Parliamentary inquiries are undertaken by the parliamentary committee with relevant responsibility. While the committee will seek expert advice, it will also seek the views of members of the public. This can be done through written submissions, public hearings, roundtables, forums or other community engagements.
This is an opportunity for individuals or groups to share their experience, advice and knowledge with the government.
Information from submissions is analyzed and becomes part of the Inquiry Report which is tabled in Parliament.
Even the numbers of submissions received by the committee is seen as an indication of public awareness, anger or support of the particular topic.
The Government responds to an Inquiry Report either by presenting a written response in Parliament, or if it’s a bill inquiry, by discussing the report in parliamentary debate on the bill.
There is no set format for a submission. It can be long or short, or even in audio visual format. Each inquiry has its own Terms of Reference, and it’s critical that the submission focus on the Terms of Reference for that Inquiry only. Each Inquiry has a dedicated webpage with information about the inquiry history, closing date for submissions (including extensions), dates of public hearings (past and upcoming), Terms of Reference, media releases, committee home page and contact details for the Committee Secretariat (see link below).
Submissions that include complex argument, personal details or criticise someone may take the committee longer to process and consider.
It’s important to keep in mind that submissions are part of a common public record and are published on the Parliamentary website. Signatures and personal contact details are removed prior to publication (it’s best to include such information only in a covering letter and not in the submission itself). If you feel that you must provide the submission anonymously, you need to be clear and provide a reason when you upload or send the document.
Public inquiries are considered a critical part of the democratic process. There is a lot of useful information on the Australian Parliament House website.
Place to start: https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees
Click either:
The Open Public Submissions aka ‘Inquiries Accepting Submission’ page lists all Senate, House and Joint Committees accepting submissions, listed by closing date.
When you find the right inquiry (or the topic you’re interested in) click the Inquiry title and you’ll be taken to the dedicated page for that Inquiry.
The page will give you: