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Raising the standard in Parliament House

THE PARLIAMENT House Standing Committee on Procedure has tabled its report reviewing parliamentary practice and procedure to implement recommendations 10 and 27 of Set the Standard. 

These recommendations, by Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins, related to eliminating sexist, exclusionary or discriminatory language, behaviour and practices in the Chamber and improving safety and respect, as well as looking at the sitting calendar and order of business.

“Set the Standard built a case for change across Commonwealth parliamentary workplaces," Committee Chair Shayne Neumann MP said.

"The recommendations in our report aim to create change in the Chamber itself — by strengthening the Speaker’s powers, clarifying expectations and improving Members’ understanding — and to raise the standard in the House,” he said.  “This includes recommending amendments to the standing orders to make it clearer that Members must not use discriminatory language against each other.”

Deputy Chair Ross Vasta MP said, “The report proposes practical and sensible changes to the standing orders.

“To expand the Speaker’s toolkit for managing misbehaviour in the Chamber, the committee has recommended amendments to standing order 94(a). In addition to the current one-hour withdrawal period, the ability to exclude a Member for three hours would provide the Speaker with more options to address disorderly conduct swiftly and proportionally,” Mr Vasta said.

Mr Neumann said, “While the committee has not recommended changes to sitting hours, the committee will maintain a watching brief on the hours and days of sitting to monitor the careful balance between making the most of Members’ time in Canberra and maintaining wellbeing and safety."

The committee made a number of other recommendations, including that training and guidance material for Members be reviewed to ensure Members are aware of their obligations and how they can draw potentially disorderly conduct to the Speaker’s attention.

The committee having made its recommendations, it is now a matter for the House of Representatives whether it wishes to consider making any changes to the Standing Orders.

The report and further information about the inquiry can be found on the Committee’s website.

 

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Recognising and valuing the role of unpaid carers: inquiry to hear from Carers Australia and individual carers

THE House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs will hear from Carers Australia and two individual carers at its first public hearing on Tuesday, August 8, for its Inquiry into the recognition of unpaid carers.

Chair of the Committee, Peta Murphy MP, said, "in 2020 it was estimated that there were 2.8 million unpaid carers in Australia providing nearly 2.2 billion hours of unpaid care.

"This hearing will be an opportunity to hear from Carers Australia, the national peak body representing Australia’s unpaid carers, about its views on whether the current Carer Recognition Act 2010 is fit for purpose and whether it appropriately recognises and values the diversity of such a large cohort.

"The Committee will also hear personal stories from two individual carers to better understand the significant contribution of carers and their challenges," Ms Murphy said.

"A lot has changed since the Act was established in 2010, and demographic shifts suggest there is a growing gap between demand for care and the capacity of Australians to take on caring roles. The Committee is examining the Act with a view to strengthening and modernising it," Ms Murphy said.

The committee will conduct further public hearings in August 2023. Submissions to the inquiry close on Friday, August 11, 2023, however late submissions will still be considered.

Public hearing details

Date: Tuesday, 8 August 2023Time: 4:30pm to 6pm AESTLocation: Committee Room 1R3, Parliament House, Canberra

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

Further information about the inquiry, including the terms of reference and published submissions, are available on the inquiry webpage.

 

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Australian Parliament House goes green and gold for the FIFA Women’s World Cup

AUSTRALIA Parliament House’s façade will be sporting green and gold this Sunday and Monday night with a striking illumination to show support for the mighty Matildas in the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

President of the Senate, Sue Lines and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Milton Dick MPsaid the government was proud to be supporting the FIFA Women’s World Cup by illuminating the nation’s parliament.

“We are delighted to shine the light on women’s sport. The Matildas are wonderful role models for our next generation of athletes and Parliament House will be cheering them on when they play Monday night,” president Sue Lines said.

“Sport has always had a way of uniting Australians, and the Matildas are part of this history. And what better way to recognise this, than by lighting up our iconic Australian Parliament House,” Speaker Milton Dick said.

The green and gold illumination of Parliament House for the Matildas will be on Sunday, August 6 and Monday August 7 from 5.45pm to midnight.

All are welcome to come along to the Parliament House forecourt to show support for Australia’s Matildas.

 

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Treaties Committee recommends ratification of Timor-Leste Defence and Serbia Social Security Agreements

THE Joint Standing Committee on Treaties (JSCOT) has tabled a report recommending the ratification of two treaties.

They are the Agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste on Cooperation in the Field of Defence and the Status of Visiting Forces (Canberra, September 7, 2022) (Timor-Leste Agreement) and the Agreement between Australia and the Republic of Serbia on Social Security(Belgrade, January 20, 2023) (Serbia Agreement).

The Timor-Leste Agreement establishes a legally binding framework to govern defence cooperation activities between Australia and Timor-Leste. The Agreement would facilitate a range of cooperative activities including the conduct of maritime military and other operations; exchanges and exercises; international humanitarian assistance and disaster relief; education and training; and logistics support.

Committee Chair, Josh Wilson MP said, “This agreement would deepen the strong relationship between Australia and Timor-Leste. It would provide for closer and improved cooperation on defence activities with Timor-Leste and allow Australia’s significant international support for Timor-Leste to grow.”

The Serbia Social Security Agreement allows each country to pay a benefit that reflects a person’s association with that country’s social security system. The Agreement covers the age pension for Australia and pension and disability insurance for Serbia. The Agreement would allow for a claim for a benefit to be lodged in either country and for the sharing of information.

Mr Wilson said, “The Agreement would help maximise the income of Australian residents and further strengthen ties between Australia and Serbia.”

The reports can be found on the Committee website, along with further information on the inquiries.

 

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Housing supply pipeline shrinks in June

THE Reserve Bank of Australia’s decision to hold interest rates is a welcome reprieve to households as ABS data released today shows more bad news for Australia’s housing crisis with new home building approvals falling by 7.7 percent in June, said Master Builders Australia CEO Denita Wawn.

“We can already see the impact of interest rate rises exacerbating the housing crisis," Ms Wawn said.

“Attention needs to be turned to addressing the structural undersupply challenges of the housing market. The rental market is feeling the brunt of this pressure with higher-density home building approvals sinking by 21 percent in June.

“New apartment and unit building is a key source of new supply for Australia’s rental market. These results come on top of last week’s figures showing that rental inflation has shot to its highest rate in 14 years.

“Sadly, the uptick in higher density approvals in May was short-lived with approvals returning to low levels since before the pandemic. Right now, many new home building projects are failing to get off the ground due to the combination of high costs and a declining investment appetite, inflamed by rising interest rates.

“We need to see governments working to make it easier for new projects to get the green light by kickstarting private investment and reducing development costs and delays," she said.

“Taxes, regulations and the industrial relations environment all have an impact on the cost of construction.

“The building and construction industry continues to implore the Opposition and crossbench to pass the Housing Australia Future Fund legislation,” Ms Wawn said.

www.masterbuilders.com.au

 

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