THE Agriculture and Water Resources Committee will be travelling to Wagga Wagga on Friday, February 7, as part of its Inquiry into growing Australian agriculture to $100 billion by 2030.
The Committee will be inspecting the research facilities at Charles Sturt University and then holding a public hearing at the university.
The Committee chair, Rick Wilson MP, said, “Charles Sturt University has a strong focus on partnering with industry to develop new precision agriculture techniques and technologies. The Committee looks forward to discussing with Charles Sturt the outcomes of this research and how to ensure Australian farmers have the opportunity to become early adopters of innovative technologies.”
Public hearing details
Date: Friday, 7 February 2020 Time: 12.30pm to 4.45pm Location: Convention Centre, Building 230, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga
QUEENSLAND Resources Council (QRC) chief executive Ian Macfarlane has release a statment on the currnet on mining safety reviews.
"QRC has welcomed the release of the Brady Review into Mining and Quarrying fatalities and two University of Queensland expert legal assessments of coal mining and mining and quarrying legislation," Mr Macfarlane said.
"These reports represent a wealth of information that the resources industry can use to further enhance safety. Last July, QRC committed to working with Minister (Paul) Lynham on the outcomes of these reviews. We restate that commitment now and congratulate the Minister on initiating these important reviews.
"QRC endorses all of the recommendations of the Brady Review. The report represents a detailed analysis of the fatalities, serious accidents and high potential incidents that have occurred in the Queensland mining and quarrying industries over the last 20 years.
"It contains information that industry as a whole can use, as well as being a resource that individual operations can use to help them better manage hazards at their own sites. We thank Dr Sean Brady for his detailed work," Mr Macfarlane said.
The Brady Report identified: “The six fatalities that occurred between July 2018 and July 2019 have been described by some in the industry as evidence of an industry in crisis, but a bleaker assessment is that this is an industry resetting itself to its normal fatality rate.”
Mr MacFarlane said, "This is a very sobering assessment that the industry takes seriously. QRC commits to redoubling efforts to do everything possible to maintain vigilance and remain safe.
"QRC fully accepts that while the mining industry has inherent risk we must always improve the focus on the practical actions that can keep our workers safe. QRC will now undertake further detailed review of Dr Brady’s findings as a matter of urgency.
"We also acknowledge the imminent passage of the Resources Safety and Health Queensland (RSHQ) Bill, which arose out of the CWP inquiry," he said.
"QRC looks forward to working with the Minister, the resources safety inspectorate and worker representatives during the creation of RSHQ.
"QRC is also coordinating work with experts and companies to identify practical programs to implement safety principles identified in Dr Brady’s report.
"The Queensland resources industry is determined to remain a leader in safety, and the industry commits to using the findings of Dr Brady’s report to identify new ways to improve safety for all workers.
"QRC also supports in principle the recommendations of the UQ Legislative Effectiveness Review and looks forward to a full analysis of the respective reviews by the Ministerial Advisory Committees."
THE Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit will hold its first public hearing in Canberra on Friday, 7 February 2020 as part of the Inquiry into the Administration of Government Grants of a number of Government programs and initiatives.
The hearing relates to two Auditor-General’s Reports: Report No. 5 (2019-20), on the topic of the Australian Research Council’s Administration of the National Competitive Grants Program; and Report No. 12 (2019–20), on the topic of the awarding of Funding Under the Regional Jobs and Investment Packages
The public hearing program and further information about the inquiry is available on the Committee’s website.
THOUSANDS of small businesses will see the benefits of faster payment times after Rio Tinto moved to 20-day payment terms for 90 percent of its suppliers.
The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman (ASBFEO) Kate Carnell said this was excellent news for small businesses that trade with Rio Tinto.
“Rio Tinto is showing corporate leadership by changing its payment terms to within 20 days of receipt of invoice, and we are encouraging other big businesses to do the same,” Ms Carnell said.
“We welcome Rio’s new policy, which expands the definition of small business from being those who supply up to $1 million of goods and services to the miner, to also include businesses with annual turnover of up to $10 million. This is a positive move that the small business community will welcome.
“Rio Tinto is demonstrating it understands the needs of Australian small businesses," Ms Carnell said. “Cash flow is always king for small businesses and we know that by paying small businesses on time, the whole economy benefits.
Committee chair George Christensen said the hearing is part of a broader inquiry to seek out and explore the challenges and opportunities faced by Australia’s exporters.
"One of the issues we’ll be looking at on Friday is the potential impact of future export and investment opportunities, including emerging sectors such as Australia’s space industry," Mr Christensen said.
"Australia has an opportunity to be a big part of the growing space industry, which will generate innovation, new technologies and jobs for the future."
The committee will also hear from witnesses in the medicines and health, agriculture and advanced manufacturing industries, as well as small business representatives.
"We know that small businesses are underrepresented in export markets, and often don’t have the significant resources needed to move into exports," Mr Christensen said.
"We are looking forward to hearing about how Australian small businesses can be supported to succeed internationally."
More information about the inquiry, including a full program for Friday’s public hearing, is available on the Committee’s webpage.
Public hearing details
Date: Friday, 7 February 2020 Time: 9am to 2.30pm Location: Committee Room 1R4, Parliament House, Canberra
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