The Speaker of the House of Representatives is accountable to the House of Representatives for the department. The Clerk of the House of Representatives, who is responsible for leading the department, reports to the Speaker.

Legislation

During 2015–16, the department’s operations were governed by the Parliamentary Service Act 1999 and the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 PGPA Act. Other legislation, including the Fair Work Act 2009, also applies to the operations of the department. These Acts set out the Clerk’s responsibilities for managing the department.

Executive and senior management

The department’s Executive comprises the Clerk of the House, the Deputy Clerk and three Senior Executive Service Band 1 staff—the Clerk Assistant (Committees), the Clerk Assistant (Table) and the Serjeant-at-Arms—each of whom is responsible for one or more of the department’s offices (see Figure 1) [Text-only description]. The senior managers of the department are the Executive and staff at the Executive Band 2 Level.

Management committees

Executive

The Executive held 11 formal meetings during the year. As well as standing items on finance and people strategies, the Executive discussed:

·         corporate and business planning matters

·         the department’s organisational structure

·         the department’s guidelines for staff on making public comment and contact with the media

·         matters relating to the negotiation of a new enterprise agreement

·         recommendations made by the internal auditor

·         security matters

·         the development of a strategic workforce plan for the department

·         the outcomes of the staff survey

Audit Committee

The department’s Audit Committee met five times in 2015–16 (9 July, 23 September, 9 December, 17 February and 18 May). The committee comprised the Clerk Assistant (Table) as chair, the Clerk Assistant (Committees) and three independent members. At 30 June 2016, the independent members were Tim Courtney, of the Australian Electoral Commission; Susan McNeilly, of the Office of Parliamentary Counsel; and Dermot Walsh, of the Office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman. The Serjeant-at-Arms attends committee meetings as an adviser, together with representatives of the Australian National Audit Office, the department’s internal audit team and the Chief Financial Officer.

At the meeting on 23 September 2015, the Chief Financial Officer presented the Audit Committee with the department’s financial statements for 2014–15, the outcome of the final audit undertaken by the Australian National Audit Office and a 2014–15 certificate of compliance. The committee agreed that the chair, on behalf of the committee, provide assurance to the Clerk that the financial statements and audit were in order and recommended as appropriate for sign-off.

The department’s internal auditor, appointed in May 2015 for a term of three years, is Bellchambers Barrett Pty Ltd. During the reporting year, the auditor developed annual and three-year strategic audit plans, and completed a follow-up review of previous audit recommendations and a review of compliance with Australian Government better practice guidance on credit card usage. At 30 June 2016, two further audits were underway and an annual audit plan for 2016–17 had been developed.

Consultative Committee

The Consultative Committee is an important mechanism for communicating and consulting with staff on workplace issues. Chaired by the Deputy Clerk, the committee has four departmental representatives, two elected staff representatives and two union-nominated representatives.

The committee met six times during 2015–16. Standing agenda items for the meetings are:

·         implementation and monitoring of the enterprise agreement

·         proposals for change and developments affecting staff 

·         review of implemented changes

·         reports on departmental activities.

Additional matters discussed during the year included:

·         car parking shortages at Parliament House

·         the departmental staff survey

·         office accommodation and equipment

·         election period arrangements.

Corporate Plan

The department’s corporate plan for 2015–16 was published in August 2015, as required under the PGPA Act. In accordance with the Act, the corporate plan covers the reporting period and out years to 2018–19. It sets out the purpose of the department, the activities undertaken to achieve that purpose, and measures used by the department to assess its performance. The plan describes the environment in which the department operates and the key strategies it has for achieving its purpose. It also summarises the department’s risk management and oversight systems.

The department’s corporate plan is available on the Parliament of Australia website. A report on the department’s performance against the measures set out in the 2015–16 corporate plan is in Appendix 1. At 30 June 2016, a corporate plan for 2016–17 was in preparation and will be published by the statutory deadline.

A departmental business plan, an operational complement to the corporate plan, was issued in late 2015 and remained in force for the rest of the reporting year.

Members' survey

An annual survey of members is undertaken by the department in May–June each year. It surveys a sample of 30 randomly selected members on the quality of all services provided by the department.

The 2016 survey was not held as the 2016 election period coincided with the usual time for the survey to take place. Before it conducts a survey in 2017, the department plans to evaluate the ways in which parliamentary departments in other jurisdictions seek feedback from their members—with a view to refreshing the approach the department takes to obtaining feedback from members, including the conduct of a survey. Obtaining feedback from members remains one of the department’s key accountability requirements, as it provides a direct assessment of the quality of services being offered to members by the department.

Accountability mechanisms

The department’s main formal external accountability mechanisms are the Portfolio Budget Statements and the annual report, prepared pursuant to section 65 of the Parliamentary Service Act. The annual report for 2014–15 assessed performance against the targets set in the Portfolio Budget Statements 2014–15 and presented the department’s financial statements. The department’s  annual report and Portfolio Budget Statements were provided to all members and published on the Parliament of Australia website.

The department has not identified any instances of non-compliance with the finance law during 2015–16. The finance law incorporates the PGPA Act, any rules and instruments created under the PGPA Act, and appropriation and supply acts.

Risk management and fraud control

The department’s risk management policy, fraud control plan and accompanying risk assessments were in place during 2015–16. As in previous years, new staff were informed at regular induction programs of their financial management responsibilities and the department’s fraud risk assessment and fraud control.

No losses of public money and no instances of fraud were identified during the year. In 2015, the department reviewed its risk management and fraud control processes and prepared new documentation, for release at the beginning of 2015–16.

Business continuity

A departmental business continuity plan was in force throughout the reporting year, complemented by office-level business resumption plans. The department’s business continuity network, which assists staff to manage the risk of business interruptions, met twice in 2015–16. The network oversees the department’s program of business continuity exercises. An exercise involving business- critical units of the department was conducted during the reporting year, and a further exercise is planned for later in 2016.

Ethical standards

The Parliamentary Service Values and Code of Conduct in the Parliamentary Service Act, provide staff with a framework for ethical conduct. The department promotes sound ethical behaviour. All staff who are new to the department are advised about what it means to work in a values-based environment and how ethical standards apply to their day-to-day work.

Service charter

The department’s service charter for members and the community continued to provide the basis for the standards of service that members and the public can expect from the department. The charter is available on the Parliament of Australia website.

Social justice and equity

The department’s role is to support the House of Representatives rather than to deliver services directly to the public. Accordingly, contributing to social justice within the broader community is not a direct responsibility of the department. However, the department works indirectly towards achieving social justice through the work of the House of Representatives itself, its members and its committees and in enabling community access to them.

Inter-parliamentary departmental collaboration

Meetings of heads of parliamentary departments

Formal quarterly meetings between the Clerk, the Clerk of the Senate, the Secretary of the Department of Parliamentary Services and the Parliamentary Budget Officer continued during the reporting year. Meetings were held on 26 August 2015, 18 November 2015, 17 February 2016 and 18 May 2016. Responsibility for chairing the meetings rotates between the departments on an annual calendar basis. The Clerk of the House is the chair for 2016.

Matters discussed in 2015–16 included:

·         a strategic plan for parliamentary administration

·         the Reconciliation Action Plan

·         award modernisation

·         Parliament House Open Day 2015

·         capital projects relating to the chambers

·         client surveys

·         parliamentary pass policy

·         amendments to the Parliamentary Service Act

·         accommodation review

·         enterprise bargaining.

Parliamentary Administration Advisory Group

The Parliamentary Administration Advisory Group supports the parliamentary departmental heads by overseeing and advising on the implementation of corporate services matters and on initiatives of common interest across the parliamentary departments.

The group’s members are the Serjeant-at-Arms, the Usher of the Black Rod, the Chief Operating Officer of the Department of Parliamentary Services and the Assistant Parliamentary Budget Officer of the Corporate Strategy Branch of the Parliamentary Budget Office. Responsibility for chairing the group rotates annually in line with the chairing of the departmental heads meeting. In 2015–16, the group held four formal meetings and discussed:

·         work, health and safety policies in the four parliamentary departments

·         proposed amendments to the Parliamentary Service Determination 2013

·         the monitoring of proposed amendments to the Public Service Act 1999, including for their potential impact on the
          Parliamentary Service Act 1999

·         modernisation of the Parliamentary Departments Staff Award 1998.

Other forums

The department’s Executive played an active role in a number of forums across the parliamentary departments throughout the reporting year, in particular, in relation to ICT and redesign of the Parliament of Australia website.

Reconciliation Action Plan

The department convened the committee to develop a second Reconciliation Action Plan for the Australian Parliamentary Service for 2016–18.  The plan was approved by Reconciliation Australia on 11 June 2016, and is scheduled to be launched by the heads of the four parliamentary departments on 8 July 2016.

Purchaser–provider arrangements

The department does not have any purchaser–provider arrangements for selling services to, or buying services from, an Australian Government agency.

The department receives certain building and ICT services from the Department of Parliamentary Services, and audit services from the Australian National Audit Office. These services are accounted for in the department’s financial statements as resources received free of charge.

The department has agreements in place with the Department of the Senate for the provision of inter-parliamentary services (by this department) and parliamentary education services (by the Department of the Senate). The department runs parliamentary education seminars on a fee-for-service basis for government agencies.

Ecologically sustainable development and environmental reporting

The Department of Parliamentary Services is responsible for managing Parliament House and the parliamentary precincts. The Department of Parliamentary Service reports in accordance with section 516A of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 in its annual report which is available from the Parliament of Australia website.

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