Joint Media Statement with Kate Chaney MP - Government squanders Parliament’s best work as commttiee reports pile up.
Independent crossbench MPs and Senators are demanding the Federal Government honour its commitment to parliamentary democracy by responding to the 130 parliamentary committee inquiry reports le unanswered past the deadline, under the Albanese Government.
Since 2022, the Government has failed to respond in me to 50 completed House and Joint committee inquiries. More than half of these responses are overdue by more than a year, and a quarter by more than 18 months. In the Senate, more than 80 reports have received no government response at all within the required three-month period.
More than 3,500 experts, industry bodies, academics, and community members contributed to the 50 outstanding House and Joint inquiries in good faith, only to be met with silence from the Federal Government.
The unanswered reports cover some of Australia's most urgent policy challenges, including terrorism, illicit drugs, online safety, migration, plastic pollution, and energy security. Each of the crossbenchers speaking out sits on a committee with at least one report awaiting a response from the Government.
The Independent MPs and Senators are pressing the Government to immediately commit to a transparent process for tracking and publishing its responses to all outstanding inquiry recommendations, pointing to the UK's publicly accessible dashboard as a model worth following.
Kate Chaney MP, Independent Member for Curtin
Member of the Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs
Member of the Standing Committee on Education
“Inquiry reports are not optional reading for Ministers. Responses are due within six months. Deadlines exist to ensure accountability and prevent avoidance.
"Experts, civil society and everyday Australians gave their me, shared their experiences and trusted that the Federal Government would take them seriously. That trust – that the Government would listen and act – is being squandered.
“The Government’s failure to respond to the landmark You win some, you lose more inquiry into online gambling harm is a particularly egregious example of government apathy towards cross-party committee work. Since the report was tabled nearly three years ago, Australians have lost another $85 billion to gambling. Financial hardship, poor mental health, relationship breakdowns, and family violence are avoidable harms that the committee warned this Government about.
“Parliamentarians leave political scoring at the door to work together collaboratively on committee inquiries that address important national issues. Inquiries are one of the most constructive ways parliamentarians contribute to policy forma on and national debates.
“Parliamentary inquiries cannot be used by governments to park difficult issues. They must lead to action.”
Allegra Spender MP, Independent Member for Wentworth
Member of the Standing Committee on Economics
Member of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade
“It really is the height of cynicism to establish a parliamentary committee inquiry then ignore its report.
“Individuals, stakeholders, community groups and businesses go to enormous trouble when they make a submission, give evidence or bring a heartbreaking personal story to a parliamentary committee on gambling harm or ocean plastics for example.
“Their effort is wasted when the government doesn’t even bother to respond.”
Dr Monique Ryan MP, Independent Member for Kooyong
Member of the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters
Deputy Chair of the Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Disability (formerly Health, Aged Care and Sport)
“Parliamentary inquiries should deliver meaningful outcomes for Australians. The amount of me and effort people put into submissions, and the commitment shown by experts, industry bodies, academics, and community members who appear before parliamentary committees, make it all the more confounding that so many reports go unanswered by the government.
“Having 130 unanswered reports on the books is a poor reflect in on this government's processes and productivity. It's wasteful, and it’s disrespectful to the individuals and institutions that contributed to the committees’ inquiries.”
Dr Helen Haines MP, Independent Member for Indi
Member of the Standing Committee on Regional Development, Infrastructure and Transport
“When Australians have overdue fines or bills, they get hammered with penalties and reminders - but when the Government misses its own deadlines, there’s crickets.”
“These parliamentary inquiries are undertaken to inform better policy development. They bring expert evidence, take submissions from the community - and they deserve timely, considered responses.”
“Though the Government holds a large majority, it must not allow hubris to creep in. Respect for Parliament means respecting the committee process and responding to its work in good faith.”
Nicolette Boele MP, Independent Member for Bradfield
Member of the Standing Committee on Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water
"Reports are gathering dust while everyday Australians miss out on be er policies. There’s hard work that goes on in this place, designed to improve the quality of our laws and make life be er for the people who elected us. It’s like plan ng a garden and never watering it.
“We’ve done the work, produced the insights, nurtured the solutions – but without a response, nothing grows, and Australians don’t reap the benefits. This Government needs to stop letting good work wither on the vine, so that we can deliver for the Australians who sent us here to get on with the job."
Dr Sophie Scamps MP, Independent Member for Mackellar
Member of the Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Disability (formerly Health, Aged Care and Sport)
“It’s over a year and a half since the Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Sport made 23 recommendations following its Inquiry into the State of Diabetes Mellitus in Australia.
“While we wait for a response, obesity is costing our health system around $12 billion a year every year.
“This follows similar key recommendations from a previous 2018 Senate Inquiry into the Obesity Epidemic in Australia.
“These inquiries are intense and require a huge amount of work. Why do we do them if they are just going to collect dust on a Minister’s top shelf?”
Zali Steggall MP, Independent Member for Warringah
Deputy Chair of the Standing Committee on Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water
“It’s been almost two years since the CCEEW committee delivered its ‘Drowning in Waste’ report, which examined plastic pollution in Australia’s waterways and oceans. The government’s failure to respond to the report’s recommendations is not just a waste of the committee’s me – it is a betrayal of the experts, industry bodies and community members who contributed me and expertise to the inquiry in good faith.
“Last weekend’s Clean Up Australia Day showed how much plastic pollution continues to choke our waterways and coastlines. This is not a problem the government can ignore.”
Dai Le MP, Independent Member for Fowler
Member of the Joint Standing Committee on Migration
Member of the Joint Standing Committee on Employment, Workplace Relations, Skills and Training (formerly
Employment, Education and Training)
"I currently serve on three parliamentary committees examining Migra on, the NDIS, and Employment and Workplace Relations and Skills. When reports are left unanswered, it sends a clear message that the evidence, recommendations and lived experiences shared with Parliament do not matter, undermining the integrity of the committee system and eroding public trust - Australians who make submissions deserve act on, not silence."
David Pocock, Independent Senator for the ACT
Member of the Joint Standing Committee on the National Capital and External Territories
Member of the Scrutiny of Delegated Legislation
“Parliamentary inquiries can be incredibly powerful tools for improving legislation and deeply examining important issues of concern to the community.
“They are a practical manifestation of our democracy process, and it shows disrespect to all Australians that their elected government has failed to respond to so much of the parliament’s work. This includes more than 80 senate inquiry reports on critical issues touching the lives of so many Australians, from the future of the Territory I have been elected to represent to aged care, the environment, health, and housing.”
Lidia Thorpe, Independent Senator for Victoria
Member of the Joint Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs
Member of the Joint Committee on Human Rights
"The Government has ignored reports on the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, economic self-determination, and compulsory income management - reports designed to deliver real solutions for First Peoples. Leaving them unanswered has real consequences.
“People on the ground are paying the price for Labor’s laziness and lack of accountability. This is irresponsible and a continuation of the same injustice First Peoples have faced for generations. First Peoples deserve accountability, and this Government needs to do its job."