At the dissolution of the Senate and the House of Representatives on 9 May 2016 for a general election on 2 July 2016, the parliamentary committees of the 44th Parliament ceased to exist. Therefore inquiries that were not completed have lapsed and submissions cannot be received. However, information about the inquiries is still available on this website.

Information on committees for the 45th Parliament will be presented here as soon as it is available.

On 4 March 2015, the following matter was referred to the Finance and Public Administration References Committee for inquiry and report by the 10 August 2015:

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander experience of law enforcement and justice services, with particular reference to:

1. the extent to which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians have access to legal assistance services;
2. the adequacy of resources provided to Aboriginal legal assistance services by state, territory and Commonwealth governments;
3. the benefits provided to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities by Family Violence Prevention Legal Services;
4. the consequences of mandatory sentencing regimes on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander incarceration rates;
5. the reasons for the high incarceration rates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men, women and juveniles;
6. the adequacy of statistical and other information currently collected and made available by state, territory and Commonwealth governments regarding issues in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander justice;
7. the cost, availability and effectiveness of alternatives to imprisonment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, including prevention, early intervention, diversionary and rehabilitation measures;
8. the benefits of, and challenges to, implementing a system of ‘justice targets‘; and
9. any other relevant matters.

Submission closing date is 30 April 2015. The reporting date is 10 August 2015. On 22 June 2015, the Senate granted an extension of time for reporting until 12 November 2015.  On 9 November 2015, the Senate granted an extension of time for reporting until 3 December 2015. On 30 November 2015, the Senate granted an extension of time for reporting until 17 March 2016. On 22 February 2016, the Senate granted an extension of time for reporting until 25 August 2016.