About the Department

The Constitution vests the Commonwealth legislative power in a Parliament consisting of the Queen, represented by the Governor-General, a Senate and a House of Representatives.

The Department of the Senate provides the Senate, its committees, the President of the Senate and senators with a broad range of advisory and support services related to the exercise of the legislative power of the Commonwealth.

The parliamentary head of the department is the President of the Senate and the departmental head is the Clerk of the Senate. 

The department is one of four supporting the two Houses, the others being the Department of the House of Representatives, the Parliamentary Budget Office and the Department of Parliamentary Services.

The work of the Department of the Senate is determined almost entirely by the Senate and its committees. The department is responsible, not to the government of the day, but to the Senate and all senators, and maintains complete impartiality in serving equally senators from all political parties and independent senators.

Offices of the Department

The Department consists of seven offices:

• Office of the Clerk of the Senate
• Table Office
• Senate Public Information Office
• Procedure Office
• Parliamentary Education Office
• Committee Office
• Black Rod's Office

Work of the Department

Administration

• Organisational Chart
• Corporate Plans
• Annual Reports
• Portfolio Budget Statements
• Services
• Department of the Senate Enterprise Agreement 2017-2020
• Contracts >$100,000
• Contact Directory
• Reports on Legal Services Expenditure
• Commonwealth Child Safe Framework compliance statement
• Audit Committee Charters
• 2022 Census highlights