THE Tax and Revenue Committee will hear from tax policy advisor Richard Highfield at the next public hearing for the inquiry into taxpayer engagement with Australia’s taxation system.

Committee chair Kevin Hogan MP said that tomorrow’s meeting will provide an opportunity to grapple with some of the more complex issues in the tax engagement debate with a former ATO Second Commissioner.

Mr Hogan said that Mr Highfield, now an adjunct professor with the School of Taxation and Business at the University of New South Wales, has extensive experience in tax policy design, development and administration.

Over the course of two decades, the professor held key advisory roles with the OECD, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the International Monetary Fund. He is currently a member of expert advisory panels to the ATO and the NSW Office of State Revenue on tax gap research programs.

“The committee looks forward to receiving expert guidance from one of Australia’s senior tax advisors,” Mr Hogan said.

“Taxation law is complex and regulators must be careful that reforms do not have unintended consequences; even opening up loop holes for criminal activity. At the other end of the scale, how do we promote the message that paying your taxes is worthwhile, both for your business and the community?”

Public hearing details: 4:15pm – 5.30pm, Wednesday 14 June 2017, Committee Room 2R1 Parliament House, Canberra

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

Interested members of the public may wish to track the committee via the website. 

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THE Brisbane International Film Festival is set to return in 2017 with an invigorated screening program, the support of the Queensland Government through Screen Queensland and the expertise of industry partner Palace Cinemas.
 
The Brisbane International Film Festival, to be held from August 17 to September 3, will be co-directed by experienced film curator Richard Sowada and Brisbane’s Maxine Williamson, previously film director of the Asia Pacific Screen Awards and the Brisbane Asia Pacific Film Festival.
 
Palace Cinemas will host BIFF at its two Brisbane locations and will also provide infrastructure support to the organisation.
 
 “I haven’t seen a period of more change, excitement and challenge in the film industry than in the last 18months” BIFF co-director Richard Sowada said.

“A breaking down of creative and business territoriality and a real sense of political and artistic immediacy has changed the face of what a festival needs to be and what audiences expect from cinema. Being part of the new BIFF team and bringing that freshness, excitement and creative propulsion to Brisbane in a reinvigorated event is thrilling for me - and I hope for audiences.” 
 
Co-director Maxine Williamson said, “I am so happy we are 'rebooting the BIFF!' - Brisbane's iconic and popular world film festival with an international reputation for showcasing new and emergent talent, award-winners from the circuit and crowd-pleasers from across the globe. We will continue BIFF's long legacy of presenting films that expand our hearts and minds, that educate us about our region and closest neighbours, that comment on what cinema is and can be.

"The 23^rd edition of BIFF provides an important platform for filmmakers to present their artistic responses to what is happening in their worlds. I look forward to engaging with industry in a meaningful way and to contribute to the growth of this vibrant creative arts sector. As a Brissie girl I am happy to play a part in this celebratory reboot.”
 
Screen Queensland CEO Tracey Vieira welcomed the new iteration of BIFF to the state’s 2017 calendar of film festivals.
 
“It is wonderful to see a flagship international film festival once again taking place in Brisbane,” Ms Vieira said.
 
“It is envisioned that the new BIFF will be an annual event.  Screen Queensland’s investment, along with the festival’s solid partnership with Palace Cinemas, will help to ensure the 2017 event is a success, and will pave the way for future BIFFS,” she said.
 
Palace Cinemas founder Antonio Zeccola said, “It’s a great honour for Palace Cinemas to be associated with such an important and highly regarded event as BIFF and play host to their screening program as a principle partner. For a city the size and sophistication of Brisbane an international film festival is an essential element in the cultural mix and we’re keen to do what we can to facilitate and explore these great cinematic possibilities”.
 
Mr Sowada and Ms Williamson said that the 2017 Festival will be the forerunner of an event that continues to build in the years to come. 

The 2017 program will screen around 60 international and Australian films and will include collaborations with existing Queensland screen culture organisations including the Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA), a Queensland Short Film Competition, a free family event, national and international guests, talks, panels and seminars. 
 
www.biff.net.au
 #BIFF2017
 FACEBOOK facebook.com/brisbaneinternationalfilmfest
 TWITTER @brisintfilmfest
 INSTAGRAM @brisintfilmfest

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THE House Standing Committee on Communications and the Arts will hold its first public hearing in Canberra on Friday, June 16, as part of its inquiry into the Australian Film and Television Industry.

Committee chair, Luke Howarth MP said, “Digital technology and a rapidly changing media environment have both provided challenges and opportunities for those involved in the film and television industry.”

“There are a number of public hearings scheduled and these will offer a valuable chance to drill down on the issues that either threaten or support a sustainable film and television industry in Australia.

“This first Public Hearing in Canberra will enable the key government agencies and our two public broadcasters to provide direct input into this inquiry”: Mr Howarth said.

Public hearing details: 9:30am to 3:30pm, Friday 16 June, Committee Room 1R3, Parliament House, Canberra

9.30am: Department of Communications and the Arts
10.30am: Australian Communications and Media Authority
11.30am: Australian Broadcasting Corporation
12.30pm: Lunch break
1.15pm: Special Broadcasting Service
2.15pm: ACT Screen Industry Association
2.40pm: Academy of Interactive Entertainment
3.05pm: Federation of Ethnic Communities' Councils of Australia
3.30pm: Finish

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

Interested members of the public may wish to track the committee via the website. 

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THE Queensland Resources Council is calling for a show of bipartisanship from the federal Coalition and the Labor Party to ensure legislation currently before the Senate is passed to amend the Native Title Act in the Senate on Tuesday.
 
The Native Title Amendment (Indigenous Land Use Agreements) Bill 2017, has been used as a political football by some politicians and many green activists and has been hanging in limbo since the Bill’s introduction in the House of Representatives in February.
 
The Bill was in response to the McGlade judgment in the Full Federal Court on 1 February, which held that all named applicants on a registered native title claim must sign the ILUA as a condition precedent to its registration.
 
The judgment made no exceptions for deceased or incapacitated applicants and the ILUA would be rendered invalid if it was not signed by 100 percent of registered applicants. Prior to McGlade, obtaining the majority of applicants’ signatures was sufficient to have the ILUA registered.
 
QRC Chief Executive Ian Macfarlane said the scenario meant that current and future ILUAs could be at risk.
 
“I call on all politicians from all sides of politics to raise above politics and work to continue to pass the amendments through the Senate. If the amendments don’t pass, there is the potential to affect hundreds of mining leases in Queensland and cost thousands of jobs,” Mr Macfarlane said.

www.qrc.org.au

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