Don Randall (Canning, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Local Government) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, my second question is in relation to resourcing the Parliamentary Library. Over the last few days I have endeavoured to get a Bills Digest on the bill that is being debated today, the Tax Laws Amendment (2010 Measures No. 4) Bill 2010. When making inquiries of the Library, they pointed out to me that, because of the amount of private members’ business and the position of the Independent members of the House, they believed they had insufficient resources to cover all of the Bills Digests. Could you look to see whether they are sufficiently well resourced to provide the full service to the members of this House?

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As part of at least one, if not a number, of the agreements that were entered into before parliament resumed, a proper study of the resourcing of the Library and of the committee system was agreed to. Those matters are in hand. It is true that, because of the state of the numbers in the House, with regard to a number of things that the House does it is stretching the resources. Preliminary bids have been made about that additional resourcing. Both the President and I are keeping an eye on this. But the final answer about the Library is that, because of the agreement and a proper study of resourcing, that will be done.