Preface

Terms of reference

On 24 August 1994, the Senate adopted the following procedural orders relating to the functions of legislation committees and, in particular, their role in relation to annual reports[1]:

25(21) Annual report 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. Each committee shall:

examine each annual report referred to it and report to the Senate whether the report is apparently satisfactory;
consider in more detail, and report to the Senate on, each annual report which is not apparently satisfactory, and on the other annual reports which it selects for more detailed consideration;
investigate and report to the Senate on any lateness in the presentation of annual reports;
in considering an annual report, take into account any relevant remarks about the report made in debate in the Senate;
if the committee so determines, consider annual reports of departments and budget-related agencies in conjunction with examination of estimates;
report on annual reports tabled by 31 October each year by the tenth sitting day of the following year, and on annual reports tabled by 30 April each year by the tenth sitting day after 30 June of that year;
draw to the attention of the Senate any significant matters relating to the operations and performance of the bodies furnishing the annual reports; and
report to the Senate each year whether there are any bodies which do no present annual reports to the Senate and which should present such reports.

Annual reports referred

1.1 Under a procedural order in the 39^th Parliament, the Senate agreed that two departments, Employment, Workplace Relations and Small Business and the Department of Education, Training and Youth Affairs, be allocated to the Employment, Workplace Relations, Small Business and Education Legislation Committee. The list of annual reports that fall within the ambit of the Committee is set out at Appendix 1.

1.2 In accordance with Senate Standing Order 25 (21) (f) this report examines those annual reports referred to the Committee between 1 May 1999 and 31 October 1999. During this period ten annual reports of statutory authorities, two reports on the operation of legislation, one annual report of a government company, and two departmental reports were received. These reports are listed in Appendix 2.

Method of assessment

1.3 The Senate Order referred to previously requires that the Committee examine the Reports referred to it to determine whether they are timely and ‘apparently satisfactory’. In forming its assessment the Committee has considered whether the reports comply with the relevant guidelines for the preparation of annual reports:

for portfolio departments, sections 7 and 25 of the Public Service Act 1922, and the Requirements for Departmental Annual Reports, Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, May 1999
for Commonwealth authorities and companies, the Commonwealth Authorities and Companies Act 1997
for non-statutory bodies, the guidelines contained in the Government response to the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Public Administration Report on Non-Statutory bodies, Senate Hansard, 8 December 1987, pp 2643-45

1.4 With the exception of the Requirements for Departmental Annual Reports, these guidelines are printed under Appendix 3.

General Comments on Reports

1.5 The Committee has agreed, under the terms of the procedural order requiring it to report to the Senate on Annual Reports, that all reports described here are apparently satisfactory with the exception of the timeliness of ESRA’s 1997-1998 Annual Report, which is commented on in the next chapter. In making this assessment, the Committee considers aspects such as the timeliness of presentation and compliance with relevant reporting guidelines.

1.6 The Committee found all reports, with the above exception, had been lodged with the appropriate minister on time, were tabled in Parliament within the specified period, and met the required reporting requirements. The reports are generally of a high calibre in layout and in the extent of information presented. All reports meet the requirement of being apparently satisfactory.

Comments made in the Senate Chamber

The Committee is obliged, under Senate Standing Order 25 (21)(d) to consider any remarks made about these reports in the Senate. Where remarks have been made, the Senator's name and the date of the comments have been noted.

Bodies not presenting annual reports to the Senate

The Committee is required to report to the Senate each year on whether there are any bodies which do not present annual reports to the Senate and which should present such reports.

The Committee is satisfied that there are no bodies, within these portfolios, which do not meet their reporting requirements to the Senate.

Senator J Tierney

Chair

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