Scrutiny of Acts and Regulations Committee

Improving Victoria's Parliamentary Committee System

Appendix C: Summary of submissions

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The Hon. John Murray, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of the Parliament of New South Wales

    5 June 2000

  • NSW committees do not operate under a Parliamentary Committees Act, but rather operate under statute or pursuant to resolution. Extracts from pertinent statutes and terms of reference were attached.

The Hon. Sherryl Garbutt, Minister for Women's Affairs, Parliament of Victoria

    6 June 2000

  • Use of terms such as "Chairman" are redundant in the wider community and no longer representative of the Victorian Parliament. The Scrutiny of Acts and Regulations Committee is asked to consider this issue in its review of the Parliamentary Committees Act 1968.

Mr Barry Aitken, Executive Officer, Road Safety Committee of the Parliament of Victoria

    9 June 2000

  • The submission contains suggested amendments to the Parliamentary Committees Act 1968 including clarifying provisions on the release of evidence and the tabling of committee reports, omitting references to the House Committee, private Bills and the chairmen's panel, and various administrative matters.

Public Accounts and Estimates Committee of the Parliament of Victoria

    14 June 2000

  • The submission contains suggested amendments to the Parliamentary Committees Act 1968 including the functions of the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee and the deemed laying of committee reports before Parliament when Parliament is not sitting.

Mr Harry Evans, Clerk of the Senate

    15 June 2000

  • Statutory prescription makes a committee system inflexible. The Parliamentary Committees Act 1968 contains several unnecessary provisions such as sections 4I(2) and (4), 4J(6), 49(1) and 53. Some provisions are unclear, such as section 4S. The provisions relating to private Bills do not belong with those relating to a parliamentary committee system.

Mr Andrew Homer, Executive Officer, Scrutiny of Acts and Regulations Committee of the Parliament of Victoria

    29 June 2000

  • The submission covers a multitude of areas including: committee nomenclature, number and constitution of committees, functions of the Scrutiny of Acts and Regulations Committee, tabling of committee reports, taking and release of evidence.

The Hon. Alex Andrianopoulos, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of the Parliament of Victoria and the Hon. Bruce Chamberlain, President of the Legislative Council of the Parliament of Victoria

    24 July 2000

  • The joint submission covers the following areas: the establishment of committees, tabling committee reports outside sitting periods, power to call for evidence and the publication of evidence, use of technology, definitions in the Parliamentary Committees Act 1968, repealing provisions relating to private Bills and general administrative matters.

Environment and Natural Resources Committee of the Parliament of Victoria

    20 September 2000

  • The submission covers the following areas: the relationship between the Standing Orders and the Parliamentary Committees Act 1968, committees initiating their own inquiries, taking and publication of evidence, various administrative matters and the need to have a Parliamentary Committees Act in plain English.

Mr Barry Aitken, Executive Officer, Road Safety Committee of the Parliament of Victoria

    25 October 2000

  • The Road Safety Committee believes that its role should be expanded to reflect transport safety rather than purely road safety.

The Hon. George Strickland, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of the Parliament of Western Australia

    24 January 2001

  • The submission covers the following areas: the establishment of committees, appointment to committees, areas covered by committees, committees instigating their own inquiries and increasing public participation in the committee system.

Mr Harry Evans, Clerk of the Senate

    24 January 2001

  • The submission covers the following areas: the establishment of committees, appointment to committees, areas covered by committees, committees instigating their own inquiries and increasing public participation in the committee system. It also enclosed a copy an article "Marketing Parliamentary Committees" by John Uhr.

The Hon. Dr Ken Coghill, Co-Director, Parliamentary Studies Unit, School of Political and Social Inquiry, Faculty of Arts, Monash University

    8 February 2001

  • The submission covers the following areas: the establishment of committees, appointment to committees, areas covered by committees, committees instigating their own inquiries, increasing public participation in the committee system and implementing a department or portfolio-related committee system.

Mr I.C. Harris, Clerk of the House of Representatives

    13 February 2001

  • The submission describes the committee system of the House of Representatives in light of establishment of committees, appointment to committees, coverage by committees, initiation of inquiries and public participation. Extracts from the Standing Committee on Procedure's 1998 report "Ten years on: A review of the House of Representatives Committee System" were attached.

The Hon. John Murray, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of the Parliament of New South Wales

    1 March 2001

  • The submission covers the following areas: the establishment of committees, membership of committees, areas covered by committees, committees instigating their own inquiries, increasing public participation in the committee system and use of technology by committees.

The Hon. Greg Cornwell, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of the Australian Capital Territory

    26 March 2001

  • The submission covers the following areas: areas covered by committees and whether committees should be able to instigate their own inquiries.

Environment and Natural Resources Committee of the Parliament of Victoria

    20 June 2001

  • The Committee is of the view that its current functions under the Parliamentary Committees Act 1968 are relevant and appropriate.

Family and Community Development Committee of the Parliament of Victoria

    25 June 2001

  • The Committee's functions under the Parliamentary Committees Act 1968 are broad and lend the Committee flexibility. This is of great utility. The Committee believes that it should continue with the same functions.

The Hon. Dianne Hadden, MLC, member of the Law Reform Committee of the Parliament of Victoria

    2 July 2001

  • The Law Reform Committee has distinct functions from the Scrutiny of Acts and Regulations Committee. The Committee should continue to operate as its work is well received.

Mr Murray Thompson, MLA, Chairman of the Law Reform Committee of the Parliament of Victoria

15 October 2001

  • The Law Reform committee gives members of Parliament a suitable means for engaging in the law reform process. Its functions need not be altered.

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