Factsheet: The Government’s Approach to Parliamentary Questions

About the Issue

Parliamentary questions are one of the public’s strongest safeguards against opaque executive power. However, the Government’s 2024 guidance on Senate Estimates Questions on Notice may undermine this safeguard by encouraging agencies to provide minimalist responses.

Concerns with the Guidance

The guide advises agencies to give only the information strictly needed, avoid extra context, rely on template responses, and refer senators back to public material or earlier answers. This approach can lead to a culture of generic replies that obscure responsibility rather than explain it.

Case Study: Major and Local Community Infrastructure Program

The $560 million Major and Local Community Infrastructure Program, an invitation-only grants scheme, has raised concerns about pork-barrelling. When asked about the selection of invitees, the response that they were “identified by government” failed to address the real question of who decided, under what authority, and by what process. Similar evasive answers were given regarding unallocated funding and raw tabular data, leaving Parliament unable to assess how public money was being administered.

Recommendations

• Clearer standards requiring substantive answers
• Stronger enforcement of unanswered or evasive Questions on Notice
• Enhanced Senate committee powers
• Independent review of compliance
• Real political and procedural consequences for obstruction