THE Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) is busy finalising its consideration of the Inquiry into the impact of the exercise of law enforcement and intelligence powers on the freedom of the press.

The chair, Andrew Hastie MP, said, "The Committee has received considerable evidence from submitters and witnesses regarding the media and their ability to operate effectively within Australia’s democratic society. All members are endeavouring to achieve a bipartisan report, which delivers tangible areas for reform and consideration. This will not be possible by the end of November."

The deputy chair, Anthony Byrne MP, said. "As this inquiry has progressed, the complexity and nuances of the issues raised have become acutely emphasised to the Committee. The ability for the Committee to make targeted recommendations is reliant on time, and the Committee would rather report later to ensure that occurs."

The Committee has written to the Attorney-General informing him of the later reporting requirement, with the undertaking to present a report in the week before Christmas at the latest.

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

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THE Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Kate Carnell is calling on the Federal Government to make it easier for hard-working Australians’ wages and entitlements to be calculated correctly and paid on time.

“We want Australian workers to be paid what they are owed, at the right time,” Ms Carnell said.

“While the vast majority of small businesses fulfil their obligations to their employees, the award system itself is overly complicated and fluid, which can sometimes lead to the employer making honest mistakes.

“Of course employers who deliberately flout the law should be punished, but any new penalties for incorrect payments should take the complexity of the system into account," she said.

“It is critical small businesses be given the chance to rectify payment errors, when it’s clear the mistake was unintentional, rather than being automatically penalised. When penalties do apply, they should be proportionate to the nature of the breach. A fine that a large corporation could absorb, could devastate a small business.

“Small businesses are often run by a single person who does everything from management, to IT and payroll. That makes it difficult for them stay on top of award changes within the elaborate industrial relations system.

“Recent media stories of very large and high-profile Australian businesses who employ skilled and experienced HR teams, underpaying staff highlights the complexity of the award system. That’s why my office is calling for simplification of numerous industry awards, to help reduce payment errors and administration costs," Ms Carnell said.

"The rollout of single touch payroll provides an opportunity to calculate award wages and entitlements through an algorithm integrated into accounting software such as Xero, MYOB, Quicken and other software systems. This payment algorithm could be owned and updated by the Fair Work Commission to ensure correct wages and entitlements are correct and up-to-date.

“Finally, small and family businesses should not have to carry any additional administrative burden prompted by new proposals, particularly when they act quickly to resolve any errors that have been brought to their attention.”

www.asbfeo.gov.au

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THE Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, Kate Carnell has welcomed the Federal Government’s new measures announced as part of its Deregulation Agenda and looks forward to working closely with the taskforce on its key priorities.  

“The next wave of deregulation reform, announced by Prime Minister Scott Morrison, is a step in the right direction to make it easier for small businesses to employ staff and invest in growth,” Ms Carnell said.

“A new online checklist providing small business employers with a guide to employing their first worker, along with a commitment to developing a new prototype ‘regtech’ platform, is encouraging. While this may assist small businesses in hiring a staff member, the industrial award system itself remains highly complex and fluid for small business owners to navigate.

“Small and family businesses are crying out for a simplified system, so they can get on with the job of growing their business," she said.

“That’s why my office is calling on the government to develop an algorithm to be integrated into accounting software to make it easier for small and family businesses to pay wages and entitlements correctly and on time.

“The next logical move would be to clarify the Small Business Fair Dismissal Code, to give small and family businesses the confidence they need to employ more Australians.

“We’ve provided the government with our Review of the Small Business Fair Dismissal Code, which recommends a suite of changes to help small business employers meet their obligations," Ms Carnell said.

“It’s also critical the government consults widely as part of the deregulation process, which my office is ready to play an active role in, so the small business community is part of these important discussions that affect them directly.

“Of particular interest is the government’s plan to deal with the degree of regulatory complexity, the length of time for approvals and duplication across levels of government. This has the potential to be a game-changer for Australia’s 2.3 million small businesses and family enterprises.

“We will continue to work with the government to achieve the best possible outcomes for the small business sector.”

www.asbfeo.gov.au

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ENERGY NETWORKS Australia has welcomed the release by the Tasmanian Government of the Tasmanian Renewable Hydrogen Action Plan.

Chief executive officer of Energy Networks Australia, Andrew Dillon, said hydrogen would play an important role in the sustainable energy future.

"Hydrogen can be produced from excess renewable power, providing clean energy that can be stored for when the sun doesn’t shine and the wind isn’t blowing,” Mr Dillon said. “As the energy sector continues to decarbonise and intermittent renewable generation increases, this storage capacity means hydrogen can play an important role in stabilising our energy system.

“Hydrogen technology is already being embraced around the world for domestic and commercial use in gas networks and to fuel passenger and freight trains.”

Mr Dillon said trials of hydrogen production, hydrogen blending into existing networks or exports were underway in every Australian state, with Tasmania’s strategy the latest addition.

“Energy networks are using renewable gases such as hydrogen made from solar and wind power to decarbonise our gas networks,” Mr Dillon said.

A recent update to Gas Vision 2050, released by Energy Networks Australia and the Australian Pipelines and Gas Association, showed that more than $180 million of funding had been committed nationally for hydrogen infrastructure projects.

Energy Networks Australia has previously released research confirming that the injection of hydrogen into Australian gas distribution networks can be done under current gas legislation.

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