PARLIAMENT'S Northern Australia Committee has commenced an Inquiry into Opportunities and Methods for Stimulating the Tourism Industry in Northern Australia.

The Government’s White Paper on developing Northern Australia, released in June 2015 recognised tourism as an industry with ‘bright prospects in the North’ and that Northern Australia could ‘capitalise on its iconic locations, open spaces and clean environment to host the millions of tourists every year.’

The Committee Chair, Warren Entsch MP, stated, ‘Tourism is an industry central to the economy of many parts of Northern Australia and has the ability to provide greater short and long term economic opportunities for communities across all regions.’

‘Despite offering a range of activities and great experiences, the numbers of both domestic and international visitors to Northern Australia has declined in the last decade when compared to those visiting the rest of Australia. The inquiry will investigate how tourism to Northern Australia can be stimulated and how impediments can be addressed.’

Submissions from interested individuals and organisations are invited by 16 February 2017. The preferred method of receiving submissions is by electronic format lodged online using a My Parliament account.

Further information about the Committee’s inquiry, including the full terms of reference and details on how to lodge a submission are available on the Committee’s website.

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THE House of Representatives Standing Committee on Economics has tabled its first Report on the banking sector in parliament.

The Report contains a number of recommendations to Government, including:

• the creation of a new Banking Tribunal by 1 July 2017, to enable consumers to achieve fair and timely recompense through a one stop shop;
• a new regime for executive accountability, with licence breaches reported publicly for the first time;
• a requirement that banks be forced to open up access to consumer data by 1 July 2018, which will give consumers much greater options when seeking to switch banks;
• a new, permanent regulatory function focused on day-to-day monitoring of competition in the banking sector;
• a review of the regulatory barriers to starting a bank, with the goal of injecting more competition into the sector; and
• new structures to improve the operation of bank internal dispute resolution processes, and risk management systems.
• Committee Chairman, David Coleman MP, said that the Report was the first in what would become a regular series:

“Banks need to be held to account for their actions.  The financial stability of our system is critical – but so is ensuring that consumers get a fair deal.  The Committee has identified a wide range of areas in which banking regulation can be improved to better serve the Australian community.  As we continue our ongoing review of the banking sector, we look forward to the Government’s response to the recommendations contained in the Report.”

The Committee expects to hold its next public hearings with the major banks in the first quarter of next year, soon after its scheduled public hearing with the Reserve Bank on 24 February 2017.

The report can be accessed from the Committee’s website.

www.aph.gov.au/economics

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THE Treaties Committee today tabled two reports covering their examination of six treaties covering a range of topics.

Amendments to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) will remove tariffs on a range of technology products and eliminate agricultural export subsidies.

Committee Chair, tStuart Robert MP, says that while the changes will provide incremental improvements for Australian consumers and farmers, domestic subsidies and non-tariff barriers must be further reduced to encourage global trade.

Updates to the international Radio Regulations will provide for the growing demand for mobile broadband services, improve aeronautical and maritime communications and the international coordination of satellite networks.

Mr Robert said that accepting the revisions will align Australia with the rest of the world in its regulation of the radio frequency spectrum.

The reports also cover regular air service agreements with Kuwait and Bahrain and changes to an aviation safety agreement with the United States which will enable Australian manufacturers to gain access to the United States aviation market, one of the biggest in the world.  

Changes to the Hague Convention on Choice of Court Agreements are also examined.

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

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A VISUALLY sumptuous drama about four women who push against the repressive, archaic gender politics of a small Indian village opens the Brisbane Asia Pacific Film Festival (BAPFF) tonight at the Palace Barracks Cinemas.

“The Brisbane Asia Pacific Film Festival is the pre-eminent film festival of the region and there is something in it for all film lovers,” said Lord Mayor Graham Quirk.

“The opening night film Parched, is the first international feature film from Indian director Leena Yadav. It has already won 18 international awards and is competing for Best Screenplay at the 10^th Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) in Brisbane tomorrow night.

“It’s a film that celebrates female empowerment and is a vibrant and visual delight that packs enormous power. Cinematographer Russell Carpenter, who won an Academy Award for his work on Titanic, brings Yadav’s vision to glorious life.

“BAPFF is a window to the many and varied world’s like this one and gives local film buffs a smorgasbord of choice. Tickets are still available for tonight while there are many other world-class features to select from, including 31 Australian premieres, during the 12-day festival.”

Now in its third year, BAPFF is supported by Screen Queensland and will showcase 82 films from 46 countries and areas to be screened from today until the 4 December.

Cr Quirk said BAPFF was a celebration of cinematic excellence from a region that’s home to 4.5 billion people and is responsible for half the world’s film output.

“There are numerous highlights: a Japanese retrospective which includes the 1964 Akira Kurosawa classic No Regrets for Our Youth; a free family screening of the cherished Australian classic Storm Boy starring David Gulpilil; Exile, which revisits a childhood lived under Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge; the unconventional love story Bangkok Nites; and I Am Not Madame Bovary, a comic take on Chinese bureaucracy.

“Others not-to-be-missed include The Salesman from esteemed Iranian director Asghar Farhadi; Ants on a Shrimp, which follows NOMA legend René Redzepi as he takes his team to Tokyo to create an astounding 14-course menu; The Bonfire, a dark Russian tale of two grief-stricken fathers; and Snow Monkey, a remarkable documentary from Australia’s George Gittoes that takes us into the world of Jalalabad street kids.”

Cr Quirk said Snow Monkey was one of the stand-out films being presented in the festival’s Australian showcase which will also mark the local premiere of Hounds of Love, a chilling serial killer thriller starring Stephen Curry.

“As an art form, film offers a unique insight into the political, social and economic state of the country it represents. It’s that cultural exchange that make BAPFF so special.

“Brisbane is Australia’s gateway to the Asia Pacific and therefore ideally placed to host a film festival dedicated to the region. I urge locals and visitors alike to embrace the opportunity to enjoy such a rich and diverse range of cinematic offerings from leading filmmakers.”

APSA/BAPFF Chairman, Michael Hawkins said BAPFF offered a world-class program.

“Asia Pacific cinema is known for its willingness to push boundaries and explore the human condition at its best and worst,” Mr Hawkins said.

“BAPFF in 2016 will enchant, mesmerise and amaze audiences. This year we have also expanded the brief and chosen 10 titles from Europe and America for inclusion while the Australian showcase is exceptional.”

The 2016 Brisbane Asia Pacific Film Festival starts today and runs until 4 December across Brisbane cinemas and cultural venues including Palace Barracks Cinemas, New Farm Cinemas, The Australian Cinémathèque at QAGOMA, Griffith Film School, The Cube at QUT and The Courier-Mail Piazza.

The full program and tickets, including special presentations and Gala events, are on sale now at bapff.com.au where you can also download the FREE BAPFF App on your smart phone to plan your festival.

To purchase tickets or view the full program, visit bapff.com.au

BAPFF Q&A GUESTS

• Stephen Curry (actor), Ben Young (director) and Melissa Kelly (producer) from HOUNDS OF LOVE
• Douglas Watkin (director) and Veronica Fury (producer) from ELLA
• Anurag Kashyap (director) from PSYCHO RAMAN
• Andrew Leavold and Daniel Palisa (Directors) from LAST PINOY ACTION KING
• Mehran Kashani (screenwriter), Reza Mirkarimi (producer) and Farhad Aslani (actor) from DAUGHTER
• E J-yong (director) from THE BACCHUS LADY
• Natalia Pavlenkova (actress) from ZOOLOGY
• Carl Papa (director) from MANANG BIRING
• Mohammadreza Saberi (producer) from MUHAMMAD, THE MESSENGER OF GOD
• Hellen Rose (music director) + Arshad Khan (cast member) from SNOW MONKEYS
• Nermin Aytekin (producer) and Mustafa Kara (director) from COLD OF KALANDAR
• Manoj Bajpayee (actor) from ALIGARH
• Catherine Dussart (producer) from EXILE
• Alireza Ghanie (director) from IMAGINARY BORDER
• Emily Avila (director) from IN A CANE FIELD (short)

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