015, the committee reported on its operations in connection with the registration and declaration of members’ interests in 2014, and it presented four sets of alterations of interests during the period.
Standing Committee on Procedure
The Standing Committee on Procedure usually meets once each sitting week to carry out its responsibilities: ‘to inquire into and report on the practices and procedures of the House and its committees’. In June 2015, the committee reported on its inquiry into the role and operations of the Federation Chamber and adopted an inquiry into the consideration in detail of the main appropriation bill. It continues with its regular inquiry into the maintenance of the Standing and Sessional Orders.
Standing Committee on Publications
The House Publications Committee held one meeting in 2014–15, and met with the Senate Publications Committee on nine other occasions. The committee presented 10 reports
containing recommendations on which documents presented to parliament should be included in the Parliamentary Papers Series. All recommended documents were agreed for
inclusion.
Joint Committee on the Broadcasting of Parliamentary Proceedings
The Parliamentary Proceedings Broadcasting Act 1946 requires ABC radio and, in some circumstances, ABC television to broadcast the proceedings of parliament. It is the statutory role of the Joint Committee on the Broadcasting of Parliamentary Proceedings to advise parliament on general principles for the allocation of radio broadcasting time between the House and the Senate chambers and to determine a more detailed schedule of broadcasting allocations.
Under the Parliamentary Proceedings Broadcasting Act, the committee has nine members, including the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate. By tradition, the Speaker is chair and the President is vice-chair. The committee, which is supported by the Serjeant-at-Arms’ Office, did not meet during the reporting period.