THE House Agriculture and Water Resources Committee will travel to the Northern Territory next week to hear from a range of stakeholders as part of its inquiry into the Australian aquaculture sector.

The hearings and several site visits in the Darwin region will form part of the committee’s inquiry into the Australian aquaculture sector.

Committee Chair, Rick Wilson MP, said aquaculture businesses and research organisations will be among the witnesses appearing before the Committee, including: Humpty Doo Barramundi, Paspaley Group, and the Northern Territory Government, with representatives from the Darwin Aquaculture Centre.

"These hearings will contribute significantly to the existing body of evidence for this inquiry," Mr Wilson said. "The committee looks forward to discussing opportunities for the expansion of the aquaculture sector in northern Australia.

"We look forward to hearing from aquaculture enterprises about their experiences running successful ventures. It will be particularly useful to learn about present challenges and how the government can help redress concerns around biosecurity, environmental management, and current regulatory frameworks," Mr Wilson said.

For further information, visit the inquiry website.

Public hearing details

Date: Monday, 26 July 2021
Time: 10.10am to 12.10pm ACST
A live audio stream of the hearing will be accessible at www.aph.gov.au/Watch_Read_Listen.

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THE House Select Committee on Mental Health and Suicide Prevention has announced the dates for its July public hearings with a range of health and allied health stakeholders.

The Committee had planned to hold these hearings at various locations across the country, including Perth, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney. COVID-19 restrictions have meant these hearings will now be held via videoconference.

The Committee will hear from organisations, governments, and individuals on workforce concerns and service accessibility. The Committee will also enquire into digital models of service, affordability, and the capacity of mental health initiatives to meet the needs of at-risk communities.

Chair of the Committee, Dr Fiona Martin MP, said, "These upcoming hearings give the Committee an opportunity to explore how best to utilise the mental health workforce to ensure the safety, accessibility, equity and quality of mental health services across Australia. The public hearings enable the Committee to build upon its evidence base and understand pressing issues across the mental health and suicide prevention sectors."

The final report of the Committee is due to be presented by November 1, 2021.

Public hearing details

Date: Wednesday 21 July 2021
Time: 10am to 4:30pm AEST

Date: Monday 26 July 2021
Time: 9:30am to 4pm AEST

Date: Wednesday 28 July 2021
Time: 10am to 4pm AEST

Date: Thursday 29 July 2021
Time: 10am to 4pm AEST

The public hearing programs will be available on the Committee website. Due to the public hearings being held by videoconference, public access will be available via the live broadcast at aph.gov.au/live.

Lifeline Australia 13 11 14
BeyondBlue 1300 224 636

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eheadspace 1800 650 890

Kids Help Line 1800 551 800

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THE Indigenous Affairs Committee will this week speak with representatives from the Department of Finance, Indigenous Business Australia, the National Indigenous Australians Agency, Supply Nation, Accor Hotel Group, and Voyages Indigenous Tourism in the final series of public hearings for its Inquiry into Pathways and Participation Opportunities for Indigenous Australians in Employment and Business.

Committee Chair, Julian Leeser MP, noted that this discussion would offer key stakeholders an opportunity to make final observations on matters which have arisen throughout the inquiry.

"The committee looks forward in particular to discussing the merits of current government procurement and employment policies, as well as suggested improvements which have been canvassed by various stakeholders," Mr Leeser said.

"The committee has been focused throughout this inquiry on ways to overcome some of the barriers to employment and business for Indigenous Australians. These final hearings will shed further light on opportunities to do this through various Government programs," Mr Leeser said.

Public hearing details

Date: Thursday, 22 July 2021
Time: 12pm to 5pm AEST

A live audio stream of the hearing will be accessible at www.aph.gov.au/Watch_Read_Listen.

A full program will be available at the inquiry website.

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QUEENSLAND resources companies have been asked to put their hands up to help roll out COVID-19 vaccinations in regional communities once vaccine supplies increase in the coming weeks and months.

The Queensland Resources Council (QRC) is working with the Queensland and Australian governments, Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) and the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (APPEA) to determine how members can help with transport, logistics, facilities and medical staff to fast-track a regional vaccination program.

QRC chief executive Ian Macfarlane has sent a survey to all members to gauge what level of support the Queensland resources sector can provide over the coming months.

Mr Macfarlane said the QRC would work with the State Government, Queensland Health’s Primary Health Networks and Hospitals, state-based vaccine delivery authorities and local councils to give regional Queenslanders faster access to vaccinations.

“Right through the COVID crisis, the health and safety of our employees and the regional communities in which we operate has always been our top priority,” Mr Macfarlane said.

“If we can go a step further to safeguard regional Queenslanders by supporting the ‘Team Australia’ vaccination roll-out, I know resources companies will do what they can to help out.”

Last week the MCA attended a roundtable meeting with Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and Vaccine Taskforce head Lieutenant General John Frewen to discuss how Australia’s business community could expedite the vaccine roll-out once more stocks became available.

As a result, the QRC and other MCA members around Australia have been asked to consider how resources companies can ‘encourage, incentivise and participate’ in a national vaccination program.

Mr Macfarlane said more details around vaccine availability and the roll-out program still need to be provided by government, but in the meantime the QRC is compiling a list of resources companies with the capacity to help fast-track vaccinations in regional areas.

www.qrc.org.au

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