5.1
The Department of the Senate indicated that it may be desirable that the function of identifying documents for inclusion in the PPS be formally devolved to the administration of the Senate and House departments, with the Committee approving appropriate administrative guidelines for this purpose.
5.2
The rationale for this proposal is to make the administration of the PPS more efficient by reducing the need for the Committee to meet solely for the routine purpose of making recommendations on documents to be included in the PPS; and removing delays between a document being presented and being made a Parliamentary Paper.
5.3
Potentially, any such changes to the process of making a document a Parliamentary Paper could require a change to the standing orders of both chambers. The Committee therefore sought guidance from the Clerks of the House of the Representatives and the Senate on:
5.4
Advice received from the Clerks indicated that a practical method of facilitating the proposal would be for the Senate and House of Representatives to adopt resolutions that those classes of documents that form the majority of the PPS be made Parliamentary Papers upon presentation.
5.5
The Committee notes that the adoption of a resolution to achieve the proposal would capture the majority of documents currently included in the PPS, and significantly reduce the administrative burden of including significant documents in the scheme.
5.6
That the Senate and House of Representatives pass the following resolution:
That unless otherwise ordered, and provided that they conform to the printing standards, the following documents shall be made Parliamentary Papers upon their presentation to the Senate/House of Representatives:
substantive reports of parliamentary committees;
annual reports of Commonwealth entities;
a report of a royal commission;
a report of the Productivity Commission;
a report of the Auditor-General;
a report of the Australian Human Rights Commission;
a report of the Australia Law Reform Commission;
a report of the Australian Electoral Commission on the redistribution of electoral division boundaries;
Australian Government white papers;
a report in a series that has previously been included in the Parliamentary Papers Series on the recommendation of a Publications Committee; and
budget papers and ministerial statements presented following the presentation of the appropriation bills.