© Commonwealth of Australia 2018

ISSN 0157-3233 (Print) ISSN 2201-1730 (Online)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Australia Licence.

The details of this licence are available on the Creative Commons website: creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/au.

Use of the Coat of Arms

The terms under which the Coat of Arms can be used are detailed on the website of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet at www.dpmc.gov.au/pmc/publication/commonwealth-coat-arms-information-and-guidelines.

Produced by the Department of the House of Representatives

Editing and indexing by The Happy Apostrophe

Design by Lisa McDonald

Printing by Parliamentary and Business Information Services Office

Unless otherwise acknowledged, all photographs in this report were taken by staff of the Department of the House of Representatives.

Front and back cover images: House of Representatives courtyard. Image: Penny Bradfield, Auspic/DPS.

The department welcomes your comments on this report. To make a comment, or to request more information, please contact: Serjeant-at-Arms Department of the House of Representatives Canberra ACT 2600 Telephone: +61 2 6277 4444 Facsimile: +61 2 6277 2006 Email: james.catchpole.reps@aph.gov.au

Website: www.aph.gov.au/house/dept

Web address for report: www.aph.gov.au/house/ar17-18

Letter of transmittal

About this report

The Department of the House of Representatives provides services that allow the House to fulfil its role as a representative and legislative body of the Australian Parliament.

This annual report details our activities during the 2017–18 financial year.

Overviews

The overviews section includes a report by the Clerk of the House of Representatives, David Elder, who is the department’s chief executive and accountable authority. The departmental overview describes the department’s purpose, role and functions, organisational structure, outcome and program structure, and financial performance. It also contains the entity resource statement.

Performance

The performance section includes the annual performance statement, which assesses the department’s performance using measures and targets as set out in its corporate plan for 2017–18. The section also includes reports on the main activities supported during the year for each program area.

Management and accountability

The management and accountability section describes the department’s approach to corporate governance, the management of its people and assets, its obligations under various laws, and the management of financial resources.

Financial statements

The financial statements section includes an independent auditor’s report, a statement by the Clerk and Chief Finance Officer, and financial statements showing how the department spent the money allocated to it by the parliament.

Appendixes

The appendixes give detailed information about the department’s work in supporting the House, the parliament, committees and visitors. The appendixes also include a contact directory, and a list of mandatory requirements for annual reports and where they can be found.

List of abbreviations and acronyms, and index

Finally, to aid in navigating and interpreting the report, there is a list of abbreviations and acronyms, and an index.

Figures

1. Departmental structure at 30 June 2018
2. Outcome and program structure, 2017–18
3. Financial performance, 2013–14 to 2017–18
4. Government and private members’ business and business of the House (Chamber and Federation Chamber), 2014–18
5. Number of committee meetings supported by the Committee Office, 2013–14 to 2017–18
6. Number of reports tabled by committees, 2013–14 to 2017–18
7. Staff survey satisfaction elements, 2014–18

List of tables

1. Performance summary, Chamber and Federation Chamber, 2015–16 to 2017–18
2. Questions in writing to ministers and answers to questions in writing, 2013–14 to 2017–18
3. Number of bills introduced in the House, and number of bills assented to, 2013–14 to 2017–18
4. Private members’ bills introduced and amendments moved (Chamber and Federation Chamber), 2013–14 to 2017–18
5. Petitions and signatories to petitions, 2013–14 to 2017–18
6. Committees supported by the Chamber and Federation Chamber activity, 2017–18
7. Committees of the Forty-fifth Parliament supported by the Committee Office
8. Students visiting Parliament House, by location and year, 2012–13 to 2017–18
9. Classification and gender at 30 June 2017
10. Classification and gender at 30 June 2018
11. Employment type by full-time and part-time status, 2016–17 and 2017–18
12. Employment type by location
13. Indigenous employee staffing
14. Staff attendance at training courses
15. Salary scales of staff covered by the 2017–20 enterprise agreement

 

Our department—a snapshot