Chapter 1 - Conduct of the Inquiry

Reference of the Bill to the Committee

1.1 On 6 September 2000 Senator Vicki Bourne introduced the Corporate Code of Conduct Bill 2000 into the Senate. On 5 October 2000 the Senate referred the provisions of the Bill to the Parliamentary Joint Statutory Committee on Corporations and Securities for inquiry and report by 31 March 2001.

1.2 The Committee resolved that the reporting date be extended to 24 May 2001 so that the Committee could have additional public hearings and thus as many persons as possible would have the opportunity of testifying before the Committee. The Senate agreed to this course of action on 27 March 2001. For similar reasons the Committee, with the agreement of the Senate, extended to reporting date to 28 June 2001.

The Committee’s Inquiry

1.3 The Committee advertised the inquiry in the national press and on the Parliament’s website, inviting interested parties to make submissions on the Bill. The Committee received forty-three submissions to the inquiry (see Appendix 1).

1.4 The Committee held public hearings on the Bill in Melbourne on 14 March 2001, in Sydney on 15 March 2001, and again in Melbourne on 8 May 2001. The witnesses who appeared at the hearings are shown in Appendix 2.

1.5 All submissions and the Hansard transcripts of the public hearings appear on the Committee’s website at www.aph.gov.au/corps_securities. Hard copies are available from the Committee staff on corporations.joint@aph.gov.au, telephone (02) 6277 3580, and facsimile (02) 6277 5809.

1.6 The Committee thanks the individuals and organisations who made submissions and/or appeared as witnesses, sometimes at short notice. The Committee is grateful for this assistance.

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