Chapter 1
Introduction
Reference
1.1
On 12 May 2009 the Senate referred the following documents to standing
committees for examination and report:
1.2
The committee was required to report to the Senate by 23 June 2009.[2]
Hearings
1.3
The committee conducted public hearings on the Broadband, Communications
and the Digital Economy portfolio on 25 and 26 May 2009 and on the Environment,
Water, Heritage and the Arts portfolio on 27 and 28 May 2009. The agenda is at
Appendix 1.
1.4
Links to the transcripts of the public hearings, and to responses and
additional information, are available on the Internet at:
http://www.aph.gov.au/senate/committee/eca_ctte/estimates/bud_0910/index.htm
1.5
Written answers and additional information provided to the committee on
notice arising from the hearings are tabled in the Senate and also compiled as
volumes of Additional Information. The answers are also posted on the
committee’s web page.
Questions on notice – date for response
1.6
In accordance with Standing Order 26(9)(a), the committee has fixed Friday,
31 July 2009 as the date for the return of written answers or additional
information in response to questions placed on notice.
Procedural and other matters
Late return of responses to
questions on notice
1.7
In previous reports the committee has expressed its concern about past
failures to provide responses in a timely manner and its expectation that
responses to questions on notice should be provided to it by the due date.
1.8
The committee notes that answers were still being provided to the
secretariat during this round of hearings – some seven weeks after the date the
committee had set for the return of answers.
1.9
In setting 31 July 2009 as the deadline for answers to questions on
notice from the current round of hearings, the committee believes that it is
allowing ample opportunity for answers to be carefully considered and submitted
in a timely manner.
Comprehensiveness of Budget
Estimates process
1.10
As the then Chair noted in previous estimates,[3] the committee expects that
all agencies will be available for the main round of Budget Estimates, unlike
Supplementary Estimates where senators nominate agencies they wish to examine.
1.11
For this round the committee again continued its practice of listing all
government agencies and companies in the program under the relevant
departmental outcome. It is left to the discretion of officials to determine
whether company representatives need to attend the hearings in person or
whether departmental officers are sufficiently knowledgeable to respond to the
committee's inquiries on their behalf.
1.12
The committee believes that, by including all relevant portfolio bodies
in the hearing program, senators are made aware of the opportunity to question them.[4]
Portfolio budget statements
1.13
The Portfolio Budget Statements (PBS) 2009‑10 reflect changes in
reporting from the outcome/output structure to a program reporting framework.
The statements also include revisions made to General Government Sector (GGS)
entities outcome statements under the Operation Sunlight Outcome Statements
Review. As a result of these changes both the Broadband, Communications and the
Digital Economy and the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts portfolios
have undergone reorganisation of their structures and each PBS contains a
transition table reflecting the restructures. These tables are reproduced
below:
Broadband, Communications and
the Digital Economy[5]
2 The Telecommunications Consumer Representation and Research program
has been renamed the Consumer Representation Grants Program.
3 The Regional Telecommunications Inquiry Response has been renamed
the Regional Telecommunications Review Response
Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts[6]
Acknowledgements
1.14
The committee thanks Senators Conroy, McLucas, Carr, Arbib and Wong,
officers from portfolio departments and agencies, and Broadcasting, Hansard and
the Secretariat for their assistance during this Budget Estimates process.
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