Overview

Committee Office secretariats supported 16 legislation and references standing committees, six Senate select committees, two joint select committees and five other joint committees (see figure 12). The office of the Clerk Assistant (Committees) also provides the secretariat to the Chairs' Committee which is chaired by the Deputy President of the Senate.

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 2022–23 was $10.7m ($10.1m in 2021–22), with staff salaries comprising approximately 96.5 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). Committee secretariats provided administrative support to committees to allow them to undertake their inquiries in accordance with the rules of the Senate, and in a way that was consistent with decisions made by the committees themselves. Secretariat staff processed submissions, published a range of material to committee websites, arranged private meetings and briefings, liaised with witnesses and stakeholders, and arranged public hearings and site inspections around Australia, including 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.

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 over the past two financial years, senators have provided ongoing feedback about service development and improvements, which includes the ability for committees to visually broadcast their interstate public hearings, and for targeted training for committee chairs. Targeted training for committee chairs and their staff has been offered to all chairs, and the department's collaborative work with the Department of Parliamentary Services and the Department of the House of Representatives resulted in agreement to trial a visual broadcast of some public hearings held outside of Canberra during the 2022–23 financial year. Feedback from committee chairs, other senators and senators' staff allowed the committee office to tailor provision of some services, for example, developing and implementing a consistent file sharing system across secretariats to make accessing information more efficient for senators and their staff.

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 65.

Submissions, public hearings and witnesses

The volume of work undertaken by committee secretariats during 2022–23 is demonstrated by the increased level of administrative support provided to committees. This included processing 11,926 submissions, which is more than double the number of submissions published in the previous reporting period. In addition to publishing and processing this high level of submissions, secretariats arranged 256 public hearings (including 91 estimates hearings) at which over 5,520 witnesses appeared. Secretariats supported committees by arranging 508 private meetings (up from 340 in the previous year) and three site inspections.

Figure 13 – Number of committee hearings, 2019–20 to 2022–23

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 ongoing ability to deliver high quality services. In addition, it allows staff to expand their professional skills and develop relationships across teams and the parliamentary departments.

Estimates hearings

The 2022–23 budget estimates hearings took place in October and November 2022, later than usual due to the timing of the 2022 election. Supplementary Budget estimates were then held in February and March 2023, followed by the 2023-24 Budget hearings in May and June 2023. As shown in figure 13, there were 91 estimates hearings, up from 66 hearings in the previous period. During these estimates hearings, 2,754 witnesses appeared.

Committees continued to make use of video and teleconference facilities to allow for remote participation when agreed by the committee.

References and reports

In addition to a high number of legislation inquiries with 75 bills referred during the year, committees inquired into and reported on diverse topics including reproductive healthcare, administration of the referendum into an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice, work and care, oil and gas exploration and production in the Beetaloo Basin, and the fisheries quota system.

The Joint Committee on the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity tabled its final report in June 2023, with the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity absorbed into the National Anti-Corruption Commission from 1 July 2023.

Figure 14 – Number of references to committees, 2019–20 to 2022–23

The office supported committees to table a total of 121 reports. Figure 15 indicates how the election cycle impacts the number of reports tabled during the year.

Figure 15 – Reports presented by all committees supported by the Committee Office 2019–20 to 2022–23

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.

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. Notably, a redeveloped version of the Committee Office's bespoke drafting program, Report Builder, was delivered in collaboration with the Department of the House of Representatives 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

Committee Office staff presented information to international delegations visiting Australia, and supported two outgoing parliamentary delegations.

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 building staff capability through learning and development activities 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.

Projects during this reporting period included implementation of a consistent file sharing program for use by all committees administered by the Department of the Senate, training for new chairs of committees and their staff and developing materials and support for new staff to support their effective induction.

Staffing levels in the Committee Office grew 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 2022–23 reporting period saw the Committee Office support an increased amount of activity, largely as a result of being the first year of the 47th Parliament, and with a change of government. Effectively supporting the work of committees requires a continued focus on ensuring that our staff have the skills and capabilities they need to perform their roles well, that we make process improvements wherever we can to ensure that administrative tasks are undertaken as efficiently as possible, and that senators and their staff have the procedural and other information they need to undertake their important scrutiny and accountability functions. In 2023–24, staffing levels are expected to increase slightly to ensure that there is an appropriate level of support to meet the anticipated high levels of workload, including meeting changing expectations of the level of support that should be available to witnesses, senators and their staff, and to our staff when participating in challenging and sensitive inquiries. This includes measures such as offering onsite counsellors during hearings and having additional staff available during these hearings. 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. Explicit induction materials designed to offer new staff a more rewarding experience in their first weeks and months of joining the committee office will be enhanced.

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 increase skills and knowledge, and enhance our ability to offer high quality services to the Senate and its committees. Opportunities for shared learning and development activities with other parliamentary departments will be actively explored.

Supporting the trial of visual broadcast of interstate hearings by the Department of Parliamentary Services, increased training opportunities for chairs of committees, and expanding and improving the ways in which members of the public are able to engage with the work of committees remains a focus of the coming financial year. The Committee Office will endeavour to expand the reach of public information about the work of committees to ensure that this information is accessible to people and communities who may be less likely to engage with this aspect of the work of the Senate.