THE Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade will appear at the opening public hearing today for an Australian parliamentary inquiry looking at the merits of expanding the membership of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

The CPTPP agreement signed in 2018 is a trade bloc of 11 countries that includes Australia and is an export market of 500 million consumers worth nearly $14 trillion.

The parliamentary inquiry will examine the scope for expanding the CPTPP beyond the existing membership of Australia, Canada, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, Vietnam, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, Malaysia and Peru to include new members.

Chair of the Trade Sub-Committee of the Joint Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee, Ted O’Brien, welcomed the opportunity to investigate the process of how the current members of the CPTPP can agree on expanding the trade pact to include other economies, and understanding what the benefits of new members joining will be.

"On the back of this week’s historical agreement to progress a FTA with the United Kingdom, between Prime Ministers Morrison and Johnson, it is timely to consider expanding the most comprehensive plurilateral trade agreement in existence, the CPTPP," Mr O’Brien said.

"Before we can assess the merits of aspiring economies that could accede to the CPTPP, it is important to baseline everyone’s understanding of the agreement, and that starts today when hearing from DFAT."

Representatives of DFAT will appear at the public hearing at 9:50am, Thursday June 17 in Committee Room 1R4, Parliament House.

Further details about the about the inquiry, including terms of reference, details on how to contribute a submission and, when available, details of public hearings and roundtable discussions, can be obtained from the Committee’s website.

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THE Northern Australia Committee will hear from a range of stakeholders to listen to their perspectives on finding the right balance between protecting cultural heritage and allowing industry to operate in Northern Australia.

Representatives of the North Queensland Land Council, Queensland Resources Council, Quandamooka Yoolooburrabee Aboriginal Corporation, Jack Green, Nurrdalinji Native Title Aboriginal Corporation, Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining and Queensland University will be appearing.

The public hearing is part of the inquiry into the destruction of Indigenous heritage sites at Juukan Gorge and will be held by video/teleconference to continue the committee’s investigation of cultural heritage issues in Queensland and in the Northern Territory.

A key issue for Quandamooka Yoolooburrabee Aboriginal Corporation is the interaction between the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 2003 (Qld) and the Native Title Act 1993, particularly the rights that should be granted once a Native Title claim is determined.

The Queensland Resources Council is determined to strike the right balance between protecting cultural heritage and providing certainty to industry.  

Committee Chair Warren Entsch is eager to engage with a broad range of stakeholders in order to ascertain how to protect cultural heritage while also giving certainty to industry.

"Bringing different stakeholders together to understand their perspectives is the only way to prevent the destruction of heritage," Mr Entsch said.

A program for the public hearing is available on the Committee’s website.

Public hearing details

Date: Friday, 18 June 2021
Time: 9am to 4pm AEST
Location: by video/teleconference

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

Further details of the inquiry, including terms of reference, can be found on the Committee’s website.

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The Creative Partnerships Awards are open to individuals from all Australian states and territories who show leadership in private giving and arts partnerships, and celebrates the commitment, dedication and contribution they make to Australia’s cultural life.

The deadline for nominations has been extended and now closes on Monday June 28, 2021, 5pm AEST. 

Head to the Creative Partnerships Australia website to learn more about the Creative Partnerships Awards and submit nominations.

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THE Indigenous Affairs Committee will this week conduct a roundtable discussion with representatives from the Departments of Health, Defence, Social Services, and Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications on the Indigenous Procurement Policy (IPP) as part of its Inquiry into Pathways and Participation Opportunities for Indigenous Australians in Employment and Business.

Committee Chair, Julian Leeser MP, noted that this discussion on the implementation of the IPP, and on the Indigenous suppliers contracted through this policy, would make a valuable contribution to the inquiry.

"The Committee looks forward to discussing the goods and services that departments now procure from Indigenous businesses, and how the nature and volume of Indigenous suppliers may have changed, under the IPP," Mr Lesser said.

"We will also be interested to hear about the retention of Indigenous staff in these respective departments. It will be useful to consider how Indigenous employment opportunities could be improved across Government departments and agencies," Mr Leeser said.

Public hearing details

Date: Friday, 18 June 2021
Time: 1.30pm to 3pm AEST

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

A full program will be available at the inquiry website.

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