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Chapter 16 - Committees
Evidence
gathering
Selecting
witnesses
Committees normally
select witnesses from those people and organisations who have made submissions,
but they may also seek out additional witnesses, for example, if an important
issue or aspect of the inquiry is not addressed by the submissions received.
The analysis of submissions and the testing of such material at public hearings
is the chief means by which committees conduct inquiries. Where time is too
short to seek written submissions, which often is the case with inquiries into
legislation, the public hearing is the main vehicle for the inquiry and the
selection of witnesses is of paramount importance. While most committees
attempt to hear from a cross section of witnesses in such circumstances, other
approaches have also been used. The Standing Committee on Finance and Public
Administration, for example, in its inquiry into the ATSIC Amendment
(Indigenous Land Corporation and Land Fund) Bill 1994, took evidence from witnesses
who had difficulties with the bill in order that those problems could be
tested. Although this approach attracted some criticism in the minority report,
it nonetheless enabled the committee to make effective use of limited time (SD,
17/10/1994, pp 1817-9).
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