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Chapter 18 - Documents tabled in the Senate
Orders for production of documents
The Senate may make an order for the production of documents. Standing
order 164 provides:
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Documents may be ordered to
be laid on the table, and the Clerk shall communicate to the Leader of the
Government in the Senate all orders for documents made by the Senate.
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When returned the documents
shall be laid on the table by the Clerk.
Orders under this
standing order are sometimes known as “orders
for returns”, and the documents when produced as “returns to order”.
A motion for the production of documents is moved on notice, although
leave of the Senate may be given to move it without notice. The terms of the
motion describe the documents and usually specify a day for their production.
Orders for the return of documents are relatively common. In the
Parliament of 1993-96, for example, 53 such orders were made, all but 4 being
complied with. In the Parliament of 1996-98, 48 orders were made and 5 were not
complied with. In the
Parliament of 1998-2001, there were 56 orders, and 15 not complied with, in
that of 2002-04, 89 orders and 46 not complied with, these figures reflecting
increasing resistance by the then government to the orders (see below, under
Resistance by government to orders). (see Supplement)
Orders for documents are used by the Senate as a means of obtaining
information about matters of concern to the Senate. They usually relate to
documents in the control of a minister, but may refer to documents controlled
by other persons. Documents called for are often the subject of some political
controversy, but may simply relate to useful information not available
elsewhere.
Orders for the production of documents may require the production of
documents in the possession of a person or body, or the creation and production
of documents by the person or body having the information to compile the
documents (see SD, 27/9/1993, pp 1165-6; 9/5/1996, J.139; 5/3/1997, J.1560-1).
Some orders require the production by the relevant officers or bodies of
statements about particular matters (28/9/1995, J.3887; 17/10/1995, J.3935; è11/9/1996, J.562; 7/3/2001, J.4050; 8/3/2001, J.4065; 10/3/2005, J.463-4). See also below for orders requiring statutory
bodies to produce reports on matters relating to their responsibilities.
Orders for the production of documents
may be permanent orders, requiring periodical productions of documents for an
indefinite period. Examples of permanent orders include:
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an order requiring
the production of indexed lists of government files (30/5/1996, J.279);
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an order made by way
of a second reading amendment in respect of the Shipping Grants Legislation
Bill 1996 for production of regular reports on international shipping standards
(29/11/1996, J.1161-2);
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a permanent order
(now in SO 139(2)) for the production of lists of commencement dates of legislation (see Chapter 12, Legislation, under
Commencement of legislation)
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an order of 25 March
1999 requiring the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to produce
reports on the practices of health funds (25/3/1999, J.626; 18/9/2002, J.748-9,
761);
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an order of 20 June 2001 requiring
departments and agencies to publish on the Internet lists of contracts to the value of $100 000 or
more with statements of reasons for any confidentiality clauses or claims
(20/6/2001, J.4358-9; 26/9/2001, J.4976; 27/9/2001, J.4994-5; 18/9/2002, J.757;
12/12/2002, J.1344; 4/12/2003, J.2851);
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an order of 29
October 2003 requiring the production of statements giving details of
government advertising campaigns costing $100 000 or more (29/10/2003, J.2641;
the then government subsequently refused to comply with this order, but the
information was pursued through estimates hearings: SD, 12/2/2004, pp 20168-9;
Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee transcript, 16/2/2004,
p. 154ff);
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an order by way of an
amendment to the motion for the adoption of the report of the committee of the
whole on the Transport and Communications Legislation Amendment Bill (No. 3)
1993 for regular reports on action taken under the bill (24/3/1994, J.1517);
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two orders made on 24 June 2008 for the production of regular reports on government
appointments and grants by departments and agencies, the timing of the reports
linked to the estimates hearings (J.589-90).
The Finance and
Public Administration Committee presented in February 2007 a report on the
order requiring the Internet listing of contracts, recommending the maintenance
and strengthening of the order (PP 45/2007).
Occasionally the
Senate has inserted orders for documents into statutes by way of amendments to
bills (eg., measures to Combat Serious and Organised Crime Bill 2001, 27/8/2001,
J.4780; for reports under this provision, see 8/12/2005,
J.1748; 6/12/2006, J.3271).
Orders for
documents usually specify a time by which the documents are to be produced. The
time allowed varies greatly, from days to years. In 1995, by way of an
amendment to the motion for the adoption of the report of the committee of the
whole on the First Corporate Law Simplification Bill 1995, the Senate made an
order requiring the Australian Securities Commission to produce a report on the
first two years of operation of certain amendments to the bill. The report was
duly produced in 1998. (28/9/1995, J.3887; 22/6/1998,
J.3969-70)
Several orders for
production of documents have related to an order of the Senate (now in SO 74(5)) requiring
that answers to questions on notice be supplied within 30 days. The order
provides that if a Senate minister does not supply an answer within 30 days and
does not give an explanation of why the answer has not been provided, a senator
may move a motion, without notice, relating to the minister’s failure to
provide either an answer or an explanation. On a number of occasions this
motion has taken the form of an order for the production of a document, namely,
the answer to the question. The government has complied with these orders (23/11/1988, J.1144; 28/11/1990, J.485; 21/2/1991, J.785; 14/3/1991, J.875; 17/4/1991, J.951; 16/6/1992, J.2443; 11/5/1995, J.3289; 12/8/1999, J.1489-90). (See Supplement)
Orders have also been
made to require the production of answers to questions placed on notice during
committee hearings on estimates (30/8/1999, J.1592; 31/8/1999, J.1607).
On a motion being agreed to for the production of documents, the Clerk transmits
copies of the resolution to the Leader of the Government in the Senate and to
the relevant minister in the Senate. Although the
standing order specifies that the Clerk shall table the document, it is now
more usual for the responsible minister to do so,
in accordance with standing order 166.
Although orders for the return of documents are almost invariably
directed to ministers, orders may be made to other persons or organisations.
Orders were formerly addressed to the
Auditor-General (16/12/1992, J.3382; 22/6/1994, J.1830; 22/9/1994, J.2214; 20/10/1994, J.2349; 2/2/1995, J.2850; see also 52nd
report of Committee of Privileges, PP 21/1995.) Following the passage of
the Auditor-General Act 1997, which provides that the Auditor-General is
immune from parliamentary as well as executive government direction, the Senate
has requested, rather than ordered, the production of reports by the
Auditor-General (2/11/2000, J.3474;
20/6/2001, J.4358-9; 7/8/2001, J.4595; 27/9/2001, J.4994-5; 29/8/2002, J.706;
4/12/2003, J.2851).
On 14 May 2003,
the Senate, adopting recommendations in a report of the Foreign Affairs,
Defence and Trade References Committee, made requests to the Auditor-General,
as well as an order to the government, for reports on Defence Department
equipment acquisitions (14/5/2003, J.1799-1800; response by Auditor-General,
17/6/2003, J.1865).
Orders have been directed to the Australian Securities Commission
(28/9/1995, J.3887; 22/6/1998, J.3969-70); to the Australian Competition and
Consumer Commission to produce reports (25/3/1999, J.626; 12/4/2000, J.2621;
8/11/2000, J.3523; 8/2/2001, J.3910-1; 24/9/2001,
J.4925-6; 27/6/2002, J.527; 18/9/2002, J.748-9, 761; 12/11/2002, J.1025;
30/8/2001, J.4846; 14/5/2002, J.322; 15/10/2002, J.874; 9/12/2002, J.1261;
24/11/2003, J.2689; 25/11/2003, J.2713; 10/3/2005, J.463-4; 11/5/2005, J.621;
14/6/2005, J.655; 30/11/2005, J.1461; 7/12/2005, J.1721; 4/12/2006, J.3227;
13/3/2008, J.228). The Human Rights and
Equal Opportunity Commission responded with a report to a request from the
Senate (13/4/2000, J.2631; 11/5/2000, J.2706). Telstra
responded to an order for documents in 2001 (28/8/2001, J.4798; 18/9/2001, J.4866). (See Supplement)
(See Supplement)
Orders for the
production of documents normally require that they be laid before the Senate. Orders for
documents may, however, require the provision of documents to committees. An
order passed by the Senate on 5 November 1992 required that a report to the government on Medicare
fraud be provided to the Standing Committee on Community Affairs that day. On
9 November the committee reported that the document had not been produced
to the committee. The Minister for Health, Housing and Community Services had
indicated that he was unwilling to produce the document because he did not wish
it to be made public. (The presentation of a document to a committee does not
automatically make it public, but the committee is able to authorise the
publication of the document.) The Minister representing the Minister for
Health, Housing and Community Services in the Senate moved by leave a motion to
the effect that the document be provided to the committee but that the
committee not publish the document until after 11 December. This motion,
representing a compromise on the issue, was agreed to (J.2973, 2996-7, 3000;
for further precedents of orders to produce documents to committees, see
22/3/1995, J.3106-7; 26/3/2001, J.4084-5; 3/4/2001, J.4152; 5/4/2001, J.4215). In
2005 the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission was ordered to produce
a report on a confidential basis to a committee. The report was duly produced.
(10/3/2005, J.463-4; 17/3/2005, J.566)
A senator, after question time on any day in the Senate, may seek an
explanation of, and initiate a debate on, any failure by a minister to respond
to an order for documents within 30 days after the documents are due (SO 164(3)). (See Supplement)
The Senate occasionally passes resolutions calling for the production
of documents, such as reports on particular matters. These resolutions which
“call for” documents are not technically orders for documents, but governments
often respond to them as if they were (30/9/1999, J.1803-4; 5/9/2000, J.3203;
6/12/2000, J.3753).
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