AT A PUBLIC hearing tomorrow, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works will scrutinise a proposal from the Department of Defence to commence Phase 1 of the AIR555 facilities project at RAAF Bases in Edinburgh, Darwin, and Townsville, as well as the Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands.
Chair of the Committee, Andrew Wallace MP, said the Committee was looking forward to hearing more from state and territory governments as they have primary responsibility for housing and homelessness.
"Throughout the inquiry, the Committee has heard evidence about the central role of state and territory governments in supporting those in our community who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Last week we heard from the Northern Territory government, and this week’s hearing will be an opportunity to hear from other states and territories about their strategies to address homelessness, and how they are working with the Commonwealth under the National Housing and Homelessness Agreement," Mr Wallace said.
"The Committee will also be interested to hear more about measures implemented by state and territory governments to assist the homeless during the COVID-19 pandemic."
The Committee will also hear from community organisations including the Sacred Heart Mission and the Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency.
In order to ensure public safety during the COVID-19 situation, witnesses will participate in the hearing remotely, via teleconference. Interested members of the public are invited to listen to the live broadcast, available at aph.gov.au/live.
Further information, including hearing programs and submissions to the inquiry, is available on the Committee’s website.
Public hearing details
Date: Friday, 7 August 2020 Time: 8.45am to 3pm Location: Via teleconference
Senator David Fawcett, Chair of the Parliament’s Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee, said Home Affairs had played a central role in the Australian Government’s response the COVID-19 pandemic.
Senator Fawcett said, “Home Affairs has a wide-reaching portfolio and the committee looks forward to hearing about its management of the pandemic and the contributions it plans to make to Australia’s recovery and future resilience, especially through the management of Australia’s critical infrastructure.”
Witnesses from Home Affairs will give evidence on the Department’s work coordinating Australia’s pandemic response as well as its functions in immigration and border security.
Full terms of reference for the inquiry are on the Committee website.
Public hearing details
Date: Thursday 6 August Time: 3pm – 4.30pm AEST Location: By teleconference
PEAK industry body, the Accommodation Association said yesterday the decision to close the Queensland border to NSW and ACT is "disappointing given there has only been a total of 21 cases in the past four weeks".
Accommodation Association CEO Dean Long said, “The Accommodation Sector agrees that health considerations must be at the forefront of decision making however this decision comes with absolutely no warning and will now mean an acceleration of job losses in Queensland’s tourism sector.
“The closing of Queensland’s border to the whole of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory when there have been just 21 cases in total over the past month, less than one case a day, is extremely disappointing," he said.
“It is absolutely critical that we get the balance right between protecting lives and protecting jobs. The flow-on ramifications of slamming shut borders are huge.
"This decision not only costs Queensland lost revenue from tourism but the reverse applies back into New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. This is a decision which has very real, very damaging consequences for hotels, motels and serviced apartment providers, for all those tourism and tourism-related businesses and communities and for the economies of those impacted states and territories," Mr Long said.
The Queensland Premier’s decisions impact more than just Queensland and we need a more collaborative and constructive approach.
“The Queensland Government and Chief Medical Officer must release the details of the rationale they are basing their decisions on in expanding hot spots so that businesses can understand and prepare. Decisions such as the one taken today destroy the confidence of businesses and tourism reliant communities.”
Mr Long said accommodation contributes $17 billion to the Australian economy and is essential to the Australian tourism sector’s recovery. NSW visitors contribute $4.4 billion to Queensland’s economy each year and ACT $243 million each year, according to Tourism Research Australia and Queensland visitors contribute $3.34 billion to NSW’s economy and $225 million to the ACT’s economy.
About The Accommodation Association
The Accommodation Association represents close to 3,500 hotels, over 150,000 rooms and nearly 100,000 employees across Australia. The Accommodation Association represents over 80 percent of all known accommodation providers from small regional parks, caravan parks, serviced apartments and resorts through to the largest hotel groups in the world including Accor, Hilton, Wyndam Destinations and IHG. (https://www.aaoa.com.au/About-Us/The-Association).
THE House of Representatives Committee on Tax and Revenue will be holding a public hearing for its inquiry into the Commissioner of Taxation Annual Report 2018-19.
The Committee will hear from Nina E. Olson, executive director of the Center for Taxpayer Rights and former United States taxpayer advocate, who will offer a valuable international perspective on tax administration.
Chair of the Committee, Jason Falinski MP, said the Committee was interested to learn more about the taxation system of the United States and the ways in which the United States Internal Revenue Service assists vulnerable taxpayers.
"The Committee has a strong interest in taxpayer engagement with the tax system and ensuring that people with low tax literacy or vulnerable taxpayers are not unfairly treated in a complex system of self-assessment. We look forward to hearing about the approach of the United States and the taxpayer advocate in this regard," Mr Falinski said.
Further information about the inquiry is available on the Committee’s website.
Public hearing details
Date: Thursday, 13 August 2020 Time: 8am to 9am Location: Committee Room 2R1, Parliament House, Canberra (via video/teleconference)
The hearings will be broadcast live at aph.gov.au/live.
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