Chapter 1

[1]        As a matter of comity between the Houses of Parliament, neither House inquires into the operations of the other House. For this reason, neither the annual report of, nor the proposed expenditure for, the Department of the House of Representatives is referred to a Senate committee for review.

[2]        Journals of the Senate, No. 1, 13 November 2013, pp 88-89.

[3]        The 2015-16 annual reports will be prepared under the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Rule 2014, which was updated in May 2016 to include amendments which prescribe the requirements for annual reports for non-corporate Commonwealth entities, corporate Commonwealth entities and Commonwealth companies.

[4]        Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Requirements for Annual Reports for Departments, Executive Agencies and Other Non-Corporate Commonwealth Entities, 25 June 2015, p. 3.

[5]        See Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Requirements for Annual Reports for Departments, Executive Agencies and FMA Act Bodies, 29 May 2014, p. i; and Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Requirements for Annual Reports for Departments, Executive Agencies and Other Non-Corporate Commonwealth Entities, 25 June 2015, p. i.

[6]        Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Requirements for Annual Reports for Departments, Executive Agencies and Other Non-Corporate Commonwealth Entities, 25 June 2015, p. 1.

[7]        Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Requirements for Annual Reports for Departments, Executive Agencies and Other Non-Corporate Commonwealth Entities, 25 June 2015, p. i.

[8]        Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Requirements for Annual Reports for Departments, Executive Agencies and Other Non-Corporate Commonwealth Entities, 25 June 2015, pp 14-15.

[9]        Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Requirements for Annual Reports for Departments, Executive Agencies and Other Non-Corporate Commonwealth Entities, 25 June 2015, p. 10.

[10]      Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Requirements for Annual Reports for Departments, Executive Agencies and Other Non-Corporate Commonwealth Entities, 25 June 2015, p. 2.

[11]      Senate Hansard, 3 May 2016, p. 3346.

[12]      In regard to the Executive Director of Township Leasing, section 20R(1) of the ALR (NT) Act does not prescribe a time period for the Minister to present the annual report to the Parliament. However, this section of the Act refers to section 34C of the Acts Interpretation Act 1901 for extra rules about annual reports, which includes guidance to Ministers on presenting reports to the Parliament.

[13]      For example, the Executive Director of Township Leasing submitted his two previous reports to the Minister on 17 October 2014 and 21 October 2013; and the Aboriginal Land Commissioner submitted his two previous reports to the Minister on 21 October 2014 and 10 October 2013.

[14]      These dates are listed in The Senate Order of Business, No. 2013-16/146, 15 March 2016, p. 6.

[15]      Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Requirements for Annual Reports for Departments, Executive Agencies and Other Non-Corporate Commonwealth Entities, 25 June 2015, p. 2.

[16]      Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Requirements for Annual Reports for Departments, Executive Agencies and Other Non-Corporate Commonwealth Entities, 25 June 2015, p. 2.

Chapter 2 - Review of selected reports

[1]        Torres Strait Regional Authority Annual Report 2014-15, pp 240-245.

[2]        Torres Strait Regional Authority Annual Report 2014-15, pp 4-6.

[3]        Section 142D of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Act 2005 requires the formulation of the TSDP which includes desired outcomes and benefits to be delivered by the organisation.

[4]        Torres Strait Regional Authority Annual Report 2014-15, p. 9.

[5]        Torres Strait Regional Authority Annual Report 2014-15, p. 10.

[6]        Torres Strait Regional Authority Annual Report 2014-15, p. 10.

[7]        Senate Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee, Annual Reports (Report 2 of 2014), pp 11-12.

[8]        Portfolio Budget Statements 2014-15, Prime Minister and Cabinet Portfolio, p. 310.

[9]        Senate Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee, Annual Reports (Report 2 of 2014), p. 11.

[10]      Tiwi Land Council Annual Report 2014-15, pp 54-61.

[11]      Tiwi Land Council Annual Report 2014-15, pp 7-8.

[12]      Tiwi Land Council Annual Report 2014-15, p. 8.

[13]      Prime Minister and Cabinet Portfolio, Portfolio Budget Statements 2014-15, p. 7.

[14]      Tiwi Land Council Annual Report 2014-15, p. 12.

[15]      Tiwi Land Council Annual Report 2014-15, p. 13.

[16]      Northern Land Council Annual Report 2014-15, pp 218-219.

[17]      Northern Land Council Annual Report 2014-15, pp 12-15.

[18]      Australian National Audit Office, Report No. 16 2014-15, Audits of the Financial Statements of Australian Government Entities for the Period Ended 30 June 2014, p. 251.

[19]      Committee Hansard, 29 May 2015, pp 6-11.

[20]      Committee Hansard, 29 May 2015, pp 6-7.

[21]      Northern Land Council Annual Report 2014-15, p. 22.

[22]      Prime Minister and Cabinet Portfolio, Portfolio Budget Statements 2014-15, p. 7.

[23]      Northern Land Council Annual Report 2014-15, pp 55-143.

[24]      It was noted that this figure was still a draft at the time of printing the annual report and may be subject to change, see Northern Land Council Annual Report 2014-15, p. 18.

[25]      The ILC was established under the Land Fund and Indigenous Land Corporation (ATSIC Amendment) Act 1995, which was part of the Parliament's response to the Mabo judgement by the High Court in 1992. The ILC now operates under the subsequently enacted ATSI Act. See Indigenous Land Corporation Annual Report 2014-15, p. 59.

[26]      Commonwealth Authorities (Annual Reporting) Orders 2011, Clause 18, Obtaining information from subsidiaries – Where directors of a Commonwealth authority are unable to obtain information from a subsidiary that is required to be included in the Annual Report of Operations before the annual report is submitted under section 9 of the CAC Act, the directors must include an explanation on the missing information and how this affects the annual report.

[27]      Indigenous Land Corporation Annual Report 2014-15, p. 167.

[28]      Dr Dawn Casey PSM served as Chairperson of the ILC from 2011 and was replaced by Mr Eddie Fry on 20 October 2015.

[29]      Indigenous Land Corporation Annual Report 2014-15, p. ii.

[30]      See http://www.ilc.gov.au/Home/About-Us/Publications/Latest-Annual-Report (accessed 2 August 2016).

[31]      Senator the Hon Nigel Scullion, Minister for Indigenous Affairs, 'Statement regarding the ILC's 2014-15 annual report', Media statement, 19 April 2016.

[32]      Committee Hansard, 5 May 2016, pp 182-183.

[33]      Committee Hansard, 5 May 2016, p. 185.

[34]      Committee Hansard, 5 May 2016, p. 187.

[35]      Committee Hansard, 5 May 2016, p. 187.

[36]      Senator the Hon Nigel Scullion, Minister for Indigenous Affairs, 'Statement regarding the ILC's 2014-15 annual report', Media statement, 19 April 2016.

[37]      Committee Hansard, 5 May 2016, p. 187.

[38]      Section 191L, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Act 2005 (Compilation No. 51, 1 July 2016), p. 115.

[39]      Indigenous Land Corporation Annual Report 2014-15, p. 5.

[40]      Indigenous Land Corporation Annual Report 2014-15, p. 10.

[41]      Indigenous Land Corporation Annual Report 2014-15, pp 14-15.

[42]      Indigenous Land Corporation Annual Report 2014-15, pp 14-15.

[43]      Indigenous Land Corporation Annual Report 2014-15, pp 16-56.

[44]      Indigenous Land Corporation Annual Report 2014-15, p. 84. It is also noted in the report that following amendments to the ATSI Act in 2010, the ILC receives a minimum guaranteed annual payment from the Land Account of $45 million, indexed annually by the Consumer Price Index, p. 84.

[45]      Indigenous Land Corporation Annual Report 2014-15, p. 85.

[46]      Australian Electoral Commission Annual Report 2014-15, pp 202-205.

[47]      Australian Electoral Commission Annual Report 2014-15, pp 205-209.

[48]      Australian Electoral Commission Annual Report 2014-15, p. 2.

[49]      Australian Electoral Commission Annual Report 2013-14, p. 2.

[50]      Australian Electoral Commission Annual Report 2014-15, p. 2.

[51]      Australian Electoral Commission Annual Report 2014-15, p. 4.

[52]      Australian Electoral Commission Annual Report 2014-15, p. 3.

[53]      Australian Electoral Commission Annual Report 2014-15, p. 3.

[54]      Australian Electoral Commission Annual Report 2014-15, p. 5.

[55]      Australian Electoral Commission Annual Report 2014-15, pp 20-65.

[56]      Some KPIs were not applicable during the year in review as they are only relevant in years where elections were held or electoral communications campaigns were implemented.

[57]      Australian Electoral Commission Annual Report 2014-15, p. 61.

[58]      Australian Electoral Commission Annual Report 2014-15, p. 22.

[59]      Australian Electoral Commission Annual Report 2014-15, p. 122.

[60]      Australian Electoral Commission Annual Report 2014-15, p. 3.

[61]      Australian Electoral Commission Annual Report 2014-15, p. 122.

[62]      Australian Electoral Commission Annual Report 2014-15, p. 3.

[63]      Australian Electoral Commission Annual Report 2014-15, pp 96-97.

[64]      Australian Electoral Commission Annual Report 2014-15, p. 111.

[65]      Senate Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee, Annual Reports (Report 2 of 2015), pp 5-6.

[66]      Senate Order of Business, 2013-15/132, 1 December 2015, p. 5.

[67]      See http://www.polexchange.org.au/councils-purpose.html (accessed June 2016).

[68]      See http://www.polexchange.org.au/councils-purpose.html (accessed June 2016).

[69]      Australian Political Exchange Council Report for 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13, p. 135.