THE Housing Industry Association (HIA) Trades Report for the June Quarter 2023 shows continued improvement in the availability of skilled tradespeople across the country, according to HIA senior economist Tom Devitt.

The HIA Trades Report released today provides a quarterly review of the availability of skilled trades and any demand pressures on trades operating in the residential building industry.

“While the Index still reflects some of the most acute shortages of skilled tradespeople since HIA started this report in 2003, the trajectory is most encouraging,” Mr Devitt said.

“The Report’s Trades Availability Index registered -0.62 for the June Quarter 2023, compared with the -0.92 peak a year ago. An index of less than zero represents a shortage of tradespeople and an index of greater than zero represents a surplus.

“Some of the greatest improvements in availability over the last year have been in the trades of carpentry, roofing, and bricklaying, precisely where the most acute shortages had been a year ago.

“The return of skilled workers since the re-opening of Australia’s international borders in late 2021, is making a difference to a number of sectors, including house and apartment construction, and manufacturing businesses," Mr Devitt said.

“As tradespeople have become more available, the price of trades has also slowed. The price of skilled trades increased by 3.4 percent in the last year, compared to the 10 percent peak a year earlier. This is much closer to the 2 percent average annual increase that prevailed in the decade-and-a-half before the pandemic.

“The outlook is that as home building activity declines, demand for skilled trades will slow further," he said.

“The rise in the RBA’s cash rate over the last year has seen a significant drop in new work entering the pipeline. The record volume of projects awaiting commencement has shrunk, but there are still more than 100,000 houses under construction around the country.

“Builders have struggled to complete these projects, held back by the materials and labour shortages that have plagued the industry in the last few years," Mr Devitt said.

“Next year, the rise in interest rates that we have already seen is expected to produce the weakest year of new house commencements since 2012. An increasing number of projects will also reach completion.

“This is expected to produce a further easing of trades shortages, with the volume of homes under construction shrinking rapidly from late this year.

“Next year will be the ideal time for governments to start investing in new public housing stock. The timing of this investment will not only ensure that governments are able to gain the greatest return on their investment, as costs and delays will be at a minimum, but also ensure that skilled tradespeople are not lost to other industries and that the industry can rebound on the other side of this RBA-induced trough,” Mr Devitt said.

www.hia.com.au

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THE Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security today commenced a review of the relisting of Islamic State, Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province as terrorist organisations under Division 102 of the Criminal Code Act 1995.

The Australian Government first listed Islamic State in 2005, while Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province have been listed under different names since 2014. The three organisations have been re-listed as terrorist organisations for a further three-year period commencing on July 1, 2023.

The relisting triggers the ongoing application of a number of offences under the Criminal Code which relate to membership of, support for, or association with the organisations.

All three organisations are religiously motivated violent extremist groups which pursue an extreme interpretation of Sunni Islam. Of these groups, Islamic State (IS) has the largest global footprint, and since it was last listed by the Australian Government IS has continued to undertake terrorist attacks in Syria, Iran, Israel, Iraq and Austria.

Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province both operate primarily in Nigeria, and have reputations for adherence to an extremist ideology that promotes sectarian violence. Since they were last listed both groups have undertaken attacks against civilians and government officials.

Under s 102.1A of the Criminal Code, the committee may review listings of terrorist organisations and report its findings to each House of the Parliament within the 15 sitting day disallowance period for the regulations.

Members of the public are welcome to make submissions to this review. Submissions are requested by Friday, August 11, 2023.

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

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THE Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) has commenced a review of rules made under subsection 53(2) of the Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme Act 2018 (FITS Act), relating to sharing information obtained under the Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme (FITS).

Subsection 53(3) of the FITS Act requires the committee to review rules made prescribing a new purpose for which information obtained under the FITS may be communicated to prescribed persons; and to report its comments and recommendations to each House of the Parliament before the end of the 15 sitting days’ disallowance period for that House.

The new rules amend the 2018 FITS Rules to authorise the Secretary of the Attorney-General's Department to communicate scheme information to the Minister and Department responsible for the Foreign Arrangements Scheme.

The Foreign Arrangements Scheme is administered by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). It requires State and Territory entities to notify the Minister for Foreign Affairs of pre-existing and prospective arrangements with foreign entities; and allows the Minister to cancel, vary or prevent an arrangement from proceeding if it is inconsistent with Australia's foreign policy or adversely affects Australia's foreign relations.

A small number of entities may be within the scope of both the FITS and the Foreign Arrangements Scheme. In such cases, sharing information under the Rules would assist DFAT to administer the Foreign Arrangements Scheme and would improve the interoperability of the two schemes.

The rules under review can be found at the following link - Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme Amendment Rules 2023.

Submissions to the Committee’s review are invited by Friday, August 11, 2023. Further information about making a submission to a parliamentary committee is available here.

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

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THE House Standing Committee on Economics will next focus its attention on competition and dynamism in the supermarket, alcohol, and technology sectors, as well as in care services, as part of its inquiry into economic dynamism, competition and business formation.

Peter Harris, former chair of the Productivity Commission, will also discuss competition in the domestic airline industry. The committee’s next set of public hearings will be held via videoconference on July 25 and 26.

Committee Chair, Daniel Mulino, said the committee looked forward to hearing from Coles, Woolworths, Metcash, the Australian Food and Grocery Council, and the National Farmers Federation.

“The grocery retail sector is fundamental to the everyday lives of Australians," Dr Mulino said. "There are also high levels of market concentration in the sector, so it’s vital that we better understand the effects such concentration have on competition, particularly around price, for consumers.

“The supermarket sector also has a strong hold on the packaged alcohol market, which again has implications for consumers around price and on smaller players in the sector.

“So we will be probing this area as well,” Dr Mulino said, “especially with the local craft beer industry gaining in popularity. Australia’s independent brewers are renowned for their innovation so the committee is eager to ensure diversity in the beer industry and that our home-grown companies can continue to thrive."

The committee will hear from Coopers and the Independent Brewers Association.

Peter Harris, former chair of the Productivity Commission and author of the recent review into the Sydney Airport Demand Management Scheme, will also appear.

“Peter will shed light on competition in Australia’s commercial aviation market and on the outlook for business dynamism," Dr Mulino said.

Epic Games and Free TV Australia will also appear at this week’s hearings to give their perspective on the impact of Big Tech companies on their business models and on competition in the online gaming and broadcasting sectors.

Other companies appearing before the committee will be online platforms Mable and HireUp, which work in the disability and aged care sectors. Victorian Government Procurement will also appear, following on from appearances before the committee of social enterprises.

“This will allow the committee to complete its assessments on competition and productivity in the care sector, which is often under-appreciated as a driver of employment and innovative service delivery within the broader economy,” Dr Mulino said.

More details about the inquiry, including the full terms of reference, are available on the committee’s website.

Public hearing details

Date: Tuesday 25 July
Time: 9am to 2.45pm AEST
Location: Videoconference

Date: Wednesday 26 July
Time: 10am  to 4pm AEST
Location: Videoconference

The public hearing will be broadcast live at https://www.aph.gov.au/live.

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