25 August 2021
© Commonwealth of Australia 2021
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Report on Annual Reports (No. 2 of 2021)
This is the Senate Economics Legislation Committee's (the committee) second report on annual reports for 2021.
Under Standing Order 25(20), the annual reports of departments, agencies and statutory office holders within the Treasury portfolio and the Industry, Science, Energy and Resources (excluding matters relating to energy) portfolio are referred to the committee for examination and assessment.1
Senate Standing Order 25(20)(f) requires the committee to report on annual reports tabled by 30 April each year by the tenth sitting day after 30 June of that year. Annual reports presented within this timeframe can be examined in the committee's second report on annual reports for that year. However, in its first report for 2021, which was tabled on 24 February 2021, the committee decided to examine and report on all annual reports which had been presented in the Parliament and referred to the committee up to and including 30 November 2021. It was noted by the committee in its first report of 2021 that all reports examined met the respective reporting requirements and were considered to be satisfactory.2
In addition, the Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) is a non-statutory body, established by the Minister, and is therefore not subject to the reporting requirements set out in the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013. FIRB does not have a legislative requirement to table an annual report. The committee notes the tabling of FIRB's 2019–20 annual report on 24 June 20213 and thanks FIRB for continuing to report to the Parliament each year.
Senator Slade Brockman
Chair
1 Journals of the Senate, No. 42, 13 February 2020, p. 1368; Journals of the Senate, No. 98, 12 May 2021, p. 3445.
2 Senate Economics Legislation Committee, Annual reports (No. 1 of 2021), p. 5.
3 Votes and Proceedings, No. 129, 24 June 2021, p. 2078.