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.

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THE House of Representatives Trade and Investment Growth Committee will boldly go where no committee has gone before this week, with a hearing on Friday looking to the stars.

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

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

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PEARL ABYSS has announced that donations amounting to a total of 100 million won (about US $84,000) will be made through a Black Desert and Black Desert Mobile in-game event. The donation will be made to assist victims of the unprecedented wildfires in Australia and devastating earthquake in Turkey.

The donation event is running globally until February 19, which encourages both Black Desert and Black Desert Mobile users to make donations to support Australia and Turkey.

During the event, users can purchase special tokens with silver to make a contribution that will go towards relief efforts. Pearl Abyss will be able to donate 100 million won when the number of tokens sold reaches 5 million in total. The donation will be delivered to local aid organizations, with 50 million won going to Australia and another 50 million won going to Turkey. 

"We have prepared a love-sharing event to encourage our Adventurers from around the world in Black Desert and Black Desert Mobile to participate in the in-game donation," Pearl Abyss CEO Robin Jung said. "We hope that the restoration in Australia and Turkey will be quick, and the victims can return to their daily life as soon as possible."

Last April, Pearl Abyss donated 100 million won through the Korea Disaster Relief Association to help victims recover from wildfires in Gangwon-do, Korea. The donation was used to support relief efforts. A donation was also made to Doctors Without Borders in December through an in-game event with the help and support of Black Desert users from around the world. 

About Pearl Abyss

Established in 2010, Pearl Abyss has developed the MMORPG franchise Black Desert for PC, mobile, and console. All their games are built on their proprietary engine and are renowned for their cutting-edge graphics. With multiple projects in the works, they are poised to continue their growth through 2020 and beyond to maintain their position as a leading developer in the game industry. www.pearlabyss.com

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THE House of Representatives Standing Committee on Economics will hold a public hearing with the Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), Philip Lowe, on Friday, February 7, 2020 in Canberra.

Since the RBA appeared before the committee during the previous Parliament in August 2019, the RBA has eased monetary policy by 25 basis points to 0.75 percent, following the RBA’s decisions to cut the cash rate in October. At its meeting yesterday, the RBA decided to leave the cash rate unchanged at 0.75 percent.

Commenting on the decision to keep rates on hold, the RBA Governor said, "The central scenario is for the Australian economy to grow by around 2.75 percent this year and 3 percent next year, which would be a step up from the growth rates over the past two years. In the short term, the bushfires and the coronavirus outbreak will temporarily weigh on domestic growth.

"Due to both global and domestic factors, it is reasonable to expect that an extended period of low interest rates will be required in Australia to reach full employment and achieve the inflation target."

The Chair of the House Economics Committee, Tim Wilson MP, said, "The committee will examine the decisions of the RBA in the context of Australia’s broader macroeconomic conditions and assess the RBA’s confidence in current monetary policy settings which aim to encourage growth and keep inflation consistent with the target over the coming years."

Public hearing details

Date: Friday, February 7, 2020
Time: 9.30am to 12.30pm
Location: Committee Room 1R1, Parliament House

The hearing will be audio cast live at aph.gov.au/live.