THE House Select Committee on Mental Health and Suicide Prevention has announced the dates for its August public hearings with a range of health and allied health stakeholders. Due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, these hearings will be held via videoconference.
Public hearing details
Date: Friday 6 August 2021 Time: 9am to 2:40pm AEST
Date: Thursday 12 August 2021 Time: 10am to 12pm 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.
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A MAJOR environmental project on Christmas Island and a National Collections Building in Canberra will be reviewed by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works when it conducts two public hearings into the two separate projects on Friday, August 6, 2021.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works is not involved in the tendering process, awarding of contracts or details of the proposed works. Inquiries on these matters should be addressed to the relevant Commonwealth entities.
a data disruption warrant which enables the AFP and the ACIC to access data on one or more computers and perform disruption activities for the purpose of frustrating the commission of criminal activity;
a network activity warrant to enable the AFP and the ACIC to collect intelligence on criminal networks operating online; and
an account takeover warrant to allow AFP and the ACIC to takeover a person's online account for the purposes of gathering evidence of criminal activity.
The Bill has been introduced in response to growing technological advancement that challenges the ability of our law enforcement and intelligence bodies to combat serious human trafficking, drug crime, child sexual abuse and terrorism.
Chair of the Committee, Senator James Paterson said, “It is no exaggeration to state that, particularly during the COVID pandemic, online crime has reached an all-time high. Evidence from the AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw informed the committee that the AFP had seen a worrying rise in traffic to the dark web, including 168 percent more child abuse material and identified during the first quarter of 2020 as opposed to the same period in 2019.
“The new warrants will give our law enforcement agencies effective powers to enable swift and decisive action against the rising challenge of serious online crime,” Sen. Paterson said.
“However the committee also recommends increased oversight, more prescription in the offences the warrants are able to target and a more robust authorisation process for the warrants to give the community confidence they will only used for their intended purpose."
Further information on the inquiry as well as a copy of the report can be obtained from the Committee’s website.
THE House of Representatives Standing Committee on Economics will hold a public hearing with the Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), Philip Lowe, on Friday, August 6, 2021. The RBA last appeared before the committee in February.
Committee Chair, Tim Wilson MP, said, "There have been few times when monetary policy has been more consequential for the Australian economy.
"The committee will be scrutinising the RBA’s measures in response to the COVID‑19 pandemic, particularly the move to implement quantitative easing, and how these measures will help the Australian economy recover.
"The decisions the RBA make have an impact on everyone. Cheap easy money is pushing up asset prices, causing skyrocketing housing costs.
"The dream of home ownership is rapidly moving further and further out of reach for many Australians. There needs to be scrutiny of the consequences of the RBA’s decisions." Mr Wilson said.
The committee will also be scrutinising the RBA’s response to the recent COVID outbreaks and lockdowns in Australia’s cities.
"The current outbreaks and lockdowns are hitting Australian households and businesses hard and threatening Australia’s economic recovery. The committee is interested in the RBA’s views on how these outbreaks will impact Australia’s economic recovery," Mr Wilson said.
Public hearing details
Committee: House of Representatives Economics Committee Venue: Main Committee Room Date:​Friday, 6 August 2021 Time: 9.30am to 12.30pm
Due to health and safety concerns relating to the COVID-19 pandemic, these hearings are not currently scheduled to be open for public attendance. The hearing will be broadcast live at aph.gov.au/live.
QUEENSLAND resources companies are putting their hands up to help roll out Covid-19 vaccinations in regional communities once vaccine supplies increase to a sufficient level.
The Queensland Resources Council (QRC) has been working with the Queensland and Australian governments, OQVOC (Office of the Queensland Vaccine Operations Coordinator), 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 said any regional vaccination program must offer Covid-19 vaccinations to people living in resources communities, and not just resources workers.
“The QRC said from the outset the resources sector will support government in any way we can to get people in regional areas vaccinated, whether they live in a regional area or work for a resources company,” he said.
“We’re all in this together, and we’ll get through this together.
“Our companies want everyone to be able to access vaccinations as soon as possible, whether it’s through local towns, vaccination hubs or on-site programs.”
Mr Macfarlane said the QRC had been gathering information from individual companies about how they could support the roll-out in practical terms once more vaccines become available.
“We will continue working with the State Government, Queensland Health’s Primary Health Networks and Hospitals, OQVOC, state-based vaccine delivery authorities and local councils to give regional Queenslanders faster access to vaccinations,” he said.
“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.
“If we can go a step further to safeguard regional Queenslanders by supporting a regional vaccination roll-out, resources companies will do what they can to help out.”
About the QRC
The QRC is Queensland’s peak body for coal, metal and gas explorers, producers and suppliers across the resources sector. It contributes $1 in every $5 dollars to the state economy, supports one in six Queensland jobs, supports more than 15,000 businesses and contributes to more than 1,200 community organisations – all from 0.1 percent of Queensland’s land mass.
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