Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee
Scope
The References Committee inquires into and reports on various general matters referred to it by the Senate. Portfolios allocated to the committee since 2009 include defence, veterans' affairs, foreign affairs and trade.
Senators David Fawcett, Helen Kroger, Mark Bishop and Alan Eggleston of the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee posing with a statue of Red Dog during a visit to the Pilbara region as part of the committee's Indian Ocean rim inquiry, 23 April 2013.
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Committee timeline - The Constant Battle: Suicide by Veterans
Reports
Date tabled
Title
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Interim report - Economic and security challenges facing Papua New Guinea and the island states of the southwest Pacific (presented out of session on 27 May 2009)
Economic challenges facing Papua New Guinea and the island states of the southwest Pacific - Volume I
Parliamentary paper number 317/2009
Interim Report: Security challenges facing Papua New Guinea and the island states of the southwest Pacific (presented out of session on 21 December 2009)
Security challenges facing Papua New Guinea and the island states of the southwest Pacific - Volume II
Parliamentary paper number 58/2010
Interim Report: Equity and diversity health check in the Royal Australian Navy—HMAS Success
Parliamentary paper number 68/2010
Report on Parliamentary Privilege - Possible interference in the work of the committee, Inquiry into matters relating to events on HMAS Success
Parliamentary paper number 69/2010
Interim Report: The administration and management of matters relating to Australia's northern air, sea and land approaches in the region of the Torres Strait (presented out of session on 20 August 2010)
Second Interim Report: Equity and diversity health checks in the Royal Australian Navy - HMAS Success (presented out of session on 20 August 2010)
References of the 42nd Parliament (re-adoption of the inquiry into: Australia's administration and management of the Torres Strait; Equity and diversity health checks in the Royal Australian Navy)
The Torres Strait: Bridge and Border (presented out of session on 26 November 2010)
Parliamentary paper number 3/2011
Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade References Committee on the Island of Saibai, 23 March 2010. L-R: Senators Alan Ferguson, Mark Bishop, Helen Kroger, Sue Boyce and Russell Trood.
Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade References Committee on the Island of Saibai, 23 March 2010. L-R: Senators Mark Bishop, Helen Kroger and Russell Trood.
Interim report: Inquiry into the Department of Defence's request for tender for aviation contracts and associated issues (presented out of session on 27 April 2011)
Part I: Incidents onboard HMAS Success between March and May 2009 and subsequent events
Parliamentary paper number 81/2011
Defence's request for tender for aviation contracts
Parliamentary paper number 205/2011
Part II: Incidents onboard HMAS Success between March and May 2009 and subsequent events
Parliamentary paper number 220/2011
Held Hostage: Government's response to kidnapping of Australian citizens overseas
Parliamentary paper number 442/2011
Interim report: Procurement procedures for Defence capital projects (presented out of session on 30 November 2011)
Preliminary report: Procurement procedures for Defence capital projects (presented out of session on 15 December 2011)
Parliamentary paper number 2/2012
Final report: Procurement procedures for Defence capital projects (presented out of session on 30 August 2012)
Parliamentary paper number 253/2012
Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade References Committee members Senators David Fawcett, Alan Eggleston, Ursula Stephens and Mark Bishop, 4 March 2012.
Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade References Committee members Senators David Fawcett, Mark Bishop, Ursula Stephens and Alan Eggleston and others, 6 March 2012.
Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade References Committee members Senators Gary Humphries, Alan Eggleston, Ursula Stephens, David Fawcett and Mark Bishop, 7 March 2012.
Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade References Committee, 8 March 2012.
Australia's overseas development programs in Afghanistan
Parliamentary paper number 118/2013
Importance of the Indian Ocean rim for Australia's foreign, trade and defence policy (presented out of session on 14 June 2013)
Parliamentary paper number 199/2013
Members of the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee with officers from local councils in the Pilbara region, Karratha, WA, 21 April 2013. L-R: John Verbeek, John Lally, Senator David Fawcett, Councillor Bill Dziombak, Senator Helen Kroger, Senator Alan Eggleston [Chair], Tony Friday, Senator Mark Bishop and David Parker.
Committee members Senator Alan Eggleston [Chair] (left) and Senator David Fawcett (second from right) speaking with officers from the Pilbara Regiment in Karratha, WA, 23 April 2013.
Committee member Senator Helen Kroger speaking with a Rio Tinto employee about the operations of its iron ore export site at Dampier Port, 23 April 2013.
Committee members inspecting trains delivering iron ore extracted from mines in the Pilbara region to the Rio Tinto site at Dampier, 23 April 2013.
Committee chair Senator Alan Eggleston inspecting the Port Hedland Port Authority Control Tower with the Port Authority's landside operations manager Jon Giles (right) and Port Hedland councillor Bill Dziombak, 24 April 2013.
Report of the DLA Piper Review and the government's response
Parliamentary paper number 220/2013
Breaches of Indonesian territorial waters
Parliamentary paper number 57/2014
Australia's overseas aid and development assistance program
Parliamentary paper number 58/2014
Korea-Australia Free Trade Agreement
Parliamentary paper number 190/2014
Australia's future activities and responsibilities in the Southern Ocean and Antarctic waters
Parliamentary paper number 325/2014
Processes to support victims of abuse in Defence (presented out of session on 31 October 2014)
Parliamentary paper number 401/2014
Blind agreement: reforming Australia's treaty-making process
Parliamentary paper number 192/2015
Use of unmanned air, maritime and land platforms by the Australian Defence Force
Parliamentary paper number 194/2015
China-Australia Free Trade Agreement
Parliamentary paper number 433/2015
Australia’s relationship with Mexico
Parliamentary paper number 477/2015
Firefighting foam contamination: Part A - RAAF Base Williamtown
Parliamentary paper number 18/2016
Mental health of Australian Defence Force members and veterans
Parliamentary paper number 93/2016
Capability of Defence's physical science and engineering workforce (presented out of session on 1 April 2016)
Parliamentary paper number 151/2016
Interim report: Operations of Defence Housing Australia (presented out of session on 22 April 2016)
Delivery and effectiveness of Australia's bilateral aid program in Papua New Guinea
Parliamentary paper number 184/2016
Firefighting foam contamination: Part B – Army Aviation Centre Oakey and other Commonwealth, state and territory sites
Parliamentary paper number 185/2016
Partial suspension of sanctions against Iran
Parliamentary paper number 186/2016
Planned acquisition of the F-35 Lightning II (Joint Strike Fighter)
Parliamentary paper number 260/2016
Proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement
Parliamentary paper number 4/2017
Operation of the Australian Defence Force’s resistance to interrogation training
Parliamentary paper number 66/2017
Department of Defence's management of credit and other transaction cards
Parliamentary paper number 146/2017
Matters raised by NSW Police Strike Force CIVET
Parliamentary paper number 216/2017
First interim report: Impact of Defence training activities and facilities on rural and regional communities
Parliamentary paper number 235/2017
The constant battle: suicide by veterans
Parliamentary paper number 238/2017
Video [duration 1:18] - Amanda Rishworth MP, second reading speech for the Veterans' Affairs Legislation Amendment (Veteran-centric Reforms No. 2) Bill 2018, 31 May 2018.
Second interim report: Impact of Defence training activities and facilities on rural and regional communities
Parliamentary paper number 301/2017
Third interim report: Impact of Defence training activities and facilities on rural and regional communities
Parliamentary paper number 449/2017
Fourth interim report: Impact of Defence training activities and facilities on rural and regional communities
Parliamentary paper number 23/2018
Progress report: Implications of climate change for Australia’s national security (presented out of session on 17 April 2018)
Final report: Impact of Defence training activities and facilities on rural and regional communities (presented out of session on 11 May 2018)
Parliamentary paper number 164/2018
Implications of climate change for Australia’s national security (presented out of session on 17 May 2018)
Parliamentary paper number 150/2018
Australia’s trade and investment relationships with the countries of Africa
Parliamentary paper number 202/2018
Proposed Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership
Parliamentary paper number 291/2018
Use of the Quinoline anti-malarial drugs Mefloquine and Tafenoquine in the Australian Defence Force
Parliamentary paper number 586/2018
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)
Parliamentary paper number 68/2019
Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee hearing attended by 70 students from Forrest Primary School, 26 November 2018.
Australia’s declarations made under certain international laws
Parliamentary paper number 54/2020
Opportunities for strengthening Australia’s relations with the Republic of France
Parliamentary paper number 190/2020
Issues facing diaspora communities in Australia
Parliamentary paper number 17/2021
Progess report: Accuracy of information provided to Defence Force Retirement and Death Benefits (DFRDB) members (presented out of session on 1 July 2021)
TPI payment (Special Rate of Disability Pension) (presented out of session on 1 July 2021)
Parliamentary paper number 196/2021
Accuracy of information provided to Defence Force Retirement and Death Benefits (DFRDB) members (presented out of session on 2 July 2021)
Parliamentary paper number 199/2021
Funding for public research into foreign policy issues (presented out of session on 17 August 2021)
Parliamentary paper number 229/2021
Progress report: Opportunities for advancing Australia's strategic interests through existing regional architecture (presented out of session on 30 September 2021)
Opportunities for advancing Australia's strategic interests through existing regional architecture (presented out of session on 7 October 2021)
Parliamentary paper number 293/2021
Progress report: Australia's engagement in Afghanistan (presented out of session on 10 December 2021)
Second progress report: Australia's engagement in Afghanistan (presented out of session on 17 December 2021)
Third progress report: Australia's engagement in Afghanistan (presented out of session on 14 January 2022)
Interim report: Australia's engagement in Afghanistan (presented out of session on 21 January 2022)
Parliamentary paper number 7/2022
Fourth progress report: Australia's engagement in Afghanistan (presented out of session on 4 March 2022)
Fifth progress report: Australia's engagement in Afghanistan (presented out of session on 16 March 2022)
Additional estimates 2021-22
Parliamentary paper number 134/2022
Final report: Australia's engagement in Afghanistan (presented out of session on 5 April 2022)
Human rights implications of recent violence in Iran (Presented out of sitting on 1 February 2023) (additional information tabled 25 June 2024)
Adaptive sport programs for Australian Defence Force veterans (presented out of session on 8 May 2023)
Progress report: Adaptive sport programs for Australian Defence Force veterans (presented out of session on 27 April 2023)
Efficacy of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade due diligence framework
Australian support for Ukraine (additional information tabled on 19 and 26 November 2024)
Wrongful detention of Australian citizens overseas
Australia's sanctions regime
Defence honours and awards system (presented out of session on 19 June 2025)
Progress report: Defence honours and awards system (presented out of session on 12 June 2025)
Progress report: Defence honours and awards system (presented out of session on 17 April 2025)
Issues relating to advocacy services for veterans accessing compensation and income support
