THE House of Representatives Agriculture and Industry Committee will conduct a public hearing on Monday for the inquiry into agricultural innovation.

Appearing at the hearing will be representatives from a range of agricultural sector organisations.

The hearing will be held in Committee Room 1R4, Parliament House, Canberra:
Monday, 29 February 2016
4.00 pm - Australian Pork Limited (Submission 70)
4.30 pm - Cotton Australia (Submission 72)
5.00 pm - Grains Research and Development Corporation (Submission 87)
5.30 pm - Bayer CropScience (Submission 78)
6.00 pm - close
The public hearing will be webcast live at: http://www.aph.gov.au/News_and_Events/Watch_Parliament

Further details about the inquiry, including submissions received and the terms of reference, can be obtained from the Committee’s website at: www.aph.gov.au/agind.

ends

AT A HEARING on February 26 at Parliament House, the Senate Economics References Committee will question representatives of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), the Australian Tax Office (ATO) and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) about whether their oversight and regulation of co-operatives and mutuals is appropriate and fair.

At two previous public hearings held late last year, the Senate Economics References Committee inquiry into the operation of co-operative and mutual firms, heard evidence of duplicative practices, red tape and inconsistencies in the way that co-operative and mutual firms are regulated.

“This inquiry has shone a light on the economic importance of the country’s co-operative and mutual businesses and how they can bring competition and fairness to the Australian economy”, said Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals CEO, Melina Morrison.

“But there are many aspects of the legislative and regulatory frameworks that govern co-ops that are antiquated and inappropriate. The inquiry is a chance to look at the urgent reforms needed to free up the operating environment for co-operatives so that they can compete on a level playing field with other businesses.”

“Co-operatives and mutuals are good for the economy. They bring much needed competition to markets, provide transparent and accountable pricing and return all profits to the local economy in which they operate.”

“It should not be more difficult to set up and run a co-operative than any other form of business. Mutuals especially are not well served by the Corporations Act. They cannot raise capital to fund innovation and growth with the same flexibility as other forms of business. In the end this institutional bias means less diversity of business models in the economy. Failing to raise capital to fund growth can open the door for a mutual to be demutualised which leads to a loss of the member benefits and community ownership model unique to mutuals”, added Ms Morrison.

The inquiry received 59 submissions from the sector and is due to report on March 17, 2016. The public hearing takes place in Committee Room 2S1 from 9am.

www.bccm.coop

ends

THERE ARE over 5450 community pharmacies in Australia and they are often at the front line of contact with the community and those suffering with chronic disease.

The expertise of these pharmacies is crucial given that there an estimated 190 000 hospital admissions every year due to adverse medicine events, equalling $660 million in cost to the health system. It is estimated that up to 50 per cent of these admissions are avoidable.

Tomorrow, 23 February 2016, as part of its Inquiry into Chronic Disease Prevention and Management in Primary Health Care, the House of Representatives Health Committee will conduct a public hearing in Parliament House to hear from the Pharmacy Guild of Australia.

Committee Chair Steve Irons MP stated: "The Committee is interested in hearing about the role of community pharmacies in chronic disease management, but just as importantly, their role in chronic disease prevention. The initial contact that pharmacies have with people at risk of developing chronic disease, or who are in the initial stages of chronic disease, places them in a unique situation to help reduce the increasing weight that chronic disease places on the health care system and the community."

Details of the hearing are:
Tuesday, 23 February – 12.00 pm – 12.40 pm
Committee Room 1R3
Parliament House, Canberra

A program and further information about the inquiry is available at: www.aph.gov.au/chronicdisease

Audio of the hearing will be broadcast live at: www.aph.gov.au/live

ends

PROFESSOR Peter Newman AO, the John Curtin Distinguished Professor of Sustainability at Curtin University, will be the first witness to appear before the Standing Committee on Infrastructure, Transport and Cities for its inquiry into increased transport connectivity and economic activity. 

Committee Chairman John Alexander MP said Professor Newman has devoted his career to sustainable transport and urban design, and is a perfect place to begin investigations into transport connectivity.

“Professor Newman’s most recent publication examines the use of private investment to fund urban rail networks,” Mr Alexander said.

“The discussion paper looks how rail and land developments add value in cities, and argues that such developments can lead to travel time saving, increased land values, concentration of economic activity and development, and environmental efficiencies.”

Mr Alexander said exploring funding mechanisms for major transport infrastructure will be a key focus for this inquiry.

The inquiry will examine the likely impact of increased transport connectivity on property values and property-related tax revenues, options for the use of value-capture mechanisms to sustainably fund transport infrastructure, the role of government in establishing sustainable value-capture funding mechanisms, international experiences with capturing the value of high speed rail infrastructure, and the impact of high speed rail on urban and regional development.

Further information on the Inquiry, including the full terms of reference and how to prepare a submission can be obtained from the Committee’s website at www.aph.gov.au/itc or from the Secretariat on (02) 6277 2352.

The professor will appear at 5.30pm on February 23.

ENDS