THE Select Committee on Workforce Australia Employment Services is calling for submissions on the ParentsNext program as the first major component of its inquiry into employment services in Australia.

The committee will examine the role of ParentsNext in providing early intervention to disadvantaged parents, in line with a request from the Minister from Employment and Workplace Relations, Tony Burke MP.

Committee Chair, Julian Hill MP said, "This will not be a fairy floss review. The committee has been tasked with a first principles review of Australia’s employment services system. ParentsNext, a pre-employment program to prepare parents and carers for employment before their youngest child begins school, is the initial focus.

"Let’s not beat around the bush. ParentsNext has become highly controversial. Strong supporters claim it helps many single parents, while many equally strongly argue it must be scrapped as it harms people.

"The committee approaches this task with an open mind, and will examine evidence presented and consider how the program invests in building work readiness of its participants. We are interested in hearing what aspects work, how it can help someone to get a secure job, and what action may be needed given concerns expressed by participants and stakeholders.

"Many of the issues we are exploring in relation to Workforce Australia may also apply to ParentsNext."

The committee is seeking written submissions from individuals and organisations by November 30, 2022. The committee said it was particularly interested in ParentsNext’s:

• policy objectives;
• eligibility and compulsory participation requirements;
• impact on women's economic equality and workforce participation;
• efficacy in addressing structural and cultural barriers to accessing family support, education and employment; and
• funding and service delivery arrangements.

Mr Hill said submissions "should ideally be no more than ten (10) pages, and should provide views and recommendations in relation to the ParentsNext program".

The committee has undertaken to make any recommendations in relation to ParentsNext by the end of February 2023, as part of an interim report.

The committee said it would separately call for submissions on Workforce Australia and the employment services system more broadly in the coming weeks, and would publish guidance material to assist submitters.

Further information about the inquiry, including terms of reference,  published submissions and hearing transcripts, are being made available on the inquiry website. Also available is the letter from Minister Burke, which provides additional information about the matters the committee may consider when examining the ParentsNext program.

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THE House of Representatives Health Committee will hold the first public hearing on Wednesday October 12, 2022 for its Inquiry into long COVID and repeated COVID infections.

The Chair of the Committee, Mike Freelander MP said, "The hearing will be an opportunity for the committee to hear from hospitals about their experience supporting patients with long COVID and/or repeated COVID infections, and the impact of long COVID and/or repeated COVID infections on Australia’s overall health system.

"The committee is also looking forward to hearing from research organisations about research into long COVID and repeated COVID infections, including around the prevalence of these conditions, potential causes, and groups that may be particularly at-risk."

The committee intends to hold more public hearings in due course and interested parties are being encouraged to make a submission to this inquiry by November 18, 2022.

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

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THE Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) is holding a public hearing for its review into the operation, effectiveness and implications of the Counter-Terrorism (Temporary Exclusion Orders) Act 2019.

The committee will hear from the Law Council, Australian Human Rights Commission, the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security as well as Home Affairs, Border Force, ASIO and the AFP.

Committee Chair Peter Khalil MP said, “Hearing from ASIO and the AFP in particular will allow the committee to hear exactly how effective the use of TEOs has been from those who are involved with them in an operational context.”

The Temporary Exclusion Order scheme was introduced in 2019 to provide greater control over Australians returning from overseas who are of counter-terrorism interest including foreign fighters.

A TEO may be issued where an individual returns to Australia without a return permit, which enables conditions to be imposed on an individual pre-entry and post-entry, and where one of the following conditions are satisfied:

• The Minister suspects on reasonable grounds that making the order would address a terrorist threat; or
• The individual has been assessed by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation to be a direct or indirect risk to security for reasons related to politically motivated violence.

Teleconference and video conference facilities may be used to connect witnesses to Committee Members. The hearings will be broadcast live at aph.gov.au/live

Further information on the inquiry can be obtained from the Committee’s website.

Public hearing

17 October 2022
10am – 2.30pm
Committee Room 2R1, Parliament House, Canberra

The Committee’s website has a full program for the hearing.

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THE Joint Standing Committee on Treaties will hold a public hearing on Thursday 13 October 2022 into the Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (AI-ECTA).

The AI-ECTA is an interim agreement that deals with a smaller range of matters than typically found in a comprehensive agreement. It contains 14 chapters and a range of side letters, and is intended to establish a framework for future economic, trade and investment interactions between Australia and India.

“India is a complex market for Australian exporters,” Committee Chair, Josh Wilson MP said. “India looks for balance between openness to foreign trade and concern for the livelihoods of Indian small businesses. The committee is keen to explore how Australia fared in striking this balance in the AI-ECTA.

“The committee looks forward to hearing from a range of representatives who can speak to the substance of the AI-ECTA and the ways in which it might benefit and otherwise impact Australian businesses and consumers.”

Public hearing details

Date: Thursday, 13 October 2022
Time: 9am – 12.30pm AEDT

The program for this hearing is also available online.

Further information on the inquiry can be found on the Committee website.

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