On 3 September 2020, the Senate referred the following matters to the Senate Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 8 December 2020. On 30 November 2020, the reporting date was extended to 11 March 2021. On 22 February 2021, the reporting date was extended to 19 May 2021.
On 11 May 2021, the reporting date was extended to 30 June 2021.
The closing date for submissions is 16 October 2020.
The operation and management of the Department of Parliamentary Services, with particular reference to:
- recruitment;
- workplace culture;
- building and asset management;
- contract and procurement management;
- general operations and management;
- business continuity arrangements;
- security arrangements;
- services to parliamentarians;
- the Parliamentary Library;
- implementation of recommendations from past inquiries; and
- any related matters.
Public hearing – 18 June 2021
The committee will hold a public hearing as part of the inquiry on Friday, 18 June 2021. The hearing will commence at 8.30 am and conclude at approximately 12.40 pm.
The hearing will take place in the Prince Edward Island Committee Room at the ACT Legislative Assembly. As the hearing is not official business of the ACT Legislative Assembly (but rather of the Australian Parliament), it cannot be broadcast. However, audio and video recordings will be provided to the secretariat after the hearing, and these will be made available on the inquiry webpage in due course.
While the hearing will be public, COVID-safe arrangements remain in place and seating numbers will be limited in accordance with COVID-safe requirements. All witnesses and visitors to the Assembly will need to use the Check In CBR App upon arrival.
Hearing Program (PDF 169KB)
Hearing Proof Transcript (PDF 530KB)
Information about submissions
The committee welcomes submissions from individuals about their experiences in relation to the operation and management of the Department of Parliamentary Services (DPS).
Submissions outlining details of individual cases or complaints may assist the committee in identifying broader systemic issues for investigation.
However, please note that the committee does not have the ability to advise on, advocate for, or take action relating to individual cases. The committee is also not in a position to overturn or remake any decisions which may have been made by DPS.
Treatment of documents
All documents sent to the inquiry become committee documents on receipt, and are only made public following a decision of the committee.
Once the committee accepts your submission, it becomes a confidential committee document and is protected by Parliamentary Privilege. You must notrelease your submission without the committee's permission. If you do, it will not be protected by Parliamentary Privilege.
During the inquiry, the committee will look to make submissions public, by publishing them on its webpage. Please indicate if you want your submission to be kept confidential.
The committee may not accept or publish material that is not relevant to the inquiry's terms of reference, or which reflects adversely on others.
Preparing a submission
Information relating to Senate Committee inquiries is available online, including notes to assist the preparation of submissions.
The committee secretariat can also help with any inquiries, and can be contacted on telephone +61 2 6277 3846 or by email to fpa.sen@aph.gov.au.