A NEW parliamentary inquiry will look into the merits of expanding the membership of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement.

Chair of the Trade Sub-Committee of the Joint Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee, Ted O’Brien, said now is the time to look at the opportunity for freer trade between Australia and potential new members.

"More trade equals more jobs and that’s precisely what we need right now," Mr O’Brien said.

"The question is, who should we be trading more with and is the TPP the right vehicle to make it happen?" Mr O’Brien said.

"We will examine the case for expanding the TPP to include new members that can commit to the existing Agreement, including on issues such as standards and market access," Mr O’Brien said.

"We want to examine whether the TPP can be a vehicle to realise freer trade opportunities for Australian exporters as we seek to not only increase trade, but also diversify our trading relationships."

Signed in Chile in 2018, the agreement more formally known as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) is a trade bloc of 11 countries that includes Australia, is an export market of 500 million consumers worth nearly $14 trillion.

The agreement is now in force for most member states such as Australia, Canada, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, and Vietnam, with Brunei Darussalam, Chile, Malaysia and Peru set to join after they complete their respective ratification processes. Importantly for Australia, this Agreement delivered its first ever trade deal with Canada and Mexico – both top 20 economies in the world.

"As an example of one sector benefitting from the CPTPP, near $500 million or 16 percent of Australia’s wine exports in 2019 went to CPTPP countries and winemakers are now benefitting from elimination of all Canada's tariffs on wine," Mr O’Brien said.

Submissions from any person, businesses or organisations with an interest in the issues raised by these terms of reference are welcome. Submissions addressing all or some of the terms of reference should be lodged by February 18, 2021.

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 House of Representatives Standing Committee on the Environment and Energy has called for submissions for an inquiry into two climate change Bills, sponsored by Zali Steggall OAM MP.

Chair of the Committee, Ted O’Brien MP noted that the Bills propose a change in how Australia manages climate change and the Committee looks forward to considering all views on this important subject.

Over the last 12 months, the Committee has managed parliamentary inquiries into nuclear energy, bushfires and feral cats, and it has also inquired into a Bill on Scope 3 emissions proposed by Mr Andrew Wilkie MP.  

“As always, the Committee will assess the information presented with dispassionate independence before drawing conclusions,” Mr O’Brien said.

The Bills were referred to the Committee by the House of Representatives on November 11, 2020 for its inquiry and report. The Bills are the Climate Change (National Framework for Adaptation and Mitigation) Bill 2020 and the related Climate Change (National Framework for Adaptation and Mitigation) (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2020.

The substantive Bill sets out a framework of national climate change risk assessments, national plans for adaptation, an emissions reduction target and emissions budgets.

The Bill would establish an independent Climate Change Commission to advise the Government on these, and to monitor and report on progress. The consequential Bill seeks to amend a number of other Commonwealth laws to reflect the changes made by the substantive Bill.

To contribute to the inquiry, make a submission. Submissions to the inquiry will be accepted until November 27, 2020.

Submissions must be relevant to the terms of the Bill. Details about the Bill and how to make a submission are available on the inquiry website at www.aph.gov.au/ClimateChangeBills2020. The preferred method of receiving submissions is by electronic format lodged online using a My Parliament account.

The Committee intends to hold public hearings which will be announced in due course on the inquiry website. 

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THE Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) and the Master Builders Association (MBA) are uniting to develop proposals that will help strengthen homes and communities against natural disasters. 

The industry groups have heeded key findings from the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements and will host a series of roundtable discussions to create a pathway towards national policies that improve property resilience, building standards and land-use planning. 

The Building Stronger Homes Roundtable will enable builders and insurers to work together, harnessing industry insights from both insurance data and builders experience, to help map actions that can improve the resilience and insurability of existing and future Australian homes.  

The final report of the Royal Commission recognised the importance of mitigation and resilience, better building standards and land-use planning in protecting properties and communities from natural disasters. 

It recommended the establishment of a national body to champion making Australia more resilient to natural disasters, focusing on reducing long-term disaster risk and harmonising approaches. It also recommended mandatory consideration of natural disaster risk in land-use planning decisions and stronger building standards. 

ICA CEO Andrew Hall said, “Australians’ homes are their greatest financial asset. The Royal Commission has identified clear priorities that can reduce the risks to homes. Whatever efforts we can take to reduce vulnerability and reduce the risk of loss must be a priority for industry and Australian governments.” 

MBA CEO Denita Wawn said, “The building and insurance sectors are committed to exploring practical and effective ways to deliver better building quality outcomes that enable industry to deliver more resilient buildings and give consumers confidence. 

“This includes keeping premiums at a sustainable and affordable level for consumers and the building and construction supply chain.” 

The first roundtable will be convened in Canberra on Thursday, November 26, attended by senior industry and government leaders. Experts in science, banking and finance, behavioural and market economics will also be invited to participate in the roundtables. 

The joint mitigation and resilience roundtables will identify key national priorities for ensuring Australian homes (including apartments and social housing) are resilient, secure and insurable in the long term. They will focus on: 

• The built environment and codes;  
• The importance and structure of land-use planning; 
• Current and potential mitigation and hazard reduction investment priorities; 
• The importance of information systems, data, and coordination.

A final report from the roundtables will be presented at the conclusion by mid-2021.

www.masterbuilders.com.au

www.insurancecouncil.com.au

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THE Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee will hold a public hearing tomorrow as part of its Review of the Counter-Terrorism Legislation Amendment (High Risk Terrorist Offenders) Bill 2020.

The Committee will hear from the Law Council of Australia, the Australian Human Rights Commission, the Australian Federal Police, the Attorney-General’s Department and the Department of Home Affairs.

Further information on the inquiry can be obtained from the Committee’s website.

Public Hearing Details

Date: Friday, 13 November 2020
Time: 10.30am – 3:30pm (AESDT)
Location: Committee Room 2R1, Parliament House, Canberra

A program for the hearing can be found here.

Due to ongoing COVID-19 requirements, teleconference and video conference facilities will be used to connect witnesses to Committee Members. The hearings will be broadcast live at aph.gov.au/live.

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EMPLOYERS need to educate themselves on all aspects of the new JobMaker scheme to avoid discriminating against older workers, according to Employsure, Australia’s largest workplace relations advisor to more than 28,000 small and medium-sized enterprises.

The JobMaker wage subsidy, which has been designed to avoid youth unemployment and boost the job prospects of those aged 16 to 35 years old, has officially passed Parliament.

The hiring credit will allow employers to receive $200 per week if they hire workers between 16 to 29, or $100 a week for workers hired between 30 to 35. The money will be paid quarterly by the ATO starting from February.

“This is a big win for small business owners and will help assist them in their recovery, after a year of financial struggle brought on by COVID-19,” said Employsure managing director Ed Mallett.

“JobMaker will help provide that bit of extra support for employers who desperately need any help they can get and will assist in bringing more young people back into the workforce.”

Since the details of the scheme were announced in the October budget, there have been concerns raised by some groups, including Federal Labor, that it would lead to older workers being let go and replaced by younger staff.

However, to qualify for the scheme, employers will have to increase their headcount and payroll, meaning the subsidy will only apply to new recruits, and employers can’t simply replace older staff with a younger worker.

The prospective employee must also be already receiving a government payment such as JobSeeker or Youth Allowance for at least one of the three months prior to their date of employment and must work at least 20 hours of paid work a week.

“This is a complex scheme, and employers need to ensure they are abiding by all aspects of it before attempting to take on anyone new,” Mr Mallett said.

“SMEs need to know their obligations while abiding by discrimination laws. What we don’t want to see is employers being caught out by letting go of older staff for the sake of hiring new people.

“An employer can land themselves in hot water under either the Fair Work Act or various anti-discrimination bodies if they fire someone due to their age, regardless of their intention.

“The scheme also only applies to workers who have been hired since October 7, so employers who haven’t hired anyone since then need to know they won’t be eligible until they bring in someone else new.

“JobMaker has been designed to help keep struggling businesses open by allowing them to hire younger staff to help in their rebuild. As long as they abide by the rules, this could be that bit of extra support needed to start 2021 on the front foot,” he concluded.

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THE House Standing Committee on Employment, Education and Training has today tabled the report of its inquiry into the education of students in remote and complex environments.

Committee Chair, Andrew Laming MP, said the "inquiry examined how education meets the learning needs of students in regional, rural and remote communities, and how barriers to education can be overcome".

Mr Laming said, "The committee was mindful that significant work is being undertaken to address the issues outlined in this report. While noting the government accepted the findings of both the Halsey (2018) and Napthine (2019) education reviews, the committee has recommended that implementation plans be provided to show how the government is progressing the recommendations and actions proposed by these reviews."

The committee made 14 recommendations in total, including measures to:

• Ensure all Australian students can access secondary school education, to a nationally-consistent minimum standard, regardless of their geographic location;
• Provide greater opportunities for families and communities to have more say in how schools apply the Australian Curriculum;
• Ensure that the education available to children and young people with disability in regional, rural and remote locations is inclusive;
• Improve access to mental health treatment and support in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities;
• Improve access to quality early childhood education and care in regional, rural and remote communities;
• Provide up to 30 hours per week of subsidised early education and care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children;
• Support early learning programs provided through distance education, and provide greater flexibility and surety in funding for mobile early childhood education services, and wrap-around models of early intervention, family support, early childhood education and health care in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities;
• Provide adult literacy campaigns in communities with low levels of adult English literacy;
• Improve access to English as an Additional Language or Dialect support and bilingual education for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students;
• Support the development and professionalisation of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education workforce;
• Establish trauma-informed, cultural induction and training programs for educators working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students; and
• Enhance the integration of Australia’s Vocational Education and Training and Higher Education sectors.

The report can be accessed through the inquiry website.

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PARLIAMENT’s Joint Standing Committee on the National Capital and External Territories has opened an inquiry into enabling communications infrastructure in Australia’s external territories of Norfolk Island, Christmas Island, and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands.

Committee Chair, Anne Webster MP, said, “The remoteness of Australia’s external territories makes providing communications infrastructure, technology and services particularly challenging, while at the same time even more important to the daily lives of residents.

“In addition, ensuring communications infrastructure is fit for purpose is important for the ongoing social and economic development of Australia’s external territories.

“The Committee will examine the current communications situation in each of the territories, activity underway to enhance connectivity and services, and the options and opportunities for improving availability of and access to communications infrastructure," Dr Webster said.

“We look forward to hearing from all interested people and organisations, including residents and businesses in the external territories.”

The Committee is accepting submissions addressing the terms of reference until January 27, 2021. Further information on how to prepare and lodge a submission can be found on the inquiry website. Public hearings are expected to be held during 2021.

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THE PARLIAMENTARY inquiry into remediation of per-and poly-fluoroalkyl (PFAS) contamination on and around Defence bases will hear today from Professor Ravi Naidu, founding managing director and CEO of the Cooperative Research Centre for Contamination Assessment and Remediation of the Environment— CRC CARE.

Senator Sam McMahon, chair of the PFAS Sub-committee of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, highlighted the CRC CARE’s innovative research work in partnership with the Department of Defence.

"CRC CARE conducts remediation of PFAS affected soil, surface water and groundwater at six different Defence sites. At RAAF Bases Edinburgh and Pearce the CRC’s matCARE technology has removed 99 percent of PFAS from nearly one million litres of contaminated waste water," Senator McMahon said.

The CRC’s matCARE technology uses modified clay in containerised mobile treatment plants for effective treatment in diverse locations. The CRC has also developed a suite of other matCARE products to immobilise PFAS and to address other environmental contaminants.

As well as funding from Defence to develop a solution for aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) contaminated waste water, the CRC has also successfully bid for extended funding under the government’s CRC program which supports excellence in research innovation.

Senator McMahon advised that the CRC engages with 29 other research participants, including several leading universities, the CSIRO and industry, on projects addressing PFAS and other co-contaminants associated with mining and other activities.

"With this work in progress PFAS affected communities can feel confident that results being achieved now will make a difference to their quality of life in future,"  Senator McMahon said.

CRC CARE’s submission (no. 19) to the PFAS inquiry into PFAS remediation is available on the inquiry site.

Public hearing details:

Date: Monday 9 November 2020
Time: ~3:40 m to 4:30pm
Location: Committee Room IR4, Parliament House, Canberra.
via teleconference

The hearing will be audio streamed live at aph.gov.au/live.

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