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Parliamentary Committees (Amendment) Bill Circulation Print EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM General The Parliamentary Committees (Amendment) Bill amends the Parliamentary Committees Act 1968 to-- · establish three (3) new Joint Parliamentary Committees; and · decrease the number of members who can be appointed to the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee to 9 members bringing it into alignment with the number of members who can be appointed to the other Joint Investigatory Committees under that Act; and · insert transitional provisions relating to the Scrutiny of Acts and Regulations Committee. Clause Notes Clause 1 states the purpose of the proposed Act. Clause 2 is the commencement provision. The proposed Act will commence operation on the day after which it receives Royal Assent. Clause 3 defines the Parliamentary Committees Act 1968 as the Principal Act for the purposes of this proposed Act. Clause 4 amends the definition of "Joint House Committee" in section 3(1) of the Parliamentary Committees Act 1968 to reflect the creation of three new Joint House Committees, namely, the Rural and Regional Services and Development Committee, the Outer Suburban/Interface Services and Development Committee and the Education and Training Committee. Clause 5 amends section 4 of the Parliamentary Committees Act 1968 to provide for the establishment of the three additional Joint House Committees of the Council and the Assembly. 1 551056 BILL LA CIRCULATION 27/2/2003
Clause 6 amends section 4B of the Parliamentary Committees Act 1968 to reduce the membership of the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee to 9 members and to repeal section 4B(3)(aa) referring to the quorum applicable to a Committee having 10 members as there will no longer be a Joint House Committee comprising of 10 members. The effect of these amendments is that all Joint House Committees can have up to 9 members. Clause 7 inserts in the Parliamentary Committees Act 1968 transitional provisions regarding the Scrutiny of Acts and Regulations Committee. This clause enables the Committee to review statutory rules laid before Parliament prior to the first appointment of members to the Committee in the 55th Parliament and Acts passed between 25 February and 1 April 2003. These amendments are similar to amendments included in the 1999 changes made to the Parliamentary Committees Act 1968. Clause 8 amends the Parliamentary Committees Act 1968 to insert new sections 4EDA, 4EDB and 4EDC. Each of those new sections sets out the functions of the three new Joint House Committees. The functions of the three committees are as follows-- · Section 4EDA provides that the Rural and Regional Services and Development Committee can inquire into, consider and report on any proposal, matter or thing concerned with the provision of services to, or development of, Regional Victoria. "Regional Victoria" has the same definition as in the Regional Infrastructure Development Fund Act 1999. · Section 4EDB provides that the Outer Suburban/Interface Services and Development Committee can inquire into, consider and report on any proposal, matter or thing concerned with the provision of services to, or development of, or expansion of, new urban regions. "Urban regions" is defined as being those remaining regions of Victoria not covered by the definition of "Regional Victoria" in the new section 4EDA. · Section 4EDC provides that the Education and Training Committee can inquire into, consider and report on any proposal, matter or thing concerned with education and/or training. 2
Clause 9 makes a statute law revision amendment to section 53 of the Parliamentary Committees Act 1968. The relevant provisions to which that section refers are now contained in the Constitution Act 1975 and not in The Constitution Act Amendment Act 1958. 3