Chapter 1 - Introduction

[1]        Journals of the Senate, No. 3, 4 July 2019, pp. 83–84. See also, Journals of the Senate, No. 42, 13 February 2020, pp. 1268–1269 for the allocation of agencies following the Administrative Arrangements Order made on 5 December 2019, with took effect from 1 February 2020. These changes will be discussed in the committee's report on 2019-20 annual reports.

[2]        The National Environment Protection Council (NEPC) annual report was tabled in accordance with section 24 of the National Environment Protection Council Act 1994. This requires the NEPC to report its operations during the year ended on the preceding 30 June. This legislative requirement means that the report covers the 2017-18 financial year rather than the 2018-19 reporting period.

[3]        Senate Hansard, 8 December 1987, pp. 2632–45.

[4]        Department of Finance, Independent review into the operation of the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 and Rule, September 2018.

[5]        Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Amendment (Reporting Executive Remuneration) Rules 2019, Explanatory Memorandum, pp. 1–11.

[6]        Department of Finance, Resource Management Guide No. 139 – Commonwealth companies Executive Remuneration Reporting Guide for Annual Reports.

[7]        Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Amendment (Annual Reporting) Rules 2019, Explanatory Memorandum, pp. 1–4.

[8]        Standing Order 25(20)(c).

[9]        Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013, ss. 97(2).

[10]      See PGPA Rule, sections 17AB, 17BC and 28C.

[11]      Department of Finance, Resource Management Guide No. 135 – Annual report for non‑corporate Commonwealth entities, May 2019, p. 11; Resource Management Guide No. 136 – Annual report for corporate Commonwealth entities, p. 9. In the case of a wholly-owned Commonwealth company, or a Commonwealth company that is not required to hold an annual general meeting, the PGPA Act states that "the responsible Minister must table the documents in each House of the Parliament as soon as practicable after receiving them. In all other cases, the responsible Minister must table the documents in each House of the Parliament as soon as practicable after the annual general meeting of the company" (Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013, ss. 97(5)).

[12]      Acts Interpretation Act 1901, ss. 34C(6).

[13]      Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee, Annual reports (No. 1 and No. 2 of 2019), pp. 9–11.

[14]      Appendix 1 lists the relevant tabling dates for annual reports in the Senate and the House of Representatives between 1 May and 31 October 2019.

Chapter 2 - Review of selected reports

[15]      Department of Communications and the Arts, Annual Report 2018-19, pp. 2–9.

[16]      Department of Communications and the Arts, Annual Report 2018-19, p. 20.

[17]      Department of Communications and the Arts, Annual Report 2018-19, pp. 21–24.

[18]      Department of Communications and the Arts, Annual Report 2018-19, pp. 50–54.

[19]      Department of Communications and the Arts, Annual Report 2018-19, pp. 93–96.

[20]      Department of Communications and the Arts, Annual Report 2018-19, p. 6.

[21]      Australian Communications and Media Authority, Annual Report 2018-19, pp. 8–9.

[22]      Australian Communications and Media Authority, Annual Report 2018-19, pp. 21–26.

[23]      Australian Communications and Media Authority, Annual Report 2018-19, p. 72.

[24]      National Portrait Gallery of Australia, Annual Report 2018-19, p. 23.

[25]      National Portrait Gallery of Australia, Annual Report 2018-19, pp. 2–3.

[26]      National Portrait Gallery of Australia, Annual Report 2018-19, p. 19.

[27]      National Portrait Gallery of Australia, Annual Report 2018-19, p. 23.

[28]      National Portrait Gallery of Australia, Annual Report 2018-19, p. 31.

[29]      National Portrait Gallery of Australia, Annual Report 2018-19, p. 58

[30]      National Portrait Gallery of Australia, Annual Report 2018-19, p. 49.

[31]      National Portrait Gallery of Australia, Annual Report 2018-19, p. 49.

[32]      Department of the Environment and Energy, Annual Report 2018-19, pp. 2–5.

[33]      Department of the Environment and Energy, Annual Report 2018-19, p. 23.

[34]      Department of the Environment and Energy, Annual Report 2018-19, p. 110.

[35]      Department of the Environment and Energy, Annual Report 2018-19, p. 297.

[36]      Department of Finance, Resource Management Guide No. 135 – Annual report for non‑corporate Commonwealth entities, May 2019, p. 43.

[37]      Department of the Environment and Energy, Annual Report 2018-19, p. 5.

[38]      Department of the Environment and Energy, Annual Report 2018-19, pp. 5–6.

[39]      Snowy Hydro Limited, Annual Report 2018-19, p. 8.

[40]      Snowy Hydro Limited, Annual Report 2018-19, pp. 4–5.

[41]      Snowy Hydro Statement of Corporate Intent FY 2019

[42]      Snowy Hydro Limited, Annual Report 2018-19, p. 4.

[43]      Department of Finance, Resource Management Guide No. 134 – Annual performance statements for entities, July 2017, p. 6.

[44]      Department of Finance, Resource Management Guide No. 137 – Annual reports for Commonwealth companies, May 2019, p. 6.

[45]      Snowy Hydro Limited, Annual Report 2018-19, p. 38.

[46]      Sydney Harbour Federation Trust, Annual Report 2018-19, pp. 18–23.

[47]      Sydney Harbour Federation Trust, Annual Report 2018-19, pp. 8–9.

[48]      Sydney Harbour Federation Trust, Annual Report 2018-19, p. 64.

[49]      Australian National Audit Office, Effectiveness of Board Governance at the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust, Audit Report No. 37, 2018-19, p. 10.

[50]      Sydney Harbour Federation Trust, Annual Report 2018-19, p. 73.

[51]      Sydney Harbour Federation Trust, Annual Report 2018-19, p. 86.

[52]      Sydney Harbour Federation Trust, Annual Report 2018-19, p. 92.