Attachment 2
Amendments to bills agreed to by the Senate
1996 - 2005
- 1996
- 390
- 1997
- 1337
- 1998
- 780
- 1999
- 1605
- 2000
- 866
- 2001
- 1013
- 2002
- 437
- 2003
- 825
- 2004
- 676
- 2005
- 678
Attachment 3
Accountability measures in the Senate, 1901-
A select list
- June 1901
- The Senate had the first supply bill amended to show details of items of expenditure.
- August 1901
- A Senate committee exercised its power to call senior officials and private citizens to give evidence.
- March 1904
- The Senate amended the Acts Interpretation Bill to insert provision for disallowance by either House of regulations made by government.
- July 1930
- The Central Reserve Bank Bill was referred to a Senate select committee.
- May 1931
- The chairman of the Commonwealth Bank was called before the Senate to give evidence on the economic crisis.
- March 1932
- The Regulations and Ordinances Committee was established to scrutinise regulations and other delegated legislation.
- September 1961
- The Senate adopted procedures to examine estimates of expenditure in detail before the appropriation bills had passed the House of Representatives.
- October 1967
- The Senate forced the government to disclose documents about a public scandal relating to the Air Force VIP squadron.
- June 1970
- The Senate's comprehensive standing committee system was established.
- Estimates committees were established for more detailed scrutiny of government activities through committee hearings.
- December 1971
- The Senate declared that statutory authorities are accountable for all expenditures of public funds, contrary to some assertions of their "independence". This declaration has been repeated on several occasions.
- March 1973
- The Senate required the government to respond to Senate committee reports within three months. Responses have generally been provided, but not on time.
- 1985-86
- The Senate amended the loan bills to ensure annual parliamentary approval of the government's authority to borrow money.
- November 1981
- The Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Bills was established to scrutinise details of all bills.
- April 1986
- A deadline for the receipt of government bills was first adopted, in an attempt to prevent the rush of bills at the end of sittings.
- September 1988
- The 30 day rule for questions on notice was adopted, later extended to estimates questions on notice and orders for documents. Failure to respond after 30 days can attract a procedure in the chamber.
- November 1988
- The Senate declared the principles under which it would consider retrospective tax legislation, to avoid "taxation by press release".
- 29 November 1988
- The Senate required the government to explain any delay in proclaiming bills passed by Parliament.
- December 1989
- New procedures for referring bills to committees were adopted, providing a higher degree of scrutiny of legislation.
- The Selection of Bills Committee was established to refer bills to committees.
- December 1989
- The annual reports of departments and agencies were referred to standing committees, to allow committee review of anything disclosed, or not disclosed, in reports.
- August 1994
- The performance of all government departments and agencies was referred to standing committees, for review of any government activities at any time.
- May 1996
- The Senate required government departments to publish on the Internet indexed lists of their files, to facilitate freedom of information requests.
- November 1999
- The Senate declared that all questions going to operations or finances of departments and agencies are relevant questions for estimates hearings.
- June 2001
- The Senate required government departments and agencies to publish on the Internet details of contracts worth more than $100,000.
- October 2003
- A resolution declared the basis on which the Senate would consider claims of commercial confidentiality, to limit such claims.
The Senate has frequently amended legislation to include provisions for the appropriate disclosure of information (into this category falls the Freedom of Information Act itself, which was extensively amended in the Senate).