THE House of Representatives Infrastructure, Transport and Cities Committee has commenced a new inquiry into automated mass transit, focusing on developments in the use of automation and new energy sources for land-based mass transit.

Committee Chair John Alexander said that automation would make our mass transit systems “better, stronger and faster”, by making them safer, more efficient and more reliable than they are today.

“International experience of automated metro systems shows what they could do to improve connectivity within our rapidly growing cities,” Mr Alexander said.

“Automation and platooning present real opportunities to make bus networks more reliable and responsive, as well as more efficient, creating real competition between different modes of transport.

“In addition, new fuel sources—such as electricity and hydrogen power — have the potential to make mass transit cheaper, reduce our carbon footprint, and reduce our reliance on the importation of fossil fuels.”

The Committee will inquire into and report upon current and future developments in the use of automation and new energy sources in land-based mass transit, including:

• Rail mass transit
• Road mass transit
• Point-to-point transport using automated vehicles
• Commonwealth roles and responsibilities in the development of these technologies.

Submissions are open until Friday 7 December 2018. For more information about how to make a submission, contact the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Further information on the inquiry, including the full terms of reference, is available on the Committee’ website.

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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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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 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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