What is a parliamentary committee? A parliamentary committee is a group of Members of Parliament appointed to meet and carry out a particular function and report back to the Parliament. Committees have between seven and ten members, drawn from Government, Opposition and Independent Members of Parliament. There are two types of parliamentary committees. Firstly, the Parliament may form investigatory committees that examine particular issues of interest to the Parliament. These may be either 'standing' committees, in that they exist for the life of the Parliament, or 'select' committees, in that they exist only until they have completed a particular investigation. The standing committees are known in the Parliament of Victoria as joint investigatory committees and comprise members from both Houses of the Parliament. They are supported by research and administrative staff, investigating various topics. All parliamentary committees have the power to call for persons, papers and records. Committees may hear evidence from witnesses, take submissions from the general public and interested groups, and examine laws from other states or countries. Committee proceedings and witnesses appearing before parliamentary committees are covered by parliamentary privilege. This means that the proceedings of a joint investigatory committee shall not give rise to any cause of action in law or be the subject of any court proceedings. Witnesses should be aware, however, that it is only their speaking before the committee that is covered. If they were to repeat their comments on a later occasion in public, that later incident is not covered by parliamentary privilege. The Committee will produce a report of its findings and may recommend changes to laws or the introduction of new laws. Secondly, Members may also serve on various administrative standing committees. These are concerned with the administration of the Parliament. The Library Committee, for example, is responsible for the activities of the Parliamentary Library. All of these committees are 'joint committees' in that they comprise Members from both chambers. Each Chamber may form its own, distinct committee to report on topics of concern to that Chamber. The committee system is an important feature of the Parliament of Victoria.