Governance

The Parliamentary Service Act 1999 establishes the office of the Parliamentary Librarian whose primary function is ‘to provide high quality information, analysis and advice to senators and members of the House of Representatives in support of their parliamentary and representational roles’.¹³ These services are to be delivered:

• in a timely, impartial and confidential manner
• maintaining the highest standards of scholarship and integrity
• on the basis of equality of access for all senators, members of the House of Representatives, parliamentary committees and staff acting on behalf of senators, members or parliamentary committees, and
• having regard to the independence of Parliament from the Executive Government of the Commonwealth.¹⁴

The Librarian reports directly to the Presiding Officers and to the Parliament in respect of her statutory functions, and also to the Joint Standing Committee on the Parliamentary Library (JSCPL) which advises the Presiding Officers on matters relating to the Library.

The Library is also subject to scrutiny by the Senate Finance and Public Administration Committee as part of regular Senate Estimates hearings.

The Library’s primary clients are senators, members and parliamentary committees. Other client groups include parliamentarians’ staff, staff of the parliamentary departments, and the Governor-General. Service entitlements for all clients are outlined in the Parliamentary Library Statement of Client Services as approved by the JSCPL.

The Parliamentary Library is part of DPS’ Program 1. In the DPS Corporate Plan 2018–19, the Library’s services fall under the strategic theme: ‘respond to the changing needs of the Parliament’.

The Joint Standing Committee on the Parliamentary Library. Standing (left to right): Senator Moore, Senator Brockman, Mr Zimmerman, Mr Broadbent, Dr Heriot (Committee Secretary); seated (left to right): Ms Stanley, Mr Ramsey (Joint Chair), Senator Lines (Joint Chair), Mr van Manen; inset (left to right): Mr Bryne, Senator Duniam, Dr Freelander, Senator Gichuhi. (Auspic)

Joint Standing Committee on the Parliamentary Library

The JSCPL is appointed each Parliament to:

• consider and report to the Presiding Officers on any matters relating to the Parliamentary Library referred to it by the President or the Speaker
• provide advice to the President and the Speaker on matters relating to the Parliamentary Library
• provide advice to the President and the Speaker on an annual Resource Agreement between the Parliamentary Librarian and the Secretary of DPS, and
• receive advice and reports, including an annual report, directly from the Parliamentary Librarian on matters relating to the Parliamentary Library.

The JSCPL for the 45th Parliament was established by motion of the House of Representatives and of the Senate on 1 September 2016 and 12 September 2016 respectively. The following senators and members served on the JSCPL In 2018–19:

• Mr Rowan Ramsey MP (Joint Chair)
• Senator Sue Lines (Joint Chair)
• Mr Russell Broadbent MP
• Senator Slade Brockman
• The Hon Anthony Byrne MP
• Senator Jonathon Duniam
• Dr Mike Freelander MP
• Senator Lucy Gichuhi
• Senator Claire Moore
• Ms Anne Stanley MP
• Mr Bert van Manen MP
• Mr Trent Zimmerman MP.

The JSCPL met privately on 10 September 2018, 26 November 2018 and 14 February 2019, and considered, inter alia:

• the client evaluation of Library services for the 45th Parliament
• digitisation of the Parliamentary Paper Series (1901–2012)
• news services and analytics
• future directions for the Parliamentary Handbook
• the ‘ParlMap’ service
• the Parliamentary Librarian’s annual report, and
• the Library’s Strategic Human Resource Plan.

Structure

The Parliamentary Library comprises the Parliamentary Librarian and the employees of DPS assisting her.¹⁵ The Library’s Executive is:

• Dr Dianne Heriot, Parliamentary Librarian
• Mr Jonathan Curtis, Assistant Secretary, Research Branch, and
• Ms Liz Luchetti, Assistant Secretary, Library Collections and Databases Branch.

The Library’s structure comprises:

• Office of the Parliamentary Librarian—a small unit consisting of the Parliamentary Librarian, the Library’s executive support officers and Publishing Unit, and the Director, Client Relations, who co-ordinates outreach, orientation and training services for parliamentarians, their staff and other parliamentary staff.
• Research Branch—which provides information, research and analytical services including commissioned research, publications and statistical and mapping services.
• Library Collections and Databases Branch—which develops and manages access to the Library’s print and electronic resources. The Branch also manages the main Library reference desk and the Senators and Members Reading Room.

Figure 14: Parliamentary Library Organisation Chart (as at 30 June 2019)