Joint Standing Committee on the Commissioner for Children and Young People

Joint (Legislative Assembly)

Title & summary	Status
No inquiries

Report No	Title	Date tabled	Related documents
11	PRIORITIES FOR FURTHER WORK FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE: Summary report of the work of the JSCCCYP of the 41st Parliament	14 Nov 2024
10	Annual Report 2023-24	14 Nov 2024
9	Pathways to Thriving: Enhancing support for humanitarian children and young people in Western Australia	15 Aug 2024	More...
8	Report Review 2023; Examination of selected reports by the Commissioner for Children and Young People	18 Apr 2024
7	Annual Report 2022-23	16 Nov 2023
6	Hungry for Change: Addressing food insecurity for children and young people affected by poverty	22 Jun 2023	More...
5	Report Review 2022; Examination of selected reports by the Commissioner for Children and Young People	30 Mar 2023
4	Annual Report 2021-2022	20 Oct 2022
3	The merits of appointing a commissioner for Aboriginal children and young people	18 Nov 2021	More...
2	Report Review 2020–21; Examination of selected reports by the Commissioner for Children and Young People	18 Nov 2021
1	Annual Report 2020-2021	16 Sep 2021

Title & summary	Status
Inquiry into support for children and young people who have been directly or indirectly exposed to trauma associated with migration to Australia due to humanitarian crises	Past
Inquiry into the most effective ways for Western Australia to address food insecurity for children and young people affected by poverty	Past

Purpose of undertakings

When the Committee finds an issue in delegated legislation, it may request an undertaking from the relevant local government or Minister to fix the issue (for example, by amending the delegated legislation).

A person or body giving an undertaking commits to do certain actions within a certain timeframe, for example to:

amend delegated legislation within a certain timeframe (usually 6 months) and not enforce it in the meantime;
provide a copy of the undertakings wherever the delegated legislation is publicly available (such as at a local government office or on a website);
provide a copy of the minutes of the meeting at which the council of a local government resolved to provide an undertaking.

Giving an undertaking to a Parliamentary Committee is a serious matter. A failure to comply with an undertaking may be reported to the Legislative Council for further action.

Title & summary	Status
CCYP Annual Report review hearing	Current
Department of Communities hearing – policies related to children in care	Current
Hearing in regard to children and poverty	Current
Hearings in regard to supporting young people	Current

Change to usual petitions process ahead of the 2025 State election

Parliament will end at some point this year ahead of next year’s State election. (This is called ‘prorogation’.)
When that happens, all petitions under consideration will lapse.
The Committee will not have time to complete its inquiries into all current petitions before then.
We will let principal petitioners know if their petition will be affected.
Lapsed petitions can be tabled again in the new Parliament with just one signature, and the normal process can then recommence.

Committee members

Chairman:	Mrs Robyn Clarke MLA
Deputy Chairman:	Hon. Neil Thomson MLC
Members:	Ms Rebecca Stephens MLA Hon. Ayor Makur Chuot MLC
Staff:	Ms Lucy Roberts (Acting Principal Research Officer)

Terms of Reference

That for the present Parliament –

(a) pursuant to section 51 of the Commissioner for Children and Young People Act 2006, a Joint Standing Committee on the Commissioner for Children and Young People be appointed by the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council.

(b) The Joint Standing Committee shall comprise 2 members appointed by the Legislative Assembly and 2 members appointed by the Legislative Council.

(c) It is the function of the Joint Standing Committee to —

(i) monitor, review and report to Parliament on the exercise of the functions of the Commissioner for Children and Young People;

(ii) to examine Annual and other Reports of the Commissioner; and

(iii) to consult regularly with the Commissioner.

(d) A report of the Joint Standing Committee will be presented to the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council by members of the Joint Standing Committee nominated by it for that purpose.

(e) The Standing Orders of the Legislative Assembly relating to Standing and Select Committees will be followed as far as they can be applied

The Commissioner for Children and Young People Act 2006 ('the Act') establishes, and defines the functions of, the Commissioner for Children and Young People (‘the Commissioner’). The Commissioner's role includes advocating for children and young people in Western Australia and investigating, advising and reporting independently to Parliament about issues that concern children and young people.

On 26 May 2021, the Joint Standing Committee on the Commissioner for Children and Young People of the 41st Parliament was established pursuant to section 51 of the Act

The Committee’s functions and powers are agreed to between the Houses. Tasked with monitoring, reviewing and reporting to Parliament on the exercise of the functions of the Commissioner, and examining annual and other reports of the Commissioner, the Joint Standing Committee is established to ensure the independence of that office.