Australian House of Representatives committees

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Parliamentary committees of the Australian House of Representatives are groups of Members of Parliament, appointed by the House of Representatives, to undertake certain specified tasks. They comprise government and non-government Members and have considerable powers to undertake work on behalf of the Parliament. [1]

Contents

Federation Chamber

The Federation Chamber, formerly the Main Committee, provides an additional forum for the second reading and consideration in detail stages of bills and debate of committee reports and papers presented to the House. All Members of the House are automatically members of the Federation Chamber and eligible to participate in its meetings. [2]

Standing committees

Under the Standing Orders of the House, standing committees are appointed for the life of the Parliament and they are usually re-established in some form in successive Parliaments (that is, after each election).

The House has two types of standing committees:

Select committees

Select committees are appointed as the need arises for a specific purpose, and have a limited life.

One notable example was the 1963 House of Representatives Select Committee on Grievances of the Yirrkala Aborigines, Arnhem Land Reserve, which was created to address the concerns of the Yolngu people living on Yirrkala mission, after mining leases had been granted to several areas of the Gove Peninsula in Arnhem Land without consulting the people who had lived there for thousands of years. The committee was established as a result of the Yirrkala bark petitions being presented to Parliament in August 1963. [3] [4] [5] This committee comprised Roger Dean (Chairman); Charles Barnes; Kim Beazley Sr.; Gordon Bryant; Don Chipp; Bert Kelly; and Jock Nelson. [6]

Joint committees

Joint committees are established by both Houses of the Australian parliament and include both Members and Senators. An example of this is the Joint Standing Committee on Northern Australia, appointed by resolution by the House of Representatives on 4 July 2019 and the Senate on 22 July 2019. [7] The Inquiry into the destruction of 46,000-year-old caves at the Juukan Gorge in the Pilbara region of Western Australia was referred to this Committee in June 2020. [8]

Pay and benefits

Members receive no additional pay for their service as ordinary members on committees. Committee Chairs and Deputy Chairs receive additional pay depending on the committee on which they serve, which is specified as a percentage of the base pay of an MP and Senator ($225,750 as of October 2023[ needs update ]). Additional pay for committee chairs is 11–16% of the base pay ($24,832.50–$36,120). Deputy Chairs receive 5.5–8% ($12,416.25–$18,060). [9]

List of House and Joint committees

House of Representatives committee room, Parliament House, Canberra AustralianHoRCommitteeRm.JPG
House of Representatives committee room, Parliament House, Canberra
A short video on Australian Parliamentary Committees
CommitteeChairDeputy Chair
House General Purpose Standing Committees [10] [11]
Agriculture Meryl Swanson Rick Wilson
Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water Tony Zappia David Gillespie
Communications and the Arts Brian Mitchell Bridget Archer
Economics Daniel Mulino Garth Hamilton
Employment, Education and Training Lisa Chesters Terry Young
Health, Aged Care and Sport Mike Freelander Melissa McIntosh
Industry, Science and Resources Rob Mitchell Michelle Landry
Regional Development, Infrastructure and Transport Luke Gosling Tony Pasin
Social Policy and Legal Affairs Susan Templeman Pat Conaghan
House Domestic Committees [10]
Appropriations and Administration Milton Dick Mark Coulton
Petitions Susan Templeman Ross Vasta
Privileges and Members' Interests Rob Mitchell James Stevens
Procedure Shayne Neumann Ross Vasta
Publications Fiona Phillips Ross Vasta
Selection Milton Dick Sharon Claydon
House Select committees
None currently appointed
Joint Statutory Committees
Broadcasting of Parliamentary Proceedings Milton Dick MPSenator Sue Lines
Corporations and Financial ServicesSenator Deborah O'Neill Alex Hawke MP
Intelligence and Security Peter Khalil MP Andrew Wallace MP
Law EnforcementSenator Helen Polley Llew O'Brien MP
Human Rights Josh Burns MP Henry Pike MP
Public Accounts and Audit Linda Burney MPSenator Linda Reynolds
Public Works Graham Perrett MP Keith Pitt MP
Joint Standing Committees
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander AffairsSenator Jana Stewart Melissa Price MP
Electoral Matters Kate Thwaites MPSenator James McGrath
Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Shayne Neumann MPSenator David Fawcett
Implementation of the National Redress SchemeSenator Catryna Bilyk Senator Dean Smith
Migration Maria Vamvakinou MP Anne Webster MP
National Anti-Corruption CommissionSenator Karen Grogan Helen Haines MP
National Capital and External Territories Alicia Payne MP Nola Marino MP
National Disability Insurance Scheme Libby Coker MPSenator Hollie Hughes
Northern Australia Marion Scrymgour MP Warren Entsch MP
Parliamentary Library Anne Stanley MP (Joint Chair)
Senator Slade Brockman (Joint Chair)
Publications Fiona Phillips MPSenator Fatima Payman
Trade and Investment Growth Steve Georganas MP Scott Buchholz MP
Treaties Josh Wilson MP Phillip Thompson MP

List of former committees

CommitteeChairDeputy Chair
House Select committees
Nuclear Energy Dan Repacholi Ted O'Brien

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Infosheet – Committees – Parliament of Australia".
  2. ↑ "Infosheet – The Federation Chamber – Parliament of Australia".
  3. ↑ "Näku Dhäruk – Yirrkala bark petitions". National Museum of Australia; c=AU; o=Commonwealth of Australia; ou=National Museum of Australia. 31 January 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2026.
  4. ↑ Wright, Clare (1 October 2024). Näku Dhäruk: The Bark Petitions: How the People of Yirrkala Changed the course of Australian democracy. Text Publishing Company. ISBN   978-1-922330-86-4.
  5. ↑ Wright, Clare (2023). "1963 - The Yirrkala Bark Petitions". Australian Dictionary of Biography . The Quest for Indigenous Recognition. Archived from the original on 13 April 2025. Retrieved 13 January 2026.
  6. ↑ Australia. Parliament. House of Representatives. Select Committee on Grievances of Yirrkala Aborigines, Arnhem Land Reserve.; Dean, R. L. (1963), Report from the Select Committee on Grievances of Yirrkala Aborigines, Arnhem Land Reserve. Pt. 1, Report & minutes of preceedings., Parliamentary paper (Australia. Parliament) , PP no. 311 of 1963, Canberra: Commonwealth Govt. Printer, nla.obj-2796527017, retrieved 13 January 2026– via Trove
  7. ↑ "Joint Standing Committee on Northern Australia". Parliament of Australia. 18 June 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  8. ↑ "Inquiry into the destruction of 46,000 year old caves at the Juukan Gorge in the Pilbara region of Western Australia". Parliament of Australia. 18 June 2020. Archived from the original on 25 August 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  9. ↑ "Remuneration Tribunal (Members of Parliament) Determination (No.2) 2023" (PDF). www.remtribunal.gov.au.
  10. 1 2 "Chapter 16. Standing, select and joint committees" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 December 2025. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  11. ↑ Tony Burke,  Leader of the House (22 July 2025). "Notices". House of Representatives Official Hansard. Parliament of Australia: House of Representatives. pp. 43–59. Archived from the original on 8 December 2025. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
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