2010‑2011

The Parliament of the

Commonwealth of Australia

THE SENATE

Presented and read a first time

Public Accounts and Audit Committee Amendment (Ombudsman) Bill 2011

No.      , 2011

(Senator Bob Brown)

A Bill for an Act to amend the Public Accounts and Audit Committee Act 1951, and for related purposes

Contents

1............ Short title............................................................................................. 1

2............ Commencement................................................................................... 1

3............ Schedule(s)......................................................................................... 2

Schedule 1—Amendments                                                                                                3

Public Accounts and Audit Committee Act 1951                                                  3

A Bill for an Act to amend the Public Accounts and Audit Committee Act 1951, and for related purposes

The Parliament of Australia enacts:

1  Short title

                   This Act may be cited as the Public Accounts and Audit Committee Amendment (Ombudsman) Act 2011.

2  Commencement

                   This Act commences on the day this Act receives the Royal Assent.

3  Schedule(s)

                   Each Act that is specified in a Schedule to this Act is amended or repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this Act has effect according to its terms.

Schedule 1—Amendments

Public Accounts and Audit Committee Act 1951

1  Section 4

Insert:

Ombudsman means the Commonwealth Ombudsman.

2  After section 8

Insert:

8AA  Additional duties of the Committee—Ombudsman

             (1)  In addition to, and without limiting, the duties the Committee has under section 8 in relation to the Ombudsman, the Committee has the following additional duties in relation to the Ombudsman:

                     (a)  to examine all reports of the Ombudsman that are tabled in each House of the Parliament;

                     (b)  to report to both Houses of the Parliament, with any comment it thinks fit, on any items or matters in those reports, or any circumstances connected with them, that the Committee thinks should be drawn to the attention of the Parliament;

                     (c)  to consider:

                              (i)  the operations of the Ombudsman; and

                             (ii)  the resources of the Ombudsman, including funding, staff and information technology;

                     (d)  to report to both Houses of the Parliament on any matter arising out of the Committee’s consideration of the matters listed in paragraph (c), or on any other matter relating to the Ombudsman’s functions and powers, that the Committee considers should be drawn to the attention of the Parliament;

                     (e)  to report to both Houses of the Parliament on the performance of the Ombudsman at any time;

                      (f)  any other duties given to the Committee by this Act, by any other law or by Joint Standing Orders approved by both Houses of the Parliament.

             (2)  Nothing in subsection (1) authorises the Committee to direct the activities of the Ombudsman.

3  Subsection 9(3)

After “8A,”, insert “8AA,”.