A PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE inquiry will hear from frontline health professionals about treating long COVID and its effect on the health system.

The public hearing will be held on Monday, December 5, 2022 at Liverpool Hospital in South West Sydney as part of the House Health Committee’s inquiry into long COVID and repeated COVID infections.

Chair of the Committee, Mike Freelander MP, said, "The hearing will be an opportunity to hear from frontline health professionals about how our health system is managing long COVID, and their experience supporting patients with repeated COVID infections during some of the toughest days of the pandemic."

Deputy Chair of the Committee, Melissa McIntosh MP, said, "The committee is looking forward to hearing from hospitals, research organisations and other healthcare workers about what they have learned so far about long COVID and repeated COVID infections based on their observations while treating COVID-positive patients both during their infection and in the months after."

The committee intends to hold more public hearings in due course. While submissions to the inquiry closed on November 18, individuals and organisations wanting to make a late submission have been advised to contact the secretariat by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. as soon as possible.

Further information about the inquiry, including the terms of reference and published submissions are available on the Committee’s website.

Public hearing details

Date: Monday, 5 December 2022
Time: 9am (AEDT) to 4.40pm (AEDT)
Location: Liverpool Hospital Education and Research Centre, Hospital Eastern Campus

Program:
9.00am–9.50am: Nepean Hospital
9.50am–10.40am: Westmead Hospital
10.40am–11.00am: Break
11.00am–11.50am: The Children’s Hospital at Westmead
11.50am–12.40pm: Liverpool Hospital
12.40pm–1.30pm: Break
1.30pm–2.20pm: Campbelltown Hospital
2.20pm–3.00pm: Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research
3.00pm–3.20pm: Break
3.20pm–4.00pm: Dr Kenneth McCroary, Macarthur General Practice
4.00pm–4.40pm: Tharawal Aboriginal Corporation
4.40pm: Close

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

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THE House of Representatives Standing Committee on Regional Development, Infrastructure and Transport has today launched an inquiry into the implications of severe weather events on the national regional, rural, and remote road network.

Chair of the committee, Luke Gosling OAM, MP, said, "The inquiry will look at road engineering and construction standards to strengthen road resiliency against natural disasters, including the critical role of climate change trends and data to inform infrastructure standards.

"The committee is concerned about the increasing deterioration of the nation’s road network, particularly in regional, rural, and remote areas. The extreme flooding events and other natural disasters across the nation have impacted many Australians, and the Committee is seeking to understand how road planning and construction may be improved to enhance road climate resiliency and support our communities."

Mr Gosling said the committee was seeking written submissions, ideally of no more than 10 pages, from organisations and individuals providing recommendations relating to any or all of the inquiry terms of reference by February 28, 2023.

Further information about the inquiry, including published submissions and hearing transcripts, will be available on the inquiry web page.

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THE Joint Standing Committee on Treaties has tabled a report into two major treaties: the Agreement between Australia and Japan concerning the Facilitation of Reciprocal Access and Cooperation between the Australian Defence Force and the Self-Defense Forces of Japan (Australia-Japan RAA), and the Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education (Global Convention).

The Committee has recommended the Australian Government ratify both treaties.

Committee chair, Josh Wilson MP said, “The Australia-Japan RAA builds on the long-standing defence relationship between Australia and Japan, and would both simplify and strengthen defence cooperation between the two countries in the context of a deteriorating strategic environment.

“The Australia-Japan RAA deals comprehensively with the entry and departure of the Visiting Force and Civilian Component, their movement and operation within the territory of each Party, command and control, and matters of criminal jurisdiction and claims."

The issue of the death penalty that applies in Japan for certain offences was examined by the committee. It found that while blanket immunity for Australian personnel serving in Japan was not achieved, considerable steps had been taken to protect personnel from the risk of being subject to the death penalty, while also maintaining Australia’s international obligations.

The Committee recognised the importance of Australia’s principled position opposing the death penalty, as set out in Australia’s whole-of-government strategy for the abolition of the death penalty.

Regarding the Global Convention, Mr Wilson said, “The Global Convention establishes universal principles and processes for the recognition of studies and qualifications, and the right of individuals to have their foreign qualifications assessed in a fair, transparent, and non-discriminatory manner.

“The Global Convention would provide a framework for the recognition of Australian qualifications internationally, and the recognition of overseas qualifications in Australia, and in so doing would potentially have significant benefits for Australia’s education sector."

The committee agreed that in a highly competitive international marketplace, the Global Convention would add value to Australian qualifications and help to attract skilled professionals. Importantly, Australian decision makers would retain full autonomy with regard to which overseas qualifications would be recognised and how that would occur.

The report can be found on the Committee website, along with further information on the inquiry.

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A PARLIAMENTARY inquiry will hear how the Australian Communications and Media Authority’s (ACMA’s) management of radiofrequency spectrum may impact on regional mobile phone coverage.

The House Communications and the Arts Committee will hear how ACMA oversees more than 170,000 commercial, government and individual licensees operating in Australia at a public hearing today (November 30) for its parliamentary inquiry into co‑investment in regional mobile carrier infrastructure.

Spectrum is a key input for the delivery of wireless broadband (fixed and mobile), satellite and broadcasting services, according to ACMA. With relevant spectrum capable of providing national coverage currently licensed to each of the three mobile carriers, ACMA’s submission to the inquiry states that spectrum availability and access is not a current barrier to terrestrial mobile network expansion.

Committee Chair, Brian Mitchell MP, outlined the Committee will be seeking ACMA’s views on access to spectrum if co-investment looms as the best tool to encourage multiple telecommunications providers in regional areas to invest in and share ‘multi-carrier’ mobile towers to improve the range and reliability of their services.

Public hearing
Witness: Australian Communications and Media Authority
Time and date: 12:40pm AEDT November 30
Location: Committee Room 1R6 Parliament House Canberra

The inquiry’s terms of reference and information about the Committee may be found on the Committee’s webpage.

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