Terms of Reference
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On 22 June 2006, the Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence
and Trade Legislation Committee resolved:
-
to take responsibility under standing orders
25(2)(b) and 25(21) for inquiring into and reporting on Defence's
progress in implementing the recommendations contained in the
government's response to the Committee's report on Australia's military
justice system;*
-
that it is not a de facto complaints resolution
tribunal and is not able to inquire into individual circumstances;
-
as considered appropriate by the committee and with
the permission of the complainant, to forward complaints it receives:
- through
the Minister assisting the Minister for Defence to Defence for its
response,
- to the
Inspector-General of the ADF for his response, or
- to the
Defence Force Ombudsman for his response
the complaint and comments to remain confidential until the committee decides otherwise;
-
to report to the Senate regularly (after each
six-monthly meeting with Defence officials) on the committee's
activities with regard to monitoring the implementation of the
government's reforms of the military justice system;
-
to inform the Minister regularly in writing (after
each six-monthly meeting with Defence officials or as required) about
the committee's activities with regard to monitoring the implementation
of the government's reforms of the military justice system;
-
at the end of the two-year period, to review the
implementation process in light of the committee's recommendations and
the government's response to these recommendations; and
-
to publish this motion on its web site in order to
make the committee's intention and the limit of its jurisdiction clear
to all interested parties.
*Standing order 25(2)(b) allows the committee 'to
inquire into and report upon...annual reports in accordance with a reference
of such reports to them, and the performance of departments and agencies
allocated to them'. Standing order 25(21) states that 'Annual reports of
departments and agencies shall stand referred to the legislation
committees in accordance with an allocation of departments and agencies in
a resolution of the Senate.'
For further information, contact:
Committee Secretary
Senate Standing Committees on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade
PO Box 6100
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
Australia