DFAT Annual Report 2005-2006 : Appendix 5 Inquiries by parliamentary committees

Inquiries by parliamentary committees

During the review period, the department made submissions and/or gave evidence to the following parliamentary committees.

Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade

Inquiry into Australia's trade and investment relations with North Africa, submission dated 5 August 2005, hearing held on 1 August 2005
Inquiry into Australia's Free Trade Agreements with Singapore, Thailand and the United States, hearing held on 19 August 2005
Inquiry into Australia's relationship with the Republic of Korea, hearing held on 31 August 2005
Inquiry into Australia's defence relations with the United States, hearing held on 9 September 2005
Inquiry into Australia's response to the Indian Ocean Tsunami, hearing held on 12 May 2006
A review of the Australia–New Zealand Closer Economic Relations Trade Agreement, submission dated 28 April 2006, hearing held on 12 May 2006
Inquiry into Australia's relationship with India as an emerging world power, submission dated 19 June 2006

Joint Standing Committee on Migration

Inquiry into skills recognition, upgrading and licensing, submission dated 1 July 2005, hearing held on 5 September 2005

Joint Standing Committee on Public Works

Construction of a new chancery building for the Australian Embassy in Rangoon, submitted October 2005, hearing held on 5 December 2005
Construction of a new chancery building for the Australian Embassy in Phnom Penh, submitted October 2005, hearing held on 5 December 2005

Parliamentary Joint Committee on ASIO, ASIS and DSD

Review of the listing of four terrorist organisations, hearing held on 8 August 2005

Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security

Review of the listing of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) as a terrorist organisation under the Criminal Code Act 1995, hearing held on 6 February 2006

Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee

Supplementary Estimates 2005–2006, hearing held on 3 November 2005
Additional Estimates 2005–2006, hearing held on 16 February 2006
Budget Estimates 2006–2007, hearings held on 29 and 30 May 2006

Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee

Inquiry into asylum and protection visas for consular officers and the deportation of Vivian Solon, hearings held on 26 July, 8 August and 7 September 2005
Inquiry into Australia's relationship with China, hearing held on 13 September 2005

House of Representatives Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs

Inquiry into Indigenous employment, hearing held on 6 February 2006

House of Representatives Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs

Inquiry into the harmonisation of legal systems, submission dated 31 May 2005, hearing held on 21 March 2006

Joint Standing Committee on Treaties

Departmental officers appeared before the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties in respect of proposed treaty actions.

The department appeared on 16 August 2005 in respect of:
- Agreement on Social Security between the Government of Australia and the Government of Ireland, done at Dublin on 9 June 2005
- Exchange of notes constituting an Agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government of the United States of America to amend and extend the Agreement Concerning the Conduct of Scientific Balloon Flights for Civil Research Purposes, done at Canberra on 16 February 2006
The department appeared on 12 September 2005 in respect of:
- Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in South East Asia, done at Denpasar on 24 February 1976, as amended by the Protocol Amending the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in South East Asia, done at Manila on 15 December 1987 and the Second Protocol Amending the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in South East Asia, done at Manila on 25 July 1998, with exchange of letters recording interpretation of key provisions, done at Canberra on 13 July and Vientiane on 23 July 2005
The department appeared on 7 November 2005 in respect of:
- Amendments, done at Ulsan on 24 June 2005, to the Schedule to the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling done at Washington on 2 December 1946
- Convention on the Marking of Plastic Explosives for the Purpose of Detection, done at Montreal on 1 March 1991
- Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, done at New York on 25 May 2000
The department appeared on 28 November 2005 in respect of:
- United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization International Convention Against Doping in Sport, done at Paris on 19 October 2005
The department appeared on 5 December 2005 in respect of:
- Agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China concerning transfer of sentenced persons, done at Hong Kong on 25 November 2005
- Amendments to the Statute of the Hague Conference on Private International Law of 31 October 1951, done at The Hague on 30 June 2005
- Universal Postal Union: Seventh Additional Protocol to the Constitution of 10 July 1964, as amended; Convention, and Final Protocol; General Regulations, done at Bucharest on 5 October 2004
- Annex G: Settlement of Disputes to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, done at Punta del Este on 6 May 2005
- Agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government of the Republic of Turkey on the Reciprocal Promotion and Protection of Investments, done at Canberra on 16 June 2005
The department appeared on 27 February 2006 in respect of:
- Convention on the Marking of Plastic Explosives for the Purpose of Detection, done at Montreal on 1 March 1991 (Second hearing—see 7 November 2005)
- Amendments done at Nairobi on 25 November 2005, to Appendices I and II of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, done at Bonn on 23 June 1979
- Agreement on the Promotion of Aviation Safety between the Government of Australia and the Government of the United States of America, done at Canberra on 21 June 2005 and Implementation Procedures for Airworthiness Covering Design Approval, Production Activities, Export Airworthiness Approval, Post Design Approval Activities and Technical Assistance between Authorities, done at Gold Coast on 26 September 2005
- Protocol of Amendments, adopted in Monaco on 14 April 2005, to the Convention on the International Hydrographic Organization, done at Monaco on 3 May 1967
- Protocol amending the Agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government of New Zealand for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with Respect to Taxes on Income, done at Melbourne on 15 November 2005
- Agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government of Bermuda on the Exchange of Information with respect to Taxes, done at Washington on 10 November 2005
The department appeared on 27 March 2006 in respect of:
- Exchange of Notes constituting a treaty between the Government of Australia and the Government of the Republic of Singapore to amend the Singapore–Australia Free Trade Agreement, done at Singapore on 17 February 2003
The department appeared on 8 May 2006 in respect of:
- International Convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage, done at London on 23 March 2001
- Protocol of 2003 to the International Convention on the Establishment of an International Fund for Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage, done at London on 16 May 2003
- Agreement Establishing the Pacific Islands Forum, done at Port Moresby on 27 October 2005
- Amendments to Annexes VIII and IX of the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements on Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal, done at Geneva on 29 October 2004
- Agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government of the Republic of Indonesia for Cooperation in Scientific Research and Technological Development, done at Jakarta on 11 July 2005
- Agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government of New Zealand in relation to Mutual Recognition of Securities Offerings, done at Melbourne on 17 February 2006
- Exchange of Letters constituting an Agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government of New Zealand to amend Article 3 of the Australia–New Zealand Closer Economic Relations Trade Agreement of 28 March 1983
- Agreement for Establishment of the Global Crop Diversity Trust, done at Rome on 1 April 2004
The department appeared on 19 June 2006 in respect of:
- Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Namibia and the Governments of Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, South Africa and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland concerning the Treatment of War Graves of members of the Armed Forces of the Commonwealth in the Territory of the Republic of Namibia, done at Windhoek on 27 June 2005
- Agreement on Social Security between the Government of Australia and the Government of the Kingdom of Norway, done at Canberra on 2 December 2005
- Agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government of the United States of America on Cooperation in Science and Technology for Homeland/Domestic Security Matters, done at Washington on 21 December 2005
- The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance Statutes (as amended at the Extraordinary Council meeting of International IDEA on 24 January 2006)
- Treaty between the Government of Australia and the Government of Malaysia on Extradition, done at Putrajaya on 15 November 2005 and Exchange of Notes, done at Kuala Lumpur on 7 December 2005
- Treaty between the Government of Australia and the Government of Malaysia on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters, done at Putrajaya on 15 November 2005 and Exchange of Notes, done at Kuala Lumpur on 7 December 2005
The department appeared on 20 June 2006 in respect of:
- Amendments to the International Organization for Migration Constitution, done at Geneva on 24 November 1998

Briefings provided to parliamentary committees

The department provided private briefings to the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade (JSCFADT), on the following issues:

Progress of the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands on 10 August 2005
Reform of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the proposed Human Rights Council on 11 August 2005
Developments in PNG on 5 September 2005
Developments concerning the Australia–Indonesia Partnership for Reconstruction and Development on 14 September 2005
Developments in Bougainville on 10 October 2005
Australia's relationship with Korea on 7 November 2005
UN World Summit on 10 November 2005
WTO Ministerial Conference in Hong Kong on 30 November 2005
Developments in East Timor on 5 December 2005
Korea (in relation to the proposed visit by JSCFADT) on 27 February 2006
Iran and nuclear non-proliferation on 27 February 2006
Status of the Aceh Monitoring Mission and post-tsunami assistance on 2 March 2006
WTO negotiations on 29 March 2006
The new UN Human Rights Council on 11 May 2006
Australia's relationship with India on 19 June 2006
Outcomes of the Thailand–Australia Free Trade Agreement and the Singapore–Australia Free Trade Agreement on 21 June 2006

The department provided a private briefing to the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit on the following issue:

ANAO audit of security at overseas posts on 9 November 2005

The department provided a private briefing to the Standing Committee on Industry and Resources on the following issue:

The US–India nuclear agreement and outcomes of the Nuclear Suppliers Group meeting in Brazil and a briefing on the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership on 1 June 2006.

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