SENATOR THE HON ARTHUR SINODINOS AO CABINET SECRETARY Senator Jenny McAllister Chair Senate Finance and Public Administration References Committee Parliament House CANBERRA ACT 2600 Dear Senator Irefer to your letter of 20 April 2016, advising that the Senate Finance and Public Administration References Committee will hold a public hearing on Thursday 28 April, and possibly Friday 29 April, to deal with a reference from the Senate on 19 April concerning disclosure by associated entities of political parties. No attempt was made to contact my office to determine my availability before the Committee scheduled the hearing on those dates. Tam not available on either of those dates ~ a fact with which my office could have acquainted the Committee had I been afforded the courtesy of an inquiry before the dates ‘were set, I would not, therefore, have been able to appear at the hearing you have notified in your letter. In any event, the “direction” of the Senate to which your letter refers, is both unprecedented and objectionable. It would therefore be inappropriate for me, or any Minister, to appear. thas never been the practice of the Senate to direct Ministers to attend before hearings of References Committees. Senate Ministers are answerable to Estimates Committees, as well as during Question Time. The purported direction in paragraph 2 is without precedent, and violates well-established Senate practice. While itis true that the Senate has occasionally directed the attendance of witnesses at hearings of Senate Committees, the witnesses in question have been departmental and other officials, not Ministers, On 17 May 2010, the then Minister for Employment Participation, Senator the Honourable Mark Arbib, declined a request from the Chair of the Environment, Communication and the ‘Arts References Committee to attend its hearing into the Rudd Government’s home insulation scheme. Senator Arbib said “[plast practice and procedure of the Senate has not seen the calling of Ministers before inquiries.” The same principle that was invoked by Senator Arbib should apply equally to me. note that, although the terms of reference of the inquiry, set out in paragraph 1 of the Senate’s resolution, are very comprehensive, only a single day’s hearing has been allocated (with the possibility of extension to a second day), with a reporting date only two business Parliament House CANBERRA ACT 2600days after that, It is obvious that any serious attempt to conduet an inguiry into such an important topic could not be concluded, nor a proper report prepared, in such a ludicrously short period. Finally, I point out that the matters the subject of the reference are more appropriate to be dealt with by the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters. In view of all of the foregoing considerations, and given that the calling of a federal election is imminent, the public might be forgiven for concluding that this inquiry is nothing but a political stunt, not a bona fide attempt to inquire into an important question of public policy. 1 note that Senator Nick Xenophon has described the proceedings as having the appearance of a “witch hunt”. You also invite me to provide a submission to the inquiry. For the reasons explained in this letter, I do not intend to do so. Yours sincerely ARTHUR SINODINOS AO 2? 1H 1/2016