HOW Australia makes decisions to send service personnel into international armed conflict will be examined in a new parliamentary inquiry.

The inquiry was referred by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, Richard Marles MP, on September 28 to the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade (JSCFADT) with its own Terms of Reference. The JSCFADT has tasked the Defence Subcommittee to undertake this inquiry.

JSCFADT Chair, Shayne Neumann MP, said, “One of the most significant powers vested in the Executive Government is the decision to deploy Australian servicemen and women into armed conflict where they are at risk of serious injury and death. This review of course does not alter the fact that Labor's defence policy is founded on the principle of Australian self-reliance and the government and Australia's armed forces need to be able to defend Australia and its interests against credible threats in a dynamically changing geostrategic environment unimpeded by dissenting or short term political opinions.”

Commenting on the inquiry, Defence Subcommittee Chair, Julian Hill MP said, “The government has committed to holding this inquiry which presents an opportunity for the public and stakeholders to present evidence to the committee on where improvements can be made including transparency and accountability in the exercise of these powers. The subcommittee will examine whether the current parliamentary processes are sufficient and importantly, if there are inadvertent security implications any proposed policy changes may cause that could compromise the safety and security of our Defence Force personnel.

“During the inquiry it will be important to hear evidence about how other like-minded democracies and Westminster parliamentary systems around the world commit their citizens to conflict.”

The committee has invited submissions addressing the terms of reference to this inquiry by Friday, November 18, 2022.

Further information in relation to the inquiry is available from the JSCFADT’s website.

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THE Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s (DFAT’s) preparedness to respond to future complex and large-scale crises will be examined in a new parliamentary inquiry, taking account of weaknesses highlighted and lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit has commenced an inquiry into the Auditor-General's report on the effectiveness of DFAT’s crisis management and consular response arrangements during the COVID-19 pandemic (Auditor‑General Report No. 39 of 2021-22).

Committee Chair, Julian Hill MP, said the Auditor-General examined DFAT’s efforts to assist the many Australians stranded overseas during the pandemic and identified scope to improve the Department’s crisis management and response arrangements.

"The committee is seeking to understand whether DFAT was adequately prepared for major crises prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, and what measures the department has taken in response to the Auditor-General’s recommendations to ensure it is well placed to respond to similar crises in the future,” Mr Hill said.

“We want to know what lessons have been learned so far, and whether DFAT has put in place robust plans for anticipating and responding to future complex and large‑scale crises."

The committee is inviting submissions to the inquiry addressing the terms of reference to be received by Friday, November 4, 2022. Details of public hearings will be made available on the inquiry website.

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THE Speaker of the House of Representatives, Milton Dick MP has launched the Parliament in Schools program - an initiative to make civics education accessible to students regardless of their location.

The Speaker will be visiting five schools across Western Australia (WA), over the next three days and later take the in-person program nationally.

In collaboration with the Parliamentary Education Office (PEO), the Speaker will visit schools across Australia to bring Parliament to them. They will learn about federation, democracy and the parliament.

"At the moment, we have a fantastic schools program run at Parliament House in Canberra by the PEO," Mr Dick said. "In 2021-22, 19,468 students from 347 schools across Australia participated in an onsite PEO program.

"But not all students will get the opportunity to travel all the way to Canberra. This is why we are taking this program on the road, and bringing it to them," the Speaker said. 

Over the next three days, the Speaker and the PEO will visit:

• Swan View Primary School (Swan View) and Brabham Primary School (Brabham) - with the Member for Hasluck, Tania Lawrence MP;
• Oberthur Primary School (Bull Creek) - with the Member for Tangney, Sam Lim MP;
• Sacred Heart College (Sorrento) – with the Member for Moore, Ian Goodenough MP; and
• Shenton College (Shenton Park) – with the Member for Curtin, Kate Chaney MP.

About the PEO

The PEO educates Australians about, and inspires their enthusiasm for, Australia’s parliamentary democracy. Through accessible, immersive, experiential programs and resources the PEO fosters informed, engaged and active citizens of all ages.

Find out more about the PEO: www.peo.gov.au

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THE National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) has secured a significant victory for all Victorian casual staff who were set to miss out on pay on the public holiday to mark Queen Elizabeth II's death.

NTEU branches around the state called for all universities to ensure casuals would not miss out on pay because of the one-off National Day of Mourning.

While some institutions initially refused to ensure all workers would be paid, backlash from Union members sparked a backdown, meaning all casual staff will be paid for work cancelled because of the public holiday.

"This is a welcome change of heart from universities like RMIT which initially refused point blank to pay casuals on Thursday's upcoming public holiday," NTEU Victorian Division assistant secretary Sarah Roberts said.

"It was patently unfair for precariously employed university staff to be missing out on a day's pay because of the death of a monarch.

"Our union has scored a significant win for casuals - this shows the strength of our branches right across the state.

"While some universities shouldn't have taken this long to agree to basic fairness, the outcome is a victory for common sense."

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