A NEW Parliamentary inquiry will examine Commonwealth Procurement, focusing on five recent reviews of procurement practices at Commonwealth agencies.

The inquiry, to be conducted by the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit (JCPAA) will examine ways to improve transparency, efficiency, and value for money in Commonwealth procurement.   

The Chair of the JCPAA, Julian Hill MP said, “in recent years the Australian National Audit Office has too often found that Commonwealth agencies have failed to follow both the letter and the spirit of the Commonwealth Procurement Rules. The Procurement Rules are to ensure value for money as well as encourage competition, efficiency and accountability in the expenditure of public money.

“There appears a concerning pattern of agencies cutting corners or interpreting the rules to suit themselves and make life easier for themselves, rather than apply the Rules and let more people and firms bid for Commonwealth work. Maintaining efficient, effective, economical and ethical procurement practices will always be a challenge for governments”, Mr Hill said.

"And the Committee hopes to identify how Commonwealth procurement practices can be improved to deliver better value for money for Australian taxpayers.”

The five Auditor-General Reports that will form the starting point for the Committee’s inquiry are:

• No. 6 (2021-22) Management of the Civil Maritime Surveillance Services Contract
• No. 15 (2021-22) Department of Defence’s Procurement of Six Evolved Cape Class Patrol Boats
• No. 30 (2021-22) Procurement of the National Capital Authority
• No. 42 (2021-22) Procurement of Delivery Partners for the Entrepreneurs’ Programme
• No. 5 (2022-23) Digital Transformation Agency’s Procurement of ICT Related Services

The Committee has invited submissions to the inquiry addressing the terms of reference to be received by Friday, November 11, 2022. Details of the inquiry – including the terms of reference and public hearings – will be made available on the Committee website.

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THE National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) has secured a significant victory for all Victorian casual staff who were set to miss out on pay on the public holiday to mark Queen Elizabeth II's death.

NTEU branches around the state called for all universities to ensure casuals would not miss out on pay because of the one-off National Day of Mourning.

While some institutions initially refused to ensure all workers would be paid, backlash from Union members sparked a backdown, meaning all casual staff will be paid for work cancelled because of the public holiday.

"This is a welcome change of heart from universities like RMIT which initially refused point blank to pay casuals on Thursday's upcoming public holiday," NTEU Victorian Division assistant secretary Sarah Roberts said.

"It was patently unfair for precariously employed university staff to be missing out on a day's pay because of the death of a monarch.

"Our union has scored a significant win for casuals - this shows the strength of our branches right across the state.

"While some universities shouldn't have taken this long to agree to basic fairness, the outcome is a victory for common sense."

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HOW Australia makes decisions to send service personnel into international armed conflict will be examined in a new parliamentary inquiry.

The inquiry was referred by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, Richard Marles MP, on September 28 to the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade (JSCFADT) with its own Terms of Reference. The JSCFADT has tasked the Defence Subcommittee to undertake this inquiry.

JSCFADT Chair, Shayne Neumann MP, said, “One of the most significant powers vested in the Executive Government is the decision to deploy Australian servicemen and women into armed conflict where they are at risk of serious injury and death. This review of course does not alter the fact that Labor's defence policy is founded on the principle of Australian self-reliance and the government and Australia's armed forces need to be able to defend Australia and its interests against credible threats in a dynamically changing geostrategic environment unimpeded by dissenting or short term political opinions.”

Commenting on the inquiry, Defence Subcommittee Chair, Julian Hill MP said, “The government has committed to holding this inquiry which presents an opportunity for the public and stakeholders to present evidence to the committee on where improvements can be made including transparency and accountability in the exercise of these powers. The subcommittee will examine whether the current parliamentary processes are sufficient and importantly, if there are inadvertent security implications any proposed policy changes may cause that could compromise the safety and security of our Defence Force personnel.

“During the inquiry it will be important to hear evidence about how other like-minded democracies and Westminster parliamentary systems around the world commit their citizens to conflict.”

The committee has invited submissions addressing the terms of reference to this inquiry by Friday, November 18, 2022.

Further information in relation to the inquiry is available from the JSCFADT’s website.

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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 Auditor General’s Report No. 4 (2021-22) Defence’s Contract Administration – Defence Industry Security Program (DISP).

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’s compliance with the Auditor-General’s recommendations in relation to the Defence Industry Security Program.

“National security imperatives require Defence to execute and enforce strict contractual obligations with defence industry.

“The Auditor-General raised serious concerns regarding Defence’s implementation of the Defence Industry Security Program and management of non-compliance which is fundamental to assuring the security of Defence’s people, information and assets," Mr Hill said.

“Defence had not established fit for purpose arrangements to monitor compliance with contracted DISP requirements.

“The committee will examine Defence’s progress in implementing the six primary recommendations it committed to a year ago.”

The Subcommittee is now inviting written submissions, by 4 November 2022.

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THE Speaker of the House of Representatives, Milton Dick MP has launched the Parliament in Schools program - an initiative to make civics education accessible to students regardless of their location.

The Speaker will be visiting five schools across Western Australia (WA), over the next three days and later take the in-person program nationally.

In collaboration with the Parliamentary Education Office (PEO), the Speaker will visit schools across Australia to bring Parliament to them. They will learn about federation, democracy and the parliament.

"At the moment, we have a fantastic schools program run at Parliament House in Canberra by the PEO," Mr Dick said. "In 2021-22, 19,468 students from 347 schools across Australia participated in an onsite PEO program.

"But not all students will get the opportunity to travel all the way to Canberra. This is why we are taking this program on the road, and bringing it to them," the Speaker said. 

Over the next three days, the Speaker and the PEO will visit:

• Swan View Primary School (Swan View) and Brabham Primary School (Brabham) - with the Member for Hasluck, Tania Lawrence MP;
• Oberthur Primary School (Bull Creek) - with the Member for Tangney, Sam Lim MP;
• Sacred Heart College (Sorrento) – with the Member for Moore, Ian Goodenough MP; and
• Shenton College (Shenton Park) – with the Member for Curtin, Kate Chaney MP.

About the PEO

The PEO educates Australians about, and inspires their enthusiasm for, Australia’s parliamentary democracy. Through accessible, immersive, experiential programs and resources the PEO fosters informed, engaged and active citizens of all ages.

Find out more about the PEO: www.peo.gov.au

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THE House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs has today launched an inquiry into online gambling and its impacts on people with gambling problems.

Chair of the Committee, Peta Murphy MP, said, "The inquiry will be a fresh look at online gambling and whether current laws, regulations, consumer protections and education and support programs are enough to reduce harm to gamblers.

"The Committee is concerned about the increasing reach of online gambling platforms into Australians’ lives, the exposure of children and young people to gambling advertising and how this may contribute to increases in problem gambling in the future," Ms Murphy said.

The Committee is seeking written submissions, ideally of no more than 10 pages, from individuals and organisations providing recommendations relating to any or all of the inquiry terms of reference by November 11, 2022.

Ms Murphy said, cIf you want to tell your story but have concerns about your privacy, you can ask for your submission to be published without your name, or for your submission to be received confidentially and not published by the Committee."

The committee will examine:

• the effectiveness of existing consumer protections aimed at reducing online problem gambling;
• how to better target programs to address online problem gambling to reduce the potential exploitation of at-risk people, and protect individuals, families and communities;
• the effectiveness of current counselling and support services to address online problem gambling;
• the quality of and access to protective online gambling education programs;
• the impact of current regulatory and licensing regimes for online gambling on the effectiveness of harm minimisation and consumer protection efforts;
• the appropriateness of the definition of ‘gambling service’ in the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 (Cth), and whether it should be amended to capture additional gambling-like activities such as simulated gambling in video games (e.g. ‘loot boxes’ and social casino games);
• the appropriateness of current gambling regulations in light of emerging technologies, payment options and products;
• the effectiveness of protections against illegal online gambling services, including casino style gambling such as online blackjack and slot machines;
• the effectiveness of current gambling advertising restrictions on limiting children’s exposure to gambling products and services (for example, promotion of betting odds during live sport broadcasts), including consideration of the impact of advertising through social media, sponsorship or branding from online licenced gambling operators; and
• any other related matters.

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

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THE Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s (DFAT’s) preparedness to respond to future complex and large-scale crises will be examined in a new parliamentary inquiry, taking account of weaknesses highlighted and lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit has commenced an inquiry into the Auditor-General's report on the effectiveness of DFAT’s crisis management and consular response arrangements during the COVID-19 pandemic (Auditor‑General Report No. 39 of 2021-22).

Committee Chair, Julian Hill MP, said the Auditor-General examined DFAT’s efforts to assist the many Australians stranded overseas during the pandemic and identified scope to improve the Department’s crisis management and response arrangements.

"The committee is seeking to understand whether DFAT was adequately prepared for major crises prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, and what measures the department has taken in response to the Auditor-General’s recommendations to ensure it is well placed to respond to similar crises in the future,” Mr Hill said.

“We want to know what lessons have been learned so far, and whether DFAT has put in place robust plans for anticipating and responding to future complex and large‑scale crises."

The committee is inviting submissions to the inquiry addressing the terms of reference to be received by Friday, November 4, 2022. Details of public hearings will be made available on the inquiry website.

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ROYAL MELBOURNE Institute of Technology (RMIT) casual staff will not be paid on the national day of mourning to mark the death of Queen Elizabeth II, in a decision that puts the university at odds with most of the sector.

The National Tertiary Education's request for RMIT to pay all staff one the one-off public holiday has been rejected.

In Victoria, the University of Melbourne, Monash University, Australian Catholic University, Deakin University and La Trobe University have all made a common sense agreement not to shortchange casual staff.

But RMIT has advised the union casuals will not be paid for the day.

Casual staff members at RMIT will receive no compensation for cancelled classes and workshops.

NTEU Victorian assistant secretary Sarah Roberts said RMIT's actions were unfair.

"RMIT management's pathetic excuse that they are not legally required to pay casuals for this public holiday is an insult to hard-working casual staff," she said.

"The death of a monarch shouldn't result in workers missing out on a day's pay -- money that some people desperately need to put food on the table.

"This decision is especially galling given RMIT is Australia's only higher education institution with the right to use 'Royal' in its name and the monarchy's coat of arms."

"This terrible call highlights just one of the problems caused by the scourge of insecure work in universities.

"The national day of mourning has created an unforeseen an anomaly which many of Australia's leading universities have fixed after listening to the NTEU.

"Not only do casual staff have to endure precarious employment, now they don't get paid on a day which their permanent colleagues do. It simply doesn't pass the pub test."

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