A NATIONAL long COVID and COVID-19 database is among the key recommendations of a unanimous report released today by a Parliamentary Committee for its inquiry into long COVID and repeated COVID infections.

The House of Representative’s Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Sport’s report aims to improve Australia’s response to long COVID, an often-debilitating condition possibly affecting hundreds of thousands of Australians.

Chair of the Committee, Mike Freelander MP said, "It is clear that the emergence of long COVID has created challenges for patients and health care professionals alike. People with long COVID suffer from a lack of information and treatment options. Health care professionals, who worked tirelessly over the acute phase of the pandemic, are now in a difficult situation trying to support patients with this new and poorly understood condition."

Deputy Chair of the Committee, Melissa McIntosh MP said, "Throughout the inquiry, the Committee heard from hundreds of Australians about what it is like to live with long COVID and how the condition impacts their daily lives. The Committee was particularly concerned to hear that long COVID is associated with poor mental health. The Committee heard that many individuals with long COVID feel isolated, disbelieved, anxious or depressed."

The Committee made nine unanimous recommendations aimed at strengthening the Australian Government’s management of long COVID, including regarding:

• A definition of long COVID for use in Australia
• Evidence-based living guidelines for long COVID, co-designed with patients with lived experience
• A nationally coordinated research program for long COVID and COVID-19
• The COVID-19 vaccination communication strategy
• Access to antiviral treatments for COVID-19
• Support for primary healthcare providers
• Indoor air quality and ventilation.

Over the course of the inquiry, the Committee held four public hearings and received almost 600 submissions from individuals, organisations and government bodies.

The Committee wishes to sincerely thank everyone who provided written submissions and gave evidence at public hearings. The Committee is particularly appreciative of the time taken by many people who, despite being personally impacted by long COVID, have gone to considerable effort to contribute to this inquiry.

The report and further information about the Committee can be found on its website.

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THE Joint Select Committee on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice Referendum began its program of public hearings on Friday in Canberra.

At its first hearing the committee heard evidence from representatives of the Uluru Statement from the Heart and the Indigenous Voice Co-design Process, Thomas Mayor and Kerry O’Brien, Robert French AC, and panels of eminent legal witnesses.

The committee is inquiring into the provisions of the Constitution Alteration (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice) 2023 (Bill), introduced to the House by Mark Dreyfus MP, Attorney-General on March 30, 2023.

Committee Chair Senator Nita Green said, "The committee will be interested to focus its discussion on the question of whether the legislative provisions achieve what is intended and give effect to the government’s stated objectives before it moves to a referendum."

"The committee looks forward to the contributions received from witnesses as it moves to regional centres and back to Canberra for its hearings."

Programs for public hearings will be published on the Committees website as they are confirmed. The dates and locations are:

1. Date: Friday, 14 April 2023
   Location: Committee Room 2S1, Parliament House, Canberra
   
   
2. Date: Monday, 17 April 2023
   Location: Council Chambers, Orange
   
   
3. Date: Wednesday, 19 April 2023
   Location: Cairns Performing Arts Centre, Cairns
   
   
4. Date: Friday, 28 April 2023
   Location: Venue TBC, Perth
   
   
5. Date: Monday, 1 May 2023
   Location: Committee Room 2R1, Parliament House, Canberra

Submissions are requested by COB Friday 21, April 2023. Further information about making a submission to a committee inquiry can be found at the following link.

The committee intends to hold public hearings. The dates and locations of hearings will be decided shortly and published as soon as possible.

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

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WORKERS and their unions from Victoria’s Latrobe Valley are calling on the Federal Government to urgently support a federal Energy Transition Authority.

Gippsland Trades and Labor Council (GTLC) secretary Steve Dodd said the Latrobe Valley was a living example of a community suffering from power station closures with no alternative plan in place.

“We are still feeling the effects of Hazelwood’s closure in 2017, with just five months notice," Mr Dodd said.

“Coal power and coal mining have been the economic lifeblood of this region.

"We have powered the state and nation for a century but with the timeline for closure for our remaining power stations accelerating – we need federal co-ordination and support," Mr Dodd said.

Mr Dodd and supporters of the proposed body said a federal statutory authority would be responsible for: Co-ordinating the orderly closure of power stations; overseeing industry diversification in energy regions, like the Latrobe Valley; and supporting workers with redeployment, retraining and early retirement where appropriate.

The support for a federal Energy Transition Authority was demonstrated in a public meeting on April 20 at the GTLC Building at Morwell, where the call was amplified through media channels.

www.gippslandtlc.com.au

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THE Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit (JCPAA) held a public hearing on Friday, April 14, to examine the findings of the Independent Review of Services Australia and NDIA Procurement and Contracting, led by Ian Watt AC (the Watt review), as part of its ongoing inquiry into Commonwealth procurement.

The Watt review examined 95 procurements undertaken by Services Australia and NDIA from 2015–16 to the present, and found that 19 procurements with an approximate value of $374 million showed inconsistencies with the Commonwealth Procurement Rules or did not show good practice.

Julian Hill MP, the Chair of the Committee, noted that Dr Watt’s findings closely mirrored the issues that had been raised by the Australian National Audit Office during the committee’s procurement inquiry.

“The Watt review flagged five of the 95 procurements as being of lower standard than comparable procurements undertaken by the agencies,” Mr Hill said. “The committee is keen to question the key parties involved in the procurement process to gain an understanding of where the issues lie and how they have been addressed.”

The committee heard from Dr Watt AC, followed by the two agencies subject of the review, as well as representatives from a number of companies who were awarded contracts identified as being of particular concern in the Watt review including Infosys Pty Ltd, Portland, Synergy 360 / Milo Consulting and Australian Property Reserve Pty Ltd.

Following the session on procurement, the JCPAA will continue its program of public hearings for its inquiry into Commonwealth Financial Statements hearing from the NDIA.

Friday's hearings were held in Canberra.

Further information about the inquiries is available on the Committee website.

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