Parliament Secretariat
Work of the Secretariat
Parliament is administered by the Speaker and the Clerk. The Speaker is responsible for the general management of Parliament, its staff and precincts. The Clerk is responsible for the day to day administration of Parliament and the work of the Secretariat.
In addition to the Clerk, the Parliament Secretariat consists of seventeen full time members of staff. The Secretariat is responsible for providing the following services:
- Clerk Services
- Hansard
- Library and Research
- Committee Services
- Legislative Drafting
- General Administration
Parliament is currently engaged in a Parliamentary Strengthening Project, one aspect of which is to further enhance the capacity of the Secretariat. As part of this work, the Parliament Secretariat will be revising its organisational structure and developing an operational plan. These will be posted on the website as soon as they are complete.
Clerk of Parliament
The Clerk is the top permanent officer of Parliament. He is neither a Member of Parliament nor a member of the public service. The office of Clerk is created under Article 33 of the Constitution. The Clerk is appointed and removed by the Speaker of Parliament. The Clerk is responsible for arranging the business of and keeping the records of the proceedings of Parliament, and for the day to day administration of Parliament and the work of the Secretariat. The present Clerk, Frederick Cain, has held office since 1977 and is the longest serving Clerk in the region.
Office of Parliamentary Counsel
The Office of Parliamentary Counsel (‘OPC’) is staffed by two lawyers: the Parliamentary Counsel, Katy Le Roy, and the Assistant Parliamentary Counsel, Catriona Steele. The primary responsibility of the OPC is legislative drafting, and the preparation of supporting documentation such as explanatory memoranda. However, the OPC is also engaged in a range of other work, including providing legal and secretariat services to Parliamentary Committees, and managing or overseeing major projects including the Constitutional Review Project and the Consolidation of Legislation Project. The OPC also conducts workshops for government departments on specific legislative issues, particularly in relation to the administration of new legislation.
The role of Parliamentary Counsel in the preparation and drafting of legislation is set out in the policy on Legislative procedures.
Parliamentary Counsel and Assistant Parliament Counsel are members of the Commonwealth Association of Legislative Counsel.