Committee Chair Lucy Wicks MP said the committee looked forward to hearing from a wide range of stakeholders for the inquiry.
"Given the complexity and importance of this topic, the committee hopes that people will share their experience and their suggestions on how Parliament might address online risks to Australians," Ms Wicks said.
The closing date for submissions is January 12, 2022. The committee will soon schedule public hearings and will table its report in the Parliament by February 15, 2022.
For more information about this committee, visit its website.
THE Liberal and Nationals Government is providing another $250 million to fund the infrastructure and services regional Australian communities need to grow and prosper.
Applications are now open for Round 6 of the Government’s Building Better Regions Fund (BBRF), paving the way for new projects that regional communities deserve to be funded and delivered.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development, Barnaby Joyce said the government was focused on ensuring the "regions remain strong and grow into the future".
“Regional Australians deserve the same services and opportunities that people in metropolitan cities have and the Building Better Regions Fund helps make this happen,” Deputy Prime Minister Joyce said.
“That’s why we’ve committed another $250 million for projects and initiatives that will transform communities, create new jobs and drive economic growth across regional Australia.
“Backing regional communities will help secure our economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic while ensuring regional Australians can get ahead.
“This latest investment in new projects will build on the 298 fantastic regional projects that shared in $300 million in funding under the last round of the Building Better Regions Fund," Mr Joyce said.
“Our government is committed to delivering the best outcomes for regional and remote Australia, which is why we are continuing to support the businesses and people who call regional Australia home.”
Funding under Round 6 takes the Government’s total investment through the BBRF to $1.38 billion.
The BBRF supports economic and social infrastructure for the long-term benefit of regional communities. Funding the infrastructure and services that communities need for the future will create jobs and help them rebound strongly from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Projects will be funded under two streams. The Infrastructure Projects Stream supports the construction of new infrastructure, or the upgrade or extension of existing infrastructure.
The Community Investments Stream funds community development activities including, but not limited to, new or expanded local events, strategic regional plans, leadership and capability building activities.
Applications close on Thursday, February 10, 2022.
THE House Employment, Education and Training Committee will hold a public hearing with the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) as it continues to examine how COVID-19 pandemic responses, including vaccine requirements and mandates, are affecting the workplace and may impact the Fair Work Commission.
Committee Chair, Andrew Laming MP said, "Vaccine mandates are a significant measure that have only recently taken effect and have the potential to impact the Fair Work Commission’s caseload going forward.
"The committee has already heard from the Fair Work Commission, as well as employee and employer groups, but is yet to hear evidence from a public health expert. ATAGI provides expert technical advice to the Australian Government on the immunisation program for COVID-19 vaccines and will provide that perspective," Mr Laming said.
During the pandemic, ATAGI has provided recommendations regarding COVID-19 outbreak settings and the risk/ benefit of COVID-19 vaccination in those circumstances.
Public hearing details
Date: Wednesday, 8 December 2021 Time: 3pm to 4.30pm AEDT Location: via videoconference Program: available here.
WASHINGTON DC -- Days after the White House Summit for Democracy, thousands in the open government community will gather for the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Global Summit in Seoul, Republic of Korea on December 15-17.
The participants, including a dozen heads of state and hundreds of civil society leaders, will focus on how reformers in and out of government can work together to advance democratic reforms and fight growing authoritarianism.
The Global Summit comes as democracies continue to face internal and external threats. The state of democracy, as measured by Freedom House, is at its weakest in 15 years, and more than a quarter of the world’s population now lives in democratically backsliding countries.
“Across our partnership, courageous reformers are advancing ambitious reforms to renew democracy and tackle unprecedented global crises — from a devastating pandemic to economies in turmoil. Our platform also seeks to ensure that commitments made at high-level events such as last week’s White House Summit for Democracy and COP26 are turned into concrete actions,” OGP chief executive officer, Sanjay Pradhan said.
At the OGP Summit, US President Joseph Biden is expected to urge nations to take up a call to action to “fight the scourge of corruption” by working in partnership with civil societies and courageous citizens around the world.
According to OGP’s Civil Society co-chair María Baron, “Government and civil society can work together when they share the same mission, even if approaches and perspectives differ. To counter the global issues we face, we must act collectively. While OGP has one of the most vibrant communities of civil society organizations and activists, we cannot do it without government.”
This year, OGP celebrates its 10th anniversary. At the Summit, it will release an in-depth Decade Report, featuring stories and analysis of independent data showing that when governments co-create reforms with civil society, they are more ambitious and results are stronger.
More than 4,500 reforms have been co-created in 78 countries over the past decade. 2,000 of these were reviewed independently, and over 20 percent were assessed to have made government significantly more open. The report also found that countries that used their OGP action plan to fight corruption were more likely to carry out reforms.
These actions help fight corruption, promote direct citizen engagement, combat growing inequality, and improve citizen trust of government. For example:
Countries that published more government data have had lower death rates during COVID-19 than more secretive governments.
Countries that have more budget transparency borrow money at lower rates and spend more of it on vital social services.
Since 2011, the Open Government Partnership, founded by eight national members and nine civil society organizations and initiated by former US President Barack Obama, has grown into a partnership of 78 national and 76 local government members and thousands of civil society organizations.
Queensland Resources Council (QRC) chief executive Ian Macfarlane said the new framework released by the Minister for Indigenous Australians provides a long-term commitment to lift national outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
“I’m proud to say we’re making great inroads in the resources sector already, with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples making up almost five percent of our workforce in Queensland, which is higher than their current four percent level of representation in the state’s population," Mr Macfarlane said.
Mr Macfarlane said the resources sector spent almost $70 million dollars with 84 different Indigenous businesses in Queensland in 2019-20, with plans to boost outcomes even further.
The QRC hosted a Meet-the-Buyer event in Brisbane last week to build up connections between Indigenous business suppliers and buyers across the sector and create new opportunities for First Nations’ people and their businesses
Mr Macfarlane said the QRC’s highly successful Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA) is also helping to grow the state’s Indigenous skills pipeline.
“The State Government’s Next Step Destination Data shows that of the Indigenous students who went into an apprenticeship or traineeship from QMEA schools, eight percent went into the mining industry. This is compared to 0.5 percent from non-QMEA schools,” he said.
“Our industry provides exciting, highly skilled and well-paid careers – not just jobs – for Indigenous Queenslanders, which we showcase each year at the QRC Indigenous Awards.
“These awards celebrate leading practice Indigenous achievements and the many role models in our sector, and promote the resources industry as a career of choice for Indigenous people.
“Nominations for the 2022 QRC Indigenous Awards, which will be held in Brisbane on May 11, 2022, are now open.
“The QRC looks forward to continuing to create more opportunities for First Nations’ peoples to thrive personally and professionally in 2022 and beyond.”
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