The work in this program component is primarily performed by the Committee Office. The office supports parliamentary committees to examine policy and legislation and scrutinise the executive government.

Expenditure on these services in 2013–14 was $6.984 million, which was $0.874 million below the budget allocation of $7.858 million. Staff levels, by location, are shown in Appendix 11.

Performance summary

As the federal election occurred during 2013–14, the year covered two parliaments: the Forty-third Parliament (ending on 5 August 2013) and the Forty-fourth Parliament (commencing on 12 November 2013). On 1 July 2013, nine Committee Office secretariats were supporting nine House investigatory committees and nine joint investigatory committees. At the end of the year on 30 June 2014, the nine Committee Office secretariats were again supporting nine House investigatory committees and nine joint investigatory committees.

In the first half of the financial year there was limited committee activity until the new parliament commenced. Anticipating that parliament might not meet again before an election, committees completed as many inquiries as possible by the June 2013 sittings. During the election period, committee staff worked on a number of committee and departmental projects and prepared for the new parliament. By the second half of 2013–14, committees were well underway with inquiries.

The office supported one joint select committee during 2013–14. The Joint Select Committee on Northern Australia was established in December 2013 to inquire into the development of northern Australia. The committee tabled an interim report on 16 June 2014, and is due to table its final report by 4 September 2014.

Committees supported by the Committee Office in 2013–14 are shown in Tables 8 and 9.

Table 8 Committees of the Forty-third Parliament supported by the Committee Office, 2013–14

Note: Six other House committees, mainly those concerned with the domestic operations of the House, and the Joint Committee on the Broadcasting of Parliamentary Proceedings, were supported by other program components of the department and are discussed in the Chamber and Federation Chamber section.

Table 9 Committees of the Forty-fourth Parliament supported by the Committee Office, 2013–14

Note: Six other House committees, mainly those concerned with the domestic operations of the House, and the Joint Committee on the Broadcasting of Parliamentary Proceedings, are supported by other program components of the department and are discussed in the Chamber and Federation Chamber section.

The department also supports the Liaison Committee of Committee Chairs and Deputy Chairs. While this committee has formal processes, and is chaired by the Deputy Speaker, it is not a formal committee of the parliament but a means by which chairs and deputy chairs of committees administered by the House can discuss aspects of committee administration and support. In previous parliaments the committee generally met every six months, but it met more frequently in the Forty-third Parliament.

The Liaison Committee met once during 2013–14, in June 2014. At that meeting, the committee revised its document setting out the general principles for the administration of parliamentary committees. The document addresses the responsibilities of committee chairs, deputy chairs and committee secretaries, and with the revisions now includes the responsibilities of committee members. The committee also considered and agreed on a process for the attendance of persons other than committee members and secretariat staff at private committee activities.

Committee activity

The first half of 2013–14, which saw the end of the Forty-third Parliament, the federal election and the commencement of the Forty-fourth Parliament, was a period of consolidation and preparation for the Committee Office. The office took time to reflect on the challenges, opportunities and lessons of the Forty-third Parliament, and with the commencement of the Forty-fourth Parliament continued to apply the innovative work practices developed in the previous parliament.

The Forty-third Parliament was notable for the unprecedented levels of bills referred to House and joint committees for inquiry—188 bills were referred to committees supported by the department. In 2013–14 the number of bill inquiries dropped significantly, with committees returning their focus to conventional policy and scrutiny inquiries. In the Forty-fourth Parliament, by the end of June 2014 only two bills had been referred to House or joint committees supported by the department. This is closer to the level of bills referred in previous parliaments (in the Forty-second Parliament, six bills were referred to committees supported by the department).

On 1 July 2013, the investigatory committees supported by the department had 16 ongoing inquiries. This significant drop from the 46 ongoing inquiries at the start of the previous year (1 July 2012) reflects the efforts by committees to complete inquiries by the June 2013 sittings before the anticipated election. Three committees reported out of session in July and August 2013 relating to four inquiries, and the remaining inquiries lapsed at the dissolution of the Forty-third Parliament on 5 August 2013.
During 2013–14, committees of the Forty-fourth Parliament supported by the department started work on 54 new inquiries, presented 21 reports relating to 20 inquiries, and reported by way of oral statement on one occasion. On 30 June 2014, the committees had 34 ongoing inquiries. The inquiry-related activities of committees during 2013–14 are summarised in Appendixes 4 and 5.

During the year the Committee Office supported some inquiries that attracted significant public interest, and innovative methods were required to effectively manage stakeholder engagement. The Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs commenced an inquiry into the child support program. The committee sought to engage people through an online questionnaire. This process enables stakeholders to make a personal contribution to the inquiry, and assists the committee to understand the individual experiences of a broad range of people who might not use the more formal written submission or hearing processes.

By the end of the financial year, the questionnaire had been online for around six weeks and had already received more than 10,000 responses. The website also provided the option for members of the public to submit an expression of interest to participate in community statement sessions being held around the country. At the end of the reporting period, more than 1,000 expressions of interest had been received. The committee has published two snapshot updates online with key figures and a selection of responses on the topic. The committee has used a wide range of other methods to promote, inform and engage stakeholders in the child support program inquiry, including social media (Twitter and Facebook posts) and YouTube videos to provide updates on the inquiry. While the inquiry is still in its early stages, initial feedback received on these approaches has been positive and the Committee Office plans to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the social media and other tools used for this and similar inquiries.

For its inquiry into the role of the technical and further education (TAFE) system and its operation, the Standing Committee on Education and Employment also created an anonymous online survey to encourage participation in the inquiry by those who have experienced TAFE firsthand or are considering TAFE as an option. At 4 June 2014 the committee had received more than 3,600 responses. In June 2014 the committee published a snapshot of the survey online, which included key statistics from the survey and a selection of responses received. The Committee Office has found that using online questionnaires for inquiries that are likely to attract wide community interest is a time- and cost-effective way to obtain community opinion on an issue. This complements the evidence-gathering methods of written submissions and oral evidence.

During the year the Committee Office also supported the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters for its inquiry into the 2013 federal election. On 9 May 2014 the committee tabled an interim report on Senate voting practices, making six unanimous recommendations for major reforms to the Senate electoral system. Committee staff supporting the inquiry had an intensive workload—200 submissions were received and 13 public hearings were held in early 2014. The inquiry continues in 2014–15.

Two joint statutory committees supported by the department reached a significant milestone in December 2013, passing the century mark since their original establishing legislation was enacted. The relevant 1913 Acts have since been repealed, but the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit was originally established by the Committee of Public Accounts Act 1913 (since repealed by the Public Accounts Committee Act 1951), and the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works was originally established by the Commonwealth Public Works Committee Act 1913 (later repealed by the Public Works Committee Act 1969). These are two of the oldest continuing Commonwealth parliamentary committees.

In 2013–14, the government tabled responses to a number of reports presented in the previous parliament. One government response of note was to a report for an inquiry conducted by the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade—Care of ADF personnel wounded and injured on operations. The report examined the treatment of personnel wounded and injured on operations, their repatriation to Australia, their ongoing care and their return to work or transition out of the Defence Force. The committee concluded that generally the care provided to Australia’s wounded and injured is world class, particularly in the immediate aftermath of a battlefield incident, but developed 25 recommendations to ensure a comprehensive rehabilitation process for the physically wounded veterans who may fall through the cracks of the current system.

The government response, tabled on 6 March 2014, was largely supportive of the committee’s recommendations. In a speech in the House on 28 May 2014, Ms Gai Brodtmann MP, a committee member for this inquiry, commented that the inquiry had a ‘profound impact’ on her and that she was proud to be associated with the inquiry and report, and also noted that the government had supported around two-thirds of the committee’s recommendations.

Due to the timing of the election and commencement of the Forty-fourth Parliament, Committee Office staff did not support any committee delegations during 2013–14.

Analysis of performance

A key indicator for the Committee Office is the level of satisfaction with committee advice and services reported by members in the department’s annual survey of members (for more detail see Appendix 12). As Table 10 shows, 95 per cent of members stated that they were extremely satisfied, highly satisfied or satisfied with the procedural advice, research, analytical, report drafting and administrative support services in relation to committee activities. In addition to the significant reduction in bills inquiries during the year, the reduction in the number of reports in 2013–14 reflected reduced activity in the first half of the year because of the general election, and increased activity in the preceding year to finalise inquiries before the anticipated general election.

Table 10 Committee Office performance indicators

1. 2010–11 was an election year. Committees ceased to exist upon dissolution of the House (July to September 2010).
2. 2013–14 was an election year. Committees ceased to exist upon dissolution of the House (August to November 2013).
3. Members’ satisfaction rates represent the proportion of members who stated they were ‘satisfied’, ‘highly satisfied’ or ‘extremely satisfied’ with committee services.
4. Oral reports (shown in parentheses) may be given in discharge of a reference from the Selection Committee.
5. Staff numbers as at 30 June each year.

Committee support

In addition to providing day-to-day support for committees, the department continued to assist the work of committees by developing support systems and projects to ensure that support staff were equipped to perform their roles effectively.

As mentioned, in the second half of the financial year, committee staff returned to high levels of committee activity. In the first half, when the House and committees ceased to operate during the election period, committee staff worked on a number of projects, including updating a range of key committee publications, reviewing the Committee Office training and development program and developing standard template covers for committee reports. Committee staff also assisted with projects in other sections of the department and some undertook mobility placements at external agencies, which included the Commonwealth Ombudsman’s Office, the Australian Electoral Commission and the Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations. These were short-term assignments that supported corporate goals and individual development, and also helped to broaden the skills and experience of staff. All staff made presentations to the department on their experiences on return.

Training activities during the period included a Committee Office staff development seminar in October 2013 that focused on best practice in committee support and knowledge sharing. This was a well-attended and productive forum that covered

practical aspects of committee procedure and practice. It enabled staff to reflect on the Forty-third Parliament and identify lessons and innovations to take into the Forty-fourth Parliament.

Records management and archiving

The Records Management Unit provided ongoing support and advice for staff in the Committee Office during the year as they used the online electronic records management system, e-Trim.

The archiving of paper committee records was a major focus in preparation for the Forty-fourth Parliament. More than seven shelf metres of records were processed and transferred to the National Archives.

Digitisation of committee reports

During the year, the department completed its project to make available online digital copies of all House and joint committee reports tabled since 1901. A total of 417 House and 1,528 joint committee reports have been made available electronically through this project.

Improving performance

The Committee Office has been involved in several ICT projects aimed at improving its operational efficiency and maintaining a high standard of service to its clients and stakeholders.

Database redevelopment

Collaboration with the Department of the Senate continued on the Shared Committee Information Database (SCID). This custom-built program enables the online lodgement of submissions by members of the public. It doubles as a management tool for committee inquiry information and as a publishing tool for inquiry submissions, public hearing information and other associated information to the Parliament of Australia website. It replaces a number of outdated database and publishing tools used in the Committee Office. The rollout and user training began in March 2014, and committee secretariats have since noted the more streamlined approach to managing and publishing committee information.

The department completed a project to upgrade and roll out a new version of CommDocs—a custom-built program that provides a secure and access-controlled web-based interface for committee staff to distribute documents to committee members. CommDocs access for committee members and their staff is now managed by the committee secretariat, creating a more streamlined process.

HTML generator

In addition to making committee reports available in PDF, the department publishes all report content (including graphics, tables and footnotes) as HTML web pages. In this way, the department is seeking to comply with the current Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0) requirements as set out by the World Wide Web Consortium. Providing reports in this format extends accessibility by enabling screen readers to easily translate information for individuals with vision impairment. At the end of the financial year, 16 reports from the Forty-first Parliament and 46 reports from the Forty-second Parliament were yet to be converted into HTML.

Work continued on developing a new committee report template that will facilitate publishing reports from the Forty-fourth Parliament onwards in PDF, HTML, XML and ePub formats. The template is currently being tested, and rollout is due by the end of 2014.

It is the department’s aim to achieve a level of integration between the committee report template, SCID and CommDocs to enable more efficient and effective committee work.

Outlook

The 2014–15 financial year will coincide with the midpoint in the parliamentary cycle, which is typically a period of high activity for the House and committees. Staff will actively support committees in progressing, completing and commencing a variety of inquiries.

In the coming year, development and use of ICT will continue to enhance our support for committee members and our performance. The projects will be further progressed, and we will facilitate committee members’ access to committee information through iPads. Use of social media and other digital tools to improve communication with the public will be pursued. There will also be emphasis on capability development, through limited recruitment, continued training and development, effective performance management and process improvement. Work will be done to further develop performance information and indicators and to monitor the effectiveness of committee operations. The Committee Office looks forward to continued collaboration with our colleagues in the other parliamentary departments on projects to enhance committee operations and effectiveness.