Role of the Committee

That in accordance with section 59F of the Parliamentary Workplace Support Service Act 2023 (the Act) matters relating to the powers and proceedings of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Parliamentary Standards shall be as follows:

(1)        members appointed in accordance with subsections 59B(2) and (3) of the Act be nominated by:
(a)        the Leader of the Government, the Leader of the Opposition or any crossbench Senator in the Senate; and
(b)        the Government Whip or Whips, Opposition Whip or Whips, or any crossbench Member in the House;

(2)        every nomination of a member of the committee be notified in writing to the President of the Senate or the Speaker of the House of Representatives;

(3)        in addition to the chair elected in accordance with subsection 59C(1) of the Act, the committee elect a deputy chair in accordance with subsection 59CA(1) who shall act as chair of the committee at any time when the chair is not present at a meeting of the committee;

(4)        at any time when the chair and deputy chair are not present at a meeting of the committee, the members present shall elect another member to act as chair at that meeting;

(5)        when acting as chair, the deputy chair or other member presiding at a meeting of the committee shall have a deliberative vote and, in the event of an equally divided vote, a casting vote;

(6)        three members of the committee constitute a quorum of the committee, provided that in a deliberative meeting the quorum shall include one Government member of either House and one non-Government member of either House;

(7)        the committee:
(a)        have power to appoint subcommittees consisting of three or more of its members and to refer to any subcommittee any matter which the committee is empowered to examine; and
(b)        appoint the chair of each subcommittee who shall have a deliberative vote and, in the event of an equally divided vote, a casting vote;

(8)        at any time when the chair of a subcommittee is not present at a meeting of the subcommittee, the members of the subcommittee present shall elect another member of that subcommittee to act as chair at that meeting;

(9)        two members of a subcommittee constitute a quorum of that subcommittee, provided that in a deliberative meeting the quorum shall include one Government member of either House and one non-Government member of either House;

(10)     members of the committee who are not members of a subcommittee may participate in the proceedings of that subcommittee but shall not vote, move any motion or be counted for the purpose of a quorum;

(11)     the committee or any subcommittee have power to:

(a)        call for witnesses to attend and for documents to be produced;
(b)        conduct proceedings at any place it sees fit;
(c)        sit in public or in private;
(d)        report from time to time;
(e)        adjourn from time to time and to sit during any adjournment of the Senate or the House of Representatives; and
(f)         consider and make use of the evidence and records of the former Joint Select Committee on Parliamentary Standards;

(12)     the provisions of this resolution, so far as they are inconsistent with the standing orders, have effect notwithstanding anything contained in the standing orders; and

(13)     a message be sent to the Senate acquainting it of this resolution and requesting that it concur and take action accordingly.