The financial year ending 30 June 2016 was particularly eventful for the Department of the House of Representatives. I am pleased to report that the department performed strongly throughout the year against budget and other performance measures. The staff of the department worked admirably during periods of change and uncertainty in the final year of the Forty-fourth Parliament, and I am confident the House was well supported by the department in discharging its legislative and representative functions.
The year was marked by three significant changes in senior leadership: in the Australian Parliament, the Australian Government and the Australian Parliamentary Service. First, the Hon Tony Smith MP was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives on 10 August 2015 following the resignation of the Hon Bronwyn Bishop MP. A change in the speakership in the course of a parliament is an event of particular significance for the department, and immediate priority was given to supporting the new Speaker and helping familiarise him with his role and functions.
Second, on 15 September 2015, the Hon Malcolm Turnbull MP took office as Prime Minister of Australia. A change such as this will affect the department in many ways—from subtle differences in what might be described as the ‘atmospherics’ of Parliament House, to more concrete effects, such as the need to move members between office suites in Parliament House following new appointments to the ministry. Where a reshuffle is extensive or involves senior members of the government, as occurred twice in the final months of the Forty-fourth Parliament, logistics can be challenging and labour intensive for the staff of the Serjeant-at-Arms’ Office. The changes to the ministry resulted in many changes to the chair and membership of parliamentary committees, which had a major impact on the department’s work in supporting committees
Third, in December 2015, Rob Stefanic was appointed secretary of the Department of Parliamentary Services. Mr Stefanic comes to the role with extensive experience in parliamentary and public sector administration. I welcome his appointment and the constructive, professional way he and his staff have engaged with me and the department. A collaborative, strategy-focused approach was also in evidence during the regular meetings of the heads of the four parliamentary departments, which I have been pleased to chair this calendar year.