Chapter 1

[1]        As a matter of comity between the Houses of Parliament, neither House enquires into the operations of the other House. For this reason, neither the annual report of, or the proposed expenditure for, the Department of the House of Representatives is referred to a Senate committee for review.

[2]        Standing Order 25(20)(f) requires the committee to report on annual reports tabled between 1 May and 31 October by the tenth sitting day of the following year, and report on annual reports tabled between 1 November and 30 April by the tenth sitting day after 30 June of that year. Due to the nature of the 2019 Parliamentary sitting pattern, the committee has decided to present its report on all 2017–18 annual reports together.

[3]        Journals of the Senate (Proof), No. 3, 4 July 2019, pp. 85–86.

Allocations for the 45^th Parliament were made on 31 August 2016, and amended 12 and 15 February 2018 and 17 September 2018. See Journals of the Senate, No. 2, 31 August 2016, pp. 75–76; Journals of the Senate, No. 84, 12 February 2018, pp. 2668–2669; Journals of the Senate, No. 87, 15 February 2018, p. 2740;  Journals of the Senate, No. 118, 17 September 2018, pp. 3770–3771.

[4]        Department of Finance, Resource Management Guide No. 130, Overview of the enhanced Commonwealth performance framework, July 2016, pp. 3–4, https://www.finance.gov.au/resource-management/managing-performance/ (accessed 21 June 2019).

[5]        Department of Finance, Resource Management Guide No. 130, Overview of the enhanced Commonwealth performance framework, July 2016, p. 7, https://www.finance.gov.au/resource-management/performance/ (accessed 28 May 2019).

[6]        An entity that is legally and financially part of the Commonwealth, and includes departments of state, parliamentary departments, statutory authorities, and listed entities (a body, person, group of persons or organisation that is prescribed by rules made under the PGPA Act).

[7]        A body corporate that has a separate legal personality from the Commonwealth, and includes statutory authorities. It can act in its own right exercising certain legal rights such as entering into contracts and owning property.

[8]        A company established by the Commonwealth under the Corporations Act 2001 that is wholly controlled by the Commonwealth.

[9]        For example, some Acts that establish statutory bodies have separate reporting requirements under those Acts. For example, section 17 of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 prescribes specific reporting requirements for the Australian Electoral Commission.

[10]      Senate Hansard, 8 December 1987, pp. 2632–45.

[11]      Department of Finance, Managing performance,
http://www.finance.gov.au/resource-management/performance/ (accessed 24 June 2019).

[12]      Journals of the Senate, No. 120, 19 September 2018, p. 3807; House of Representatives Votes and Proceedings, No. 139, 19 September 2018, p. 1848.

[13]      Department of Finance, Independent review into the operation of the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 and Rule, September 2018, pp. 39–42.

[14]      Department of Finance, Independent review into the operation of the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 and Rule, September 2018, p. 40.

[15]      Department of Finance, Independent review into the operation of the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 and Rule, September 2018, pp. 39–42.

[16]      Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Amendment (Annual Reporting) Rules 2019, Explanatory Memorandum, pp. 1–4.

[17]      Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Amendment (Reporting Executive Remuneration) Rules 2019, Explanatory Memorandum, pp. 1–11.

[18]      Due to the commencement of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Amendment (Indigenous Land Corporation) Act 2018, from 1 February 2019 this entity is now the Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation.

[19]      While statutory office holders are not required to prepare annual reports for presentation to Parliament under the PGPA Act and Rule, such reports that have been tabled and referred to the committee have been examined for the purposes of this report.

[20]      Acts Interpretation Act 1901, subsection 34C(3).

[21]      See Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Rule 2014, s. 17AB, 17BC and 28C.

[22]      Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Guidelines for the Presentation of Documents to the Parliament (including Government Documents, Government Responses to Committee Reports, Ministerial Statements, Annual Reports and other Instruments), February 2017, 
pp. 4–5. The committee notes that these guidelines have been superseded by new guidelines from PM&C, Tabling Guidelines (published June 2019), however this was not available for bodies for 2017–18 annual reports.

[23]      The Senate, Standing Orders and other orders of the Senate, August 2018, SO 25(20)(a).

Chapter 2 - Review of selected reports

[1]        As described by ss. 89(1) of the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013.

[2]        National Australia Day Council, Annual Report 2017–18, p. 13.

[3]        House of Representatives Votes and Proceedings, No. 142, 16 October 2018, p. 1886; Journals of the Senate, No. 123, 16 October 2018, p. 3913.

[4]        Although the most recent corporate plan was available on the NADC website, the Corporate Plan 2017–2020 was not.

[5]        National Australia Day Council, Annual Report 2017–18, p. 5.

[6]        See chapter 2M of the Corporations Act 2001; s. 97 of the PGPA Act, chapter 3 of the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Rule 2014; clause 4 of Part 4 of Schedule 2 of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011; s. 311A of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918; and s. 516A of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

[7]        National Australia Day Council, Annual Report 2017–18, p. 11.

[8]        National Australia Day Council, Annual Report 2017–18, pp. 20–21.

[9]        National Australia Day Council, Annual Report 2017–18, p. 29.

[10]      National Australia Day Council, Annual Report 2017–18, p. 23.

[11]      National Australia Day Council, Annual Report 2017–18, p. 18.

[12]      Current corporate plan available at https://www.australiaday.org.au/nadc/about-the-nadc/.

[13]      As accessed on 20 June 2019 on the NADC website.

[14]      National Australia Day Council, Corporate Plan 2017–2020, p. 5.

[15]      National Australia Day Council, Annual Report 2017–18, pp. 6–7, 29

[16]      Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority, About IPEA,
https://www.ipea.gov.au/about-ipea (accessed 24 June 2019); Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority Act 2017, s. 11.

[17]      Journals of the Senate, No. 126, 12 November 2018, p. 4025.

[18]      House of Representatives Votes and Proceedings, No. 149, 26 November 2018, p. 1944.

[19]      Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority, Annual Report 2017–18, p. 7.

[20]      Commonwealth of Australia, Finance Portfolio Budget Statements 2017–18: Budget Related Paper No. 1.8, p. 138.

[21]      Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority, Corporate Plan. Note: while the current corporate plan for 2018–19 to 2021–22 is available online, the previous version as referenced in this report is not available on IPEA's website (as at 26 June 2019).

[22]      Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority, Annual Report 2017–18, p. 12.

[23]      Commonwealth of Australia, Finance Portfolio Budget Statements 2017–18: Budget Related Paper No. 1.8, p. 140; Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority, Corporate Plan, p. 4.

[24]      Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority, Annual Report 2017–18, p. 14.

[25]      Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority, Annual Report 2017–18, p. 14.

[26]      Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority, Annual Report 2017–18, pp. 12–15.

[27]      Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority, Annual Report 2017–18, pp. 28–29.

[28]      Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority, Annual Report 2017–18, p. 31.

[29]      Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013, s. 17AC.

[30]      Australian Naval Infrastructure Pty Ltd, Annual Report 2017–18, p. 6; Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Rule 2014, para. 5(2)(f).

[31]      Australian Naval Infrastructure Pty Ltd, Annual Report 2017–18, p. 6.

[32]      Journals of the Senate, No. 126, 12 November 2018, p. 4023; House of Representatives Votes and Proceedings, No. 145, 22 October 2018, p. 1911.

[33]      Australian Naval Infrastructure Pty Ltd, Annual Report 2017–18, p. 16; Australian Naval Infrastructure Pty Ltd, ANI Statement of Corporate Intent 2018/19, p. 1.

[34]      See Part 2M.3 of the Corporations Act 2001, PGPA Act, s. 97 and PGPA Rule, Part 3-3.

[35]      Australian Naval Infrastructure Pty Ltd, Annual Report 2017–18, pp. 16, 23.

[36]      Australian Naval Infrastructure Pty Ltd, Annual Report 2017–18, p. 23.

[37]      A statement of corporate intent is a corporate plan that is published under ss. 16E(4) of the PGPA Rule, which allows a Commonwealth company to publish a version of its corporate plan that excludes information that is either confidential or could prejudice national security.

[38]      Tranche 1 is vacant land and the Maritime Skills Centre in the Osborne area. Tranche 2 is the 'Common Use Infrastructure' including the wharf, dry berth, transfer system and uplift—see Australian Naval Infrastructure Pty Ltd, Annual Report 2017–18, p. 9.

[39]      Australian Naval Infrastructure Pty Ltd, Statement of Corporate Intent 2017–18, p. 8.

[40]      Australian Naval Infrastructure Pty Ltd, Annual Report 2017–18, p. 10.

[41]      Australian Naval Infrastructure Pty Ltd, Annual Report 2017–18, p. 32.

[42]      Australian Naval Infrastructure Pty Ltd, Annual Report 2017–18, p. 42

[43]      Mr Andrew Jaggers, Deputy Secretary, Commercial and Government Services, Department of Finance, Committee Hansard, 9 April 2019, p. 44.

[44]      Australian Naval Infrastructure Pty Ltd, Annual Report 2017–18, pp. 52, 62

[45]      Workplace Gender and Equality Act 2012, s. 10.

[46]      Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Administrative Arrangements Order, 19 April 2018, p. 36.

[47]      House of Representatives Votes and Proceedings, No. 156, 6 December 2018, p. 2041; Journals of the Senate, No. 138, 12 February 2019, p. 4554.

[48]      Workplace Gender Equality Agency, 2017–18 Corporate Plan, 31 August 2017; Commonwealth of Australia, Employment Portfolio Budget Statements 2017–18: Budget Related Paper No. 1.6, pp. 177–192.

[49]      Workplace Gender and Equality Act 2012, s. 12.

[50]      Workplace Gender Equality Agency, Annual Report 2017–18, p. 29.

[51]      Workplace Gender Equality Agency, 2017–18 Corporate Plan, 31 August 2017, p. 8.

[52]      Workplace Gender Equality Agency, 2017–18 Corporate Plan, 31 August 2017, p. 8.

[53]      Department of Finance, Annual performance statements for Commonwealth entities: Resource Management Guide No. 134, July 2017, pp. 32–33.

[54]      Workplace Gender Equality Agency, Annual Report 2017–18, pp. 16–17.

[55]      Workplace Gender Equality Agency, Annual Report 2017–18, p. 17.

[56]      Commonwealth of Australia, Employment Portfolio Budget Statements 2017–18: Budget Related Paper No. 1.6, pp. 177–192.

[57]      Workplace Gender Equality Agency, Annual Report 2017–18, p. 34.

[58]      Workplace Gender Equality Agency, Annual Report 2017–18, pp. 32–33.

[59]      Workplace Gender Equality Agency, Annual Report 2017–18, p. 35.