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CHAPTER 5

STANDING AND SELECT COMMITTEES

Standing committees

19 Appropriations and Staffing

(1) A Standing Committee on Appropriations and Staffing shall be appointed at the commencement of each Parliament.

(2) The committee shall inquire into:

(a) proposals for the annual estimates and the additional estimates for the Senate; 

(b) proposals to vary the staff structure of the Senate, and staffing and recruitment policies; and

(c) such other matters as are referred to it by the Senate.

(3) The committee shall:

(a) in relation to the estimates -

(i) determine the amounts for inclusion in the parliamentary appropriation bills for the annual and the additional appropriations, and

(ii) report to the Senate upon its determinations prior to the consideration by the Senate of the relevant parliamentary appropriation bill;

(b) in relation to staffing -

(i) make recommendations to the President, and

(ii) report to the Senate on any matter;

(c) make an annual report to the Senate on the operations of the Senate’s appropriations and staffing, and related matters; and

(d) consider the administration and funding of security measures affecting the Senate and advise the President and the Senate as appropriate.

(4) The committee shall consist of the President and 8 other senators: the Leader of the Government in the Senate or a Senate minister nominated to represent the Leader of the Government in the Senate from time to time, and 3 other members of the government party nominated by the Leader of the Government in the Senate, and the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate or a senator nominated to represent the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate from time to time, and 3 other senators not being members of the government party, nominated by the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate or by any minority groups or independent senators; and in the absence of agreement between the opposition and any minority groups or independent senators as to nominations, any question as to representation shall be determined by the Senate.

(5) The committee shall have power to appoint sub-committees consisting of 3 or more of its members, and to refer to any such sub-committee any of the matters which the committee is empowered to consider.

(6) The chairman of the committee shall be the President, who may from time to time appoint another member of the committee to be deputy chairman, who shall act as chairman at any time when there is no chairman or the chairman is not present at a meeting of the committee.

(7) Where the votes on any question before the committee are equally divided, the chairman, or the deputy chairman when acting as chairman, shall have a casting vote.

(8) A senator not a member of the committee may attend and participate in its deliberations, and question witnesses, unless the committee orders otherwise, but shall not vote.

(9) The committee and any sub-committee shall have power to send for persons and documents, to move from place to place, and to meet and transact business in public or private session and notwithstanding any prorogation of the Parliament or dissolution of the House of Representatives.

(10) A daily Hansard shall be published of public proceedings of the committee.

(11) The committee shall be provided with all necessary staff, facilities and resources.

(amended 24 August 1994, 16 June 2004)