THE SENATE
STANDING COMMITTEE ON LEGAL AND CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

12 October 2012

Mr Phil Bowen PSM FCPA
Parliamentary Budget Officer
Parliamentary Budget Office
PO Box 6010 Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600

Email: pbo@pbo.gov.au

Dear Mr Bowen

Inquiry into the Freedom of Information Amendment
(Parliamentary Budget Office) Bill 2012

I am writing to invite you or your organisation to make a submission to a parliamentary inquiry.

On 11 October 2012, the Senate referred the provisions of the Freedom of Information Amendment (Parliamentary Budget Office) Bill 2012 (bill) to the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee (committee) for inquiry and report.

The bill amends the Freedom of Information Act 1982 and the Privacy Act 1988 to provide a new exemption for documents related to requests to the Parliamentary Budget Office.

The committee is due to report on 19 November 2012, and has invited written submissions to its inquiry by 26 October 2012.

The bill, explanatory memorandum and associated materials may be accessed from the committee's website at www.aph.gov.au/senate_legalcon.

The committee encourages the lodgement of submissions in electronic form, but stresses that all submissions must include the author's full name, phone number and postal address on a separate covering letter. Please note that a submission becomes a committee document, and must not be disclosed to any other person until it has been released ('published') by the committee. Unless you have requested that your submission remain confidential, it will be published on the committee's website after the committee has examined and accepted it, and authorised its publication. Once a committee has authorised the release of a submission, subsequent publication of it is protected by parliamentary privilege.

If you require further information, please contact the secretariat on (02) 6277 3560.

Yours sincerely

Julie Dennett
Committee Secretary