Outputs
Secretariat support and procedural advice to the legislative and general purpose standing committees, select committees, and certain joint committees.
Performance information	Performance results
The degree of satisfaction of the chairs of committees, committee members and other senators with the quality and timeliness of advice and support.	Formal and informal feedback, including reference to committee reports during debates in the Senate, shows that senators consider the support provided by the Committee Office to be effective, and performed to a high standard.
Draft reports, reports and other documents are timely, accurate and of a high standard. Tabling deadlines are met.	Accurate advice, documentation, and draft reports were provided to committees in accordance with their requirements. Reports were drafted and presented to the Senate in accordance with the timeframes agreed to by committees and deadlines set by the Senate.
Inquiry information, evidence and reports are published promptly upon authorisation.	Information was updated promptly and accurately on committee web pages. Submissions, other documents and reports were published consistent with the decisions of committees.
Inquiries from the public regarding committees are handled promptly and professionally.	Telephone and email queries from the public were responded to promptly and accurately. Members of the public had access to up to date, accurate and relevant material regarding committee activities and procedures.

Overview

Committee Office secretariats supported 16 legislation and references standing committees, seven Senate select committees, two joint select committees and five other joint committees (see figure 12). As in the previous year, secretariats experienced a demanding workload, with large numbers of inquiries and hearings taking place, including by way of video and teleconference. The cost of the office in 2021–22 was $10.1m ($10.4m in 2020–21), with staff salaries comprising approximately 96 per cent of the office’s total expenses.

The remaining costs were administrative (for example, printing, venue hire and transport and accommodation for secretariat staff attending hearings). Like the previous financial year, these administrative costs were reduced in comparison with pre-pandemic years, largely as a result of a reduced number of interstate hearings.

Committee secretariats provided administrative support to committees, including processing submissions, publishing a range of material to committee websites, arranging private meetings and briefings, liaising with witnesses and stakeholders, and arranging public hearings and site inspections around Australia and by video and teleconference. Staff analysed and collated the evidence committees received, drafted briefing material and reports, arranged for the tabling and publication of reports, and assisted witnesses and others to participate in inquiries. In addition, secretariats provided procedural advice to chairs, committee members and other stakeholders, and responded to requests for information from members of the public about the operation and activities of committees, and about committee practice and procedure.

While the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic reduced the number of interstate hearings held throughout the year, and restrained the number of hearings that could be held in-person, committees continued to make use of video and teleconference facilities to hold public hearings and private briefings. This ensured that committees could receive the evidence they required in order to meet their inquiry and reporting obligations, and enabled them to hear from a wide range of witnesses from around Australia, and internationally in some circumstances.

Feedback from members of committees when reports are tabled or debated in the Senate, and in the House of Representatives in relation to certain joint committees, and provided informally during the course of the year, indicates that committee members experienced a high level of satisfaction with the quality of the advice and support that is provided by secretariats. As reported last financial year, senators have provided ongoing feedback about service development and improvements, which include the ability for committees to visually broadcast their interstate public hearings, and for targeted training for committee chairs. The department took the opportunity during the election period to develop new training materials to better support chairs of committees and will continue to work with the Department of Parliamentary Services to investigate how an expanded broadcasting service can be provided.

Figure 12 – Elements and responsibilities of the Committee Office

Executive
Toni Matulick, Clerk Assistant David Sullivan, Senior Clerk of Committees
Procedural advice and training Planning and coordination Secretariat staffing and resources Statistics and records
Legislative and general purpose standing committee secretariats	Joint committee secretariats	Senate select committee secretariats
Community Affairs Pothida Youhorn Economics Mark Fitt (to 31 May 2022) Alan Raine (from 1 June 2022) Education and Employment Alan Raine (to 8 April 2022) Jeanette Radcliffe (from 11 April 2022) Environment and Communications Stephen Palethorpe Finance and Public Administration Sarah Redden (to 31 August 2022) Patrick Hodder (from 1 June 2022) Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Lyn Beverley (to 31 May 2022) Mark Fitt (from 1 June 2022) Legal and Constitutional Affairs Sophie Dunstone Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Gerry McInally Additional Support Unit Lee Katauskas	Joint statutory Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity Sean Turner (to 31 May 2022) Lyn Beverley (from 1 June 2022) Corporations and Financial Services Patrick Hodder (to 31 May 2022) Sean Turner (from 1 June 2022) Law Enforcement Sean Turner (to 31 May 2022) Lyn Beverley (from 1 June 2022) Joint standing National Broadband Network Lee Katauskas National Disability Insurance Scheme Bonnie Allan Joint select Australia’s Family Law System Tas Larnach Parliamentary Standards Lee Katauskas	Multi-Jurisdictional Management and Execution of the Murray Darling Basin Plan Sean Turner Financial Technology and Regulatory Technology Lyn Beverley Autism Alan Raine Foreign Interference through Social Media Lee Katauskas Temporary Migration Lee Katauskas COVID-19 Jeanette Radcliffe Job Security Tas Larnach

Activity levels and workload

The workload of the Committee Office is determined by decisions of the Senate and of the committees themselves. During this reporting period, the Committee Office continued to deliver secretariat, research, drafting services and administrative support to committees to enable them to conduct inquiries and table reports consistent with the timeframes set by the Senate. The highest number of inquiries managed at one time was 61.

Submissions, public hearings and witnesses

The volume of work undertaken by committee secretariats during 2021–22 is demonstrated by the high level of administrative support provided to committees. This included processing 5026 submissions, down from 5774 submissions in the previous reporting period. This reduction in the quantum of submissions, and other activities, is consistent with the election period falling within this financial year. In addition to processing and publishing submissions, secretariats arranged 222 public hearings (including 66 estimates hearings) at which over 4843 witnesses appeared. Secretariats supported committees by arranging 340 private meetings and one site inspection.

Figure 13 – Number of committee hearings, 2018–19 to 2021–22

To manage this volume of work, the office continued to operate flexibly with staff regularly working across secretariats, supporting different committees, and joining staff in other programs within the department on cross-program project teams when their workload permitted. Demonstrating professional flexibility, and being able to pivot quickly to meet the changing demands of the Senate and its committees is a key capability of Committee Office staff, and supports the department’s ability to deliver high quality services.

Estimates hearings

Supplementary budget estimates took place in October 2021, with additional estimates occurring in February 2022. The 2022-23 budget estimates hearings took place in March and April 2022, earlier than the usual May dates due to the timing of the 2022 election. As shown in figure 13, there were 66 estimates hearings, down from 95 hearings in the previous period. During these estimates hearings, 2,171 witnesses appeared.

In order to ensure that estimates hearings took place under COVID-safe conditions, significant planning was undertaken to mitigate risk of COVID-19 transmission. Risk mitigation measures included significant consultation and communication with senators, their staff and officials from Commonwealth government departments and agencies. Committees again made use of expanded access to video and teleconference facilities, implementing a hybrid system where senators and witnesses were able to participate remotely and in-person. This maintained committees’ ability to examine and scrutinise the expenditure of the executive, and meet their obligations to report to the Senate, despite the challenges caused by the pandemic.

References and reports

In addition to a high number of legislation inquiries, committees inquired into and reported on diverse topics including the Australian Government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, job security, the National Disability Insurance Scheme, foreign investment proposals and media diversity in Australia.

Figure 14 – Number of references to committees, 2018–19 to 2021–22

The office supported committees to table a total of 199 reports. Figure 15 indicates how the COVID-19 pandemic, combined with the election period, resulted in fewer reports tabled during the year.

Figure 15 – Reports presented by all committees supported by the Committee Office 2018–19 to 2021–22

Each committee report, while initially drafted by Committee Office staff is, in the end, a committee document which reflects the views of members of the committee undertaking the inquiry. Feedback indicates that despite a sustained high level of workload, combined with the added pressure caused by the pandemic and sometimes short timeframes, the standard of committee reports has been maintained. This has been achieved through the dedication of highly skilled and flexible secretariat staff, with support from staff of other areas of the department when required.

Public information

Providing accurate, accessible and relevant public information about the work of Senate committees is an area of continuing focus.

The Committee Office continued to work with the Senate Public Information Office and the Department of Parliamentary Services on projects to improve the tools, systems and processes for drafting and publishing reports, and to manage the high volume of submissions and answers to questions on notice provided to committees during estimates and other hearings. Tools, systems and processes that enable prompt, accessible publication of committee evidence and reports are an essential part of the Committee Office’s responsibility to ensure committee information is processed, analysed, and published in a timely way. They also ensure that information is relevant and accessible, that senators are satisfied with services provided, and that efficiencies can be realised.

To further develop these systems and processes, the Office of the Senior Clerk consolidated additional staff resources to provide a dedicated project team responsible for committee office-specific ICT and web publishing support and training, induction of new staff, and to progress ICT projects in collaboration with the Senate Public Information Office and the Department of Parliamentary Services.

The Committee Office Executive, comprising the Office of the Senior Clerk and the Office of the Clerk Assistant (Committees) continued their focus on recording, analysing and publishing statistics and data generated by the Committee Office, including the twice-yearly publication Work of Committees and ensuring that information about committee membership and hearings was up to date and publicly accessible via the Senate website.

Committee Office staff supported the department’s seminar program by delivering training sessions to public servants and other members of the public about the operation of Senate committees, as well as delivering training offered by the Parliamentary Library for parliamentary staff.

International engagement

The demand for Committee Office staff to present information to international delegations visiting Australia, and for certain committee secretaries to support outgoing parliamentary delegations, was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, during May and June 2022 Committee Office staff provided support to committees of the Parliament of Tonga by way of a virtual mission.

Management and leadership

Committee secretaries met regularly throughout the year to discuss corporate and administrative issues, staff development and organisational capability, and procedural matters. Supporting staff well-being and mitigating the impact of COVID-19 was a focus during these meetings.

All committee office staff met regularly with their at-level cohort as a way of sharing information, building effective relationships and capability, and undertaking peer learning and development.

The election period that commenced in April 2022 afforded all committee office staff the opportunity to undertake extensive learning and development activities, update existing procedural manuals and resources, and to develop new ones. Innovations during the reporting period included the development of a series of podcasts to assist with the induction of research officers, as well as the development of a consistent file sharing and communications platform for use by all committees administered by the Department of the Senate in time for the commencement of the 47th Parliament.

Committee Office staff, in collaboration with the Records Management Unit, undertook a significant corporate project to ensure that all officers within the Committee Office are able to fulfil their records management obligations.

Three Committee Office staff were seconded to the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) to support the election costings function of the PBO, providing an opportunity for staff development and transfer of knowledge between our two parliamentary departments.

Staffing levels in the Committee Office were sustained to ensure that there was appropriate support for committees, and to maintain staff well-being by providing sufficient resources and allowing staff to take regular leave.

Performance outlook

The 2021–22 reporting period saw the Committee Office support a sustained number of inquiries, effectively manage the ongoing challenges presented by the pandemic, and devote significant efforts towards ensuring that staff have the tools, skills and capability to perform their roles to a consistently high standard. Despite the reduced committee travel and uncertainty caused by the pandemic, the office continued to deliver high levels of support to committees including the tabling of 199 reports, and the processing of just over 5,000 submissions. Despite reduced committee activity due to the 2022 election, recruiting, training and retaining a dedicated, professional and committed staff will remain a priority of the Committee Office, with committee activity and inquiries expected to increase as the 47th Parliament commences. Staffing levels are expected to be maintained to ensure that the department is equipped to meet the future demands of the Senate and its committees. The office will continue to support staff development through a range of strategies that were employed during this reporting period, and which proved to be particularly effective. These strategies included peer and on-the-job learning, at-level forums, cross-program projects, formal training such as tertiary study, and continuous procedural training.

The Committee Office will continue its focus on staff well-being by offering a rewarding work environment that values collaboration and learning, supports and values innovation by teams and work groups, and where managers demonstrate an active commitment to the health and well-being of their staff, and to developing the capability of their teams.

The Committee Office plans to build on and grow our already strong relationships across the parliamentary service. Opportunities to work on shared projects with colleagues in the Department of Parliamentary Services, the House of Representatives’ Committee Office and the Parliamentary Budget Office offer staff the chance to develop relevant skills and knowledge, and enhance our ability to offer high quality services to the Senate and its committees.

The visual broadcast of interstate hearings by the Department of Parliamentary Services, increased training opportunities for chairs of committees, and continuing our work to expand and improve the ways in which members of the public are able to engage with the work of committees will remain a focus of the coming financial year.