As Sandy has highlighted since 2018, the estimates and committee process have serious flaws that reduce their effectiveness and should be reformed to improve transparency and our democracy.
With a new state government elected in October 2024, Sandy asked the Premier to commit to a timeframe for commissioning an independent review via a Question on Notice (QON) in Parliament. Referring to the Budget estimates, the response in italics below confirms work has commenced on the reform process.
A critical function of parliamentary committee system is the Budget estimates process. The Queensland Government has committed to reforming the committee process to ensure greater transparency during Budget estimates.
Work has commenced on the reform process, and I look forward to updating all members on these improvements to accountability and transparency.
Given there was no mention of what will be done regarding the actual failings of the committee system, which under the previous government had moved to ‘decision stage’ by the Committee of the Legislative Assembly (CLA), we will continue to push this which is vital for Queensland, and update as new information becomes available.
Background
For those wishing to learn more about these issues, we would highly encourage you to read the below excerpt in italics from a Noosa Today column Sandy authored in 2021.
As most know, I don’t go for ‘one-line grabs’ nor seek sensational headlines. My focus is on the issues, what underpins them, including decision making processes or legislation/policy, and if there’s a problem, how it can be rectified.
As a new MP I saw the inequities within Chamber, where the crossbench was not afforded the staffing resources provided to the major parties. Given that the crossbench represents large portions of QLD with diverse communities, viewpoints and issues meant their constituents were being disadvantaged. Through the work of our office and interns, and with the support of both sides of the Chamber, this was rectified last year.
This leads to the next issue. Inequities in the Committee system, including inefficiencies of Estimates hearings!
Now I can hear your moan – how boring! However, before you stop reading and look for something more sensational, step back and think about what eventually leads to the big headlines, which is usually a symptom, not the cause. The cycle governments find themselves in of not meeting expectations through some ‘band-aiding’ and short election cycles, leads to major issues going unresolved as they are often not quick to fix, nor of much interest to media!
As a unicameral or ‘one Chamber’ Parliament, we are a bit different to others who have both an upper and lower house. That means our committee system must work as effectively as it can to offset a lack of this extra level of scrutiny.
Investigations and research led to two years of my requesting some of the identified deficiencies be addressed, sadly with little progress. However happily last month, I joined former Ministers and orchestrators of the current Committee system, Judy Spence and Laurence Springborg, in a live streamed event to mark the 10th anniversary of its introduction. We discussed what was intended, what eventuated, what was omitted and what could be improved. As well answered questions from the moderator and those who joined online! We all agreed that yes, it is a good system, however needs modernising and greater transparency. With New Zealand leading the way in terms of a culture of bipartisan agreements, we may have a bit of a challenge there, however adopting some of their practices is a good start. This includes getting rid of government chair casting votes, reducing time for ministerial statements, and what can we say about those Dorothy Dixers? Keeping Government accountable is not an easy task, more so when opposition and cross benchers are constrained by time restrictions at estimates time, and it was interesting to hear that when this current system was developed, there was not to be these constraints. This must have been lost somewhere in translation?
And then there is the oversight responsibilities of committees. This is for another time and another column as it encompasses much more than you may realise. Even though it may not seem important to you at this moment, if you ever have an unresolved issue with QBCC or similar and have to take this to an independent entity such as an Ombudsman, you will get an understanding of the importance of these.
Further information
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