THE Joint Standing Committee on Treaties will hold a public hearing for its inquiry into the Papua New Guinea – Australia Mutual Defence Treaty (the Pukpuk Treaty) at 11.00am on March 23, 2026.

The Treaty aims to expand and modernise Australia and Papua New Guinea’s security and defence ties through creating mutual defence and consultation obligations, allowing for the conduct of Defence Cooperation Activities in each other’s territory, and providing frameworks to govern visiting forces.

The committee will examine how the Treaty will impact the security, defence and domestic circumstances of both countries.

Committee Chair, Lisa Chesters MP, said, "Australia and Papua New Guinea share deep historical and cultural ties, and also a strong defence partnership. As our closest neighbour, Australia’s relationship with Papua New Guinea is one of our most important.

‘The committee is interested in whether the Treaty contributes to Australia’s national interests and security, including how the Treaty could enhance our role as a trusted partner of the Pacific."

The committee will hear evidence from the Department of Defence and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade at the public hearing.

Public hearing details

Date: Monday, 23 March 2026
Time: 11am - 1pm AEDT (approximately)
Location: Committee Room 2R1, Parliament House Canberra

The hearing will be broadcast live at aph.gov.au/live.

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THE Essential Services Commission has commenced civil penalty proceedings in the Supreme Court of Victoria against energy retailer Engie.

Engie is the fifth largest energy retailer in the state, with 180,000 electricity and 155,000 gas residential customers in Victoria.

The commission has alleged that between January 23, 2024, and November 14, 2024, Engie broke Victorian energy laws by:

• failing to assist customers experiencing financial difficulties;
• failing to provide family violence protections;
• failing to follow rules designed to prevent bill shock;
• collecting debts from customers receiving financial difficulty assistance.

The customers identified in court documents include pensioners, a family violence victim-survivor, a single parent and a carer.

Each of the customers sought help from Engie due to financial hardship. The commission alleged that Engie’s failure to provide these customers with timely or adequate assistance as legally required, caused them significant harm.

The commission is seeking civil penalties and other remedies including declarations, contravention orders and adverse publicity orders.

The commission established a taskforce to investigate Engie after receiving a referral from the Energy and Water Ombudsman Victoria (EWOV), last year. EWOV had received an influx of complaints about Engie, and its data showed Engie had become the state's most complained about energy retailer. 

The work of the taskforce is ongoing, and the commission will consider further enforcement measures based on its findings.

Essential Services Commission chairperson and commissioner, Gerard Brody said, “After conducting a detailed investigation, we allege Engie failed to adequately assist some of its most vulnerable customers when they sought help with paying their bills.

“This is the third enforcement action the commission has taken against Engie in the past 18 months. We fined them $1.7 million in September 2024, $1.2 million last November, and we believe these latest allegations warrant the court’s attention,” Mr Brody said.

“Energy retailers in Victoria have a responsibility to assist customers struggling to pay their bills. We consider Engie’s failures are serious, which is why we’re taking Engie to the Supreme Court of Victoria," he said.

“The commission continues to focus on ensuring consumers experiencing vulnerability are given fair access to essential services. These customers are often doing everything they can to keep their head above water, so when support fails them the effects can be outsized and ongoing.”

According to the commission, in November 2025, Engie paid more than $1.2 million for allegedly failing to respond to customer complaints about billing issues in a timely manner. One customer waited over a year to have their bill reviewed.

Engie also paid almost $1.7 million in September 2024 for alleged family violence and performance reporting failures. The family violence failures impacted 65 customers over a period of four years.

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THE Electoral Matters Committee will be conducting public hearings in Hobart and Devonport as part of its inquiry into the 2025 Federal Election.

Committee Chair, Jerome Laxale MP said, "Australian polling booths are the envy of the world as welcoming places of civic participation and good-natured competition. Yet for many voters and campaigners, the 2025 election was one of the most unpleasant and confronting in their memory.

"During this inquiry, the committee has taken the time to listen to ordinary Australians make statements about their experiences at the 2025 Federal Election. These valuable experiences will contribute to the committee’s work of restoring the overwhelmingly positive experience Australians have when voting," Mr Laxale said.

The committee will be holding hearings in Hobart on April 28 this year and in Devonport on April 29.

To register interest in making a five-minute statement at upcoming hearings, contact the Committee Secretariat at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

‘The committee is also expected to take evidence on Tasmania’s approach to administering polling booths at state elections, and the views of Tasmanians on expanding the size of the Australian Parliament," Mr Laxale said..

Further information on the 2025 election inquiry can be found at the inquiry webpage. Committee details can be found at the Committee’s webpage.

Public hearing details

Date: Tuesday, 28 April 2026.
Location: Parliament House, Parliament Square, Hobart.

Date: Wednesday, 29 April 2026.
Location: paranaple Convention Centre, 137 Rooke Street, Devonport.

Programs for these upcoming hearings will be advertised on the committee’s public hearings webpage as they are finalised. The hearing will be broadcast live at aph.gov.au/live.

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The hearing will bring together experts from the humanities and social sciences, language education, and international relations to explore how the Australian education system builds our understanding of and capability to engage with Asia.

Committee Chair Tim Watts MP said, “Australia’s future in our region depends on our ability to understand it deeply and engage with it confidently.

“Humanities and language teaching experts who specialise in Asia understand the importance of interpreting the cultural, social, and historical forces shaping our region’s future, and they play an important role in building our next generation of Asia-capable Australians," Mr Watts said.

“We know our workforce needs a far broader set of skills to navigate the strategic and economic shifts taking place across the region.”

The hearing will form part of the committee’s comprehensive picture of how the education system can drive the development of Asia capability. The committee will identify practical, long‑term measures which can ensure the education system plays a central role in preparing Australians for the opportunities and challenges of a rapidly changing region.

Public hearing

Date: Wednesday, 18 March 2026
Time: 11.30am – 2.30pm (AEDT)
Location: Committee Room 2R1, Parliament House, Canberra

A program for the public hearing is available on the inquiry website. A live broadcast of the hearing will also be available on the APH website.

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