Submissions are arguments made by lawyers or core participants which set out their position around an issue. They highlight the various points which may then be dealt with at a hearing.
Submissions essentially try to persuade the Inquiry Chair in relation to their position or viewpoint, or how he should prioritise competing requirements. They are usually a mix of legal argument and facts.
In general, submissions refer to written document , but it is also used to refer to the oral arguments made during a hearing, whether setting out the principal points of the written submission, or making new points in response to points raised in the submissions of others.
In the Inquiry, it has been customary for all parties to submit written submissions at the same time. There are occasionally follow up responses, when one party responds to points raised by another but which they did not address in their own original submissions. Usually however, such responses are kept for oral hearings.
Written submissions may have exhibits, schedules or annexes, the latter two often used to set out tables of information which may be too large to include in the main text.