THE House Standing Committee on Economics will hold public hearings in western Sydney, the Hawkesbury and the Central West from May 7–10 as part of its inquiry into insurers’ responses to 2022 major floods claims.

Committee Chair Daniel Mulino MP said the inquiry had heard from regulators, insurance companies and consumer advocacy and legal rights groups and, “Now we want to hear firsthand from the locals in some of the worst-hit regions.”

The committee will hold public hearings at Cabonne Community Centre, Molong on Tuesday May 7; Eugowra Bowling Club, Eugowra on Wednesday May 8; Richmond Club, Richmond on Thursday May 9; and at Mantra Parramatta, at Parramatta,  on Friday May 10.

The committee has recently held hearings in south-east Queensland, Lismore NSW, Maribyrnong (western Melbourne) and regional Victoria.

The committee will next travel to Molong and Eugowra in central-west NSW, which were devastated by unprecedented flash flooding in November 2022. The committee will also hear evidence in Richmond from communities along the Hawkesbury-Nepean River, which was hit by back-to-back flood events in February 2020, March 2021, March, April and July 2022 – the worst flood since 1978 – October 2022, and again in April this year. The committee will then take evidence in Parramatta in western Sydney.

Dr Mulino said the committee would hear from affected councils, community organisations and businesses, which are being invited to give evidence at roundtable discussions. Organisations that wish to contribute can email their interest to the committee secretariat at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Expressions of interest are also sought from residents to give a three to four-minute public statement about their experience with their insurers. Dr Mulino urged people “with a story to share, and who are willing to go on the public record, to register – as soon as possible – their interest in appearing”.

The committee would like to hear about any of the following issues:

• the experiences of policyholders before, during and after making claims;
• timeframes for resolving claims;
• obstacles to resolving claims;
• insurers’ communication with policyholders;
• accessibility, affordability and quality of hydrology reports and other expert assessments;
• affordability of insurance premiums;
• claimants’ experiences of insurers’ dispute resolution processes..

People who wish to make a public statement should email a one or two sentence summary of their experience to the committee secretariat at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. They should write 'Public hearing' and the hearing location (Molong, Eugowra, Richmond or Parramatta) in the subject line and include the full name(s) for each person who wants to participate, as well as a contact number and email address.

Dr Mulino said not everyone may be able to be accommodated on the day.

“We know that in some of these places almost everyone has a story to tell," Dr Mulino said. "But for anyone who misses out or who wishes to provide information to the committee, there is still time to make a public or confidential submission, and/or complete our online survey.”

More than 400 people have completed the survey about their experience with their insurer. The survey is open until July 31 and is available here.

Submissions can be uploaded through this online link or emailed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. until July 31, 2024.

Programs for the hearings will be posted on the inquiry website closer to the time. A live audio stream of the hearings will be available on the APH website.

For further information contact the Committee secretariat on 02 6277 4707 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Public hearings, May 2024:

Molong, NSW

Date: 7 May 2024
Time: 9am (tbc)
Location: Cabonne Community Centre, 98 Bank St, Molong

Eugowra, NSW

Date: 8 May 2024
Time: 9am (tbc)
Location: Eugowra Bowling Club, 5 Hill St, Eugowra

Richmond, NSW

Date: 9 May 2024
Time: 9am (tbc)
Location: Richmond Club, 6 E Market St, Richmond

Parramatta, NSW

Date: 10 May 2024
Time: 9am (tbc)
Location: Mantra Parramatta, Parramatta

For more information about the Economics Committee and its flood inquiry, visit its website.

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THE House of Representatives Standing Committee on Regional Development, Infrastructure and Transport has extended the submission deadline by four weeks to May 31 this year for its inquiry into local government sustainability.

Chair of the committee, Luke Gosling MP said, "The committee recognises the importance of this inquiry to inform a deeper understanding of local government financial sustainability and service delivery obligations. The scope of the inquiry’s terms of reference covers a range of complexities across financial frameworks, skills development, labour hire practices, infrastructure, and asset management."

Mr Gosling said due to the high level of interest received to date, "the committee has agreed to extend the inquiry submission deadline by four weeks to Friday, 31 May 2024. The committee appreciates that many government and other organisations are keen to contribute to this important inquiry and is seeking to understand the challenges faced by local governments in servicing infrastructure requirements for their communities."

The committee is welcoming submissions from interested organisations and individuals by May 31. Further information on the inquiry, including the terms of reference and how to contribute, is available on the committee’s website.

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THE Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit (JCPAA) will conduct the first public hearings on Friday April 19 for its inquiries on the 2022-23 Commonwealth Financial Statements and on the failed visa privatisation process and the implementation of other public sector IT procurements and projects.

Details

Date: Friday 19 April 2024
Time: 10am – 3.30pm (AEST)
Venue: Committee Room 2R1, Parliament House

Program
Inquiry into Commonwealth Financial Statements 2022-23
10am-11.15am:       

Australian National Audit Office [IT and AI matters raised in the audit – roundtable]
Australian National Audit Office
Department of Home Affairs
Department of Finance
Digital Transformation Agency
Australian Signals Directorate
Department of Industry, Science and Resources
12.15pm         Break

Inquiry into the failed visa privatisation process and the implementation of other public sector IT procurements and projects
1pm           Australian National Audit Office
                  Department of Home Affairs
2.30pm      Australian National Audit Office
3.30pm      Close

The hearings will be broadcast live and will be accessible from the Parliament House website at www.aph.gov.au/live.

Details on the inquiries – including the terms of reference and submissions received – are available on the Committee website.

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AT THE REQUEST of the Attorney-General, the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) has commenced a review of the Counter-Terrorism Legislation Amendment (Declared Areas) Bill 2024.

The amendments in the Bill would ensure the continuation of the declared areas offence in section 119.2 of the Criminal Code Act 1995. The offence, which is due to sunset on September 7, 2024, is an element of the Australian Government’s efforts to stop Australians becoming foreign fighters.

The Bill would extend the offence for another three years, to September 7, 2027, and would also provide that section 119.3—the provision under which the Minister for Foreign Affairs can declare an area for the purpose of the offence in section 119.2—also ceases to have effect on September 7, 2027.

Chair of the PJCIS, Peter Khalil MP said, "The committee welcomes the referral of the Counter-Terrorism Legislation Amendment (Declared Areas) Bill 2024. We look forward to receiving submissions from interested parties on the ongoing utility of the declared areas offences, which have been an important part of the Australian Government’s counter-terrorism efforts.

“Since the introduction of these offences, periodic review by this committee has ensured they are subject to ongoing parliamentary scrutiny and that the requirements of national security are constantly balanced against the rights of the individual," Mr Khalil said.

Submissions to the inquiry are invited by April 29, 2024.

Further information on the inquiry can be obtained from the Committee’s website.

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