THE Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters is holding further public hearings into the Commonwealth Electoral Amendment (Lowering Voting Age and Increasing Voter Participation) Bill 2018.

This Bill as proposed by the Greens would extend the franchise to 16 and 17 year-olds on a voluntary basis, allow enrolment for 14 and 15 year-olds, and permit a provisional vote on election day for unenrolled citizens.

Chair of the Committee, Senator James McGrath said that given the evidence from the initial hearing, held in September in Melbourne, the Committee was interested to hear further evidence from both young people and academic and legal experts.

The hearing will be held at Glenala State High School, enabling young people to engage with the committee process.

The full program can be found on the Committee’s website.

Public hearing details:

Date: Tuesday, 30 October 2018
Time: 10:00am –  1:45pm
Location: Glenala State High School, Durack, Brisbane

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

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THE City of Melbourne welcomed the largest delegation of smart city commissioners and executives that India has sent offshore, with 25 influential leaders arriving in Melbourne last week.

Prosperous City portfolio chair, Councillor Kevin Louey said this was testament to Melbourne’s industry capabilities in liveability and smart city initiatives.

The delegation comprised senior officials from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, South Delhi Municipal Corporation, New Delhi Municipal Council as well as representatives from key Indian companies.

Cr Louey said the program was envisaged to provide a world stage to local business to showcase Melbourne's industry leadership across urban design and development, water and waste practices and smart city initiatives.

“We look forward to creating lasting relationships with these organisations in India and having the opportunity to showcase our city’s global standing in these areas," Cr Louey said.

“The four-day mission will consist of City of Melbourne and State Government briefings and site visits, private sector networking and business matching sessions,” he said.

"The purpose of these missions is to create and close export opportunities for local businesses, build new relationships and leverage the City of Melbourne’s strong network of business and government connections to enable trade and investment.

“We continue to work closely with local business to create connections in India, and create better access for our local business into the significant opportunity that India offers Australia,” added Cr Louey.

The inbound visit from India is part of its ‘100 Smart Cities’ initiative, which provides 100 cities in India with funding to transform the country by fostering more sustainable and inclusive development, a clean environment and the applying of smart solutions.

The City of Melbourne worked in close partnership with Austrade and the Victorian Government to establish this mission.

The City of Melbourne has hosted two previous inbound missions in 2015 and 2016 and led an outbound mission to India in 2017, which significantly strengthened Melbourne’s partnership with India.

For more information on the city’s key international partnerships, visit the City of Melbourne website.

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ENHANCING financial literacy skills amongst the small business sector will go a long way to ensure small business viability and growth, according to the Institute of Public Accountants (IPA).

“The IPA believes that the government should make funding, for vocational education courses to enhance SME owners’ financial literacy, a priority,” IPA chief executive officer, Andrew Conway said.

“We also support the notion that practical education in areas encompassing business strategy and management to form part of the educational offerings.

“Incentives for further financial literacy and SME business management education, such as tax deductibility for educations costs, should be offered to SME owners via the tax system.

“Registered Training Organisations could partake in government incentives and play a more active role in encouraging SME operators to improve their knowledge in business management and finance,” Mr Conway said.

These recommendations stem from the Australian Small Business White Paper produced by the IPA in partnership with the IPA Deakin SME Research Centre. 

For more information: https://www.publicaccountants.org.au/news-advocacy/small-business-white-paper

About the Institute of Public Accountants

The IPA, formed in 1923, is one of Australia’s three legally recognised professional accounting bodies.  In late 2014, the IPA acquired the Institute of Financial Accountants in the UK and formed the IPA Group, with more than 35,000 members and students in over 80 countries.  The IPA Group is the largest SME focused accountancy organisation in the world. The IPA is a member of the International Federation of Accountants, the Accounting Professional and Ethical Standards Board and the Confederation of Asian and Pacific Accountants. 

publicaccountants.org.au

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THE Queensland resources industry is planning new investments in technology and innovation that will make it one of the state’s most cutting-edge job creators, according to the Queensland Resources Council (QRC).

The QRC's latest quarterly State of the Sector survey has found resources CEOs are on the cusp of new investments in the full range of advanced equipment ranging from automated vehicles to virtual reality tools.

“The resources industry is one of Queensland's most resilient and innovative sectors. And that’s good news for people who want jobs both now and in the coming decades,” QRC chief executive Ian Macfarlane said.

“The resources industry is both high viz and high tech.”

QRC’s State of the Sector survey has found 91 percent of CEOs were planning further automation activities, a third were implementing artificial intelligence and almost 10 percent were planning the next step to use augmented reality technologies. For example, a virtual reality computer version of a mine that can guide equipment along the most efficient and safest path.

“The investments are being targeted to make mining smarter, safer and to deliver even better value to Queenslanders,” Mr Macfarlane said.

“New technologies can increase safety for workers through use in hazardous situations such as fires, or preventing collisions in remote operations. New technologies can also be used to maximise the returns from mining projects in a sustainable way. The more of our commodities that are accessible the greater the royalties return for Queensland.

“But there’s no replacing the skills and expertise of resources employees. Importantly, company CEOs see automation and innovation as a way to enhance their mining projects, not focussed as a way to reduce jobs.

“Resources jobs will continue well into the future, as our resources sector strengthens its role as an early adopter of technology and as a global leader in mining expertise," he said.

“In fact, more than 80 percent of resources companies expect the demand for STEM graduates to increase in the next five years.

“This underlines the importance of the work undertaken by the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA), which is currently operating in 58 schools across the state. It introduces students to the diverse range of skills, including STEM skills, that could help them pursue a career in the resources sector.

“Our resources sector is a heavy hitter for the Queensland economy, and we want to ensure it continues to benefit regional communities and our big cities. Over the last twelve months, the Queensland resources sector has created the equivalent of a new job every 40 minutes.”

The quarterly State of the Sector report also found that resources CEOs were vigilant about cybersecurity. The majority of CEO responses (84 percent) considered cybersecurity a ‘moderate’ to ‘very high risk’ over the next 12 months.

“The Queensland resources sector is on stable ground for the future, with CEOs ready to invest to make best use of technology, while at the same time ensuring its application maintains the integrity of their businesses,” Mr Macfarlane said.

www.qrc.org.au

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