Message from the Clerk of the House of Representatives

The Department of the House of Representatives supports the work and Members of the House of Representatives and the wider Parliament.  The Department provides advice and services, and engages with the community and other Parliaments.

In supporting the House of Representatives, the Department is proud to assist everyone who visits Parliament House or wants to know more about or contribute to the work of the Parliament of Australia.

This Service Charter has been developed to inform you of the services that we provide to the community. It has evolved from broad consultation, including with staff and members of the public.

We  welcome any comments you have on the services we provide. We invite you to forward your comments to us at: PO Box 6021, Department of the House of Representatives, Parliament House, Canberra ACT 2600; or by email to [email protected].

Claressa Surtees
Clerk of the House of Representatives
June 2022

Our Charter

This Charter reflects our commitment to assist everyone who visits Parliament House or wants to know more about or contribute to the work of the Australian Parliament.

The advice and services that we provide are non-partisan and focus on the work of the House of Representatives and parliamentary committees, not the political or electorate interests of Members.

We are committed to providing the community with the best service possible, within available resources. We will do this in a manner consistent with the Parliamentary Service Values and the Parliamentary Service Code of Conduct.

Our Key Values

In providing information and services we will:

• demonstrate high ethical standards;
• be professional, impartial and non-partisan;
• be open, honest and helpful;
• be responsive to your requests;
• treat you with respect and fairness; and
• respond appropriately to complaints.

What we can do for you

Through our website at www.aph.gov.au/house or through contact with us, we can assist you with information about:

• the activities and procedures of the House;
• the passage of legislation through both Houses;
• lodging petitions;
• the Chamber galleries and making a booking to observe Question Time;
• parliamentary committees and their inquiries;
• access to documents, including committee reports, presented in the Parliament;
• community awareness initiatives such as seminars, displays and exhibitions;
• parliamentary education activities including school visits;
• contacting your local Member;
• inter-parliamentary visits and conferences;
• gaining access, including for the purposes of filming and photography, to Parliament House, the parliamentary precincts and the Chamber galleries; and
• the guidelines for demonstrations in the parliamentary precincts.

Our Service Standards

We will ensure that the information available on our website www.aph.gov.au/house will be up-to-date and accurate. The latest news from the House will be available at www.aph.gov.au/ath.

If you telephone us, we will:

• identify ourselves appropriately when answering the telephone; and
• respond to your calls quickly.

If the information that you request is not immediately available, we will tell you when you can expect it. If we are not able to meet your request, we will refer you to the appropriate organisation or service.

If you write to or email us, we will:

• act on your requests for information within five working days;
• reply to other correspondence within 20 working days, and send an interim reply where a full response is not possible immediately; and
• in our reply, give you the contact details of someone who can provide further help, if needed.

How to Contact Us

Mailing address:
PO Box 6021
Department of the House of Representatives
Parliament House
CANBERRA ACT 2600

Email address:
[email protected]

We welcome feedback on our performance so we can improve our standards of service. If you have any comments, including suggestions for improvement or complaints, please let us know. Contact details for all areas of the Department are as follows:

Clerk Assistant (Table)
Telephone: 02 6277 4777
Email: [email protected]
(legislation, petitions, papers tabled in the House of Representatives, information about how the House operates, inter-parliamentary visits)

Clerk Assistant (Committees)
Telephone: 02 6277 4399
Email: [email protected]
(committee reports, inquiries, submissions, public hearing venues)

Clerk Assistant (Procedure)
Telephone: 02 6277 4396
Email: [email protected].
(information on proceedings in the House of Representatives and how the House operates, professional training and development seminars)

Serjeant-at-Arms
Telephone: 02 6277 4444
Email: [email protected]
(building access, including bookings for Question Time, media rules, school bookings, security)