Parliamentary committees of the Australian House of Representatives are groups of Members of Parliament, appointed by the House of Representatives, to undertake certain specified tasks. They comprise government and non-government Members and have considerable powers to undertake work on behalf of the Parliament.
Federation Chamber
The Federation Chamber, established in 1994 as the Main Committee and renamed in February 2012, functions as a secondary debating venue within the Australian House of Representatives, allowing for parallel proceedings alongside the main Chamber to enhance parliamentary efficiency. This arrangement originated from recommendations in the 1993 Procedure Committee report About Time, which proposed creating a parallel stream for debating legislation and other matters to alleviate time pressures in the House. The renaming to Federation Chamber addressed potential confusion with the physical main committee room in parliament house which is used for joint and standing committees and served to emphasise parliament's role in Australia's federal system.
Purpose and role The primary purpose of the Federation Chamber is to provide an additional forum for debating a restricted range of business, thereby optimising the use of parliamentary time, increasing opportunities for Members to speak on bills and reports, and facilitating more intimate and interactive discussions due to its smaller scale. It handles non-contentious matters that do not require formal divisions or votes, focusing on enhancing scrutiny of government legislation, private Members' business, and committee-related activities
Standing committees Under the Standing Orders of the House, standing committees are appointed for the life of the Parliament and they are usually re-established in some form in successive Parliaments (that is, after each election).
The House has two types of standing committees:
general purpose committees – established to inquire into and report upon any matters referred to them, including legislation. These committees specialise by subject area, between them covering most areas of policy and government administration. domestic or internal committees – concerned with the powers and procedures of the House or the administration of Parliament.
Select committees Select committees are appointed as the need arises for a specific purpose, and have a limited life.
One notable example was the 1963 House of Representatives Select Committee on Grievances of the Yirrkala Aborigines, Arnhem Land Reserve, which was created to address the concerns of the Yolngu people living on Yirrkala mission, after mining leases had been granted to several areas of the Gove Peninsula in Arnhem Land without consulting the people who had lived there for thousands of years. The committee was established as a result of the Yirrkala bark petitions being presented to Parliament in August 1963. This committee comprised Roger Dean (Chairman); Charles Barnes; Kim Beazley Sr.; Gordon Bryant; Don Chipp; Bert Kelly; and Jock Nelson.
Joint committees Joint committees are established by both Houses of the Australian parliament and include both Members and Senators. An example of this is the Joint Standing Committee on Northern Australia, appointed by resolution by the House of Representatives on 4 July 2019 and the Senate on 22 July 2019. The Inquiry into the destruction of 46,000-year-old caves at the Juukan Gorge in the Pilbara region of Western Australia was referred to this Committee in June 2020.
Pay and benefits Members receive no additional pay for their service as ordinary members on committees. Committee Chairs and Deputy Chairs receive additional pay depending on the committee on which they serve, which is specified as a percentage of the base pay of an MP and Senator ($239,270 as of July 2025). Additional pay for committee chairs is up to 16% of the base pay ($38,283.20), depending on the committee. Deputy Chairs receive up to an additional 8% ($19,141.60).
List of House and Joint committees
CommitteeChairDeputy ChairFederation ChamberSharon ClaydonTerry YoungHouse General Purpose Standing Committees Agriculture Meryl Swanson Rick Wilson Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water Anne Urquhart Zali Steggall Communications and the Arts Brian Mitchell Bridget Archer Economics Daniel Mulino Garth Hamilton Employment, Education and Training Lisa Chesters Terry Young Health, Aged Care and Sport Mike Freelander Melissa McIntosh Industry, Innovation and Science Rob Mitchell Michelle Landry Regional Development, Infrastructure and Transport Luke Gosling Tony Pasin Social Policy and Legal Affairs Susan Templeman Pat Conaghan House Domestic Committees Appropriations and Administration Milton Dick Tony Pasin Petitions Jodie Belyea Leon Rebello Privileges and Members' Interests Justine Elliot Henry Pike Procedure Sharon Claydon Ben Small Publications Mary Doyle Henry Pike Selection Milton Dick Sharon Claydon House Select Committees None currently appointedJoint Statutory CommitteesBroadcasting of Parliamentary Proceedings Milton Dick MP Senator Sue Lines Corporations and Financial Services Senator Deborah O'Neill Alex Hawke MPIntelligence and Security Peter Khalil MP Andrew Wallace MPLaw Enforcement Senator Helen Polley Llew O'Brien MPHuman Rights Josh Burns MP Henry Pike MPPublic Accounts and Audit Linda Burney MP Senator Linda ReynoldsPublic Works Graham Perrett MP Keith Pitt MPJoint Standing Committees Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs Senator Jana Stewart Melissa Price MP Electoral Matters Kate Thwaites MP Senator James McGrathForeign Affairs, Defence and Trade Shayne Neumann MP Senator David FawcettImplementation of the National Redress Scheme Senator Catryna Bilyk Senator Dean SmithMigration Maria Vamvakinou MP Anne Webster MPNational Anti-Corruption Commission Senator Karen Grogan Helen Haines MPNational Capital and External Territories Alicia Payne MP Nola Marino MPNational Disability Insurance Scheme Libby Coker MP Senator Hollie HughesNorthern Australia Marion Scrymgour MP Warren Entsch MPParliamentary LibraryAnne Stanley MP (Joint Chair)Senator Slade Brockman (Joint Chair)Publications Fiona Phillips MP Senator Fatima PaymanTrade and Investment Growth Steve Georganas MP Scott Buchholz MPTreaties Josh Wilson MP Phillip Thompson MP
List of former committees
CommitteeChairDeputy ChairEstablishedDissolved House Domestic Committees Library Committee Various13 September 2016 House Committee Various19 September 2019 House Select Committees Televising of the House of Representatives Leo McLeay David Jull 22 August 1991 Print Media Michael Lee Warwick Smith 22 August 1991 25 March 1992 Recent Australian Bushfires Gary Nairn Dick Adams 26 March 2003 15 September 2005 Regional Development and Decentralisation John McVeigh (1 June – 20 December 2017) Meryl Swanson 1 June 2017 28 June 2018 Darren Chester (8 February – 5 March 2018) Damien Drum (from 28 March 2018) Intergenerational Welfare Dependence Russell Broadbent Pat Conroy (30 May – 10 September 2018)24 May 20182 April 2019 Ged Kearney (from 12 September 2018)Regional AustraliaTony Pasin Meryl Swanson (from 29 July 2019 - 7 December 2020)25 July 201931 March 2022 Joel Fitzgibbon (from 7 December 2020) Social Media and Online Safety Lucy Wicks Tim Watts 1 December 2021 15 March 2022 Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Fiona Martin Emma McBride 2 August 2022 30 November 2023 Workforce Australia Employment Services Julian Hill Russell Broadbent 10 December 2020 24 November 2021 Nuclear Energy Dan Repacholi Ted O'Brien 10 October 2024 28 March 2025 Joint Select Committees Intelligence Services Republic Referendum Parliamentary Budget Office Government ProcurementTrade and Investment Growth Ken O'Dowd MPJim Chalmers MP4 September 20149 May 2016Pat Conroy MP Australia's Family Law System Kevin Andrews MP Senator Pauline Hanson 18 September 2019 22 November 2021Road Safety Llew O'Brien MP Senator Alex Gallacher 1 August 201930 October 2020 Pat Conaghan MP Matt Thistlethwaite MP Pat Conaghan MPMatt Thistlethwaite MP25 February 202125 March 2022 Darren Chester MPImplementation of the National Redress Scheme Senator Derryn Hinch Sharon Claydon MP 20 June 2017 2 April 2019 Senator Dean Smith Sharon Claydon MP 10 September 2019 11 April 2022 National Anti-Corruption Commission Legislation Senator Linda White Helen Haines MP 28 September 2022 10 November 2022Parliamentary Standards 10 February 2022 11 April 2022 Sharon Claydon MP Senator Marise Payne 26 July 2022 22 November 2022Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice Referendum Senator Trish CrossinSenator George Brandis 28 November 2012 30 January 2013 Ken Wyatt MP Senator Nova Peris 2 December 2013 25 June 2015Senator Pat Dodson & Julian Leeser MP no deputy chair 1 March 2018 29 November 2018. Senator Nita Green Keith Wolahan MP 30 March 2023 12 May 2023 Social Media and Australian Society Sharon Claydon MP Senator Sarah Hanson-Young 15 May 2024 18 November 2024 Northern Australia Marion Scrymgour MP Warren Entsch MP 3 August 2022 28 March 2025
See also Australian Senate committees Ministerial Committee
Notes
References
External links Official website of the Australian House of Representatives