Annual Report 2005–06
Appendix 2—Reports addressing requirements of legislation
As an Australian Government agency, the department reports annually on its performance in relation to several legislated provisions, as detailed in the following table.
Reports against particular legislation, 2005–06
| Section 74 of the Occupational Health and Safety (Commonwealth Employment) Act 1991 | During the year, no occupational health and safety incidents
required reporting to Comcare under section 68 of the
Occupational Health and Safety (Commonwealth
Employment) Act 1991. Additional information on occupational health and safety performance is included in the ‘Management and accountability’ section of this report. |
|---|---|
| Section 8 of the Freedom of Information Act 1982 | The Department of the Senate is not subject to the provisions
of the Freedom of Information Act 1982. However, it is
departmental policy to comply with the intent of the Act to
the extent practicable, having regard to the legal issues which
may arise through the non‑application to the department
of the protections afforded by the Act. No requests for information were received during the year. |
| Privacy Act 1988 | The department is not subject to most of the provisions
of the Privacy Act 1988. The provisions relating
to tax file numbers apply, and the department has common law
obligations in relation to the handling of personal information.
It is departmental policy to observe, as far as practicable,
the Privacy Principles set out in the Act. No privacy issues were raised with the department during the year. |
| Section 311A of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 | During 2005–06, the department paid a total of $219,088
for advertising. Of the total, $188,134 was for Senate committee
activities, and the balance was for recruitment and other minor
advertising, delivered through hma Blaze, the government contractor. The department did not engage market research, polling, direct mail or creative advertising organisations. |
| Section 516A of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 | Although the department was not subject to the provisions of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, it adopted policies and practices that contributed to best environmental performance during the year. Most aspects of the parliament’s environmental management are coordinated by the Department of Parliamentary Services, and details are provided in that department’s annual report. |
| Legal Services Directions 2005 | During 2005–06, the department expended $147,590 on legal services. Of this amount, $118,139 was directed towards the provision of independent legal advice in supporting the work of the legislative scrutiny committees. There was no expenditure on counsel during the year. |
