Mid winter break
The Voice, Budget Estimates & Inquiries
The Voice
Last sittings, an absolute majority in both Houses of Parliament passed the Constitution Alteration (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice) 2023 Bill. Several other steps exist until the referendum, with the vote to be held in the last quarter of this year, according to the Prime Minister.1
Ref: https://peo.gov.au/understand-our-parliament/having-your-say/elections-and-voting/referendums-and-plebiscites/
Budget Estimates
Estimates of government expenditure are referred to Senate committees as part of the annual budget cycle. This opportunity to examine government operations plays a vital role in the parliamentary scrutiny of the executive.
The Senate Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee’s Budget Estimates 2023-24 [June 2023] report was tabled last Tuesday. From page seven, the report summarises the topics discussed in the public hearings, including page references to the following public hearing transcripts:
Monday 22 May 2023 – Parliamentary Departments, PM&C portfolio;
Thursday 25 May 2023 – PM&C portfolio and Finance portfolio; and
To navigate these transcripts, for example, if you are interested in what was said about consulting services, including any of PM&C services contracted with PwC, these are referred to on pp. 41–45, 66–67, and 85–86 of Monday’s transcript.
(The PwC issue was also the subject of another recent report by the Finance and Public Administration References Committee).
Inquiries accepting submissions
A parliamentary inquiry is a formal investigation conducted by a committee of parliament. The terms of reference for an inquiry will typically specify the issue to be investigated, the scope of the inquiry, and the deadline for the inquiry to be completed. Once the inquiry is complete, the committee will produce a report summarising its findings and recommendations. The report is then presented to parliament, which may act on the recommendations.
The following inquiries are currently accepting public submissions:
Social Services and Other Legislation Amendment (Strengthening the Safety Net) Bill 2023
Treasury Laws Amendment (2023 Law Improvement Package No. 1) Bill 2023 [Provisions]
Greenhouse and Energy Minimum Standards Amendment (Administrative Changes) Bill 2023
Health Insurance Amendment (Professional Services Review Scheme) Bill 2023
Biosecurity Amendment (Advanced Compliance Measures) Bill 2023 [Provisions]Crimes Legislation Amendment (Combatting Foreign Bribery) Bill 2023 [Provisions]
Inquiry into the use of generative artificial intelligence in the Australian education system
Australian Capital Territory (Self-Government) Amendment Bill 2023
Migration Amendment (Strengthening Employer Compliance) Bill 2023 [Provisions]
National Capital Authority — Commonwealth Avenue Bridge, Canberra, ACT, Renewal project
Customs Legislation Amendment (Commercial Greyhound Export and Import Prohibition) Bill 2021
Inquiry into probity and ethics in the Australian Public Sector
Parliament returns at the end of July.
Until next time, thank you for reading Parliament Oz.
To get involved
The latest Administrative Arrangement Orders formally allocate executive responsibility among ministers. They set out which matters and legislation are administered by which department or portfolio.
Current Parliamentary Inquiries
Each house of the Parliament has its own rules for petitions.
Watch live here on Parliament sitting days or when Committees have public hearings or catch up later at ParlView. You can also go to Parliament yourself and sit in the public galleries.
House Bills List lists all the Bills and where each is up to in the parliamentary process.