THE Housing Industry Association (HIA) has today called for the Workplace Relations Legislation Amendment (Building Cooperative Workplaces No. 1) Bill 2026 to be referred to a parliamentary committee "for thorough review and proper scrutiny, after the Bill was tabled in the House of Representatives with no prior consultation with industry,” according to HIA senior executive director for compliance and workplace relations, Stuart Collins.

“This Bill is being sold as a modest administrative tidy-up of the Fair Work Commission. It is not," Mr Collins said.

“It contains wide-ranging reforms with significant implications for the residential construction industry, procurement frameworks, workforce costs and the capacity of builders to deliver the homes Australians need.

“The Federal Government is making a bad habit of tabling substantial workplace relations reforms with no notice, no industry engagement and no consideration of cumulative impact," Mr Collins said.

“This is particularly concerning given the large number of legislative reviews currently underway that will impose future workplace relations reforms. HIA’s immediate concerns with this Bill are numerous.

“The Bill effectively fast-tracks the Commonwealth’s Secure Australian Jobs Code, which is still in the consultation and development phase and for which industry raised numerous concerns," he said.

“Further, while the reforms in the Bill are presented as routine, the practical effect is to entrench enterprise bargaining as the only workplace arrangement the government views as legitimate.

“The Bill also proposes to loosen the threshold requirements for unfair dismissal and general protections applications before the Fair Work Commission. Lowering the evidentiary bar for applications will increase the volume of speculative claims and drive-up compliance and legal costs for small businesses.

“HIA is also concerned about the Bill’s changes to the high-income threshold for road transport contractors, granting a specially carved-out threshold to allow access to Fair Work protections in one industry alone. If extended to construction, the ramifications for project costs and workforce management would be severe," he said.

“HIA is not opposed to practical workplace relations reform, but we are opposed to reform that is rushed, opaque, and designed without input from those who will carry its costs most, being the small and medium-sized businesses.

“The government has an ambitious housing supply target. Every piece of policy that increases cost, uncertainty or administrative burden on residential builders moves that target further out of reach.

“HIA calls for this Bill to be referred to a parliamentary committee for proper scrutiny, with meaningful timeframes for industry and community feedback and public hearings. This should also be deferred until the findings and government responses to other concurrent reviews currently underway have been handed down. The residential building sector deserves nothing less,” Mr Collins said.

www.hia.com.au

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TODAY, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works released an updated version of the committee’s 'Procedure Manual’.

The committee’s Procedure Manual is an official Parliamentary document that provides guidance to Commonwealth Government entities required to engage with the committee to gain approval for applicable proposed public works.

The Procedure Manual outlines the committee’s functions and responsibilities and the processes that need to be followed for the referral of major works, and the notification and approval of ‘Medium Works’.

The procedures outlined in the Procedure Manual are mandatory, and relevant entities must comply with these when planning applicable proposed public works projects.

The latest version of the Procedure Manual, Edition 9.7, includes technical changes in compliance with the regulatory requirements of the Department of Finance, updated language to more accurately reflect current committee and Parliamentary practices, and revised guidance around the expected per-square-metre cost for office fit-out projects that account for the inflationary impacts of recent years and reflect current market rates.

These updates also reinforce the stated expectations of the committee regarding entity requirements to seek the best value for money options when considering projects, as well as the requirement to engage with the committee at the earliest possible opportunity and to factor in flexibility regarding timing and processes for referrals.

Note: the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works is not involved in the tendering process, awarding of contracts or details of the proposed works. Enquiries on these matters should be directed to the relevant Commonwealth entities.

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THE House of Representatives Standing Committee on Regional Development, Infrastructure and Transport’s inquiry into local government funding will hear from the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) and Geoscape Australia this week.

The committee wants to better understand from ALGA how local government can be supported to help deliver on national priorities across improved community wellbeing, reduced inequality, productivity and environmental protection.

The committee will also hear from Geoscape Australia to discuss its role as the nation’s location intelligence organisation, using location data to deliver geospatial capabilities and insights to support local government and business.

Committee Chair, Fiona Phillips, said, “The committee will be particularly interested in hearing ALGA’s views on whether existing funding mechanisms are working and to identify how funding arrangements affect local government’s ability to deliver services and local infrastructure.

“In regard to Geoscape Australia, the committee looks forward to hearing how Geoscape services can assist local governments with better infrastructure planning, climate resilience, energy management, and how to manage the damage from natural disasters such as flooding.”

Further information on the inquiry, including the terms of reference and how to contribute, is available on the Committee’s website.

Public hearing

Date: Thursday, 4 June 2026
Time: 11am – 12.30pm
Location: Committee Room 1R3, 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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THE House of Representatives Standing Committee on Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, June 3, as part of its inquiry into solar panel reuse and recycling.

The inquiry was referred on January 19 this year by the Minister for the Environment and Water, Senator Murray Watt.

The public hearing will provide an opportunity for the dommittee to question officials from the CSIRO about photovoltaic research projects that the agency has been working on—including printable solar cells, perovskite-based cells and tandem cells — and how these may assist the development of a circular economy for solar panels in Australia.

Committee Chair, Anne Urquhart MP said, “The committee will discuss the innovative research work the CSIRO is undertaking on solar cell development to enhance the reuse and recycling potential of future solar panels.

“We are also keen to unpack the barriers to reuse and recycling of solar panels that CSIRO has identified in its submission to the inquiry, including further research and development required into ways to sustainably recycle silicon, silver and copper from panels—and a current lack of capital investment for specialised recycling machinery," Ms Urquhart said.

Public hearing details:

Date:               Wednesday, 3 June 2026
Time:               10am to 11am AEST (Canberra)
Location:         Committee Room 1R6, Parliament House Canberra and online (audio only).

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

Hearing with:   CSIRO

Further information, including the terms of reference, can be found on the committee’s website.

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