THE Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters has released its interim report into the 2022 Federal Election, and has recommended significant reforms to Australia’s electoral system.

Committee Chair Kate Thwaites MP said, "Australians are rightly proud of our electoral system, but it is important that we continue make sure that it is trusted, relevant and fit for purpose.

"The evidence we have heard has allowed the committee to develop clear goals for reform: to increase transparency in election donations and curb the influence of big money, to build the public’s trust in electoral and political processes, and to encourage participation in our elections."

The report makes 15 recommendations, focused on three main topics: political donations and electoral expenditure, truth in political advertising and encouraging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participation in elections.

The committee continues its work on its inquiry into the 2022 election, with further hearings scheduled for Friday June 23 and two days in the Northern Territory next week. The final report is scheduled for release later this year.

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

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PALLIATIVE Care Australia is launching a scholarships program for the Oceanic Palliative Care Conference (OPCC) this September in Sydney. 

“We know that the cost of taking part will be a barrier to some people, and our hope is that these scholarships will enable important voices to be heard and experiences to be shared,” Palliative Care Australia (PCA) chief executive officer, Camilla Rowland said.

“OPCC also represents a critical learning and development opportunity for nurses, doctors, allied health, volunteers, and others. We want that to influence and grow the care people receive right across Australia and the wider Oceanic region.” 

With the support of the Department of Health and Aged Care and Cancer Australia, scholarships range in value between $560 and $5000 and can be used to cover the full cost of OPCC registration as well as travel and accommodation. 

Everyone is welcome to apply, but priority will be given to the following categories:  

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers  

• Palliative care consumers and carers  

• Palliative care volunteers  

• People with less than three years’ experience in palliative care who have not previously attended the Oceanic Palliative Care Conference  

• People working in palliative care in rural or remote areas of Australia  

• People working in palliative care from the Oceanic region  

“A diversity of representation is important in shaping palliative care now and in the future, and we need to create a framework that allows and encourages people of all backgrounds to get involved,” Ms Rowland said.

“I’d urge anyone interested in attending OPCC but thinking twice because of the costs, to apply for a scholarship.”

Applications will be open until Friday, July 16, and will be assessed by an independent panel based on the published application priorities.

More information is available HERE. 

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A PARLIAMENTARY committee inquiry will hear from Diabetes Australia, the Australian Diabetes Society and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) at a public hearing on Tuesday,  June 20.

The hearing will be held at Parliament House as part of the Health Committee’s inquiry into diabetes in Australia.

Chair of the Committee, Mike Freelander MP, said, "The Hearing will be an opportunity for the Committee to hear from major peak bodies which each play a critical role in improving diabetes prevention, treatment and care, advocating for policies and funding around diabetes, and supporting Australians living with diabetes.

"The Committee looks forward to hearing evidence from these organisations, including about new advances in the prevention, diagnosis and management of diabetes that may be emerging either in Australia or internationally," Dr Freelander said.

Deputy Chair of the Committee, Melissa McIntosh MP said, "The committee will also hear from a 15-year-old girl in my community living with type 1 diabetes and her mother, about their personal experiences with this health condition that affects more than 130,000 Australians.

‘Since my athletic and healthy 20-year-old son was recently diagnosed with type 1 diabetes after having COVID-19, I am learning firsthand about the significant impacts that type 1 diabetes can have on people’s lives," Mrs McIntosh said.

The committee intends to hold more public hearings in due course. Interested parties are encouraged to make a submission to this inquiry by August 31, 2023.

Further information about the committee’s inquiry, including the full terms of reference and details on how to lodge a submission are available at the Committee’s website.

Hearing details

Tuesday, 20 June 2023

12pm to 2pm AEST

Committee Room 1R3, Parliament House Canberra

The hearing will be live broadcast via the Parliament’s Watch, Read, Listen website.

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THE House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs has today launched an Inquiry into the recognition of unpaid carers.

Chair of the Committee, Peta Murphy MP said, "This inquiry will examine the effectiveness of the Carer Recognition Act 2010 in acknowledging and raising awareness of the important role of unpaid carers in Australian society, and will consider if legislative reform is needed.

"The committee wants to hear from individual unpaid carers, carers’ representatives and advocacy organisations so it can make meaningful recommendations to government."

The committee is seeking written submissions, ideally of no more than 10 pages, on the inquiry terms of reference by Friday, August 11, 2023. The inquiry is not considering the adequacy of payments for carers.

People who want to tell their story, but have concerns about privacy, can ask for their submission to be published without name, or for the submission to be received confidentially and not published by the committee.

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

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THE Joint Standing Committee on Treaties will hold a public hearing into the agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste on Cooperation in the Field of Defence and the Status of Visiting Forces.

Committee Chair, Josh Wilson MP said, “This treaty would establish a legally binding framework to facilitate mutually beneficial defence cooperation activities between Australia and Timor-Leste.”

The treaty, which also contains status of forces provisions, would enable Australia to participate more frequently in bilateral military activities with Timor-Leste. This would allow Australia and Timor-Leste to expand their defence cooperation into areas such as maritime operations, joint and unilateral training, logistics support, and international humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

The committee will take evidence from officials from the Department of Defence and Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Public hearing details 

​Date: Monday, 19 June 2023
​Time: 10am
Location: Committee Room 2R1, Parliament House

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

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THE Joint Standing Committee on Treaties (JSCOT) has recommended that the Australian Government ratifies the Treaty on Extradition between Australia and the Czech Republic (Canberra, February 17, 2022) (Extradition Treaty).

The Extradition Treaty creates a framework that simplifies the surrender of a person from one country to the other for criminal prosecution or to serve a criminal sentence.

JSCOT Chair Josh Wilson MP said, “On ratification, this will be Australia’s 40th bilateral extradition treaty and will allow Australia and the Czech Republic to better combat serious and transnational crime. It will help to ensure that those who commit these crimes are not able to escape across borders and instead face a court of law and prison.”

The Extradition Treaty strengthens the ability of Australia and the Czech Republic to cooperate on matters of extradition which will work to ensure that those responsible for crimes will be held accountable.

Mr Wilson said: “Through cooperation between Australia and the Czech Republic, this Treaty provides clarity and certainty to the extradition process.”

The Report can be found on the Committee website, along with further information on the inquiry.

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SALES of new homes across Australia increased for the second month in a row in May despite the ongoing rise in the cash rate, according to Housing Industry Association (HIA) senior economist Tom Devitt.

The HIA New Home Sales report – a monthly survey of the largest volume home builders in the five largest states – is a leading indicator of future detached home construction.

“Sales of new homes increased by 9.4 percent in the month of May 2023 compared to the previous month, leaving sales in the last three months higher by 4.4 percent on the previous quarter,” Mr Devitt said.

“Despite this small rise in sales, they remain at depressed levels. Sales in the three months to May 2023 were more than 40 percent lower than in the year before when interest rates started to increase, and 25 percent lower than prior to the pandemic. This indicates that the slowdown in home building that is underway will continue for at least the next year.

“The most significant contraction in sales is in New South Wales where customers are more sensitive to rises in the cash rate.

“Cancellations also remain elevated at a rate of 25 percent in the last quarter. This means, for every four new projects a builder is recording, a previous project is being cancelled," he said.

“The RBA’s rate increases will continue to hold down new sales and cause further cancellations as finance becomes unobtainable for an increasing number of buyers.

“The significant increase in the cost of land and construction across all jurisdictions over the past two years is compounding the impact of higher interest rates. The additional costs of compliance with the National Construction Code, that come into effect this year, will further increase the cost of new home construction and dampen demand further.

“This combination of factors will see home building continuing to contract for at least the next 12 months to its lowest level in more than a decade,” Mr Devitt said.

Sales of new homes in the three months to May 2023 compared with the same time last year are still down in most large states, led by New South Wales (-63.6 percent), and followed by Queensland (-52.9 percent), Victoria (-46.6 percent) and South Australia (-29.5 percent). Western Australia saw the only increase over the year, up by 19.4 percent.

www.hia.com.au

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ON JUNE 13, the Defence Subcommittee of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade will conduct its third public hearing in support of its inquiry into the Department of Defence Annual Report 2021–22.

The Subcommittee will hear evidence from an academic panel as well as the Department of Defence on the inquiry’s third focus item: Support to domestic crisis.

Chair of the Subcommittee, Julian Hill MP, said, "In recent years Defence has been used increasingly as part of national responses to domestic crises. Recent examples include support to the COVID-19 pandemic, and numerous floods and bushfire events.

“The Subcommittee will hear how this seemingly near persistent requirement is impacting the organisation from a preparation, training, and capability perspective, as well as reviewing current policy and approaches to resourcing.

“Leading experts and senior Defence representatives will publicly share their views on this important matter which will also provide useful context as respective authors consider the 2024 National Defence Strategy.”

Further information is available on the inquiry webpage.

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