THE House of Representatives Standing Committee on the Environment and Energy is travelling around the country for a series of public hearings on nuclear energy in Australia.

Chair of the Committee, Ted O’Brien MP said this is an opportunity to engage with people from Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth and to hear their views both in favour and against nuclear energy.

“We want to hear from experts in the field, and all interested parties from one end of the country to the other, to best understand the feasibility and suitability of these new and emerging nuclear technologies,” Mr O’Brien said.

“These hearings will be looking at nuclear from a very evidence based approach and will be identifying the conditions which would need to be in place before nuclear energy could be considered for Australia.”

Public hearing details

Brisbane
Date: Monday 30 September 2019
Location: Brisbane Novotel, 200 Creek St

Melbourne
Date: Tuesday 1 October 2019
Location: 55 St Andrews Place

Adelaide
Date: Wednesday 2 October 2019
Location: South Australian Parliament building, cnr North Terrace and King William Rd

Perth
Date: Thursday 3 October 2019
Location: Legislative Council Committee Offices, 18 to 32 Parliament Place

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

Further information about upcoming public hearings, including programs as they are released, and the inquiry in general can be found on the inquiry website: https://www.aph.gov.au/nuclearpower. 

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THE Financial Services Council (FSC) has welcomed the Federal Government’s announcement of a review of the retirement income system and the members appointed to conduct the Review. 

FSC CEO Sally Loane said the FSC would work closely with the Review to ensure continuing improvements to Australia’s retirement income system, particularly through our unique superannuation system.

“Superannuation consumers receive significant benefits from competition and choice, and this will be an important focus of the FSC’s approach to the Review,” Ms Loane said. 

“However, this review should not delay important reforms that the Government has already committed to that will significantly improve consumer outcomes in superannuation.

“These include the introduction of a ‘default once’ framework to prevent unintended multiple accounts, as recommended by both Commissioner Kenneth Hayne and the recent Productivity Commission review of superannuation, and legislating an obligation for trustees to consider the retirement needs of their members.”

The FSC will also suggest to the Review that:

• the Government should retain its policy of increasing the Superannuation Guarantee to 12 per cent;
• superannuation laws should be simplified, and red tape in the sector should be removed including barriers to rationalising legacy products; and
• there is no need for further tax increases on superannuation, because our system, as measured against OECD standards, is not unfairly beneficial to higher income earners.

“The FSC looks forward to advocating strongly for these positions during the Review process over the coming year,” Ms Loane said.

www.fsc.org.au

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“THE amount of engineering construction work done is well down on a year ago with the building and construction industry still waiting for the green light on key infrastructure projects,” Master Builders Australia chief economist  Shane Garrett has warned.  

“During the June 2019 quarter, the volume of engineering construction work done slipped by 0.9 percent and was 15.4 percent lower than the same period in 2018,” he said. 

“Master Builders continues to call for the construction of infrastructure projects to be fast-tracked.

“The heavy volume of new infrastructure project announcements over recent times is very welcome, but today’s figures confirm that there are significant blockages in the way of getting project work started on the ground which must be addressed," Mr Garrett said.

“Tackling the blockages and obstacles in the way of infrastructure projects is an issue which must be prioritised by all levels of government.

“With the pace of economic growth at its weakest in a decade, the prompt delivery of new infrastructure is vital for getting us all moving in the right direction,” Mr Garrett said. 

During the June 2019 quarter, the largest decline in engineering construction work done affected the ACT (-13.1%) followed by Tasmania (-12.7%) and the Northern Territory (-11.6%). There were also falls in South Australia (-5.8%), Queensland (-5.1%) and Victoria (-4.8%). 

Over the same period, both Western Australia (+10.3%) and New South Wales (+3.2%) saw gains in the volume of engineering construction work done.

www.masterbuilders.com.au

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THE Law Council of Australia has welcomed the release of detailed reporting entity guidance measures for the Modern Slavery Act 2018, which will assist organisations with compliance. 

The guidance, released by the Department of Home Affairs today, further establishes Australia as a world-leader in combatting modern slavery practices. It follows a period of close consultation with key stakeholders, including the Law Council.

Law Council President, Arthur Moses SC, said given the widespread global nature of modern slavery, the guidance should be a “living document”, reviewed and regularly updated to remain relevant, accessible and informative. 

“Too often we are tempted to think of slavery as a relic of the past, but the truth is it’s a problem alive and well,” Mr Moses SC said. 

“The United Nations has estimated there are more than 40 million victims of modern slavery worldwide. Around 25 million are estimated to be exploited through global supply chains.  

“More than half of all modern slavery victims are estimated to live in the Asia-Pacific region, where the supply chains of many large Australian businesses are concentrated. This means the risk of exposure to modern slavery is a very real and current problem for businesses.  

“Modern slavery in supply chains also distorts global markets, undercuts responsible businesses, and poses significant legal and reputational risks for companies. 

“The Law Council commends the Federal Government for the steps it is taking to stamp out this insidious practice, which represents a false economy based on human misery.” 

The Law Council believes the guidance is useful and comprehensive. 

As the legislation moves into its second year the guidance could usefully be expanded and the Law Council looks forward to ongoing consultation with the department. 

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THE Queensland Resources Council (QRC) has welcomed the action by Australia Pacific LNG (APLNG) to supply 61 petajoules (PJ) of gas to the Australian domestic market which is the equivalent yearly demand of around 1.5 million households.

“I applaud APLNG for helping to put downward pressure on energy prices by increasing supply into the domestic market through this new agreement with Origin Energy. It’s another sign of the Queensland gas industry leading the nation with a proactive approach to developing its gas reserves,” Mr Macfarlane said.

“Our southern neighbours must take a leaf out of our book, instead of relying on our State to meet the gap caused by their failure to develop their own gas industries. Gas exploration has stalled in New South Wales and Victoria, despite the fact all jurisdictions have their own reserves in the ground.

“Queensland’s gas industry is doing its part to ensure domestic gas users have access to affordable and reliable gas supplies.”

APLNG said the new contract increases the company’s total domestic contracted supply commitment to over 340 PJ for 2020 and 2021 which is over 30 percent of total east coast domestic demand for each year.

Mr Macfarlane said people wanted industry and Government to work together with communities and wider society to promote effective, constructive, and mutually beneficial relationships.

“Queensland’s resources industry has a proven track record of attracting new investment and creating new jobs because of the clear and stable regulatory environment in which it operates. It is essential that we have stable and reliable regulation for our resources sector to continue to attract the investment that builds our State and delivers for every Queenslander.”

www.qrc.org.au

BRISBANE students keen to enter resources sector careers have given up their September school holidays to try their hand in the resources sector. 

The 11 students are part of a new program, Oresome Internships, run by the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA) providing internships within Queensland Resources Council (QRC) member companies. 

The internships range from mining engineering to IT, community relations and finance. While most internships were based in Brisbane corporate offices, some students will conduct site visits to the towns of Millmerran, Moranbah and Coppabella as part of their work. 

“These internships provide year 11 and 12 students with the opportunity to see firsthand how resources sector companies operate,” said QMEA’s manager for skills and education, Matthew Heskett. 

“This pilot program aims to help the students join the dots between their studies and the world of work, make contacts in their fields of interest, and give them confidence in their subject choices and studies,” he said. 

“We very much appreciate the generosity of QRC members for taking on the students and we can’t wait to see the opportunities that might open up for them in the future.” 

The Oresome Internships program was developed to help address key findings from the YouthInsight study commissioned by the Minerals Council of Australia (MCA). It found that 59 percent of young people knew nothing at all about mining careers. 

Schools attending:  

o        Somerville House 

o        Wavell SHS 

o        Coorparoo Secondary College 

o        Anglican Church Grammar School 

o        St Laurence's College 

o        All Hallows' School 

o        Kelvin Grove State College 

Companies: 

o        Round Oak Minerals 

o        Peabody 

o        Coronado Curragh 

o        Glencore Technology 

o        Glencore Coal 

o        Intergen 

o        BHP 

o        QER 

o        South32 

QRC is the peak representative body for Queensland ‘s resource sector. The Queensland resources sector provides one in every $5 in the Queensland economy, sustains one in eight Queensland jobs, and supports more than 15,400 businesses and community organisations across the State, all from 0.1 percent of Queensland’s land mass. 

The QMEA is a partnership between the QRC and the Queensland Government under its Gateway to Industry Schools program. It has 60 schools throughout Queensland. 

www.qrc.org.au

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MORE THAN $185 billion, or almost $7,500 per person, was spent on health goods and services in Australia during 2017–18, according to a new report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).

The report, Health expenditure in Australia 2017–18, will be launched at The Australian Health Economics Society Conference in Melbourne.

"Total health spending increased by $2.2 billion in 2017–18 to $185.4 billion in constant prices. This was a 1.2 percent increase on 2016–17 against a backdrop of 3.9 percent average annual growth over the decade," said AIHW spokesperson Dr Adrian Webster.

"The lower growth rate in 2017-18 was partly due to the previous year having included one-off capital expenditure on projects such as the new Royal Adelaide Hospital. It was also a result of a previous spike in Australian Government spending on new drugs to treat hepatitis C.

"Governments funded two-thirds ($126.7 billion) of total health spending in 2017–18, with the Australian government contributing $77.1 billion — $1.8 billion more than the previous year."

Australia’s state and territory governments spent $49.5 billion — $1.3 billion less than the previous year.

"Health expenditure by governments represented 24.4 percent of tax revenue, a decline from 2016–17 where 26 percent of tax revenue was spent on health," Dr Webster said.

"The decline in health expenditure as a proportion of tax revenue was primarily due to relatively rapid revenue growth when compared with previous years."

In 2017–18, personal out-of-pocket health costs amounted to an average of $1,578 per person. There was little change in the proportion of individual net worth spent on health over the decade.

Contributions to health spending by private health insurers rose by $400 million to $16.6 billion in 2017–18.

"The decade has seen an overall increase in spending by private health insurance providers per person covered. In 2017–18, private health insurers spent an average of $1,470 per person covered, compared with $1,043 in 2007–08," Dr Webster said.

The total number of people holding private health insurance decreased by almost 2 million over the decade.

"Regular reporting of national health expenditure is important to understanding Australia’s health system and how spending relates to changes such as the ageing population, increased chronic disease prevalence, and medicinal and technological developments," Dr. Webster said.

www.aihw.gov.au

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CREATING a positive freedom of information (FOI) culture in Victoria is underpinned by improved public service leadership, rather than political leadership of the agency, a new report shows.

A pilot study, commissioned by the Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner (OVIC) with support from Monash University, shows that most FOI practitioners are sincere and passionate about providing the public with access to government-held information.

However, the FOI officers’ efforts are at times hampered by executive managements at agencies that don’t regard FOI as a priority.

The study included six Victorian government agencies, ranging from small government departments and local councils, to large government departments. An initial online survey of FOI practitioners was followed by focus groups and interviews with 27 FOI officers.

The principal aim of the study was to determine if the culture of administering FOI in Victoria could be captured, and identify ways to improve FOI laws and systems to provide the community with easier access to government information.

The key finding was that FOI practitioners ranked government executives as more important than political leadership in building a positive and well-functioning FOI culture.

The pilot study was implemented and the report authored by associate professor Johan Lidberg from the School of Media, Film and Journalism at Monash University.

“The principal justification for governments passing and implementing laws that allow the public a means of independently accessing government information is accountability,” Associate Professor Lidberg said.

“One of the cornerstones in mature liberal democratic systems of governance is that those who wield power in society must also be held to account for how this power is executed.”

Based on the concrete recommendations in the report, the pilot study clearly demonstrated that the culture of implementing FOI can be captured.

The study also highlighted the importance of agencies adopting proactive information disclosure policies. These two findings comprise a quarter of the eight recommendations to OVIC made in the report.

“Another important takeaway from the project was the breadth of attitudes to proactive release of information held by FOI practitioners. The majority viewed proactive release as the norm, whereas others took the view that their job was to administer the FOI Act only,” Associate Professor Lidberg said.

He believes more research is needed to map the prevailing attitudes across government agencies in more detail.

“The public’s right to access information is crucial for accountability and leads to better policy outcomes,” said Victorian Information Commissioner Sven Bluemmel. “I would encourage public sector leaders to facilitate the proactive release of information where possible.”

In the next phase of the project, OVIC, and several other jurisdictions, will partner with Monash University researchers to seek funding from the Australian Research Council.

It’s proposed the next, more comprehensive, phase of the study will survey a greater number of government agencies.

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