GR Skills Note: Writing a Submission for an Inquiry

Writing a submission to a public inquiry is a crucial asset in the toolkit of organisations seeking to engage with and influence public policy. Public submissions are one of the most direct methods your organisation can use to input into policy making, impact stakeholder perspectives, and shape public conversation.

Parliamentary inquiries are opportunities for organisations and members of the public to participate in policy making by making contributions - either written or oral - on the public record. Inquiries are conducted by parliamentary committees made up of members of the Parliament. The inquiry is established to report back to the Parliament on terms of reference that cover certain topics or a proposed piece of legislation.

Some inquiries will receive thousands of submissions. Once a submission is received it is assessed by the committee’s secretariat.  If there are no upfront issues according to the rules of submissions (see below), a committee will decide on whether to accept the submission and authorise its publication on the inquiry webpage. A committee can also decide to only publish part of a submission. Once a committee has concluded the evidence-gathering process, it will review all the submissions, craft recommendations, and write its inquiry report.  

Purpose of making a submission to an inquiry

A submission to an inquiry is an important opportunity for an organisation to state clearly and on the formal record their position on certain issues and to make recommendations for action that may be adopted by a parliamentary committee.

Making a submission may also encourage a committee to extend an invitation for an organisation’s representatives to appear in person at a public hearing and present evidence.

Evidence or recommendations from a submission may be referenced by a committee in the inquiry report. Once published by a committee, an organisation may also reference its submission in media or public communication strategies. Making a submission can also allow an organisation to establish relationships with a range of policymakers, including those outside of Government or outside the committee conducting an inquiry.

Submission structure

Cover letter

• Introduce the organisation, or organisations (if making a joint submission)
• Explain why the submission from your organisation is relevant to the inquiry and some or all of its terms of reference
• Include the organisation’s name, and the email address and number for a point of contact
• State the key recommendation(s)
• Offer the opportunity for representatives to present evidence at a public hearing

Table of contents/Executive Summary

• Include if a submission is more than 4-5 pages long

Body of the submission

• Make a clear but concise argument
• Set out recommendations for action
• Reference other material if needed (include hyperlinks)
• Ensure identifying details of other people are not included

Attachment(s)

• Include a document that has been previously published (public report, newspaper article)
• Compartmentalise confidential information to allow the body of the submission to be published and publicly referred to by the committee.
• State clearly if any attachment should be taken as confidential.

Key advice

• Know your audience. A submission should be relevant to the inquiry and some or all of its terms of reference. You should also consider the level of government you are speaking to and who are the members of the committee who will read your submission.
• Be upfront but concise with your message. Depending on the subject matter, a good submission should not require more than five pages to convey the key points, recommendations, and rationale. Appendices and attachments can be useful to provide supporting material that enhances the submission.
• Clearly outline recommendation(s) for action. A committee looks to submissions for ideas on what they should recommend. Discussion of the problem is important but solutions are the crucial value-add for organisations.
• Be creative. There is no set format for submissions. Although they are usually written, submissions can also be pictures or short videos. Being creative and incorporating visual aids such as graphs, images, numbered paragraphs, and headings can make a submission more impactful.
• Contact the committee secretariat if you have any questions about the submission process and rules, the content of a submission, or if you need to request an extension of time to make a submission.
• Read and learn from other submissions. All public submissions to current and former committee inquiries are available online.
• Assess the need for a supplementary submission if you need to update or add to your submission once it has been submitted.

Rules for submissions

Australia

Submissions must follow certain rules to be accepted by a committee.

They must:

• be prepared solely for the purposes of the inquiry
• not have been published anywhere else
• be relevant to the terms of reference
• be received by the committee before the due date
• include the name, postal or email address, and contact number of the person or organisation making the submission.

Submissions which make allegations or comment negatively about another organisation or person will take longer to be considered by a committee. The organisation or person you refer to may be given your submission and the opportunity to respond.

Submissions should not include discriminatory content, foul or offensive language, or refer to matters currently before a court.

After a submission is received, you cannot publish or disclose it to any other person unless or until the committee has authorised its publication. You cannot share your document until you hear from the committee that it can be published. If your submission has any information removed or redacted by the committee before it is published, you should only share the published version. If the committee has agreed to accept your submission as confidential, you cannot share it with anyone.

You cannot withdraw or alter your submission without the committee’s permission.

United Kingdom

Your submission should address matters and concentrate on issues where your organisation has expertise, and factual information of which you would like the Committee to be aware.

The submission should not have been previously published and should have been created specifically for the committee. External material can be referenced but your submission should make this clear and attribute the source. Permission from the committee should be sought if you want to publish your evidence yourself before it is published online. If you wish to publish your submission after it has been published by the committee, you must indicate that it was prepared for the committee.

Evidence which is accepted by the Committee may be published online at any stage

Your contribution must be honest and accurate, and you must be ready to confirm to the committee that the text is a true representation of your views.

You can only upload one file. The file you upload must:

• be less than 25MB
• be a single Word, ODT or RTF document
• contain no logos.

Other common questions

How do I lodge a submission?

Australia

Submissions can be lodged online as a Word document, a PDF, or in plain text format via a link on the inquiry home page. You will need to create a My Parliament account. You can upload multiple documents.

Submissions can also be sent directly by email or post.

United Kingdom

Submissions to general committees can be lodged online as a Word document or in plain text format via a link on the inquiry home page. The webpage will ask for an individual’s name and contact details.

Submissions to Public Bill Committees should be emailed to the Scrutiny Unit at scrutiny@parliament.uk. Note that submissions sent to the relevant Government department will not be treated as evidence to the Public Bill Committee. Submissions can be accepted after the second reading debate on the bill.

Is my submission protected by parliamentary privilege?

Australia

Yes.

A submission to a committee is privileged under the Parliamentary Privileges Act 1987 once it is published. This means that a person is immune from legal action in respect of lodging the submission or any statements contained in it. If a submission is authorised by a committee for publication, its distribution is also immune from legal action.

It is an offence to improperly influence anyone from making a submission, or threaten anyone for making a submission.

Organisations and people from other countries can make submissions to an inquiry. However, protections under parliamentary privilege cannot be enforced outside Australia.

It is important to note that your publication or re-publication of your submission may not be protected by parliamentary privilege.

United Kingdom

Yes.

A submission to a committee is privileged once it is published.

This means that a person is immune from legal action in respect of lodging the submission or any statements contained in it. If a submission is authorised by a committee for publication, its distribution is also immune from legal action.

It is an offence to improperly influence anyone from making a submission, or threaten anyone for making a submission.

Organisations and people from other countries can make submissions to an inquiry. However, protections under parliamentary privilege cannot be enforced outside the United Kingdom.

It is important to note that your publication or re-publication of your submission may not be protected by parliamentary privilege.

Can I make a confidential submission?

Australia

Yes.

It is possible to request that all or part of a submission is confidential. This request should be stated clearly on the front of the submission, and include a reason. The content of a confidential submission will be considered by the committee in their report drafting stage, and it will not appear on the website or be quoted in the report.

Another option is to request anonymity, where the submission appears but your name is not published.

The committee will consider individual requests for confidentiality, but retains the authority to publish any submission. Please note that even if a committee agrees to confidentiality, the document may still be released later on, either by the committee or by the Parliament.

United Kingdom

Yes.

It is possible to request that all or part of a submission is confidential. This request should be stated clearly on the front of the submission, and include a reason. The content of a confidential submission will be considered by the committee in their report drafting stage, and it will not appear on the website or be quoted in the report.

Another option is to request anonymity, where the submission appears but your name is not published.

The committee will consider individual requests for confidentiality, but retains the authority to publish any submission.

Submission checklist

• Is the inquiry currently accepting written submissions from the public? What is the deadline for receipt of submissions by the inquiry?
• Has my submission been written with relevance to the terms of reference of the inquiry?
• Have I provided my return contact details with the submission?
• Have I checked that my submission does not reproduce material that has been published previously?
• For long submissions, have I provided an executive summary, table of contents, and page numbers?
• Have I made a clear recommendation or recommendations for action in my submission?
• Have I ensured that identifying details are excluded from the body of the submission?
• Have I factchecked my claims, verified my references to external material, and provided hyperlinks where possible?
• Have I made contact with the committee secretariat to clarify any questions regarding the application of submission rules?
• If I want to make a confidential submission, have I made this clear on the front of the submission and included reasons for requesting confidentiality?
• Have I considered integrating my submission within my organisation’s government relations strategy?
• If needed, have I set up meetings with key stakeholders to advocate for or support my submission?