Australian House of Representatives committees

The committees of the Australian House of Representatives are committees of Member of Parliament, established by the Australian House of Representatives, for purposes determined by that body.

Purposes of committees

The functions of committees depend on the type of committee and on the work it is undertaking.

The Main Committee

The Main Committee is an additional debating chamber for uncontroversial committee reports and papers presented to the House.

Joint committees

Joint committees are established by both chambers of the Australian parliament and include members of both chambers. e.g. "Public Accounts and Audit Committee".

tanding committees

The House has a two types of standing committees [http://www.aph.gov.au/house/info/general/index.htm] :

* investigative — inquiries on matters of public policy or government administration. They usually match the portfolios of the Government. e.g. "Education and Vocational Training"

* domestic or internal — operation of the House. e.g. "Procedure, Privileges, Members' Interests"

Under the Standing Orders of the House of Representatives, standing committees are appointed for the life of the Parliament. The 40th Parliament was prorogued and the House of Representatives dissolved at 4:59pm on 31 August 2004 for the Australian general election held on 9 October that year.

House Committees of the 41st Parliament

The 41st Parliament first met on 16 November 2004. [cite web | url = http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Latestproducts/721CE262272EA686CA2570DE0003C3FD?opendocument | title = 1301.0 - Year Book Australia, 2006 | work = Australian Bureau of Statistics | accessdate = 2007-02-06 ]

tanding Committees

There are 18 house standing committees [http://www.aph.gov.au/house/pubs/standos/chapter16.htm] :
* Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs
* Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
* Communications, Information Technology and the Arts
* Economics, Finance and Public Administration
* Education and Vocational Training
* Employment, Workplace Relations and Workforce Participation
* Environment and Heritage
* Family and Human Services
* Health and Ageing
* Industry and Resources
* Legal and Constitutional Affairs
* Members' Interests
* Privileges
* Procedure
* Publications
* Selection
* Science and Innovation [cite news | url = http://www.aar.com.au/pubs/bt/26mar/bio06.htm#Scien | title = Science and Innovation committee introduced | date = 2002-03-13 | work = Biotech News, Allens Arthur Robinson | accessdate = 2007-02-07 ] [cite web | url = http://www.dpmc.gov.au/annual_reports/2002-03/performance/output1_1.htm | title = Output 1.1 - Economic and Industry Policy, Annual Report 2002-2003 | work = Commonwealth of Australia | year = 2003 | accessdate = 2007-02-07 ]
* Transport and Regional Services

elect Committees

There are currently no House Select Committees.

Joint Committees administered by the House

There are 9 joint committees administered by the House:
* Broadcasting of Parliamentary Proceedings
* Electoral Matters
* Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade
* Intelligence and Security
* Migration
* National Capital and External Territories
* Public Accounts and Audit
* Public Works
* Treaties

References

ee also

* Ministerial Committee

External links

* [http://www.aph.gov.au/house/index.htm Official website of the Australian House of Representatives]