DFAT Annual Report 2003-2004 : Appendix 6 Inquiries by parliamentary committees

Inquiries by parliamentary committees

The Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee reported on the department's proposed expenditure on 1 April 2004 (Additional Estimates 2003–04) and 24 June 2004 (Budget Estimates 2004–05), and tabled its reports Annual reports (No. 2 of 2003) on 9 September 2003 and Annual reports (No. 1 of 2004) on 10 March 2004.

During the review period, the department made submissions or gave evidence to thirteen parliamentary committee inquiries, as follows:

Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade

Inquiry into Australia's relations with Indonesia, on 5 August and 13 October 2003
Inquiry into Australia's defence relations with the United States, on 26 March 2004
Inquiry into expanding Australia's trade and investment relationships with the economies of the Gulf States, on 5 and 29 March 2004

Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee

Inquiry into the White Paper on Australia's foreign affairs and trade policy, 'Advancing the National Interest', on 21 August 2003
Inquiry into the General Agreement on Trade in Services and an Australia—US Free Trade Agreement, on 2 October 2003
Inquiry into Security Threats to Australians in South-East Asia, on 24 September and 28 November 2003 and 28 May 2004

Senate Select Committee on the Free Trade Agreement between Australia and the United States of America

Inquiry into the Free Trade Agreement between Australia and the United States of America, on 10 and 18 May 2004

Joint Committee on Public Accounts and Audit

Review of Aviation Security in Australia, on 5 September 2003

Parliamentary Joint Committee on ASIO, ASIS and DSD

Review of the Intelligence Services Amendment Bill 2003, on 27 October 2003

Joint Committee on Public Works

Construction of a new chancery for the Australian High Commission in New Delhi, on 22 August 2003
Refurbishment of staff apartments at the Australian Embassy in Paris, on 22 August 2003

Senate Legal and Constitutional References Committee

Inquiry into Australian Expatriates, February 2004

Senate Standing Committee on Economics

Provisions of the Greater Sunrise Unitisation Implementation Bill and Customs Tariff Amendment (Greater Sunrise) Bill 2004, on 22 March 2004

Joint Standing Committee on Treaties

Departmental officers appeared before the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties in respect of the proposed treaty actions shown below, with the date of the hearings and the number of the Committee's Report where available.

Report no. 54 reviewed treaties tabled on 12 August 2003. The department appeared on 18 August 2003 in respect of:
— Agreement between Australia and the Kingdom of Belgium on the Gainful Employment of Certain Dependants of Diplomatic and Consular Personnel, done at Sydney on 19 November 2002
— Protocol, done at Sydney on 30 June 2003, concerning the Bougainville Transition Team, made pursuant to the Agreement, done at Port Moresby on 5 December 1997, between Australia, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, New Zealand and Vanuatu concerning the Neutral Truce Monitoring Group for Bougainville, as amended by the Protocol, done at Port Moresby on 29 April 1998
— Agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government of the Kingdom of Belgium on 'Working Holiday' Arrangements, done at Canberra on 20 November 2002.
Report no. 55 reviewed treaties tabled in September 2003. The Department appeared on 8 September 2003 in respect of:
— Agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government of the United Mexican States for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with Respect to Taxes on Income, and Protocol, done at Mexico City on 9 September 2002
— Convention between the Government of Australia and the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with Respect to Taxes on Income and Capital Gains, done at Canberra on 21 August 2003, and an Associated Exchange of Notes
— Agreement between the European Community and Australia amending the Agreement between Australia and the European Community on Trade in Wine, and Protocol, of 1994
— Agreement, done at Townsville on 24 July 2003, between Solomon Islands, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Tonga concerning the operations and status of the Police and Armed Forces and Other Personnel deployed to Solomon Islands to assist in the restoration of law and order and security
— International Labour Organization Convention No.155: Occupational Safety and Health, 1981
— Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPS), done at Stockholm on 22 May 2001
— Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade, done at Rotterdam on 10 September 1998
— Amendments, done at Berlin, Germany on 19 June 2003, to the Schedule to the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling, done at Washington on 2 December 1946.
Report no. 56 reviewed treaties tabled on 8 October 2003. The department appeared on 13 October 2003 in respect of:
— Agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan on Economic and Commercial Cooperation, done at Almaty on 7 May 1997
— International Labour Organization Convention No.182: Convention concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour, done at Geneva on 17 June 1999.
Report no. 58, Inquiry into the United Nations Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, was referred to the Committee on 26 November 2003. The department appeared on 9 February 2004.
Report no. 59 reviewed treaties tabled in December 2003. The department appeared on 13 February 2004 in respect of:
— Exchange of letters constituting an Agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government of the Italian Republic on the Civil Registry Documentation to be Submitted by Australian Citizens Wishing to Marry in Italy, done at Rome on 10 February and 11 April 2000
— Agreement Establishing an International Foot and Mouth Disease Vaccine Bank, done at London on 26 June 1985
— Protocol of 1997 to Amend the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships of 2 November 1973, as Modified by the Protocol of 17 February 1978, done at London on 26 September 1997
— United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime, done at New York on 15 November 2000
— Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, done at New York on 15 November 2000
— Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air (People Smuggling Protocol), supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, done at New York on 15 November 2000.
Report no. 60 reviewed treaties tabled on 2 March 2004. The department appeared on 8 and 22 March 2004 in respect of:
— Amendments, made at Marrakesh 2002, to the Constitution and Convention of the International Telecommunication Union (Geneva 1992) as amended by the Plenipotentiary Conference (Kyoto 1994) and by the Plenipotentiary Conference (Minneapolis 1998)
— Consular Agreement between Australia and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, done at Hanoi on 29 July 2003
— Withdrawal from the Agreement Establishing the International Fund for Agricultural Development, done at Rome on 13 June 1976
— World Tourism Organization (WTO) Statutes, done at Mexico City on 27 September 1979.
Report no. 61 reviewed the Australia–United States Free Trade Agreement, agreed at Washington on 8 February 2004, referred by the Minister for Trade on 8 March 2004 and due to be signed after 13 May 2004. The department appeared on 2 April and 14 May 2004.

Briefings provided to parliamentary committees

The department provided fifteen briefings to the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, on the following issues:

United Nations General Assembly, on 29 July 2003
Australia's relations with Indonesia, on 30 July 2003
Doha Round of World Trade Organization negotiations, on 20 August 2003
Australia's intervention in Solomon Islands and the implications of this for Australia's involvement in the region, on 20 August 2003
Progress on free trade agreement negotiations with Thailand and the outcome of free trade agreement negotiations with Singapore, on 10 September 2003
United Nations General Assembly, on 10 September 2003
Australia–China human rights dialogue, on 11 September 2003
Progress on free trade agreement negotiations with the United States, on 17 September 2003
World Trade Organization, on 24 November 2003
Australia's bilateral human rights dialogue with the Republic of Vietnam, on 27 November 2003
Australia's relations with the countries of Central Asia, on 1 December 2003
Australia's relations with Russia, on 4 December 2003
Australia's election to the presidency of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, on 12 February 2004
Australia's relations with Papua New Guinea, on 22 March 2004
The Enhanced Cooperation Program with Papua New Guinea, on 21 June 2004

Return to top of page

Next page: Decisions by courts and administrative tribunals
Previous page: Freedom of information

Australian Government
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Home | Copyright | Disclaimer | Privacy