Parliament of n ew South w ale S D e P ARTMENT OF THE LE G i DEPARTMENT OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL S LATI LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL V e C OUN C IL • ANNUAL REPORT 2010 Legislative Council Parliament of New South Wales Macquarie Street SYDNEY NSW 2000 www.parliament.nsw.gov.au Ph (02) 9230 2111 DePartment of the leGiSlatiVe CounCil Fax (02) 9230 2876 new South waleS letter of transmittal Contact us Portrait busts in Parliament house The Hon Amanda Fazio MLC legislative Council President of the Legislative Council Parliament house The New South Wales Parliament is privileged to have Parliament House macquarie Street on display 15 portrait busts, four of which have been Macquarie Street Sydney nSw 2000 featured throughout this annual report. SYDNEY NSW 2000 www.parliament.nsw.gov.au The four busts, all depictions of former Presidents of email [email protected] the Legislative Council, are currently on display in the Switchboard • (02) 9230 2111 Dear Madam President Legislative Council Chamber. A brief biography of (Between 9.00am and 5.00pm weekdays, each of the former Presidents follows. It is with pleasure that I submit for your information and excluding public holidays) presentation to the House the annual report for the Sir John hay (1816-1892) fax • (02) 9230 2876 Department of the Legislative Council for the year ended 30 Sir John Hay entered the Legislative Assembly in 1856. June 2010. access to the chamber He became Secretary of Lands and Works and was As you are aware, the Department of the Legislative Council The Legislative Council chamber and elected Speaker of the Legislative Assembly in 1862. is not legislatively required to table an annual report. public areas of Parliament House are open Resigning as Speaker in 1865 he was appointed to the However, as has been customary over previous years, the to members of the public from 9.00 am Legislative Council and was its President for 19 years, opportunity to provide information on the performance to 5.00 pm, every weekday (excluding from 1873 until his death in 1892. of the Department and Legislative Council committees is public holidays). During sitting days, public Sir John lackey (1830-1903) embraced. access to the chamber is restricted to the Sir John Lackey was elected to the Legislative Assembly visitor’s gallery, where visitors can watch The content of the report incorporates the reporting from 1860 until 1885. He was at various times, Chairman the proceedings of the House. A calendar requirements of the Annual Reports (Departments) Act 1985 of Committees, Secretary of Public Works and Minister specifying sitting days is available from the and the Public Finance and Audit Act 1983, particularly in for Public Instruction. He resigned from the Legislative Parliament’s website. regard to the Department of the Legislative Council’s aims, Assembly in 1885 and was nominated to the Legislative objectives, operations and financial performance. Conducted tours are available several times Council. He became President of the Legislative daily on non-sitting days. During those weeks I commend the report and hope you find it informative. Council in 1892, resigning in 1903 but remaining a when the House is sitting, tours are scheduled Member of the Legislative Council until his death. Yours sincerely on Tuesdays only at 1.30 pm, followed by an Sir alfred Stephen (1802-1894) opportunity to view Question Time from the visitor’s gallery. Bookings are essential and Sir Alfred Stephen was appointed President of the can be made by phoning (02) 9230 3444. Legislative Council from 1856 to 1857 and was appointed to the Legislative Council a further three The Legislative Council normally meets times up to 1890. As President, he ensured the Council’s at 2.30 pm on Tuesdays and 11.00 am on lynn lovelock role as a house of review through the manner in which Wednesdays and Thursdays during the sitting Clerk of the Parliaments he guided the legislative process. periods. Legislative Council Question Time takes place at 4.00 pm on Tuesdays and william Bede Dalley (1831-1888) 12.00 noon on Wednesdays and Thursdays. A Member of the Legislative Assembly from 1856 to 1860 and from 1862 to 1864, Dalley was also a Member of the Legislative Council from 1870 to 1873, 1875 to 1880 and 1883 until his death in 1888. He held the offices of Attorney General from 1875 to 1877 and from 1883 to 1885, and Acting Colonial Secretary from October of 1884 to May of 1885. He is remembered as a pioneer statesman whose contributions to the colony of NSW through his Parliamentary activities and his endeavours in both literature and the law are also commemorated with a plaque and stained glass window in nearby St Mary’s Cathedral and a statue in Hyde Park. He has also been honoured with a plaque in St Paul’s Cathedral, London. Design and Print: Studio Rouge Designs Clerk’s review Lynn Lovelock Clerk’s review I am pleased to report that the new strategic Comings and goings directions and structure of the Department of the It was with considerable sadness that the Council Legislative Council detailed in last year’s annual marked the deaths of three former members during report have now been consolidated. 2009/10. The Honourable Virginia Chadwick, the first female President of the Council, was one of the A number of new initiatives designed to improve first group of members directly elected after the access to information about the Legislative Council democratic reforms in 1978, and served in the House and its committees to enhance community for 20 years, including seven years as a minister. understanding of the role of the Council have now The Honourable Jeff Shaw QC was a member of been implemented. Two new publications, the the House from 1990 to 2000, including five years as House in Review and the Running Record (details of Attorney General and Minister for Industrial Relations. which are outlined on page 26 of this report) have The Honourable Andy Manson was a member from been well received and are now part of our core 1988 until 2000. The text of the condolence debates business. Another promising initiative to enhance in relation to each of these former members can be found at www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/hansard. community understanding of the Council was a pilot program of regional visits designed to engage with In November 2009 the Honourable Peter Primrose secondary schools (see page 35). resigned as President in order to take up a position in the ministry, and the Deputy President, the Our renewed emphasis upon procedural training Honourable Amanda Fazio was elected as the has been taken to another level during the reporting Legislative Council’s new President. The Honourable year, with two ‘Legislative Council in Practice’ Kayee Griffin was elected Deputy President. seminars for public servants fully subscribed, and a Two long standing ALP members resigned from number of outreach events to provide advice to the Council during the year: the Honourable community groups to assist them to engage with Ian Macdonald, a member since 1988, and the the parliamentary committee process (see pages 36 Honourable Henry Tsang, a member since 1999. and 44). The casual vacancies created by their resignations The NSW Parliament’s twinning arrangements with were filled by the Honourable Luke Foley and the the National Parliament of the Solomon Islands and Honourable Shaoquett Moselmane respectively. the Bougainville House of Representatives have 2010/2011 been formalised and are now supported through Since the end of the reporting period a further three funding from AusAid under the Pacific Public Sector members have resigned and been replaced, and a Linkages Program (see page 18). further change in the membership of the Council has been necessitated through the tragic death in office The House and its committees of a member. Further details will be provided in the During 2009/2010 the House saw a marked increase 2010/2011 annual report. in the number of bills initiated in the Council and a return to the sorts of numbers of orders for the This year has seen considerable recent change production of state papers experienced in the last in the political environment, and there will be Parliament. (A comprehensive report on the work further change associated with the forthcoming end of the 54th Parliament, the election in March of the Procedure Office in supporting the sittings of 2011 and the meeting of the new Parliament. I trust the House is provided at pages 27 to 32). Twenty- that one important source of stability that all of our seven committee inquiries dealing with a range members and other stakeholders will continue to of complex public policy issues were supported find helpful will be the ongoing professionalism and during the reporting period. There was a significant outstanding work of the staff of the Department of increase in the number of submissions received and the Legislative Council in the provision of accurate, the Legislative Council’s committees continued timely and impartial procedural, analytical and the recent trend of making every effort to take administrative support. evidence in regional NSW where appropriate. (A Lynn Lovelock comprehensive report on the work of the Committee Clerk of the Parliaments Office in supporting the work of the Council’s committees is provided at pages 38 to 67). 1 Contents Clerk’s review . 1 Our charter . 3 The Legislative Council. 3 The Department of the Legislative Council. 4 Our clients . 4 Our values. 4 Legislation . 5 The year at a glance . 7 Overview . 8 Strategic priorities for the Department of the Legislative Council .