Secretariat support for committee inquiries
Committee Office staff supported complex and demanding committee inquiries in 2015–16
Handling email campaigns
Three committee inquiries supported by the department received substantial public interest: the inquiry into the Register of Environmental Organisations, and the inquiries into the China–Australia Free Trade Agreement and the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
The Standing Committee on the Environment’s inquiry into the Register of Environmental Organisations commenced in February 2015. Significant volumes of submissions and other written contributions were received from stakeholder groups and members of the public, and public hearings were held throughout the year. More than 12,000 written contributions were received, largely by email, many of which were based on one of 22 different form letter templates, with some being facilitated by campaign-style websites. In all, the committee accepted 685 unique submissions to the inquiry, and noted a broad range of general correspondence relating to the inquiry.
The Joint Standing Committee on Treaties’ inquiry into the Trans-Pacific Partnership received over 16,000 written contributions by email and hard-copy letters. Of these, 316 were received directly from individuals or organisations, while the remainder were generated through campaign-style websites. The committee accepted and published 3,348 contributions as formal submissions.
For both inquiries, the large volume of written contributions resulted in increased administrative workloads. The secretariats had facilitated appropriate levels of public engagement, and ensured the committees had access to the written evidence necessary to carry out their functions
Supporting domestic public hearings and site visits
Secretariats in the Committee Office supported public hearings and site visits across
the country.
· As part of its inquiry into agricultural innovation, the Agriculture and Industry Committee visited the Alpine Valleys Dairy
Pathways Project in the Kiewa Valley, the University of New England’s Kirby SMART Farm in Armidale, and the Australian
Centre for Field Robotics at the University of Sydney.
· As part of its inquiry into the Register of Environmental Organisations, the Environment Committee conducted several site
inspections, public hearings and roundtable discussions in Queensland, Tasmania, South Australia, Western Australia and
Victoria.
· As part of its inquiry into Smart ICT, the Infrastructure, Transport and Cities Committee visited BCE Surveying in
Bunbury to inspect the company’s mobile spatial imaging system.
In October 2015, the Public Works Committee conducted an inspection of proposed works at HMAS Stirling on Garden Island in Western Australia.
Managing organised protests
The Treaties Committee inquiry into the China–Australia Free Trade Agreement received considerable interest from key stakeholder groups. Six large demonstrations were held to coincide with the committee’s public hearings. Demonstrations were also staged to coincide with some public hearings of the inquiry into the Register of Environmental Organisations.
In both cases, the secretariats worked with stakeholder groups and the Australian Federal Police to ensure that the demonstrations did not prevent the orderly conduct of committee proceedings or endanger the public hearing participants.
Facilitating international visits
Committee Office staff supported several overseas committee visits over the reporting period.
In September 2015, the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit visited New Zealand and Fiji. The secretariat supported several meetings with the joint committee’s counterparts and other public account and audit bodies in these countries. It drafted recommendations that identified areas of New Zealand’s oversight of public administration to be assessed for use in Australia.
In October 2015, the secretariat of the House Standing Committee on the Environment supported a committee visit to Singapore and Malaysia. The secretariat prepared a series of meetings with relevant parliamentarians, public officials, academics and companies in these countries to help the committee to understand some of the key environmental challenges facing these nations.
In December 2015, the secretariat of the Trade Sub-Committee of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade facilitated a committee visit to the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar. The secretariat assisted with the committee’s busy program of meetings in these countries. It drafted a comprehensive report, tabled in May 2016, outlining the current state of, and future prospects for, Australia’s trade with the Middle East.
Members of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works with ADF personnel at HMAS Stirling, October 2015. The Department of Defence sought committee approval to upgrade and refurbish key infrastructure and facilities, some of which had been operating for nearly 40 years
Supporting significant legislative reforms
The secretariat of the Parliamentary Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters supported a significant bill inquiry proposing reform of the Senate voting system. The Commonwealth Electoral Amendment Bill 2016—the centrepiece of which was the abolition of group voting tickets—was touted as the biggest reform to Australia’s electoral system in 30 years.
The committee’s majority report recommended a significant amendment to the bill to allow for partial optional preferential voting below the line. This recommendation was accepted and the revised bill passed both Houses. The Australian Electoral Commission made the corresponding changes in time for the 2 July 2016 federal election.
The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security conducted two bill inquiries on national security matters over the reporting period. Its advisory reports on these bills made a significant contribution to parliamentary scrutiny. Indeed, of the six bills it scrutinised in the Forty-fourth Parliament, the committee made 48 recommendations
to amend provisions or introduce further safeguards and oversight mechanisms.
Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade delegation members meet Saudi Arabian politicians following the December 2015 municipal council elections, which were the first elections in which women in Saudi Arabia were allowed to vote and stand for election. Left to right: Maria Vamvakinou MP; Dr Lama Al Sulaiman, the successful candidate for Jeddah Municipal Council election; Her Excellency Dr Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, the appointed member of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Shura Council; two members of Dr Al Sulaiman’s campaign team; and the Hon Dr Sharman Stone MP.
Gathering evidence internationally
In his last speech in parliament, the Hon Philip Ruddock MP presented the report of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade on its inquiry into Australia’s advocacy for the abolition of the death penalty. The inquiry report,
A world without the death penalty, tabled on 5 May 2016, concluded that the need for Australia to solidify its efforts towards global abolition has never been more pressing. The inquiry followed the executions carried out in 2015 of Australians in Indonesia, despite impassioned appeals, including from Australian parliamentarians and sympathetic Indonesians. To ensure the committee’s access to the best evidence and information internationally, the secretariat assisted with the committee’s extensive engagement with overseas-based witnesses, typically using videoconferencing, and contributions from foreign governments and their diplomatic representatives.
The 20th anniversary of the Treaties Committee
On 18 March 2016, the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties held a seminar in the Main Committee Room of Parliament House to mark its 20th anniversary. The chair and deputy chair of the committee gave presentations, as did the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and various academic experts. The committee secretariat organised the event and presented a statistical overview of the committee’s work.
Left to right: Deputy Chair and Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties, the Hon Kelvin Thompson MP and
the Hon Luke Hartsuyker (respectively), and committee member the Hon Melissa Parke MP at the seminar in March 2016 celebrating 20 years of the committee.