Chapter 1Overview
1.1On 25 March 2025, the Senate referred the following documents to the Education and Employment Legislation Committee (committee) for examination and report:
Particulars of proposed expenditure in respect of the year ending on 30June2026.
Particulars of certain proposed expenditure in respect of the year ending on 30 June 2026.
Particulars of proposed expenditure in relation to the parliamentary departments in respect of the year ending on 30 June 2026.
Portfolio coverage
1.2In accordance with resolutions of the Senate of 27 July 2022, the committee is responsible for the examination of the expenditure and outcomes of the following portfolios:
Education; and
Employment and Workplace Relations.
Portfolio Budget Statements 2025–26
1.3The Portfolio Budget Statements for the Education portfolio and the Employment and Workplace Relations portfolio were tabled in the Senate on 25March 2025.
Hearings
1.4On 28 November 2024, the Minister for Finance, Senator the Hon Katy Gallagher, moved that the Budget Estimates hearings for the committee would occur from Monday 14 April 2025 to Thursday 17 April 2025.
1.5On 25 March 2025, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator the Hon Penny Wong, moved a motion to vary the dates for Budget Estimates hearings for the committee to Friday 28 March, Wednesday 2 April, and Thursday 3 April, and, if required, Friday 4 April. The Senate agreed to these varied dates.
1.6The committee had agreed to consider particulars of proposed expenditure as follows:
Employment and Workplace Relations portfolio – 28 March 2025 and 2April 2025; and
Education portfolio – 28 March 2025 and 3 April 2025.
1.7On 28 March 2025, the Governor-General issued a proclamation that prorogued the 47th Parliament at 8.29am. The prorogation terminated the scheduled sittings of the estimates hearings. Accordingly, the committee did not conduct its hearings to examine the particulars of proposed expenditure for either the Employment and Workplace Relations portfolio or the Education portfolio.
Questions on Notice
1.8In accordance with Standing Order 26(9)(a), the committee set 29 May 2025 as the date for return of answers to questions on notice arising from the 2025–26 Budget Estimates.
Additional Estimates 2024–25: Timeliness of answers to questions on notice
1.9The committee's 2024–25 Additional Estimates hearings examined the Employment and Workplace Relations portfolio on 26 February 2025 and the Education portfolio on 27 February 2025.
1.10Answers to questions on notice were due by 24 March 2025.
1.11For the Employment and Workplace Relations portfolio, the committee received answers to 796 of 851 questions taken on notice by the due date of 24 March 2025. The committee received a further 10 answers to questions on notice between 25 March 2025 and 26 March 2025. All other answers remain outstanding at the time of writing.
1.12For the Education portfolio, the committee received answers to 5 of 333 questions taken on notice by the due date of 24 March 2025. The committee received a further nine answers to questions on notice on 27 March 2025. All other answers remain outstanding at the time of writing.
1.13The committee encourages the portfolio departments to supply their answers to questions on notice by the due date for future estimates hearings to ensure the committee has sufficient time to review the answers before the next round of estimates hearings.
Senator Tony Sheldon
Chair
Senator for New South Wales