HOW DOES the House of Representatives work? How are laws made? Who are the Members? What is the House committee system?

If you’ve asked yourself these questions or have wanted to gain a better understanding of the House of Representatives, you are invited to attend the How the House Works seminar on Thursday, November 12. 

This half-day seminar is presented by senior officers from the Department of the House of Representatives and is a development opportunity for professionals wanting a detailed yet practical understanding of the House.

How the House Works seminar

Date: Thursday, 12 November 2026

Time: 9.15am to 12.45pm

Venue: Parliament House, Canberra or online via Microsoft Teams

Price: $350 (inc. GST) for online or on-site participation

In-person participants will be able to network with other attendees and ask questions of senior staff from the Department of the House of Representatives during a provided morning tea. They will also have the opportunity to attend a Q&A session in the public gallery overlooking the House of Representatives chamberTickets are limited. Book your spot here.

For assistance in booking multiple tickets for your team or other ticketing enquiries, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Find out more

Website: www.houseofrepresentatives.gov.au
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Phone: (02) 6277 4428

ends

THE Joint Standing Committee on Treaties (JSCOT) has commenced inquiries into the Agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government of the Republic of Seychelles relating to Air Services; and theAir Transport Agreement between the Government of the Sultanate of Oman and the Government of Australia.

The two Air Services Agreements propose to formalise and elevate existing air services arrangements to treaty status between Australia and two countries, Oman and Seychelles. This will support the operation of international air services between Australia and these countries. The committee will inquire into the benefit of these treaties for Australia including in the areas of trade, tourism and the airline sector.

Further information about each inquiry, including the full treaty text and accompanying National Interest Analysis, is available on the relevant inquiry webpages.

The committee has invited interested individuals and organisations to make submissions addressing the treaties and their implications. Submissions to both inquiries close on Tuesday, September 29 this month and can be lodged online via the Committee website. Guidance on preparing and lodging submissions is also available on the website.

ends

THE House of Representatives Standing Committee on Regional Development, Infrastructure and Transport’s inquiry into local government funding and fiscal sustainability has concluded public hearings for the inquiry.

Twenty-six public hearings have been held between February 5 and September 17 this year, where the committee heard from 390 witnesses across Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney, Wodonga, Wagga Wagga, Taree, Townsville, Roma, Brisbane, Launceston, Adelaide, Port Lincoln, Perth and Northam.

The witnesses included representatives from 187 organisations, including 17 government departments and statutory authorities, 98 local councils, and seven union bodies.

The committee also heard from 38 local government alliances and associations, including the Australian Local Government Association and peak bodies from each state and the Northern Territory. The witnesses reflected the diversity and reach of local government across Australia, from Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean to King Island in Tasmania, and from the Shire of Wyndham-East Kimberley in the far north-west to the Torres Strait Island Regional Council.

Committee Chair, Fiona Phillips, said, "The committee is incredibly grateful to all the witnesses who appeared at the public hearings. We have heard from a variety of organisations and individuals from all of Australia’s states and territories.

"Local government funding and fiscal sustainability impacts all aspects of Australia’s communities, and we have seen that reflected across the breadth of issues raised at public hearings and in submissions. The committee’s focus will now shift to delivering the final report."

Further information on the inquiry, including the terms of reference, is available on the committee’s website.

Evidence provided to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Regional Development, Infrastructure and Transport inquiry into Local Government Sustainability of the 47^th Parliament will also be considered as part of this new inquiry.

Programs and submissions from the public hearings are available on the inquiry website.

ends

THE House of Representatives Standing Committee on Regional Development, Infrastructure and Transport will finalise its public hearing program when the Department of Social Services (DSS) and the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts (DITRDCSA) attend its inquiry into local government funding.

The committee wants to learn more about how both departments manage their responsibilities in relation to the financial sustainability of local government. This includes how local governments are using Commonwealth funding to deliver services and programs, including family support services and infrastructure investments funded through DITRDCSA.

Committee Chair, Fiona Phillips, said, “The committee wants to better understand how both departments manage significant Commonwealth funding to local governments. We will be interested in hearing about the support available to councils, especially smaller regional and rural councils, to navigate funding arrangements for the benefit of their communities.”

The committee will explore with DSS the processes for councils to apply for grants such as through the Strong and Resilient Communities program. The committee will also hear from DITRDCSA to explore the barriers to accessing funding and how the Commonwealth can improve the effectiveness and coordination of funding provided to local governments.

Further information on the inquiry, including the terms of reference and how to contribute, is available on the Committee’s website.

Public hearing

Date: Thursday, 17 September 2026
Time: 11.20am – 1pm
Location: Committee Room 1R3, Parliament House, Canberra

A program for the public hearing is available on the inquiry website. A live broadcast of the hearing will also be available on the APH website.

ends

THE Joint Standing Committee on Treaties (JSCOT) has tabled a report recommending binding treaty action be taken on four treaties.

• Agreement between the Government of Australia and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) Support and Procurement Organisation (NSPO) on Acquisition and Support Cooperation;
• Agreement between the Government of the Kingdom of Cambodia and the Government of Australia relating to Air Services;
• Agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government of Kiribati relating to Air Services;
• Agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government of the Republic of Nauru relating to Air Services.

The NSPO Agreement will enable Australia to engage with NSPO services and programmes. It includes provisions for the NSPO’s legal status in Australia, certain privileges and immunities, and other related matters necessary for the creation of future implementing agreements and the growth of the Australia-NSPO relationship.

The Air Services Agreements will provide a solid legal foundation for scheduled international air services to be operated between Australia and three partners: Cambodia, Kiribati and Naoero. The Air Services Agreements are based on a template model agreement and have substantially similar provisions to others recently considered by the committee.

The report can be found on the Committee website, along with further information on the inquiry.

ends

THE Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit has today tabled its report for the inquiry into Commonwealth Financial Statements 2023-24 and 2024-25, together with its Annual Report for 2025-26.

Commonwealth Financial Statements 2023-24 and 2024-25: The committee's report examines the findings from the Australian National Audit Office's audits of the Commonwealth Financial Statements for 2023-24 and 2024-25.

Committee Chair Josh Burns MP said, "The IT control environment continues to account for the largest proportion of audit findings. It is clear to the committee that IT governance and controls remain a persistent challenge for government entities."

Mr Burns said the committee also considered legislative non-compliance, including breaches of the Australian Constitution, which had increased across the two audit periods.

"While entities are taking active steps towards remediation, the committee remains concerned by the number of breaches that persist across multiple audit cycles," Mr Burns said.

The growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies across the public sector was also of interest to the committee.

Mr Burns said, "While the committee did not investigate the use of AI across the public sector in depth, it will continue to monitor whether governance frameworks are keeping pace with the rate of adoption and the range of emerging use cases."

Annual Report 2025-26: Under the Public Accounts and Audit Committee Act 1951, the committee is required to report annually to the Parliament on the work it has undertaken. The report covers the committee’s activities in 2025–26, including non-inquiry activities in line with its legislative responsibilities.

The reports can be downloaded on the Committee’s website.

ends

THE Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works has recently commenced two new inquiries into proposed works by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) under the Public Works Committee Act 1969.

The ATO is proposing to fit-out approximately 22,000 square metres of office accommodation at its existing premises at 747 Collins Street, Docklands, Victoria. The ATO currently leases 38,375sqm at the site, which it intends to reduce by 16,000 sqm in a renegotiated lease with the building’s landlord, commencing in May 2027.

The reduced Net Lettable Area will result in an occupational density of around 7-8sqm to allow the office to fall within the government’s occupational density target of 14sqm per occupied work point. The proposed fit-out works are intended to provide a fit-for-purpose flexible workspace that meets the ATO’s current and future needs in a cost-effective manner, while accommodating for workforce fluctuations and changing attendance patterns. The total estimated cost of the proposed project is $94.74 million (excluding GST).

DFAT is seeking Parliamentary approval to commence works on the Australian High Commission in Suva, Republic of Fiji. The proposed works would extend the High Commission’s chancery, deliver a mid-life upgrade to the base building, and undertake a tenant fit-out refurbishment of the premises.

The proposed extension has been funded as part of the Pacific Infrastructure Programme New Policy Proposal 'Enhancing Pacific Infrastructure and Engagement' which was approved in the 2024-25 Federal Budget. The total estimated cost of the proposed works is $80.3 million (excluding GST).

The committee has invited interested individuals and organisations to make submissions by Thursday, October 22 this year. More information is available on the Committee’s website.

Note: the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works is not involved in the tendering process, awarding of contracts or details of the proposed works. Enquiries on these matters should be directed to the relevant Commonwealth entities.

ends

FOLLOWING a referral by Treasurer, Dr Jim Chalmers MP, the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Economics will open an inquiry into the use of technology to assist in improving Australian productivity.

Like many advanced economies, Australia has sought for decades to find the best way to boost productivity.

The development and application of new technology is often offered up as a pathway to improved productivity.

Despite extraordinary advances in digital technology, artificial intelligence, robotics, advanced manufacturing and communications, productivity growth across many advanced economies has stubbornly remained below expectations.

Committee Chair Ed Husic MP said, "Lifting Australia’s productivity is critical to growing the economy and improving Australian living standards well into the future.

"While we proudly point to our own tech trail-blazers or the “first-mover” eagerness of Australians to adopt and use new technology, that hasn’t always translated into stronger productivity,” he said.

“We want this inquiry to move beyond the “tech can improve productivity” mantra, to explore the specifics of how we can do that best.

“We’ll examine how we can better develop and improve uptake of productive technologies across different economic sectors.

"This inquiry’s focus is to look at a broad scope of technologies that could boost productivity in Australia, from robotics to biotechnology, quantum technologies to advanced manufacturing or information and communication technologies.”

Mr Husic said the inquiry was not simply about inventing new technologies but ensuring Australia benefits from them.

"We also need to think carefully about Australia's sovereign capability. The nations that develop, commercialise and deploy critical technologies will be the nations that capture the greatest residual economic and productive value from them."

Committee Deputy Chair Simon Kennedy said, “Australia cannot afford to sit on the sidelines of the AI and robotics revolution.

"These technologies have the potential to help solve the anaemic growth and productivity problems that have plagued our economy for years. We must grow these industries in Australia and ensure government policy enables innovation rather than inhibits it.”

In the inquiry, the committee will examine matters related to:

• harnessing technological innovation in priority technology fields identified as vital to Australia’s economic success;
• improving productivity through technology adoption and diffusion in different economic sectors, including market and non-market sectors;
• opportunities to facilitate uptake of, and promote investment in, productive technologies;
• barriers to technological innovation and the use of technologies to improve productivity in Australia;
• workforce and skills requirements to enable effective and productive use of new technologies; and
• international trends and experiences of major technology-driven productivity improvements.

The committee will release a discussion paper and open for submissions in the coming weeks. Those interested in contributing to the inquiry are encouraged to monitor the committee’swebsite for further information.

The committee is due to present its report to the House of Representatives by September 10, 2027.

ends