THE Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters has concluded its inquiry into the 2022 election, making recommendations for reforms to improve donation transparency, reduce the influence of big money, and strengthen trust and participation in Australia's elections.

The committee’s final report, tabled today in Parliament, makes 21 recommendations on top of the 15 made in its interim report released in June.

Committee Chair Kate Thwaites MP said, "Our electoral system is strong, but our democracy is too important to be complacent. The committee heard clear evidence of the need for reform.

‘Based on the evidence we have received, the committee has recommended reforms to improve donation transparency, address the electoral ‘arms race’ of increased spending on elections, limit the potentially corrupting influence of big money, and build public trust."

These include reaffirming recommendations made in the interim report, including:

• Lowering the donation disclosure threshold to $1,000 and introducing ‘real time’ disclosure;
• Introducing donation and electoral spending caps; and
• Introducing truth in political advertising laws.

In addition, the committee’s final report makes further recommendations around representation, participation and other issues, including:

• Improving representation – increasing Senate representation for the two territories from two to four Senators, and requesting a specific inquiry into increasing the size of the House of Representatives;
• Encouraging participation and enfranchisement – making voting more accessible, including for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people with disabilities, older Australians and Australians overseas; and
• Modernising election campaign legislation, including amending the process for the distribution of postal vote applications.

Through the course of the inquiry the committee received more than 1,500 submissions and held 11 public hearings.

Further information about the inquiry, including submissions and hearing transcripts, is available on the inquiry webpage.

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THE Joint Standing Committee on Implementation of the National Redress Scheme will be holding a public hearing tomorrow for an inquiry into the National Redress Scheme.

Legal practitioners, support services and advocates are among witnesses scheduled to give evidence.

The public hearing will start at 9:30am AEDT (Canberra time). The program is available on the Committee’s website.

The inquiry is looking into a range of areas, including:

• The experience of First Nations applicants and applicants with disability in their dealings with the Scheme.
• Accessibility, performance and effectiveness of support services and legal advice for survivors and their advocates.

The committee is continuing to accept written submissions.

Full details of what the inquiry is examining can be found in the terms of reference on the Committee’s website. An easy English guide is also available.

Public hearing details

Thursday 23 November 2023
9:30am to around 4:45pm AEDT (Canberra time)
Committee Room 1R3, Parliament House, Canberra
Listen online at www.aph.gov.au/News_and_Events/Watch_Parliament

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THE Joint Standing Committee on Treaties will hold a public hearing today for its inquiry into the Amendments to the Annex of the Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic, 1965 (FAL Convention).

The FAL Convention aims to prevent unnecessary delays in maritime traffic, aid cooperation between states and secure uniformity in formalities and procedures. The Annex to the convention contains Standards and Recommended Practices on formalities, documentary requirements and procedures that are to be applied to ships, crews, passengers, baggage, and cargo from arrival through to their departure.

The proposed changes to the Annex focus on topics such as definitions, illicit activities, digitalisation of vessel reporting requirements, identification, treatment of stowaways and public health.

Committee Chair, Josh Wilson MP said, “Australia has been a signatory to the Convention on the Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic since 1986 and over time, has been an active contributor to the work of the International Maritime Organisation. If adopted, these amendments would support Australia to continue to modernise its maritime sector operations and take further steps towards full compliance with the convention.

“The amendments would lead to increased efficiencies for both industry and government and create greater opportunities for adopting new maritime technologies. This includes the standards for the adoption of the Maritime Single Window which is a digital reporting platform which will make the exchange of mandatory information between industry and government easier.”

The committee will hear from officials from the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts; the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. 

Public hearing details 

Date:               Monday 27 November 2023
Time:              11am (AEDT)
Location:        Committee Room 2R1

The hearing can be accessed online and the program is available on the Committee website, along with further information about the inquiry.

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UNDER the Public Works Committee Act 1969, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works will consider three new referrals, one from the Department of Defence, one from Airservices Australia and one from Australia’s Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation.

The projects are: 

• Department of Defence – RAAF Base Darwin – Mid-term Refresh – $159.9 million – Darwin, Northern Territory; The works will deliver enhanced resilience and redundancy to the base and includes upgrades to vehicle access as well as sewer and water networks.
• Airservices Australia – PFAS Remediation of Former Fire Training Ground at Launceston Airport – $24 million – Launceston, Tasmania. The works will remediate Per-and Poly-Fluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) contamination of Launceston Airport resulting from historical firefighting operations on the site.
• Australia’s Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation – Nuclear Medicine Manufacturing Facility – $619 million – Lucas Heights, New South Wales. The works will replace Australia’s main nuclear medicine manufacturing facility to meet community needs.

It is anticipated that the committee will conduct public and in-camera hearings for the inquiries in 2024. The committee wants to hear from all individuals or organisations interested in the project. The deadline for public submissions is early January 2024, with more information available on the Public Works Committee website.

Committee Chair Graham Perrett MP, said, "Public submissions and the public hearings will allow the committee to review the purpose, need and public value of the proposed works."

Note: 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.

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THE Joint Standing Committee on Treaties will receive a public briefing today from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

Topics covered during the briefing will potentially include:

• Australia-EU Free Trade Agreement.
• Australia-India Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA).
• Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF).
• Any other relevant matters.

This is the second biannual briefing in 2023 on the status of upcoming and current free trade agreement negotiations provided by DFAT which is now part of the Committee’s regular work schedule.  

Public briefing details 

Date:               Monday 27 November 2023
Time:               approx. 11:40am (AEDT)
Location:         Committee Room 2R1

The public briefing can be accessed online. Further information about the committee can be found on the Committee website.

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THIS WEEK, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Milton Dick MP is in regional New South Wales with Sussan Ley MP, Deputy Leader of the Opposition and Member for Farrer, as part of the Parliament in Schools program.

Students will learn about federation, democracy and the Australian Parliament, as well as hear first-hand from the Speaker and Ms Ley on what a typical day looks like in their electorate and when they are in Canberra for sitting weeks.

Over three days, the Speaker and Ms Ley will visit:

• Wentworth Public School
• Pomona Public School
• Palinyewah Public School
• Pooncarie Public School
• Dareton Public School
• Gol Gol Public School
• Euston Public School.

“In collaboration with local federal MPs, we have brought Parliament to over 70 schools across Australia,” Speaker Milton Dick said.

“I am so passionate about ensuring as many young Australians as possible have the information and knowledge they need to go on to being engaged and informed citizens.”

“I am really looking forward to bringing the Parliament in Schools to the great electorate of Farrer.”

About the Parliament in Schools program

Launched last year, the Parliament in Schools program is a bi-partisan initiative to make civics education accessible to students regardless of their location. In collaboration with local federal members, the Speaker is visiting schools across Australia to bring parliament to them.

The program is an extension to well-established Parliamentary Education Office (PEO) onsite, digital and outreach education programs available to schools across Australia.

It also complements the existing PEO online and print resources that are curriculum-aligned, for Australian teachers and students.

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THE Defence Subcommittee of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade is conducting a new inquiry, focussing on important aspects of the Department of Defence Annual Report 2022–23.

Key themes of the inquiry’s focus include:

• Assistance to Ukraine.
• Defence Health System.
• Capability Assurance Mechanism.
• Artificial Intelligence and Autonomous Weapons related issues.
• Armaments manufacture, procurement, and inventory.
• Other issues as communicated to Defence.

Chair of the Subcommittee, Julian Hill MP, said, “The committee has decided to exercise its oversight powers and conduct a public review of the Department of Defence Annual Report 2022–23.

“Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022 was the most significant hostile act against a European country since the end of World War Two," Mr Hill said. "The international community of NATO and non-NATO contributors, including Australia, are continuing to aid Ukraine’s efforts in its fight to retain its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"The subcommittee is interested in examining Australia’s response to this crisis; specifically, the facilitation of military aid focussed on platforms, munitions, and the contribution to Operation Kudu which is the ADF commitment to the training of armed forces of Ukraine recruits in the United Kingdom.

“A comprehensive and well-equipped health care system for our serving personnel remains a critical enabler to ensure the ADF’s warfighting preparedness. Defence is currently undergoing structural change based on the force posture requirements as detailed within the Defence Strategic Review. This is occurring at a time of significant workforce challenges, and it is through this lens that the subcommittee is interested in analysing Defence’s approach to health care, considering the recent report by the Auditor-General and current performance issues. The focus for this line of inquiry will include the general architecture of its uniformed and contracted health related capabilities, supporting both current personnel and the recruitment function, and the interrelationship with external providers.

“It is imperative that Defence can effectively identify and manage the complexities associated with material procurement and sustainment including the acceptance of new capability into service. The subcommittee is interested in reviewing Defence’s approach to capability assurance including ‘test and evaluation’ and how that impacts and informs accountability and risk identification considering case studies to identify potential systemic issues for attention.

“Artificial Intelligence and Autonomous Weapons have an ever-increasing role within militaries worldwide. From systems capable of predictive analysis, to platforms that can prosecute targets without human intervention, careful consideration is warranted as Defence continues to evolve its capabilities by integrating emerging technologies. The subcommittee is interested in examining the role of Artificial Intelligence and Autonomous Weapons within the ADF and the requisite policy settings that need to account for and address relevant moral, legal, ethical, and regulatory matters within Australia and internationally. This may be informed by a case study to be identified.

“The Defence Strategic Review references the importance that Australia possesses a diverse array of munitions capable of long-range strike across the sea, land, and air domains. The government has announced plans for the rapid procurement of High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HiMARS) and Precision Strike Missiles, as well as the creation of a newly appointed head of Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance.

"The subcommittee is interested in examining the plans and process for the acquisition of specific munitions from coalition partners, the requirements to enable domestic manufacturing and storage, and the comparison of current stock holdings vice what is required during high intensity conflict."

The subcommittee is inviting written submissions by Monday, 5 February 2024.

For more information about this committee, visit its website.

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THE Foreign Affairs and Aid subcommittee of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade this morning tabled its report titled Supporting democracy in our region.

Chair of the subcommittee, Josh Burns MP, said, "This is an important bipartisan report that considers how Australia can partner with countries in our region to promote democracy and the international rules-based order.

"This report recommends how Australia’s national interests and foreign policy pursuits can be strengthened by aligning with local priorities, enhancing both countries institutions and building on strong bilateral relationships to promote democracy in our region.

"Ultimately, stronger partnerships build capacity to resist regression of democratic norms and ideals that has been eroding the effectiveness of the international framework that has served our region for many years."

Recommendations include:

• Increased funding for the Australian Electoral Commission to develop long-term partnerships with electoral bodies in the Indo-Pacific who request assistance with elections.
• Establishing a media broadcasting capacity and support building program for the region that facilitates training and development both in Australia and in our neighbouring countries.
• Establishing a Women in Parliament program to strengthen partnerships with women in the region.
• Establishing a central Civil Society Organisation Hub within the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to help coordinate development delivery in the region.

This report makes eight recommendations in total and can be found on the inquiry's website.

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