Role

The Department of Parliamentary Services (DPS) supports the work of the Australian Parliament, maintains Parliament House as a symbol of Australian democracy, and makes the building, and the important activity that takes place within it, accessible and engaging. DPS reports to the Presiding Officers of the Parliament (the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives).

DPS activities

In 2015–16 DPS undertook many activities to support its clients, stakeholders and customers. These activities included, but were not limited to:

• recording and transcribing 3,633 hours of parliamentary proceedings
• transcribing 47,635 pages of parliamentary proceedings and committee hearings
• supporting 612 parliamentary committee hearings, 253 of which were interstate
• responding to 45,101 calls to the 2020 ICT support desk
• completing 13,113 individual client requests made to the Parliamentary Library
• adding 177,644 items to Library databases releasing 267 research publications
• refurbishing 24 offices/suites
• replacing 3,785 square metres of carpet and polishing 21,007 square metres of timber flooring
• maintaining 23 hectares of landscaped gardens
• greeting 725,992 visitors to the building and receiving 4,706,404 million visitors to the APH website
• providing guided tours to more than 200,000 visitors
• providing security 24 hours a day, every day of the year.