THE Indigenous Affairs Committee will be holding public hearings in Canberra, Sydney and Melbourne in the first two weeks of March 2018 for its inquiry into the growing presence of inauthentic Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander 'style' art and craft products and merchandise for sale across Australia.

The Canberra hearings will include government agencies such as the Australian Institute for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, IP Australia, and the Department of Communications and the Arts.

The Sydney hearings will feature a number of industry experts, peak organisations, and state government agencies including Ms Terri Janke, the Indigenous Art Code, and the Aboriginal Arts Association of Australia.

In Melbourne, the committee will hear from the Victorian Government and also organisations such as Creative Economy.

In 2018, the Committee intends to travel to other urban, regional and remote areas to hold further hearings.

New Committee Chair, Ann Sudmalis MP, said “The Committee welcomes all interested parties to our hearings and encourages individuals and organisations to continue to make submissions via our website.”

Canberra public hearing details

Time:              11.45 – 12.15
Date:              Thursday, 1 March 2018
Location:       Committee Room 1R3, Parliament House

Time:              09.00 – 13.20
Date:              Friday, 2 March 2018
Location:       Committee Room 1R3, Parliament House

Sydney public hearing details

Time:              09.00 – 17.00
Date:              Tuesday, 6 March 2018
Location:       Macquarie Room, Parliament of New South Wales

Time:              09.00 – 10.20
Date:              Wednesday, 7 March 2018
Location:       Meeting Room 1, Commonwealth Parliamentary Offices, 1 Bligh Street

Melbourne public hearing details

Time:              09.00 – 13.20
Date:              Thursday, 8 March 2018
Location:       Room G7, Victorian Parliamentary Offices, 55 St Andrews Place, East Melbourne

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

To keep up to date with where and when the hearings will be held, track the inquiry from the website. Click on the blue ‘Track Inquiry’ button and use the form to log-in or register for a My Parliament account.

ends

THOUSANDS of anonymous reports from concerned members of the community are assisting the Fair Work Ombudsman to target unlawful practices in workplaces across Australia and deliver outcomes for workers who might otherwise not seek help.

Since the launch of its Anonymous Report tool in mid-2016, the regulator has received more than 20,000 tip-offs alleging potential workplace breaches.

The reports from the public are leading to positive outcomes for vulnerable workers who may be unwilling or unable to reveal their identity and approach the Fair Work Ombudsman.

In one matter, Fair Work inspectors conducted an unannounced visit at a Sydney retail business after receiving an anonymous report alleging employees received as little as $8 per hour, cash in hand.

An audit of the company’s records uncovered evidence of contraventions in relation to pay rates, break entitlements and pay slip requirements.

Inspectors issued the company with a Compliance Notice and a contravention letter, resulting in approximately $50,000 in wages and entitlements being paid back to workers.

The company also increased pay rates to ensure compliance in the future.

THE Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security has today presented its Advisory Report on the Home Affairs and Integrity Agencies Legislation Amendment Bill 2017.

The Bill amends the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006, Independent National Security Legislation Monitor Act 2010, Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security Act 1986 and Intelligence Services Act 2001 to give effect to Ministerial powers following establishment of the Home Affairs portfolio on 20 December 2017.

The amendments include a heightened and strengthened oversight role for the Attorney-General.

The Chair of the Committee, Andrew Hastie MP said ‘the Committee is pleased to support the Attorney-General’s oversight role as proposed in the Bill".

The Committee made four recommendations in its report.

First, upon considering evidence from the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security, the Committee recommended that the Bill be amended so that only the Prime Minister has the power to direct the Inspector-General to undertake an inquiry under section 9 of the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security Act 1986.

Second, to more clearly reflect the Government’s intent concerning the Attorney-General’s oversight role, the Committee recommended that explicit reference to the Attorney-General be included in the Independent National Security Legislation Monitor Act 2010 and Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security Act 1986.

The Committee noted that 33 other Acts will be amended to implement the Home Affairs portfolio.

The Committee considered these amendments should be brought forward as soon as possible and, third, recommended that amendments to the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Act 1979 and Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979 to facilitate the Attorney-General’s ongoing role be introduced to the Parliament prior to the conclusion of debate on this Bill.

Finally, subject to implementation of these recommendations, the Committee recommended that the Bill be passed.

The report is available on the Committee’s website at www.aph.gov.au/pjcis.

ends

THE Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit has launched an inquiry into the 2016-17 Defence Major Projects Report.

The JCPAA is a central committee of the Parliament with the power to initiate its own inquiries on the Commonwealth public sector.

The Committee has inquired into the Defence Major Projects Report on an annual basis since 2009 and will continue its oversight of the reporting of major Defence acquisitions through its inquiry into the 2016-17 Major Projects Report.

The total approved budget for the Major Projects included in this report is approximately $62 billion, covering nearly 59 per cent of the budget within the Approved Major Capital Investment Program.

The Committee invites submissions to the inquiry by Friday, 9 March 2018. A public hearing will be held on Friday, 23 March 2018.

Further information about the inquiry can be accessed via the Committee’s website.

ends

THE Institute of Public Accountants (IPA) has announced its partnership with the St.George Banking Group (St.George Bank, Bank of Melbourne and BankSA) as part of its suite of member benefits.

“We are delighted to form an alliance with such strong and reputable brands in the banking sector,” said IPA chief executive officer, Andrew Conway.

“Our members can access very competitive home loans or refer clients seeking home loans and mortgage advice to any of the three banks.

“This is a great advantage for our members and their small business clients in particular,” said Mr Conway.

St.George’s Head of Home Lending, Gavan Thompson, said that all of the brands were excited to be aligned with the IPA.

“We feel that our brands fit well with the IPA, particularly with their strong service delivery and community focus.

“Accountants are vital as trusted advisers to their clients and we look forward to being of assistance to them with any home lending needs,” said Mr Thompson.

publicaccountants.org.au

ends

THE Defence Sub-Committee of the Parliament’s Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade is holding a public hearing in Canberra on Friday 23 August for its inquiry into a Bipartisan Australian Defence Agreement.

Chair of the Defence Sub‑Committee, Senator Linda Reynolds CSC, said the Sub-Committee will hear from representatives from the defence industry, unions, academia and Defence on the risks and benefits of reaching a bipartisan agreement on defence capability planning.

“Strategic planning for Australia’s Defence is one of the fundamental tasks of government,” Senator Reynolds said. “The Sub-Committee looks forward to meeting with defence industry experts to explore options for providing long-term stability for the planning of Australia’s Defence capabilities, including a possible bipartisan defence agreement.”

Public hearing details: 9:00am to 2:30pm, Friday 23 February, Committee Room 1R3, Parliament House, Canberra

The full program for Friday’s hearing is available from the committee’s website.

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

ends

QUEENSLAND’s attractiveness as an investment destination for mining has dropped out of the global top ten according to a report from Canada’s Fraser Institute highlighted by the Queensland Resources Council (QRC).

QRC Chief Executive Ian Macfarlane said the clear message is that global investors have marked Queensland down because of policy uncertainty. 

"Investors don’t like surprises, which is why the sector is always talking about the need for policy certainty," said Mr Macfarlane. 

"The Queensland Government needs to be aware investors are watching every potential change in policy as having a direct impact on the investment profile of the State.

THE House of Representatives Standing Committee on Economics will conduct public hearings on 11, 12 and 19 October in Canberra as part of its ongoing scrutiny of Australia’s four major banks.

The Chair of the committee, Sarah Henderson MP, stated that "these hearings provide an important mechanism to hold the four major banks to account before the Parliament".

"The hearings will be conducted shortly after the Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry hands down its interim report which is due by 30 September 2018. This will provide the committee with an important opportunity to scrutinise the banks on a range of matters including the interim findings of the Royal Commissioner," Ms Henderson said.

The committee has held three rounds of hearings and published three reports in November 2016, April 2017 and December 2017. The committee has made a suite of recommendations for banking reform, which have been broadly adopted by the Government.

Key reforms to improve outcomes for Australian consumers to date include: putting in place a one-stop shop for consumer complaints, the Australian Financial Complaints Authority; a regulated Banking Executive Accountability Regime; and, new powers and resources for the ACCC to investigate competition issues in the setting of interest rates.

The Government also adopted the committee's recommendations to establish an open data regime and change the regulatory requirement for bank start-ups in order to encourage more competition in the sector.

The hearing will be webcast live: http://www.aph.gov.au/Watch_Read_Listen

Public hearing details: Main Committee Room, Parliament House, Canberra

Thursday, 11 October 2018
9.15am to 12.15pm: Commonwealth Bank 
1.15pm to 4.15pm: Westpac

Friday, 12 October 2018
9.15am to 12.15pm: ANZ

Friday, 19 October 2018
9.15am to 12.15pm: National Australia Bank

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

ends