THE Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Bruce Billson is encouraging small and family businesses to welcome applications from all ages when hiring staff this busy festive season.

With many small and family businesses struggling amid nation-wide staff shortages, Mr Billson says mature age employees could help ease the workload.

“Small and family businesses are eager to make the most of the festive season and Summer months of trade, but finding staff is now their biggest issue,” Mr Billson said.

“Vacancies are at an all-time-high in the hospitality industry with more than 100,000 positions open across the country, particularly in tourism hotspots.

“That’s why I am encouraging small and family businesses to be age-inclusive when they advertise for people and really consider the many benefits that a mature worker can bring to the business," he said.

“Age diversity is good for business. Older workers can elevate an entire workplace, with their knowledge, experience and transferrable skills forged over many years.

“I am delighted to see this happening already in places like Cobargo Hotel on NSW’s south coast, which is hiring mature-aged workers and seeing the benefits first-hand.

“Small businesses looking for staff should ensure their advertising is welcoming of all ages and that they are looking for a positive attitude and willingness to learn the skills that can be taught on the job," Mr Billson said.

“Offer flexible working arrangements if possible to give workers at various life stages a chance to manage their work-life balance.

“This labour force shortage is a one-in-100-year problem for a range of industries and we know Australian small and family businesses are ready to lead the nation’s economic recovery.

“Above all we want small and family businesses to survive and thrive into the new year and that may mean casting the net a little bit wider to ensure you have a great team going forward.”

www.asbfeo.gov.au

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THE Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) today presented its review of amendments made by the Telecommunications and Other Legislation Amendment (Assistance and Access) Act 2018 (TOLA Act).

The TOLA Act amended a range of Commonwealth legislation to introduce measures to better deal with the challenges posed by ubiquitous encryption.

The committee considered the ongoing appropriateness, effectiveness and necessity of the powers conferred by the TOLA Act 2018 and made 29 recommendations to the government to amend the legislation.

The committee has recommended the powers be retained with additional safeguards and oversight mechanisms to provide the public with confidence the legislation continues to be used proportionally and for its intended purpose.

Chair of the committee, Senator James Paterson, said, “Agencies have made the case that these powers remain necessary to combat serious national security threats, and some of the worst fears held by industry at the time of passage have not been realised.

“However, these are intrusive powers that must be robustly overseen to ensure they are used appropriately, and there are improvements that can be made to the oversight framework which the committee has recommended,” Senator Paterson said.

Further information on the inquiry as well as a copy of the report can be obtained from the inquiry website.

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THE PROCESS for conducting referendums in Australia should be brought into the modern age, according to a report of the House Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs released today.

In its report on constitutional reform and referendums, the Committee recommended amendments to modernise the legislation setting out the arrangements for referendums. The Committee also recommended the establishment of a new joint parliamentary committee to examine constitutional issues on an ongoing basis, and measures to strengthen awareness and understanding of the Constitution among school students and the wider community.

Acting chair of the committee, Sharon Claydon MP, said changes to the referendum process were long overdue.

"It has been over 20 years since the last referendum in Australia, and even longer since a comprehensive update to the referendum rules," Ms Claydon said.

"This inquiry has highlighted the need to modernise the referendum process to ensure that Australians can go to the ballot box fully informed about any referendum question. It is critical that these changes are considered now, and not during the middle of a referendum campaign," she said.

"The committee was also concerned about the low levels of understanding of the Constitution, and the lack of any established process of constitutional review. Through its recommendations, the committee is seeking to kickstart the conversation about the Constitution, both in schools and communities and in the Parliament, to help ensure Australia has a more informed and engaged citizenry."

The report is available on the inquiry website.

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THE Joint Standing Committee on Northern Australia wrote to the WA Aboriginal Affairs Minister, Stephen Dawson MLC, on December 10, 2021 expressing the committee’s concerns about the WA Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Bill then being considered by the WA Parliament.

The letter was copied to the Commonwealth Minister for Indigenous Australians, Ken Wyatt AM MP.

The letter, co-signed by the chair of the committee, Warren Entsch MP, and Senator Pat Dodson, a member of the committee, outlined the committee’s disappointment with key provisions of the Bill and its failure to take account of recommendations of the committee’s final report into the destruction of the Aboriginal cultural heritage at Juukan Gorge.

Committee Chair Warren Entsch said the Bill "falls far short of the reforms advocated in the Committee’s final report on Juukan Gorge, in particular the call for consistency with the principles of free, prior and informed consent by Indigenous people”.

He said the Bill “conflicts with these principles by giving the Minister the ultimate power to decide whether mining or other activities can go ahead if traditional owners do not agree to an Aboriginal Cultural Heritage (ACH) Management Plan put forward by a proponent company”.

Mr Entsch has also criticised the consultation process undertaken by the McGowan Government on the Bill, which he said “was not centred on culturally based protocols, was not undertaken in language and was not linked to elements of Aboriginal culture”.

The letters are available on the Committee’s website:

Additional Documents – Parliament of Australia (aph.gov.au)

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