A PARLIAMENTARY report into the Identity-matching Services Bill 2019 and the Australian Passports Amendment (Identity-matching Services) Bill 2019 has recommended both bills be strengthened to provide protections for Australian citizens. 

Chair of the Intelligence and Security Committee, Mr Andrew Hastie MP, said the report agrees with the objectives of both bills, but supports concerns from submitters that protections for individual’s rights should be more explicitly incorporated.

"The bills have strong intentions and will become important tools, particularly in fighting identity crime," Mr Hastie said.

"Together, the bills aim to make identity-matching easier for prescribed entities whose responsibility it is to safeguard citizens and to reduce identity theft."

The report recommends that the Bills be re-drafted according to principles relating to privacy, transparency, governance, and user obligations.

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A CLASH between the US and Europe over 5G’s future development at The World Radiocommunication Conference 2019 (WRC-19) – taking place in Egypt from October 28 to November 22, 2019 – could risk $565bn of economic expansion globally over the next 15 years, warned the GSMA today.

This economic growth from next-generation 5G services depends on the availability of a specific strand of radio frequencies, known as ‘millimetre wave’ frequencies, which are set to be identified for use by mobile operators at WRC-19. However, efforts by Europe to constrain the use of these critical frequencies due to claims of potential interference with some space services has 5G’s future hanging in the balance.

"The stakes are high. A new generation of 5G services and the economic growth accompanying them will depend on the spectrum decisions taken at WRC-19,” said Brett Tarnutzer, head of spectrum at GSMA.

"We are calling for Europe to join the US in taking a pro-5G stance at WRC-19 to protect its digital future. Some administrations are still determined to limit mobile use of airwaves that 5G requires to reach its full potential. This protectionist attitude will have consequences for our global economy if allowed to prevail."

Tom Power, senior vice president and general counsel for CTIA said, “Our focus is on ensuring that all regions are on board with the win-win resolution that will allow for robust 5G deployments globally while protecting satellite interests worldwide.

“Reports indicate that the fastest 5G peak speeds today are in the US, and that’s because the US was the first to deploy mmWave. The benefits of using this spectrum are clear but only through global harmonization at WRC-19 will all regions gain the greatest value.”

Benefits of mmWave spectrum

The mmWave bands are critical to providing ultra-high speeds and ultra-high capacity for a wide range of consumer, business and government services that require almost instantaneous delivery of large amounts of data. This includes entertainment services such as downloading ultra-high definition movies in seconds, virtual and augmented reality applications, remote surgery with ‘haptic’ feedback, precise control of industrial devices and robots, and autonomous vehicles.

Three thousand delegates from over 190 nations will meet at WRC-19 to agree on how this spectrum may be used. Different countries may have different approaches and strategies, but WRC is the meeting point for all nations to maximize the potential for 5G within their borders by thinking globally.

The process of harmonization at WRC-19 delivers global roaming and economies of scale for vendors and carriers, and that translates into lower costs, faster deployments and greater convenience for consumers.

Clash over airwaves at WRC-19

The build-up to WRC-19 is a four-year process and the use of mmWave spectrum has been the subject of intense technical study throughout. WRC-19 is the final decision after a lot of analysis and technical study.

Technical studies supported by the Americas, Africa and Arab states, have demonstrated that 5G using mmWave spectrum can co-exist safely and efficiently alongside weather-sensing services, commercial satellite services and others. These were conducted within the ITU, a UN agency.

In the US, the FCC developed emission limits on 5G to protect weather sensors in nearby spectrum bands. Ahead of WRC-19, the FCC and the State Department also worked with regulators from other countries throughout the Americas, achieving consensus at the CITEL conference in Ottawa in August.

Despite this body of evidence, European countries are looking to limit the use of mmWave spectrum by setting protective technical conditions.

“It is important to follow studies which make realistic assumptions about how networks will function and make the best use of the spectrum for all,” said Brett Tarnutzer.

"This approach is being followed in the Americas, Africa and the Middle East but we need to find a global solution, including Europe. Large ‘guard bands’ will be needed – that is empty tranches of unused spectrum separating services – if we have technical limits which are too severe. This will restrict the economic benefit we can gain from finite spectrum resources and harm consumers and industry.”

About the GSMA

The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide, uniting more than 750 operators with over 350 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset and device makers, software companies, equipment providers and internet companies, as well as organisations in adjacent industry sectors. The GSMA also produces the industry-leading MWC events held annually in Barcelona, Los Angeles and Shanghai, as well as the Mobile 360 Series of regional conferences.

www.gsma.com. Follow the GSMA on Twitter: @GSMA.

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THE Queensland Resources Council (QRC) welcomes new laws passed by the Queensland Government to deter people from using dangerous devices that deliberately increase the risk of injury to themselves, emergency services workers and members of the public.

QRC chief executive Ian Macfarlane said the Summary Offences and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2019, passed last night in parliament, was the right step forward in ensuring the rights of all Queenslanders were upheld.

“Everyone has the right to protest but everyone also has the right to commute to work safely, operate trains without fearing they will injure or kill someone and for ambulance drivers not to be impeded by protestors connecting themselves to  concrete drums on the road,” Mr Macfarlane said.

“QRC had urged the Parliament to consider both the Government legislation and the LNP’s private members bill to address illegal trespass.

“We welcome the Parliament’s commitment to this important issue that affects every Queenslander.

“The new laws make it an offence to use attachment devices to block transport corridors and I applaud the Palaszczuk Government for acting before someone is seriously injured. We’ve seen too much illegal and unsafe behaviour with activists deploying dangerous devices on rail lines and at ports.

“Our  sector prioritises safety and these laws send a clear message to activists who use extreme actions," Mr Macfarlane said.

“The laws passed the Parliament with an overwhelming majority, including both the Government and the LNP.

“QRC welcomes this cross-Parliament commitment to uphold the safety for all Queenslanders, and especially those who work on railways, at ports or at other infrastructure projects.”

Mr Macfarlane urged all Parliamentarians to ensure the laws were operationally sufficient for the Queensland Police Service, particularly if protestors amend devices to avoid the offences the Parliament has just passed.

www.qrc.org.au

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WHEN Rania Shahoud, her husband and their two sons arrived in Australia in 2017 from Aleppo, Syria, she didn’t know whether she’d ever find a job.

Despite family members being highly educated and professionally equipped with civil engineering degrees, each individual had to start their lives from scratch and embark on entirely new employment pathways.

Ms Shahoud arrived in Australia with zero English language proficiency and sought a role that enables her to develop her language skills without a multiple-year, qualification recognition process.

“In the first one-and-half years of living in Australia, I was just learning English,” Ms Shahoud said.

Thanks to the NSW Government’s Refugee Employment Support Program (RESP), Ms Shahoud is now employed by social enterprise bakery The Bread and Butter Project.

The Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education Geoff Lee said that when the NSW Government took an additional intake of refugees during the Syrian crisis, there was an acknowledgement that this undertaking required more support in increasing capacity to create employment and economic independence pathways for new arrivals.

“Today, NSW is leading the country in responding specifically to the needs of refugees for tailored employment programs,” Mr Lee said.

Delivered by community organisation Settlement Services International (SSI) and partners, RESP is a four-year program that supports refugees and asylum seekers into sustainable employment and addresses employment as an integrated part of the whole refugee settlement journey. 

NSW Coordinator General for Refugee Resettlement, Professor Peter Shergold said RESP had been designed to enable the public, private and not-for-profit sectors to work together while focusing on its area of expertise.

“Expertise ranges from tailored case management support, education and training, or job creation – and brings each of these elements together to deliver better employment outcomes for refugees,” Prof. Shergold said.

Through tailored employment pathway plans, participants’ barriers to employment are addressed to support and achieve individual career goals. Offering extensive support to low and high-skilled refugee job seekers, RESP is making a genuine difference to the employment outcomes of new arrivals. 

Ms Shahoud’s job success has had a trickle-down effect on the rest of the family. Like his mother, Fawzi Shahoud also engaged with the program for tailored employment support and as a direct result now works with Transport NSW.

“My son Fawzi is also civil engineer and, with the help of RESP, he has a good job,” Ms Shahoud said.

“The RESP has helped my family find jobs and be part of the community, and we are very happy.”

Since its inauguration two years ago, RESP has helped to secure employment for almost 25% of people that engage with the program, a figure that exceeds other mainstream employment programs that generally report refugee employment rates below 20 percent.

According to Building a New Life in Australia (BNLA): The Longitudinal Study of Humanitarian Migrants, an ongoing study conducted by the Department of Social Services (DSS) from 2013, after 18 months in Australia, only 17 percent of refugees are in paid employment.

With RESP, however, from the moment that a refugee participant makes contact with the program, it takes a refugee job seeker who has found employment on average 6.5 months to secure a job.

The program is designed to counteract “occupational skidding” — a phenomenon whereby refugees are unable to find work that matches their skills and qualifications — by avoiding a “one-size-fits-all” approach and developing custom-built employment pathways, designed for the long-term.

As a wrap-around refugee employment program, RESP participants have wider access to a range of activities than those supported by mainstream employment providers. Those activities aim at securing longer-term employment in a variety of industries, including transport and education.

Andrew McRae, General Manager of Eastern Region Construction at Fulton Hogan, an employer partner of the project, said bringing refugees into work has been a positive process.

“As an industry, we’re facing a shortage of people available for careers in construction, so Fulton Hogan is keen to support pathways that bring more people into skilled roles.

“Partnering with SSI on RESP not only provides jobs for refugees, but it also helps create pathways for a whole new generation of people to build rewarding careers in construction.”

SSI CEO Violet Roumeliotis said that RESP recognised that humanitarian migrants were not a homogenous group and that they had varying levels of education and skills.

“Some individuals may arrive with more significant barriers and require a longer employment pathway journey and more supports,” Ms Roumeliotis said.

She said the “secret sauce” to the success of RESP was a potent partnership between government, a highly regarded community sector, existing migrant communities and socially-minded businesses.

“At SSI, partnerships are in our DNA and, ultimately, it is the power of partnerships across industries that underpin RESP’s success,” she said.

Ms Roumeliotis said that although Australia had a successful settlement record built on the cross-collaboration between industries, she warned that it was important not to get stuck on past achievements and to look to the future.

“The time is now ripe for harvesting better long-term outcomes for refugees, businesses, and the Australian economy through continued cross-sector collaboration,” she said.

Event details:

When: Thursday 24 October 2019

Time: 5:30pm – 8pm

Official Proceedings: 6:15 – 7:15pm

Where: NSW Parliament House – Theatrette

6 Macquarie St,

Sydney NSW

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About SSI:

Settlement Services International is a community organisation and social business that supports newcomers and other Australians to achieve their full potential. We work with all people who have experienced vulnerability, including refugees, people seeking asylum and culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities, to build capacity and enable them to overcome inequality.

THE Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, Kate Carnell said there has been an overwhelming public response to the Insolvency Practices Inquiry since it was launched two weeks ago.

“My office has already received 113 survey responses and a number of submissions in relation to this inquiry and we expect that number to grow,” Ms Carnell said.

“While we are still in the early stages of the inquiry, it’s clear there’s a groundswell of public support for the work we are doing in this area.

“Primarily the Insolvency Practices Inquiry will shine a light on the insolvency system and uncover if it encourages practitioners, in the first instance, to restructure the small or family business to turn it around. We will also look at the transparency and fairness of the current system.

“We know there is a very low success rate in restructuring Australian businesses under external administration and the impact of the insolvency process is often devastating for the small business owner.

“Few small businesses that enter formal insolvency administration are able to navigate their way through the process to reach a restructuring agreement," Ms Carnell said.

“We remain very keen to hear from small and family businesses that have faced financial difficulties and restructured or wound up their business.

“I encourage these businesses to share their stories by completing our online survey or provide a submission to my office via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

“Many small businesses that have faced difficulties, felt they lost control of their business and in cases where the business was ultimately wound up, they felt the process was poorly managed," Ms Carnell said.

“This inquiry will identify areas where practices can be improved. I will also recommend changes to the system to achieve a fairer outcome for all parties involved.”

An interim report will be released in December with a final report to be handed down in February.

www.asbfeo.gov.au

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THE Joint Standing Committee on Treaties has tabled a report on nine proposed treaty actions.

Committee Chair Dave Sharma MP says that the treaties cover a wide range of subjects from oil stocks to air services, as well as trade in wine. The report also includes the Committee’s review of the double taxation treaty with Israel, which adds to Australia’s pre‑existing network of 44 tax treaties.

"While wide ranging, each of the treaties are beneficial and present opportunities that are within Australia’s national interest," Mr Sharma said.

"The double taxation treaty with Israel will make it easier to do business between the two countries. This will bring our nations closer together, supporting increased commercial trade, investment and innovation."

In particular, the report includes a treaty extending protections for Australians in the Netherlands investigating the downing of MH17. Mr Sharma stated, "The Committee welcomes the implementation of more permanent arrangements to assist Australia’s pursuit of accountability and justice for the victims and their loved ones."

"This agreement reflects our commitment to justice over the downing of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17. Our two countries will continue to work shoulder to shoulder on this for as long as it takes."

Further information on the treaties and the final report can be obtained from the Committee’s website.

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THE House Standing Committee on Industry, Innovation, Science and Resources today launched an inquiry into Australia’s Waste Management and Recycling Industries.

The chair of the committee, Barnaby Joyce MP, said, "The inquiry will examine different processes within Australia, and between Australia and best practice in the world. The committee will investigate innovative ways to reduce the millions of tonnes of waste discarded in landfill and waterways in Australia each year.

"Improving waste management and recycling in Australia not only provides for a cleaner and more sustainable environment, but it also presents a range of economic opportunities. New jobs and industries will be created – particularly in our regions - along with new products and services," Mr Joyce said.

The committee will consider opportunities to better manage industrial, commercial and domestic waste, as well as any current impediments to innovation in these sectors. Strategies to reduce waste in waterways and oceans will also be examined.

The committee wants to hear from interested people, organisations and agencies working to reduce, reuse and recycle waste in Australia.  Submissions to the inquiry should be received by January 31, 2020. 

The terms of reference for the inquiry can be found on the Committee’s website.

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TAX Practitioners Board (TPB) chair, Ian Klug AM, has released the 2018-19 annual report, highlighting a significant change in senior management, and a dramatic spike in compliance action in the past 12 months.

"During 2018-19 there have been changes to the composition of the Board, the appointment of a new CEO, and significant resetting of our strategic objectives," Mr Klug said. 

As part of these changes, our compliance program had a dedicated focus on identifying and investigating those tax practitioners and unregistered agents posing the highest risks to the integrity of the profession and the tax system.

Mr Klug said this focus delivered the following results (when compared to the previous year):

• the number of total sanctions rose from 287 to 749 (161% increase)
• the number of terminations increased from 24 to 74 (208% increase)
• the number of written cautions increased from 182 to 540 (197% increase).

The year also saw increased collaboration between the TPB and other government agencies with a 63 percent increase in the number of referrals from the ATO to the TPB (196 compared to 120).

With the ATO, the TPB launched a joint strategy to address the outstanding personal tax obligations of almost 8,000 tax practitioners, reducing outstanding debt by around $37 million and securing over 6,600 lodgements. During this period the TPB also contributed to the Black Economy Taskforce, actioning 20 referrals from the ATO or other agencies for matters representing black economy behaviours.

Its proactive compliance program also saw the TPB auditing 1,288 tax practitioners, randomly selected for a review of their continuing professional education (CPE) responsibilities to ensure they maintain the knowledge and skills relevant to the services they provide the public.

"Most registered tax practitioners take their role seriously in addressing their ongoing professional development, however, over 80 practitioners failed these requirements and were subject to cautions and sanctions," Mr Klug said.

"The year ahead includes great opportunities for the TPB to improve its services to the public and practitioners by implementing Government reforms arising from the James Review and in our new joint compliance strategy with the ATO.

"This collaboration has a focus on 2,000 higher risk tax advisers, who advise around 2.9 million clients.

"We expect this compliance strategy will support honest practitioners, address tax system integrity and help reduce the tax gap."

Read the TPB Annual Report 2018-19

About the Tax Practitioners Board:

The Tax Practitioners Board regulates tax practitioners in order to protect consumers. The TPB aims to assure the community that tax practitioners meet appropriate standards of professional and ethical conduct. 

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