THE administration of government grants will be examined in a new Parliamentary inquiry, seeking to understand and learn lessons from the administration of previous grants programs and strengthen how Commonwealth grants are delivered.

Four Auditor-General’s reports relating to grants administration (Building Better Regions; Grants Hubs; Safer Communities; and Commuter Car Parks) will be considered by the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit in this inquiry.

The administration of three other grant programs (the Urban Congestion Fund; Regional Growth Fund; and Modern Manufacturing Initiative) as well as the implementation of recommendations in the Committee’s previous report on grants will also be reviewed.

Committee Chair, Julian Hill MP said parliamentary scrutiny of these programs was important to ensure that future grants programs were administered consistent with the intent of the Commonwealth Grant Rules and guidelines and in line with community expectations.

"The Committee will amplify the Auditor-General’s work, and also examine additional programs of interest administered by the previous government to learn lessons and to try to improve grants administration in the future,” Mr Hill said.

The Committee invites submissions to the inquiry addressing the terms of reference to be received by Friday, October 28, 2022. Details of public hearings will be made available on the inquiry website.

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THE House Standing Committee on Procedure has launched a new inquiry reviewing parliamentary practice and procedure to implement recommendations 10 and 27 of the Set the standard report by Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins.

These recommendations 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.

"The Jenkins review recommended that the House consider whether there were opportunities to improve both the standing orders and any unwritten conventions in the Chamber," committee chair Shayne Neumann said. "The committee is interested in feedback and is now welcoming submissions to the inquiry."

However, matters such as codes of conduct and behaviour outside the Chamber are covered by other recommendations and will not be considered as part of this inquiry.

"The focus of our inquiry is on the standing orders and practices and procedures in the Chamber — we are not looking at the development of codes of conduct, for example," Mr Neumann said. "A joint select committee has been established to consider codes of conduct."

To read the full terms of reference or make a submission, visit the inquiry page.

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THE House of Representatives Standing Committee on Economics will tomorrow hold its first public hearings into three of the four key financial regulators, the ACCC, ASIC and APRA. These follow the hearing into the Reserve Bank of Australia three weeks ago.

Giving evidence will be Gina Cass-Gottlieb, chair of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), Wayne Byres, chair of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA), and Joe Longo, chair of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC).

Labor’s Daniel Mulino MP, the committee’s chair, said that scrutiny of Australia’s financial system regulators is crucial to ensuring Australia’s economic resilience.

“While the Optus data breach has caused immense concern to the millions of Australians affected, it should also be a wake-up call to the corporate sector generally that robust systems are critical, regardless of the industry," Dr Mulino said.

“And as a committee we need to make sure that the key regulators of the corporate sector are doing what is required, and expected of them, to protect all Australians. The data breach has shown how vulnerable Australians can be.”

Dr Mulino added that the regulators needed to remain on the front foot in light of the challenges facing the economy including cost pressures facing businesses and households, skills shortages, concern about competition, uneven performance across superannuation funds, failing neo banks, the rising numbers of social media 'finfluencers', and corporate greenwashing activities.

International factors also pose challenges, including the deterioration in the global economy and heightened global uncertainty, the war in Ukraine and significant supply chain impacts

“The committee will be probing the supervision and enforcement activities of the ACCC, APRA and ASIC, as well as their policy development and governance processes.”

Public hearing details

Date: Tuesday 11 October 2022
Time: 9.15am – 4.45pm
Location: Main Committee Room, Parliament House, Canberra

Program

9.15 am           Australian Competition and Consumer Commission

11.45 am         Break

12.30 pm         Australian Prudential Regulation Authority

2.45 pm           Australian Securities and Investments Commission

4.45 pm           Finish

The hearing will be broadcast live at aph.gov.au/live.

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ACCORDING to Master Builders Australia, it is unsurprising that the Skills Priority List, published this week, has doubled in 12 months, leading to around a third of all Australian occupations facing critical shortages.

“We identified in late 2021 that the pressure of material shortages in the building and construction industry was being taken over by skill shortages, with the pressure steadily increasing throughout 2022," Master Builders Australia CEO Denita Wawn said.

"Skill shortages result in delays in building activity which impacts capacity to occupy new homes, schools, and offices or use new roads and railways.  It also puts a massive handbrake on economic activity.

“Master Builders has been calling on the Federal Government to not only speed up skilled migration pathways but also expand the skills list and provide greater flexibility.  The new Skills Priority List reinforces our calls. We acknowledge that the Federal Government is working on migration solutions.

“Skill shortages can also be resolved through greater completion of apprenticeships.  The industry has appreciated ongoing government support to encourage more people into trade apprenticeships, but we now need an equal focus on completion rates.  The average current completion rate for trade apprentices, of just over 50 per cent, is not acceptable given the environment," Ms Wawn said..

Building and construction roles added to the list in 2022 include:
•    Building inspector
•    Construction estimator
•    Crane, hoist or lift operator
•    Rigger
•    Scaffolder
•    Steel Fixer 

Building and construction roles that continue to be on the list include:
•    Construction project manager
•    Surveyor 
•    Engineer
•    Bricklayer
•    Stonemason
•    Carpenter and joiners
•    Painting trade worker 
•    Tilers (roof, wall, floor)
•    Plumber
•    Electrician.

www.masterbuilders.com.au

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