Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—I move:

That:

(1) a Joint Standing Committee on Implementation of the National Redress Scheme be established to inquire into and report on:

(a) the Australian Government policy, program and legal response to the redress related recommendations of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, including the establishment and operation of the Commonwealth Redress Scheme and ongoing support of survivors; and

(b) any matter in relation to the Royal Commission's redress related recommendations referred to the committee by a Minister or by resolution of either House of the Parliament;

(2) the committee consist of eight members—three senators, and five members of the House of Representatives, as follows:

(a) three members of the House of Representatives to be nominated by the Government Whip or Whips;

(b) two members of the House of Representatives to be nominated by the Opposition Whip or Whips or by any minority group or independent Member;

(c) one senator to be nominated by the Leader of the Government in the Senate;

(d) one senator to be nominated by the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate; and

(e) one senator to be nominated by any minority party or independent senator;

(3) participating members may be appointed to the committee on the nomination of the Government Whip in the House of Representatives, the Opposition Whip in the House of Representatives, the Leader of the Government in the Senate, the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate or any minority party or independent senator or member of the House of Representatives;

(4) participating members may participate in hearings of evidence and deliberations of the committee, and have all the rights of members of the committee, but may not vote on any questions before the committee;

(5) every nomination of a member of the committee be notified in writing to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives;

(6) the members of the committee hold office as a joint standing committee until the House of Representatives is dissolved or expires by effluxion of time;

(7) the committee may proceed to the dispatch of business notwithstanding that all members have not been duly nominated and appointed and notwithstanding any vacancy;

(8) the committee elect as chair a Government member or senator;

(9) the committee elect as deputy chair a non-Government member or senator;

(10) in the event of an equally divided vote, the chair, or the deputy chair when acting as chair, have a casting vote;

(11) three members of the committee constitute a quorum of the committee provided that in a deliberative meeting the quorum shall include one Government member of either House and one non-Government member of either House;

(12) the deputy chair shall act as chair of the committee at any time when the chair is not present at a meeting of the committee, and at any time when the chair and deputy chair are not present at a meeting of the committee the members present shall elect another member to act as chair at that meeting;

(13) the committee:

(a) have power to appoint subcommittees consisting of 3 or more of its members, and to refer to any such subcommittee any of the matters which the committee is empowered to examine; and

(b) appoint the chair of each subcommittee who shall have a casting vote only;

(14) two members of a subcommittee constitute the quorum of that subcommittee, provided that in a deliberative meeting the quorum shall include one Government member of either House and one non-Government member of either House;

(15) the committee, and any subcommittee, have power to send for and examine persons and documents, to move from place to place, to sit in public or in private, and have leave to report from time to time its proceedings and the evidence taken and such interim recommendations as it may deem fit;

(16) the committee have power to adjourn from time to time and to sit during any adjournment of the Senate and the House of Representatives;

(17) the provisions of this resolution, so far as they are inconsistent with the standing orders, have effect notwithstanding anything contained in the standing orders;

(18) the committee have access to all evidence and documents of the former Joint Select Committees on oversight of the implementation of redress related recommendations of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Abuse and Implementation of the National Redress Scheme; and

(19) a message be sent to the Senate acquainting it of this resolution and requesting that it concur and take action accordingly.

Question agreed to.