Lifecycle of Parliamentary Documents: Australia
- broadcasting of Senate and committee proceedings;[1] and
- the storage of Senate documents, in which the Senate "authorises the storage outside
Parliament House by the National Archives of Australia of documents laid before the Senate, provided that the storage of those documents is under the control of the Department of the Senate and microfilm or digital copies of them are available within Parliament House."[2]
C. Relevant Agencies
1. Parliamentary Departments
As indicated by the standing orders of the two houses, the clerks of each chamber have a significant role in the creation and management of documents and records. The Clerk of the House of Representatives heads the Department of the House of Representatives, while the Clerk of the Senate heads the Department of the Senate. In addition to these two departments, the Department of Parliamentary Services (DPS) and the Parliamentary Budget Office make up the parliamentary service (as distinct from the "public service") under the Parliamentary Service Act 1999 (Cth). The heads of the departments report to the presiding officers of the two chambers.
The Parliamentary Service Act 1999 (Cth) provides that the parliamentary service consists of department secretaries, the parliamentary librarian, and parliamentary service employees.[3] It "serves the Parliament by providing professional support, advice and facilities to each House of the Parliament, to parliamentary committees and to Senators and Members of the House of Representatives, independently of the Executive Government of the Commonwealth."[4] The act sets out several values, including that the parliamentary service is "professional, objective, innovative and efficient, and works collaboratively to achieve the best results for the Parliament," and that it "performs its functions with probity and is openly accountable for its actions to the Parliament and the Australian community."[5]
a. Department of Parliamentary Services
DPS is headed by the Secretary of DPS and encompasses the Parliamentary Library, headed by the Parliamentary Librarian, and an information services division, headed by the Chief Information Officer, as well as several teams reporting to the Chief Operating Officer. The information services division includes branches for the following areas: digital business services, digital customer services, digital recording services, and cyber security.[6]
- ↑ Senate Order, Broadcasting of Senate and Committee Proceedings (11 December 2013, J.336), https://perma.cc/8X6N-APNN.
- ↑ Senate Procedural Orders of Continuing Effect, Order 29, Storage of Senate Documents (6 October 2005, J.1200, amended 27 June 2012, J.2668), https://perma.cc/FHE8-XPWD.
- ↑ Parliamentary Service Act 1999 (Cth) s 9(1).
- ↑ Id. s 9(2).
- ↑ Id. s 10. See also Parliamentary Service Determination 2013 (Cth), https://perma.cc/NA45-A8NP.
- ↑ Department of Parliamentary Services Organisational Chart (effective as at Oct. 18, 2021), https://perma.cc/2GRS-M2FU.
