An inquiry into 5G mobile technology in Australia will take evidence across Australia, with hearings in Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney next week.

HOUSE of Representatives Communications and the Arts Committee chair David Gillespie said the hearings would give start-ups, small business and big business a chance to talk about how they want to use 5G mobile technology.

"We want to hear what 5G can do for business. 5G is a brand name, and it will be up to Australian companies to decide what they want out of it and develop use cases as the technology develops," Dr Gillespie said.

"We’re travelling around Australia to hear about innovation. The committee wants to hear how 5G and the Internet of Things will allow new ways of working in the automotive, agricultural and of course telecommunications industries."

The committee will also have the opportunity to hear from people who have concerns about the deployment of 5G.

Information about the inquiry, including the public hearing programs, may be found on the committee’s webpage.

Public hearing details

• Perth: Monday, 17 February 2020 – Committee Room 1, Parliament of Western Australia, 10am to 12.45pm
• Adelaide: Tuesday, 18 February 2020 - Balcony Room, Parliament of South Australia, North Terrace, 9am to 12.45pm
• Melbourne: Wednesday, 19 February 2020 - Room G1 –Ground Floor, 55 St Andrews Place, East Melbourne, 11.30am to 1.45pm
• Sydney: Thursday, 20 February 2020 – Pollard Room, Wesley Conference Centre, Sydney, 9am to 2.45pm.

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

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MORE THAN 116,000 people were estimated to be homeless in Australia on Census night in 2016. Among them were people living in severely crowded dwellings, people living in temporary accommodation, and rough sleepers.

To examine this issue, the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs has launched an inquiry into homelessness in Australia.

Chair of the committee, Andrew Wallace MP, said the inquiry would seek to understand the factors that contribute to people becoming homeless, identify opportunities to prevent homelessness, and examine ways to better support the homeless and those at risk.

"Sadly, each night in Australia there are tens of thousands of people experiencing homelessness," Mr Wallace said. "We know that there are many pathways that can lead to homelessness, and through this inquiry we are hoping to understand how we can better support those who face it, and help some of the most vulnerable in our community.

"There is a range of services available to support people who are homeless or at risk, and the committee is particularly interested in hearing from communities around Australia about approaches that are working well, and ideas for improvement."

The committee will accept written submissions until April 9, 2020.

Further information about the inquiry, including the terms of reference, is available on the inquiry webpage.

Information about making a submission is available on the Parliament of Australia webpage.

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THE GSMA has cancelled Mobile World Congress (MWC) Barcelona 2020.

"Since the first edition of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in 2006, the GSMA has convened the industry, governments, ministers, policymakers, operators and industry leaders across the broader ecosystem," a spokesperson said.

"With due regard to the safe and healthy environment in Barcelona and the host country today, the GSMA has cancelled MWC Barcelona 2020 because the global concern regarding the coronavirus outbreak, travel concern and other circumstances, make it impossible for the GSMA to hold the event.

"The host city parties respect and understand this decision," the spokesperson said.

"The GSMA and the host city parties will continue to be working in unison and supporting each other for MWC Barcelona 2021 and future editions.

"Our sympathies at this time are with those affected in China, and all around the world."

Further updates from the GSMA, are on the website  www.mwcbarcelona.com.

About the GSMA

The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide, uniting more than 750 operators and nearly 400 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, Shanghai and Los Angeles, as well as the Mobile 360 Series of regional conferences.

www.gsma.com. Twitter: @GSMA.

CORPORATE advisory and investment firm Shape Capital announced today that its Brisbane based client SQID Technologies Limited successfully completed listing on the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) on January 21, 2020 under the symbol CSE:SQID.

SQID is a payment processor enabling merchants to receive debit or credit card payments. For the fiscal year ended June 2019, SQID reported total transaction value of $163 million and revenues of $5,403,525 and profit before income tax of $1,147,722 reflecting a 72 percent increase in revenues and 85 percent increase in its profit before income tax over the same period for the fiscal year 2018.

A team of advisors handled the listing with Shape Capital acting as the Australian corporate advisor to the transaction in collaboration with TriPoint Global Equities/BANQ® in NY and Australian based First Growth Funds Limited.

"Listing Australian companies on the CSE is cost effective and a more streamlined process compared to listing on the ASX. The CSE provides Australian companies with a great launch pad into North America to gain market exposure, access to new investors and help create shareholder value," said Anoosh Manzoori, CEO of Shape Capital.

SQID's technology provides merchant services and transaction processing to business merchants and ecommerce customers across both ‘business to business'; (B2B) and ‘business to consumer'; (B2C) segments to bridge both retail and wholesale transactions through its platform.

Its technology is powerfully structured to allow layered access to payment and merchant transaction data, and integrates these retail and wholesale layers (creating many separate customer nodes within the network), providing split settlements between each layer. This provides a broad platform for commission structures and transaction-based rewards that are settled at the same time as the underlying transaction is settled. The business model is applicable to significant business channels including affiliate marketing, rewards programs, franchises, marketplace apps, agencies and more.

SQID has established itself as a relationship payment provider and payment facilitator in the Payment Processing industry, which specialises in delivering ecommerce solutions to businesses that have their ‘card-not-present' commercial outcomes dependent on two or more businesses. This has delivered sizeable growth in revenue as the model is based on engaging one referrer who then refers additional merchants. The company has concentrated on building relationships with merchants and providing incentives to merchants for referrals to new business opportunities. This has resulted in substantial growth with minimal overhead and resources.

The SQID business has a proven business model of delivering sustained profitability over time. Revenue growth has been achieved through strong growth from merchants in industries related to training and education.

www.sqidpay.com.

About Shape Capital

Shape Capital is an investment and corporate advisory firm that positions, prepares and shapes clients for specific events, including mergers and acquisitions, capital raisings and IPOs. As an independent advisory firm, Shape Capital advises private and public companies and has extensive experience in cross-boarder transactions with a strong focus on the technology sector. Shape Capital works with high growth companies to assist with strategy, timing, structure, valuation, and provides access to a large global network of investors. Shape Capital holds an Authorised Corporate Representative of an Australian Financial Services Licence (AFSL) with head office in Melbourne, Australia. http://www.shape.capital 

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UNION members are playing a vital role in the recovery process of bushfire affected communities.

Unions NSW secretary Mark Morey said unions were offering their members support to cope with the trauma they had experienced, as well as providing practical support rebuilding communities.

“This work will be needed not just for a few weeks but for a few years. It’s up to the union movement to make sure affected workers and their communities remain at the forefront of everyone’s mind,” Mr Morey said.

Morey launched the innovative online professional development carried out by the IEUA NSW/ACT Branch to provide online trauma advice to 480 teachers and support staff, 350 of whom actively participated. Many were from the south coast of NSW, which was severely impacted by fires.

“This is a model for the type of support unions can offer their members. This initiative is bringing people together in an innovative way through a huge online union meeting. These innovative strategies enable workers to form connections and network with each other,” Mr Morey said.

“It’s particularly important that teachers and school support staff, who are central to the recovery process moving forward, are offered this type of assistance.”

The course, Responding to Bushfire Trauma,  was conducted, free of charge for non government school staff who are members of the IEU, by Professor Lisa Gibbs and Jane Nursey of the University of Melbourne, authors of the study Delayed Disaster Impacts on Academic Performance of Primary School Children (2019).

IEUA NSW/ACT Branch secretary Mark Northam said it was important for school staff to attend to their own wellbeing so they could provide the best possible support and education for their students.

“Schools and early childhood services are important community hubs during crisis, and we are doing our best to make sure teachers and support staff are supported and can continue to provide a safe haven for children,” Mr Northam said.

IEUA NSW/ACT Branch is also claiming up to five days paid leave per year for employees, unable to attend work due to a natural disaster, in its current negotiations for the NSW and ACT Catholic Systemic Schools Enterprise Agreement 2020-2022.

Morey said all future awards and enterprise agreement negotiations should include considerations of our changing climate, with flexible arrangements to allow employees to deal with emergency situations such as the recent bushfires.

New guidelines on how to deal with hazards such as poor air quality are also required, he said. The ACTU is now examining all these issues.

“Unions will take  a holistic approach to dealing with all aspects of climate change. Our members are at the front line  when it comes to tackling natural disasters,” Mr Morey said.

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THE Financial Services Council (FSC) has today published its submission on the 2020–21 Budget, which outlines a solution to a long-standing problem: how to modernise legacy products in financial services.

FSC CEO Sally Loane said many Australians are being substantially disadvantaged by being locked into out-of-date legacy financial products that lack the better returns, better features and easier access of more modern products.

“Financial services businesses including superannuation funds and life insurers are unable to move customers into more modern products for a raft of complex reasons, including large tax or social security penalties. Despite widespread recognition of the need for a modernisation scheme, no noticeable progress has been made in more than 15 years,” Ms Loane said.

“To expedite the modernisation of legacy products, the FSC recommends the Government explore an institutional mechanism, such as a tribunal, where independent experts could facilitate the removal of barriers that have long prevented consumers from being rolled into modern products.

“This would help address the concerns of both consumers and industry by providing greater certainty, transparency and timeliness around a process that has historically proved difficult to negotiate.

“The Productivity Commission (PC) in its 2019 report into the superannuation industry found there was $162 billion invested in legacy superannuation products, which is 10 percent of the total assets held in large superannuation funds," she said.

“We are talking about significant amounts of money trapped in outdated products, often providing poor results for consumers – we are urging the Government to implement this already existing commitment to fix this, which is now clearly overdue.

“A modernisation scheme would be a win for the community, a win for the economy, and a win for Governments who would have a long-term boost to tax revenue while saving on Age Pension spending.”

Read the submission in full here: https://fsc.org.au/resources/1928-fsc-submission-budget-2020-21/file

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FULLERTON HEALTH, in its commitment to improve the lives of communities in which it operates, has donated A$50,000 to the Australian Red Cross Relief and Recovery Fund.

This contribution goes towards assisting efforts to bring relief to residents and neighbourhoods affected by the devasting fires in Australia.

Mr Steven Harvey, managing director of Fullerton Health Australia said, "This humble donation is by far the largest contribution to any fund-raising effort in Fullerton Health Australia's history, and we are very proud that we can support this important appeal.

"The rains in the past few days may have helped, but the devastation from extreme weather is far from over. Our dedicated teams across Australia, many of whom were directly threatened by the fires, are there to help at all times.

"Local fund-raising efforts by our employee groups throughout the country highlight the passion that our employees have for their fellow Australians at their time of need. We stand side by side with our people to help them in any way we can." 

Ho Kuen Loon, group chief executive officer of Fullerton Health, said, "We watched the fires burn with deep concern, and we recognise that our colleagues and patients have been affected by this tragedy. Besides the donation, our primary care facilities in Australia continue to care for our patients and work to keep our communities safe. We must do what we can for the communities in which we operate."

Fullerton Health delivers care through over 550 healthcare facilities and a global network of over 10,000 healthcare providers in nine markets across Asia Pacific. In the last month, Fullerton Health, through its partnership with Stop TB, launched a program to screen 150,000 workers across 250 factories in Indonesia for Tuberculosis this year. Tuberculosis is one of the deadliest infectious diseases in the world and is particularly prevalent in Indonesia.

About Fullerton Health

Fullerton Health is a leading integrated health system in the Asia Pacific region. Founded in Singapore in 2010, today the company serves clients through over 550 healthcare facilities and a large global network of healthcare providers across nine markets in Asia Pacific. Fullerton Health's value proposition is the integration of healthcare service offerings with customized management and advisory capabilities, in line with its purpose to deliver affordable and accessible care for all in Asia Pacific. 

http://www.fullertonhealth.com

About Fullerton Health Australia

Established in 2013, Fullerton Health Australia is made up of a number of established businesses that have been delivering health services to more than five million people over the last 20 years including leading occupational healthcare provider Jobfit Health Group, Fullerton Health Medical Centres, Northcare Physio, and Baseline Group.

http://www.fullertonhealth.com.au

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THE House of Representatives Standing Committee on the Environment and Energy is commencing public hearings for its inquiry into vegetation and land management relating to bushfires.

Its first hearing will be held in Canberra on Wednesday February 12, 2020, with representatives from CSIRO, to discuss the science and research behind bushfire behaviour, and activities such as hazard reduction burning, clearing and land rehabilitation.

The Committee continues to welcome public submissions to the inquiry, due by March 31, 2020.

Public hearing details

Date: Wednesday, 12 February 2020
Time: 10:15am to 11am
Location: Committee Room 2R2, Parliament House, Canberra

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

The Committee intends to hold public hearings at various locations, which will be announced in due course on the inquiry website. Further information about the inquiry can also be found on the website.

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