I thank the Chairman. I must correct one statement. Not every member of the delegation is a member of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade. This is a parliamentary delegation which has been selected by the various parties within the parliament, although I am quite sure that, if it was not the case before, each member of the delegation has a keen appreciation of matters related to foreign affairs and their relationship with other countries. This is most important.
I will outline briefly the work of our committee. As far as I am aware, it is a unique committee among the parliamentary bodies with which I am familiar in that it is not just a committee on foreign affairs but a committee on foreign affairs, defence and trade. As such, we are responsible for those three portfolios. It was considered by our forebears that each of these three portfolios was interlinked in decision-making. Therefore, the Australian Parliament has always had a Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade. It is the largest committee in the parliament, made up of Members of the House of Representatives and the Senate and members of the government, opposition and minor parties.
We see fit to divide our committee into four sub-committees for each of the portfolios as well as human rights. Each of the sub-committees has its own chairman, usually a former senior Member of Parliament or a former Minister. Each of the sub-committees conducts its own inquiries. Inquiries are also conducted by the main committee.
I will cite examples of the work we undertake. The foreign affairs sub-committee is conducting an inquiry into Australia's relationship with South Korea and developments on the Korean Peninsula. The trade sub-committee is conducting an inquiry into trade and investment opportunities in north Africa, having recently completed a similar inquiry in respect of the Gulf states and central Europe. The defence sub-committee has almost completed an inquiry into and review of Australia's defence relationship with the United States of America which is a very close ally. Australia has fought alongside the United States in every major conflict during the past 100 years. The sub-committee decided this relationship needed to be looked at again because sometimes long-standing agreements between countries are taken for granted and not looked at as keenly as they should be. The sub-committee will report before Christmas. The human rights sub-committee is examining human rights dialogues and their effectiveness with particular emphasis on the human rights dialogues ongoing with China.
Each of the sub-committees conducts its own inquiries and reports back. Their reports are authorised by the main committee which then reports to parliament. We do not report to the government but to parliament, which then debates it. The main committee occasionally takes on significant inquiries. For example, in 2001, we conducted a two-year inquiry into Australia's role and relationship with the United Nations in the post-Cold War era, which also included reform of the United Nations and some recommendations that we put to our parliament.
In the lifetime of the previous parliament, we had a watching brief on the war on terror, whereby, owing to the federal nature of our country, we had to examine the preparedness of state authorities in particular to respond and react to a potential terrorist attack. When an event or terrorist attack takes place, one of the problems is that the local authorities are the first on the scene. In such circumstances, who decides whether it is a terrorist attack or a common criminal act? We, therefore, had to consider all the relationships between our state and federal bodies in responding and reacting to terrorist attack. That was just one aspect at which we looked.
We also examined the ability of hospitals to handle mass injuries, particularly burns victims. We had some insight into that, of course, because of the Bali bombing. Australian hospitals, particularly in Darwin, were put under a great deal of pressure and reacted magnificently. We had to consider instant reactions.
That is some of the work that our committee does. On this visit, we spent a week in Turkey before coming here since, as well as the common interest that we have with Turkey because of the importance of Anzac Day and the Gallipoli landings in our history and the formation of our nation, our relationship with that country has been quite strong. Issues have arisen regarding Anzac Day, such as the remaking of a road at the site, together with Turkey's application to accede to the European Union, which was a hot topic when we were there. We had a very interesting six days.
It might be best if we open the meeting to general questions in order that people can ask each other things if they wish. We would certainly be willing to answer any questions that might come our way, and some of my colleagues may have some for the members on issues relating to the committee's foreign affairs responsibilities.