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Ch18 Parliamentary committees / CONDUCT OF INQUIRIES / Reports / Authority for release when House not sitting



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House of Representatives                                Ch 18                                                 p 689

 

Parliamentary committees / CONDUCT OF INQUIRIES / Reports

 

Authority for release when House not sitting

Special arrangements are required for times when the House is not sitting and a committee has completed a report of an inquiry. The committee may send the report to the Speaker, or to the Deputy Speaker if the Speaker is unavailable. When the Speaker or the Deputy Speaker receives the report, the report may be published; and he or she may give directions for the printing and circulation of the report. The committee must then present the report to the House as soon as possible. 1 This procedure would normally be used only during a lengthy break when the House is not due to sit for some time, or in cases where the committee has a reporting deadline which falls on a non-sitting day. 2 It has also been used for reports sent to the Speaker before dissolution, but not able to be presented until the new Parliament had met. 3

These provisions also apply to joint committees. 4



S.O. 247(c). In the absence of both the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker, the Second Deputy Speaker has given the necessary direction.



Such releases by House committees have not been common. The first two examples were: a report of the Standing Committee on Communications, Transport and the Arts released in Melbourne on 11 May 2001 following the centenary sittings, H.R. Deb. (4.6.01) 27116; and a report of the Standing Committee on Family and Community Affairs released on 29 December 2003 (the committee had a reporting deadline of 31 December), VP 2002-2004/1406.



VP 2004-05/21.



S.O. 226(b). Senate S.O. 38(7) has equivalent provisions. Several joint committee reports have been released out of session—e.g. VP 1998-2001/1455 (Treaties Committee); H.R. Deb. (14.5.2002) 2027 (ASIO, ASIS and DSD Committee).