THE Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) will hold a public hearing for its Review of the mandatory data retention regime.

The chair, Andrew Hastie MP, said, "This hearing will allow the committee to hear from key users of data retained under the meta data retention regime. Hearing from Home Affairs, ASIO and law enforcement on the mandatory data retention regime will allow the committee to explore the sensitive issues around the use of telecommunications data."

The mandatory data retention regime is the legislative framework which requires carriers, carriage service providers and internet service providers to retain a defined set of telecommunications data for two years, ensuring that such data remains available for law enforcement and national security investigations.

Public hearing details

Date: 28 February 2020
Time: 8.30am – 4.3 pm
Location: Committee Room 2R1, Parliament House, Canberra

A full program for the hearing can be found here.

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

THE Institute of Public Accountants (IPA) has commended the Federal Government for finally bringing the Superannuation Guarantee (SG) amnesty for employers to fruition.

“The IPA has long advocated for this one-off amnesty which allows employers to clean the slate by paying historical SG underpayments,” said IPA chief executive officer, Andrew Conway.

“Single Touch Payroll (STP) has increased the level of transparency around when employers make SG contributions on behalf of employees.  It is, therefore, an opportune time for employers to make good any outstanding SG liability without the full draconian penalty regime applying, which has acted as a disincentive for many to come forward.

“While any non-payment of this worker entitlement represents wage theft; a practice never to be condoned, the IPA has supported this amnesty period as it incentivises employers to come forward and do the right thing by their employees by paying any unpaid superannuation in full," he said.

“We acknowledge that small businesses can sometimes experience cash flow issues, making them vulnerable when it comes to meeting their SG obligations by the required due date.  This amnesty gives them time to atone.

“At the end of the day money is being directed into employee’s superannuation accounts with some interest added and that’s a good thing. Employers now have six months to pay outstanding SG amounts to their employees.

“Those that do not take advantage of this one-off amnesty will face significantly higher penalties if they are subsequently caught. In addition, throughout the amnesty period the ATO will continue its usual enforcement activity against employers,” Mr Conway said.

www.publicaccountants.org.au

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THE Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works has announced that it will scrutinise one new proposal from the Department of Defence, and one from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.

Details of the projects are:

• Department of Defence— RAAF Base Tindal Redevelopment Stage 6 and United States Force Posture Initiative Airfield Works—$1,174 million—Tindal, Northern Territory.
• Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority— Proposal for critical safety works for the continued safe operation of the National Education Centre for the Great Barrier Reef, Reef HQ—$26.9 million — Townsville, Queensland.

It is anticipated that the committee will conduct public and in-camera hearings for the inquiries in April and May 2020.

The committee wants to hear from all individuals or organisations interested in the inquiries. Submissions for Reef HQ will be accepted until April 3, 2020, and until April 9, 2020 for the RAAF Tindal proposal.

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

For more information about this committee, visit its website.

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QUEENSLAND has lost ground in the latest global survey of mining companies and investors, falling two places to number 15 in the world for investment attractiveness.

Queensland Resources Council (QRC) chief executive Ian Macfarlane said the results in the Fraser Institute Annual Survey of Mining Companies sent a clear message that Queensland can’t become complacent in a field of intense global competition.

“This is a wake-up call for Queensland that we can’t take our place as a resources superpower for granted,” Mr Macfarlane said.

“World class and abundant mineral resources are not enough. These results show that Queensland must work harder to attract international investment in the projects that create jobs and support regional communities.

“The well-respected Fraser Institute survey puts Queensland at number 15 out of 76 jurisdictions. While Queensland is well clear of both Victoria (43) and New South Wales (47) when it comes to being open for business, it is significantly behind Western Australia which is now ranked number one for investment attractiveness. South Australia (6) and the Northern Territory (13) also outrank Queensland.

“This hasn’t come out of the blue, but Queensland must heed the warning. In the past 12 months there have been several examples that have raised industry concern about policy and consultation on significant issues that could affect investment and jobs. 

"Examples include a proposed significant expansion to the area of land locked up from gas development in western Queensland under the Pristine Rivers policy, a sudden 25 per cent hike in the gas royalty rate, and lack of consultation on important issues such as methane regulations and cultural heritage.  

“QRC is also seeking to ensure appropriate consultation on matters relating to workforce and regional investment. Queensland should be on equal footing with Western Australia given both states are blessed with abundant resources and have significant regional communities with world-class skills and expertise. 

“It is essential that Queensland has policies that provide clear, consistent and transparent regulations and timeframes for project applications and assessments. It is equally as important to have a stable and transparent system for royalty taxes and a clear framework for environmental assessments and approvals.

“QRC will be consulting with the Government, Opposition and crossbench in the lead up to the state election to reinforce the importance of a long-term plan to attract new resources investments across a range of commodities. This will be especially important if Queensland wants to turn the potential of the North West Minerals Province into a reality.”

Queensland was ranked number 31 on the Policy Perception Index and number 11 on the Best Practices Mineral Potential Index.

The Fraser Institute Annual Survey of Mining Companies is available here: https://www.fraserinstitute.org/studies/annual-survey-of-mining-companies-2019.

www.qrc.org.au

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