DFAT Annual Report 2008-2009 : Appendix 6 Inquiries by parliamentary committees

Inquiries by parliamentary committees

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

Supplementary Estimates 2008–09, hearing held on 23 October 2008
Additional Estimates 2008–09, hearing held on 26 February 2009
Budget Estimates 2009–10, hearings held on 1 and 2 June 2009
Inquiry into the economic and security challenges facing Papua New Guinea and the island states of the southwest Pacific, hearings held on 25 September and 21 November 2008

Inquiry into Australia’s relations with ASEAN, hearings held on 12 and 22 September 2008 and 16 March 2009
Inquiry into Human Rights Mechanisms and the Asia Pacific, submission only

Construction of the Australian Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo 2010 China, hearing held 6 August 2008

Departmental officers appeared before the Standing Committee on Petitions in respect of the following petitions.

The department appeared on 1 September 2008 in respect of petitions concerning:

The department appeared on 27 May 2009 in respect of petitions concerning:

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

The department appeared on 25 August 2008 in respect of:

Australia–Chile Free Trade Agreement
Headquarters Agreement between Australia and the Secretariat to the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels
Agreement with the United Arab Emirates on Defence Cooperation

The department appeared on 1 September 2008 in respect of:

Agreement with the Russian Federation on Cooperation in the Use of Nuclear Energy for Peaceful Purposes
Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

The department appeared on 15 September 2008 in respect of:

Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women
Agreement with the European Union on Certain Aspects of Air Services
Agreement with the French Republic Regarding Defence Cooperation and Status of Forces

The department appeared on 22 September 2008 in respect of:

Agreement with the European Union on the Processing and Transfer of European Union–Sourced Passenger Name Record Data by Air Carriers to the Australian Customs Service done at Brussels, 30 June 2008

The department appeared on 13 October 2008 in respect of:

Australia–Chile Free Trade Agreement
Partial Revision of the 2004 Radio Regulations, as incorporated in the International Telecommunications Union Final Acts of the World Radio Communication Conference (WRC-07), done at Geneva on 16 November 2007
Agreement with WIPO in relation to the functioning of the Australian Patent office as an International Searching Authority and International Preliminary Examining Authority under the Patent Cooperation Treaty, to be done at Geneva during December 2008

The department appeared on 10 November 2008 in respect of:

The department appeared on 24 November 2008 in respect of:

The department appeared on 23 February 2009 in respect of:

Amendment, Adopted 17 November 2008, to Annex I of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) International Convention Against Doping in Sport of 19 October 2005
Amendment, Adopted 17 November 2008, to Annex II of UNESCO International Convention Against Doping in Sport of 19 October 2005
Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, New York, 13 December 2006
Agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government of the British Virgin Islands for the Exchange of Information Relating to Taxes (London, 27 October 2008)
Agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government of the British Virgin Islands for the Allocation of Taxing Rights with Respect to Certain Income of Individuals (London, 27 October 2008)

The department appeared on 16 March 2009 in respect of:

Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (Paris, 20 October 2005)
Agreement between Australia and the European Community on Trade in Wine (Brussels, 1 December 2008)

The department appeared on 11 May 2009 in respect of:

Agreement between the Australia and the Government of the Isle of Man on the Exchange of Information with Respect to Taxes
Agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government of the Isle of Man for the Allocation of Taxing Rights with Respect to Certain Income of Individuals and to Establish a Mutual Agreement Procedure in Respect of Transfer Pricing Adjustments
Inquiry into Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament

The department appeared on 29 May 2009 in respect of:

The department appeared on 15 June 2009 in respect of:

Agreement on Employment of the Spouses and Dependants of Diplomatic and Consular Personnel between Australia and the Portuguese Republic
Convention on Cluster Munitions

The department appeared on 22 June 2009 in respect of:

Agreement between Australia and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam concerning the Transfer of Sentenced Persons
Convention on Cluster Munitions.

The department provided private briefings to the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade on: