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]
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:
general purpose committees – established to inquire into and report upon any matters referred to them, including legislation. These committees specialise by subject area, between them covering most areas of policy and government administration.
domestic or internalcommittees – concerned with the powers and procedures of the House or the administration of Parliament.
Select committees
Select committees are appointed as the need arises for a specific purpose, and have a limited life.
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.[3] 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.[4]
List of House and Joint committees of the 45th Parliament
House of Representatives committee room, Parliament House, CanberraA short video on Australian Parliamentary Committees
Standing committees (There are currently 17 House standing committees:[5])
Agriculture and Water Resources
Appropriations and Administration
Communications and the Arts
Economics
Employment, Education and Training
Environment and Energy
Health, Aged Care and Sport
Indigenous Affairs
Industry, Innovation, Science and Resources
Infrastructure, Transport and Cities
Petitions
Privileges and Members' Interests
Procedure
Publications
Selection
Social Policy and Legal Affairs
Tax and Revenue
Select committees (There are currently no House select committees.)
Joint committees (There are currently 21 joint committees:[5])
Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity
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