Number: 2025/06
Issue Date: 01/07/2025
Review Date: 30/06/2029
Policy
This policy, including the process for making written submissions to national inquiries as outlined in the attached guidelines (Attachment 1), applies to all Western Australian public sector bodies.
Public sector bodies include agencies, ministerial offices and non-SES organisations, as defined in section 3 of the Public Sector Management Act 1994. Non-SES organisations include statutory office holders, including but not limited to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administrative Investigations, the Public Sector Commissioner, the Information Commissioner, the Inspector of Custodial Services, and any similar office provided that those statutory offices are not required to comply with this policy where it would be inconsistent with the performance of the independent statutory functions to do so.
The Western Australian Government receives numerous requests to make written submissions to national inquiries.
Requests to provide Western Australian Government submissions are generally issued to the Premier, relevant Minister, direct to public sector bodies, or through general public invitation.
The Western Australian Government should only submit responses in areas of high priority or strategic value to the State. If a written submission is approved to be drafted it must represent a whole of Government view.
The process is detailed in Attachment 1.
A Western Australian public sector body may also receive requests to:
- make written submissions from international inquiries, other State and Territories, and local government authorities. In this event, please liaise with the Department of the Premier and Cabinet (DPC) by email to national.inquiries@dpc.wa.gov.au for guidance; and/or
- attend Parliamentary Committee inquiries (State or Commonwealth) or for officers to appear as witnesses. In this event, the principles and obligations outlined in the Public Sector Commissioner’s Policy for Public Sector Witnesses Appearing Before Parliamentary Committees (Public Sector Commissioner’s Circular 2010/03) will apply.
This policy does not apply to government trading enterprises and other entities listed in Schedule 1 of the Public Sector Management Act 1994. If such organisations intend to make a written submission to a national inquiry, please email DPC at national.inquiries@dpc.wa.gov.au for guidance on whether the submission should indicate that the views represented are not those of the Western Australian Government.
Background
Committees of the Commonwealth Parliament (Senate Committees, House of Representative Committees or Joint Committees), various Commissions (e.g. Productivity Commission), and agencies of the Commonwealth Government and other States and Territories regularly conduct inquiries into matters of policy, government administration and public significance. In the course of its investigations, an inquiry may seek the input of interested parties through written submissions, surveys, roundtables, workshops and public hearings.
Roger Cook MLA
PREMIER
Other relevant Circulars: Public Sector Commissioner’s Circular 2010/03
Circular/s replaced by this Circular: 2010/03, 2017/06, 2021/10
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