SUPERANNUATION tax concessions must be reformed to reduce inequality and ensure government assistance is targeted to those who need it the most, according to the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS). 

With one in eight people in Australia living in poverty and the cost of living crisis continuing to bite, the Federal Government is right to scrutinise unaffordable, unfair tax breaks for the wealthiest in our society, ACOSS CEO Cassandra Goldie said. 

She said superannuation concessions "cost the community an eye-watering $52 billion a year -- money that could be used to reduce poverty and fund essential public services such as health and aged care".

Ms Goldie welcomed the Treasurer’s move to legislate an objective for superannuation to make sure the system is equitable and sustainable.

“The Treasurer is absolutely right to be concerned about the ballooning cost and inequity of tax breaks for superannuation, which do not benefit people on the lowest incomes,” she said.

“The system has become a tax avoidance scheme that allows people who are already very well off, who are mostly men, to build up huge balances that are more than enough for a decent retirement and often passed on to adult children.

“Today at the Senate Inquiry into poverty, I urged the government to do more to assist the millions of people who are struggling to afford the essentials of life such as rent, food, energy and medicines.

“To provide a fair and inclusive society we must make the right choices about who needs more government help and who needs less. Scrutinising unfair super tax breaks is a useful place to start.”

ACOSS presented what it called 'key facts' at the hearing that summed up the situation today:

• Superannuation tax concessions cost the Budget $52 billion a year, almost the cost of the Age Pension ($55 billion);

• Most of the benefit of superannuation tax breaks goes to the highest 20 percent of people by income; and

• Once a fund member retires, the investment income of their account is completely tax free. This is not sustainable when governments are already struggling with the costs of quality health and aged care.

www.acoss.org.au

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THE Joint Standing Committee on Treaties will hold a public hearing today into the International Labour Organization Convention concerning the elimination of violence and harassment in the world of work (No. 190).

Committee Chair, Josh Wilson MP said, “The Convention is the first international agreement to address the pervasive problem of violence and harassment in the world of work, including gender-based violence and harassment.”

The scope of the Convention is broad, extending beyond traditional workers and covering persons regardless of their contractual status, working arrangements, or the type of violence and harassment to which they may be subject. The Convention requires the adoption of an ‘inclusive, integrated and gender-responsive approach’ to preventing and eliminating violence and harassment in the world of work, which binds the individual elements of the Convention together.

“The Australian Government advises that Australia’s law, policy, and practice is already consistent with the Convention’s obligations, but in keeping with its accountability function the committee will examine this and other issues during the public hearing,” Mr Wilson said.

Public hearing details

Date: Monday, 27 February 2023
Time: 1.45pm – 4pm AEDT
Location: Committee Room 2R1, Parliament House

The hearing can be accessed online and the program for this hearing is available on the Committee website, along with further information about the inquiries.

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THE House Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs will hold public hearings on Tuesday, February 28 and Wednesday, March 1 as part of its inquiry into online gambling and its impacts on those experiencing gambling harm.

Chair of the Committee, Peta Murphy MP said, "On Tuesday, we will hear from researchers and state and territory governments about the effectiveness of current online gambling harm minimisation measures, and new approaches that may be necessary to reduce harm.

"We have heard strong evidence calling for further restrictions on gambling advertising, and state and territory governments have suggested they are open to considering further reforms to limit the exposure of children and young people to gambling advertising. Further restrictions on gambling advertising are opposed by broadcasters, such as commercial radio and audio, who will also be appearing on Tuesday," Ms Murphy said.

On Wednesday, the committee will scrutinise the current regulation of simulated gambling and gambling-like activities in interactive games, as well as the effectiveness of current counselling and support services to address online gambling harm.

Ms Murphy said, "There is growing concern in Australia, and internationally, about the increasing accessibility of loot boxes in video games and social casino games on mobile devices and their potential to introduce children and young people to features that resemble gambling.

"The committee will hear from researchers and industry about these games and whether changes to legislation or the classification system are required to reduce the risks of harm to children and young people," she said.

"On Wednesday, the committee will also hear from counselling and support services to learn more about the effectiveness of current gambling services and barriers to seeking help. This evidence will be critical to the committee making practical and informed recommendations to ensure that people are able to access the help they need, when they need it," Ms Murphy said.

Programs for the committee’s upcoming hearings are available on the inquiry website here.

The hearings will be live streamed on the APH website: www.aph.gov.au/live.

Public hearing details

Date: Tuesday, 28 February 2023
Time: 8:30am to 4:10pm AEDT
Location: Committee Room 2R1, Parliament House, Canberra

Date: Wednesday, 1 March 2023
Time: 8:30am to 4:10pm AEDT
Location: Committee Room 2R1, Parliament House, Canberra

Further information about the inquiry, including published submissions, hearing dates and transcripts, are available on the inquiry webpage.

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THE Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) has today tabled its Annual Report of Committee Activities 2021-2022. The report covers the financial year from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022.

Over the review period the committee undertook a significant volume of work across 21 inquiries and presented 17 reports on a range of complex national security matters. The Committee’s work included scrutiny of bills before Parliament, statutory reviews of legislation, two administration and expenditure reviews of the intelligence agencies, reviews of terrorist listings, and two policy inquiries.

The committee’s activities for the review period ceased in April 2022 with the end of the 46th Parliament.

Chair of the committee, Peter Khalil MP, said, "Effective parliamentary oversight of the intelligence community, undertaken by the PJCIS, is a crucial part of Australia’s democratic infrastructure.

"I acknowledge the work of the Committee in the 46th Parliament, which managed a high workload in a diligent and bipartisan manner, to fulfil the important oversight and inquiry functions of the committee.

"I look forward to reporting on the work of the Committee in the 47th Parliament in due course."

Further information on the functions and role of the committee as well as a copy of the report can be obtained from the Committee’s website.

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