THIS WEEK, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Milton Dick MP, is in North Queensland to resume the flagship Parliament in Schools program.

With content tailored to their grade level, students will learn about federation, democracy and the Australian Parliament, as well as hear from the Speaker and their local member on what happens behind the scenes.

Over three days, the Speaker and the Parliamentary Education Office (PEO) will visit:

• Mossman State Primary School, Mossman – with the Member for Leichardt, Warren Entsch on Tuesday 2 May,
• Trinity Beach Primary School, Trinity Beach – with the Member for Leichardt, Warren Entsch on Tuesday 2 May,
• Blackheath and Thornburgh College, Richmond Hill – with the Member for Kennedy, Bob Katter on Wednesday 3 May,
• Crescent Lagoon State School, West Rockhampton– with the Member for Capricornia, Michelle Landry on Thursday 4 May, and
• The Hall State School, Wandal – with the Member for Capricornia, Michelle Landry on Thursday 4 May.

"Canberra is Australia’s centre of democracy – but not all Australian students will have the privilege of visiting," Speaker Milton Dick said.

"One of my biggest priorities is to increase the accessibility of civics education.

"What makes the Parliament in Schools program so successful, is the great teamwork with fellow Members of Parliament, the excellent support by the PEO and participation by such enthusiastic and engaged students.

"It is so important we empower school students with the knowledge, skills and values so that they can go on to be active and informed citizens.’

About the Parliament in Schools program

Launched last year, the Parliament in Schools program is a bi-partisan initiative to make civics education accessible to students regardless of their location. In collaboration with the PEO, the Speaker is visiting schools across Australia to bring parliament to them.

The program is an extension to well-established PEO onsite, digital and outreach education programs available to schools across Australia.

It also complements the existing PEO online and print resources that are curriculum-aligned, for Australian teachers and students.

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THE House of Representatives Standing Committee on Economics will hear from strategic thinkers about competition on May 2 and from the tech sector on May 3, 2023 in two days of public hearings.

The hearings, part of the committee’s inquiry into promoting economic dynamism, competition and business formation, will be conducted by videoconference.

Committee Chair, Daniel Mulino MP said, "There is substantial evidence that Australia’s economy has become more concentrated. Research has found that wages tend to be lower when fewer employers dominate the market.

Rates of business start-up and job switching have also declined, which is concerning because both are important factors in higher wages.," Dr Mulino said.

"Furthermore, over the past year alone, our economy has experienced a number of supply chain shocks, in part because of the war in Ukraine, which speaks to the importance of economic resilience.

"And competition is one way to build resilience – a diverse and dynamic economy is also a resilient economy that is better equipped to deal with unexpected shocks and adapt to the challenges of an uncertain world.

"In a nutshell, less competition is associated with higher prices, fewer new businesses, less consumer choice, lower quality, less innovation and, ultimately, fewer jobs and less growth.

"For all these reasons and more, it is really important that we set the scene and hear from economists and thinktanks from across the political spectrum about their ideas on a robust competition policy. We are fortunate to have in Australia a number of highly experienced economists who can provide this commentary," Dr Mulino said.

The committee will hear from several experts on Tuesday, including e61, the Grattan Institute, the Institute of Public Affairs, former ACCC chair Rod Sims, and UNSW economist Richard Holden.

On Wednesday the committee will hear from the tech sector, including the Tech Council of Australia, FinTech Australia and Microsoft.

"Given the extraordinary pace and scale of technological change and its impact on businesses in this country, we need to hear from those at the cutting edge about the opportunities and risks for competition in sectors such as banking, energy, and retail, as well as across the broader economy," Dr Mulino said.

"We need to fully understand how regulation can keep up with the disruption resulting from technological change while also not stymieing innovation."

More details about the inquiry and upcoming public hearings, including the full terms of reference, are available on the committee’s website.

Public hearing details

Thinktanks and economists

Date: Tuesday 2 May 2023
Time: 11am to 4pm

Tech sector

Date: Wednesday 3 May 2023
Time: 9am to 2.30pm

Both public hearings will be broadcast live at https://www.aph.gov.au/live.

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ON TUESDAY MAY 3, the Federal Parliamentary House Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Resources will hold a series of public hearings in Melbourne in support of its inquiry into developing advanced manufacturing in Australia.

Stakeholders from Australia’s health, engineering and space industries are scheduled to appear, as well as representatives of Australia’s tertiary education and research sectors.

The committee will explore a range of matters, including the current level of advanced manufacturing in Australia, major international trends, and strategies to further develop capabilities in this area.

Committee Chair, Rob Mitchell MP said, “It is important to understand the opportunities that exist – and the challenges that our manufacturers face – for building capability in advanced manufacturing.

"This inquiry is seeking to identify opportunities to enhance Australia’s strategic growth and global competitiveness.”

The committee commenced its inquiry into developing advanced manufacturing on February 15, 2023.

Further information about the inquiry, including the terms of reference, is available on the committee’s website: aph.gov.au/isr

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HIA senior economist Tom Devitt said the HIA Trades Report for the March quarter 2023 reveals Australia is "still enduring one of its most acute shortages of skilled tradespeople on record".

The HIA Trades Report released this week provides a quarterly review of the availability of skilled trades and any demand pressures on trades operating in the residential building industry.

“The report’s Trades Availability Index registered -0.75 for the March quarter 2023, compared with 0.90 a year earlier,” Mr Devitt said.

“This still represents one of the most acute shortages of skilled tradespeople since HIA started this report in 2003. The shortages are particularly acute in Australia’s regions and in trades like bricklaying, carpentry and roofing.

“As more workers arrive from overseas, home building and renovations timelines that have blown out during the pandemic will shrink. The demand for and the supply of skilled tradespeople will approach equilibrium again," he said.

“The rate of increase in the price of trades already appears to be moderating.

“The rates paid for skilled trades were increasing at 7.5 percent per year during the pandemic, compared with just 2 percent per year before the pandemic. The last three quarters have seen this rate moderate, with the price of trades even declining by 0.03 percent in the most recent quarter.

“As the volume of work currently underway remains large, the effects of consecutive rate hikes by the RBA have yet to reach the Index.

“It is anticipated that the RBA’s actions to date will result in a more significant easing of the shortage of trades later this year, as well as some more declines in the prices of trades," Mr Devitt said.

“The current pipeline is progressively being completed, with an increasing number of projects being cancelled. The number of new projects commencing construction is also set to fall to its lowest level in over a decade.

“This will see the volume of homes under construction shrink and demand for skilled trades fall,” Mr Devitt said.

www.hia..com.au

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