| Type of parliamentary body |
Specialized |
| Nature |
Permanent |
| Related to chambers |
Nationalrat
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| Date of creation |
26 February 1993 |
| Last renewal date |
N/A |
| Mandate |
The Committee supervises compliance with relevant national and international standards, prepares legislative proposals, examines policies, examines individual complaints and discusses the status of women and gender equality issues at home and abroad. |
| Membership |
For the purpose of preliminary deliberation of items of business, the National Council elects committees. The National Council determines the number of members and substitute members of each committee. The members and substitute members are recruited from the parliamentary groups in proportion to their number of members. The parliamentary groups communicate to the President the names of the members and substitute members to which they are entitled, who are thereupon considered elected. As of September 2007 the Committee had 27 members.
<p> Composition by sex: 12 men (30%), 19 women (70%) |
| Working methods |
The Chairperson convenes committee meetings, opening and closing them. Committees are deemed to have a quorum if more than half of their members are present. Such a quorum is only required for votes and elections. At the beginning of deliberations on an item of business the committee elects a rapporteur, on whose proposal the item of business may be discussed in its entirety or in part or during separate general and special debates. The committee Chairperson recognizes the members who have asked for the floor in the order in which they made their request. Unless expressly decided otherwise, all committee decisions are taken with a majority of the members present. The members of the federal government and the State secretaries have the right to participate in all of the proceedings of the committees. The committees may also require the presence of members of the federal government at their deliberations. Although the committee sessions of the National Council are not generally open to the public, the rules of procedure of the National Council make an exception in several special instances. For example, the public is admitted to deliberations on federal government reports being finalized by a committee, and not therefore discussed in a plenary session of the National Council, and to fundamental debates on referendum petitions at which experts and witnesses are heard. |
| Relations with other parliamentary bodies |
There is only an informal exchange of information between the members of the committees (because members of the Committee for Equal Treatment Affairs are also members of other committees). |
| Relations with external bodies |
In Austria there is a relationship with the federal Minister for Health and Women's Affairs and with the Representative for Equal Treatment. The Committee may summon experts (the Representative for Equal Treatment) to provide information orally or in writing. |
| Subjects dealt with |
- Reports of the federal government on the reduction in the disadvantages facing women
<br>- Federal equal treatment reports
<br>- Joint report of the Ministry for Health and Women's Affairs and the Ministry of Economics and Labour on the execution of the equal treatment legislation
<br>- Motions concerning gender mainstreaming in the world of sports, re-entry to a job, the harmonization of pension systems, especially the effects on women's pensions, and the fairness of chances for women. |
| CONTACT INFORMATION |
| Main address |
Parlamentsdirektion
A-1017 Wien
Austria |
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PRESIDING OFFICER(S)
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SECRETARY
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| Name |
Mr. Gerhard Koller |
| Notes |
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| Address (if different from above) |
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| Phone |
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| Fax |
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| E-mail |
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| web site: |
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| Notes |
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| Address (if different from above) |
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| Phone |
+43 1 - 4011 02 64 47
+ 43 676 - 89 00 26 44 |
| Fax |
+43 1 - 4011 02536 |
| E-mail |
gerhard.koller@parlament.gv.at |
| web site: |
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| Notes |
Information received on: 23 November 2005; updated on 21 November 2006, on 21 November 2007 |
