Committee Chair Andrew Laming MP said hearing from these important and innovative government organisations was very important to the Committee.
“Each of these organisations is at the cutting edge of technology and innovation and the Committee is keen to hear about the research that each organisation is currently undertaking,” Mr Laming said.
Committee Deputy Chair Terri Butler MP said she was looking forward to hearing from the organisations.
“As well as an impressive research and technology focus each of these organisations are involved with training some of Australia’s top scientists. It will be interesting and important for the Committee to hear their views on Australia’s education priorities,” Ms Butler said.
Committee Chair, Michelle Landry MP, said the Committee was looking forward to taking evidence on how driverless vehicles have the potential to improve many aspects of life for all Australians.
“Testing of driverless vehicles has begun here in Australia and in many other countries around the world.
It is time to consider not just the technological developments but importantly the social issues that will impact all Australians in the near future. Driverless vehicles have the potential to significantly improve road safety, environment outcomes, and productivity of the economy while also assisting people with mobility issues.” Ms Landry said.
During the inquiry the Committee will focus on issues such as:
Safety concerns for passengers and non-passengers
Security risks and privacy requirements of automated technologies
Legal frameworks and changes to regulations
Management of labour market impacts
Accessibility outcomes for rural and regional Australians, and
Accessibility outcomes for disability groups and the ageing population.
A number of public hearings have been scheduled in Canberra and interstate during March, April and May. The schedule can be found here.
The Committee is still accepting submissions for this inquiry. Please notify the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you intend to make a submission.
Further information on the inquiry, including the full terms of reference, is available on the Committee website. The Committee is expected to report by September 2017.
THE Institute of Public Accountants (IPA) is calling on the Government to reinstate the superannuation concessional contribution cap for the over 50s to $35,000.
“With the Government’s superannuation reforms passed in Parliament in November 2016, the concessional contribution cap was reduced to $25,000 per annum for all eligible contributors; a position that the IPA does not support,” said IPA chief executive officer, Andrew Conway.
“In particular, we do not support the reduction of the current cap of $35,000 for individuals over 50 years of age.
“People aged over 50 should be encouraged to make further superannuation contributions especially when they have the capacity to do so to address any superannuation balance shortfall.
“This situation is further exacerbated with the Government’s announcement of the deferral of the proposed catch up measure until 1 July 2018 which effectively means the first catch up will not be available until the 2019/20 financial year.
“The deferral was a budgetary decision to partially offset the cost of reintroducing an annual non-concessional contributions cap.
“The Henry Tax Review recommended a higher contribution cap for Australians aged 50 and over and yet the current cap of $35,000 is less than a third of what the cap was 10 years ago.
“We need to encourage contributions to superannuation in line with the original intent of superannuation and that is self-funded retirement,’ said Mr Conway.
THE Treaties Committee will hold a public hearing in Canberra on Monday to examine three separate treaties: a bilateral social security agreement with New Zealand, a multilateral agreement for regional cooperation for nuclear research, and a multilateral agreement for the harmonisation of standards for vehicles.
Committee Chair Stuart Robert MP said public hearings allow the text of each treaty to be carefully examined.
“Although treaty making remains the prerogative of the Executive, the role of the Committee is to examine each treaty brought before it, to determine if it is in the national interest. This public hearing is an opportunity for the Committee to examine the terms of each treaty and ensure that they meet the needs and expectations of Australians and is in our national interest,” Mr Robert said.
Under this Agreement people who have lived in both countries will have access to specified income support payments in their current country of residence. The new Agreement replaces a similar existing agreement, and provides that both countries will contribute to these social security payments on a proportional basis.
The proposed Agreement will facilitate regional cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy in the East Asia-Pacific region, through joint research, development and training projects. The proposed Agreement is an important mechanism to fulfil Australia’s obligations under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
The proposed Agreement updates earlier agreements that harmonise technical safety and environmental regulations for vehicles, and consequently reduce barriers to the international export and import of vehicles between countries.
WORLD-RENOWNED brain scientist Dr Michael Merzenich will deliver a keynote address at the 'I Can Change My Brain' conference at Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia on Sunday, February 26, 2017.
Dr Merzenich is Chief Scientific Officer at Posit Science and Professor Emeritus at University of California San Francisco (UCSF).
Dr Merzenich will speak on how breakthroughs in brain plasticity in his lab (and in the labs of colleagues across the globe) have now entered the final stage of translational research – resulting in strategies and products that people can engage with today to monitor and improve brain performance and brain health.
Three decades ago, Dr Merzenich forever changed the way scientists look at the brain with his seminal experiments showing that the adult brain remains plastic – capable of changing chemically, physically and functionally, throughout life, based on sensory and other inputs. Previously, scientists believed that the brain was plastic only in childhood.
Dr Merzenich realized that plasticity could be harnessed to create tools to benefit humanity. He first applied plasticity in the co-invention of the cochlear implant, which has restored hearing to hundreds of thousands of people living with deafness.
With the wide adoption of personal computers and, then, mobile devices, Dr Merzenich focused on how to create online (and in app) assessments and exercises that continuously adapt and personalize to monitor and improve individual health and performance.
The exercises in the BrainHQ brain-training platform from Posit Science have been shown to improve performance across a wide range of populations in more than 140 peer-reviewed journal articles.
Studies in healthy mature adults have shown gains in standard and real world measures of cognition (e.g., brain speed, attention, memory and executive function); quality of life (mood, confidence, self-rated health, functional independence); and everyday activities (balance, movement, driving).
Last year, Dr Merzenich was awarded the Kavli Prize, the highest honor in neuroscience. The prior year, he was awarded the Russ Prize, the highest honor in bio-engineering.
He has been elected by his peers to both the National Academy of Sciences and to the National Academy of Medicine in the USA. He also is a member of the Norwegian Academy of Sciences and Letters.
Dr Merzenich frequently appears on television and in the press. He may be best known to Australian audiences for his role in the award-winning television series Redesign My Brain. Dr Merzenich is the author of several books, including Soft-Wired: How the New Science of Brain Plasticity Can Change Your Life.
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