COOPERATIVE Research Australia will showcase Australian cutting-edge technologies and innovations from 30 Cooperative Research Centres, spin-out companies and universities at a special event at Parliament House in Canberra on Thursday, March 31.

The Innovation Showcase is part of Cooperative Research Australia’s Collaborate Innovate Conference, which also marks the 30^th anniversary of the Australian Government-funded Cooperative Research Centres program. The conference brings together Australia’s senior leaders and participants in industry-research collaboration.

Innovation highlights of the exhibition include:

• Low carbon bricks and plasterboard samples from Mineral Carbonation International;
• Cameras and sensors to create more efficient transport systems from iMOVE CRC;
• A sample carbon fibre wheel from Innovative Manufacturing CRC;
• Silicon carbide wafers, a microfluidic pump, EEG headset, Biowraps, 3D printed wrist bones and femoral deformity device and smart garments from Griffith University;
• Hives and honey from the CRC for Honey Bee Products;
• · Upcycled food waste products and materials from the Fight Food Waste CRC;
• A smart bed for monitoring the aged for falls and other vitals from Sleeptite;
• · A model satellite from SmartSat CRC;
• A soil monitor protype from the Soil CRC.

“Celebrating 30 years of the Cooperative Research Centres program, the Innovation Showcase features interactive exhibits from CRCs and CRC Projects displaying practical examples of their technologies, products and services that are improving the competitiveness, productivity, and sustainability of Australian industries," Cooperative Research Australia CEO Jane O’Dwyer said.

"The showcase will be an opportunity to see the outcomes of Australian innovation firsthand and speak to those who have driven new ideas to reality,” 

One of Australia’s most significant and distinguished champions of innovation, David Thodey AO, will deliver the keynote address at Cooperative Research Australia’s 30^th Anniversary Gala Dinner (March 31).

See here for full list of showcase exhibitors: https://pdfhost.io/v/y9IkuTUy9_Showcase_List_v2convertedPDF

See full conference program here: https://collaborateinnovate.com.au/program/

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THE Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) has endorsed the listing of Hizballah and The Base as terrorist organisations under Australia’s Criminal Code.

The PJCIS today presented the report of its Review of regulations listing Hizballah and The Base as terrorist organisations under the Criminal Code Act 1995.

The regulations, made in December 2021, list Hizballah in its entirety as a terrorist organisation for the first time. In a review of previous regulations, in June 2021 the committee supported the re-listing of Hizballah’s External Security Organisation under the Criminal Code, but went a step further to recommend that the Federal Government expand the listing to include the whole organisation of Hizballah.

Committee chair Senator James Paterson thanked the government for acting on the committee’s recommendation, in recognition of the overwhelming evidence that Hizballah and its External Security Organisation in fact operate as a singular entity, under a singular leadership with shared financing and personnel.

"It’s crystal clear that all of Hizballah is guilty of its violent acts of terrorism against innocent civilians," Senator Paterson said.

"This terror listing holds the entire organisation to account and sends a strong message that Australia does not tolerate any form of terrorism. It makes clear that Australians should not have any association with Hizballah."

The Base has also been listed as a terrorist organisation for the first time. The Base is a US-based racist and nationalist violent extremist group which encourages terror attacks and other acts of violence, and has attempted to recruit Australians.

"Like Hizballah, the committee is satisfied that The Base is involved in the planning and preparation of violent terrorist attacks to harm innocent civilians, including Australians. Their terror listing is an important measure to keep the community safe," Senator Paterson said.

Further information on the review as well as a copy of the report can be obtained from the committee’s website.

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THE Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) has presented its recommendations to combat foreign interference at Australian universities and in the research sector.

In its unanimous and bipartisan Report into national security risks affecting the Australian higher education and research sector, the committee has made 27 recommendations to address the serious threats posed by foreign interference to Austrlaia's most critical research institutions.

The recommendations are targeted at securing sensitive, taxpayer-funded research and protecting student safety on campus.

Among its recommendations, the committee has recognised the risks associated with Chinese Government-funded Confucius Institutes to academic freedom and student welfare, and calls on universities and the Foreign Minister to take steps to mitigate them. 

Similarly, the committee has asked the Foreign Minister to also decide the future of a $10 million contract between Monash University and COMAC – a Chinese Government-owned aviation company that has been linked to a global industrial cyber espionage campaign and been sanctioned by the US government.

The committee recommends a range of measures to protect students from threats to their freedom of speech, association and physical safety. This includes documenting and reporting incidents of harassment, intimidation and censorship resulting from foreign interference, as well as new penalties for foreign interference activities on campus, including reporting on fellow students to foreign governments.

The committee has also called for:

• A risk-based audit which samples Australian Research Council grants over the past decade to determine exposure associated with participation in talent recruitment programs, noting the Thousand Talents Program is one amongst many. Adequacy of existing penalties, including grant fraud, should also be investigated.
• Banning employees of government departments and agencies from participating in talent-recruitment programs.
• Training on national security issues for universities’ staff and students.
• Communicating Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme requirements to foreign student associations operating at Australian universities and investigating possible cases of non-compliance.

Committee chair Senator James Paterson said that while the sector has made progress in addressing national security concerns, foreign interference on campus remains a serious threat, and more work has to be done to safeguard our students and education institutions.

"There’s no question that students and academics have faced a sustained campaign of intimidation, harassment, censorship and intelligence gathering by foreign state governments. This resulted in the transfer of sensitive research to authoritarian regimes and their militaries and threats to the safety of domestic and international students," Senator Paterson said.

"While efforts have been made to strengthen the sector’s awareness and resilience to these threats, there is a great deal more to do to secure sensitive, taxpayer-funded research, and protect students on campus.

"These bipartisan reforms build on the work already undertaken and I look forward to a continued, concerted effort by government and sector to combat these escalating threats," Senator Paterson said.

Further information on the inquiry can be obtained from the committee’s website.

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THE House of Representatives Standing Committee on Economics today tabled its report titled Uncharted Territory: Review of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) Annual Reports 2019 and 2020. The report focuses on matters arising from public hearings held in August 2020, December 2020, February 2021, August 2021 and February 2022.

The committee scrutinised the RBA on its response to the COVID-19 pandemic through monetary policy – in particular, reducing the cash rate, introducing a bond yield target and bond purchase program, providing a Term Funding Facility (TFF), and reducing the interest rate paid on Exchange Settlement (ES) balances.

The committee also heard from the RBA on Australia’s economic recovery, and broader economic conditions including inflation, unemployment, wage growth, labour supply and housing affordability. Beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, the committee inquired into issues such as digital currency, digital wallets and governance issues in the RBA.

Monetary policy was descried as remaining "incredibly consequential for the Australian economy during these times of great uncertainty" — in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine "and as we emerge from the pandemic".

Accordingly, the committee plans to continue to scrutinise the RBA’s policy responses to current and emerging threats to the strength of the nation’s economy and ensure the transparency and accountability of RBA decisions.  

A full copy of the committee’s report is available on committee’s website: www.aph.gov.au/economics

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THE Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) has backed proposed new laws that further enhance government cooperation with industry to combat sophisticated cyber-attacks on Australia’s critical infrastructure.

In its Advisory report on the Security Legislation Amendment (Critical Infrastructure Protection) Bill 2022 (SLACIP Bill) presented on Friday, the committee has recommended that the next phase of critical infrastructure protections be passed, with targeted amendments. These provisions will enable the government to work with industry to ensure that appropriate risk management programs are in place, and that the nation’s most at risk assets can be protected on all fronts.

The PJCIS has made 11 recommendations in relation to the Bill and the revised Security of Critical Infrastructure (SOCI) framework, which aim to ensure that:

• the cooperative relationship with industry can continue to inform the flexible regulatory base that the Bill proposes;
• the committee is notified when sensitive powers are exercised and that consultation is ongoing and effective;
• elements of the potential impact of the Bill on workers’ rights are clarified, definitions codified and that review mechanisms be considered; and
• the Bill’s mechanisms will be reviewed for their effectiveness, operation and proportionality, once the new powers are finalised and implemented.

Chair of the committee, Senator James Paterson said, "The new laws are a critical tool that will bring together government and industry to strengthen our defences against significant threats from nation state adversaries and criminal actors.

"The threat to Australia is increasing in scale and sophistication, and so it’s never been more important to harden our systems. That requires a collaborative effort from government and industry to identify and counter cyber threats targeted at our critical infrastructure, many of which are currently regarded as soft targets by our adversaries," Senator Paterson said.

"Regrettably, even the best endeavours of industry may not be enough to stop a cascading and potentially economy-crippling collapse of supply lines and services. That’s why government and industry must be able to efficiently and effectively combine efforts to defend these critical systems.

'The committee is confident that these tools strike the right balance to ensure our nation’s most critical assets are protected from cyber threats at all levels. The cost of inaction is simply too high.

"To ensure the laws achieve this critical objective, the committee has recommended that their effectiveness be reviewed once fully implemented to ensure they remain fit for purpose and proportionate to the threat environment," Senator Paterson said.

Further information on the inquiry as well as a copy of the report can be obtained from the inquiry website.

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RECOMMENDATIONS to support Australia’s newspaper services in rural, regional and remote areas will be laid out in a report released today by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Communications and the Arts.

Committee Chair, Anne Webster MP said, "Regional newspapers in Australia represent a large and diverse industry, which has experienced significant challenges over the past decade. With the transition to digital news and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, assessing the health of our regional newspapers is more important than ever before."

The Committee made 12 recommendations aimed at addressing core sector issues, and implementing alternative and sustainable business practices, to ensure the longevity of local newspapers across Australia.

The Committee also recommended a multi-pronged approach to support the long-term viability of the sector, particularly for small and independent newspapers based in regional and remote Australian communities. The approach includes the funding and development of a project to gather and analyse core longitudinal data on regional newspapers in Australia.

"For people in regional, rural, or remote communities, regional newspapers are the main source of local information. It also plays an important role in maintaining an interconnected community, and a healthy democracy," Dr Webster said.

"A diversity of opinion from all sides of the political spectrum and coverage of local, as well as national issues, is essential to public debate. It is important we ensure the sector remains viable in the long-term," Dr Webster said.

The report can be accessed from the committee’s website.

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The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) has backed proposed laws that will further strengthen the capacity of the National Intelligence Community to contend with a rapidly deteriorating security environment.

In its Review of the National Security Legislation Amendment (Comprehensive Review and Other Measures No. 1) Bill 2021, the PJCIS closely examined the Federal Government response to several recommendations of the Comprehensive Review of the Legal Framework of the National Intelligence Community (Comprehensive Review), led by Dennis Richardson AC. This includes:

• enabling the Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS), the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) and the Australian Geospatial-Intelligence Organisation (AGO) to undertake activities to produce intelligence where there is, or is likely to be, an imminent risk to the safety of an Australian person
• enabling ASIS, ASD and AGO to seek ministerial authorisation to produce intelligence on a class of Australian persons who are, or are likely to be, involved with a listed terrorist organisation
• allowing ASIS more flexibility to work with ASIO in the performance of its functions within Australia.

Committee chair Senator James Paterson said the laws address critical operational challenges currently experienced in the National Intelligence Community.

"These laws modernise the legal framework that binds and empowers our National Intelligence Community by giving them the tools they need to keep pace with an evolving security landscape," Senator Paterson said.

'The committee is satisfied that these tools are proportionate to the threat at large, and with only minor amendments, contain robust oversight mechanisms and privacy protections."

Further information on the review as well as a copy of the report can be obtained from the Committee’s website.

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A VITAL mental health service for first responders must be given permanent funding and the NSW Government should step in if the Federal Government won’t, according to the Public Service Association (PSA) and the Fire Brigade Employees Union (FBEU).

Funding for the Black Dog Institute’s Traumatic Stress Clinic has not been renewed, meaning the vital mental health support for first responders to bushfires, floods and other natural disasters will end on June 30.

The unions, which have members working across emergency services including Fire and Rescue NSW, RFS, SES, Police and 000 call operators, say the funding must be secured, either by the Commonwealth or the state.

“Post traumatic stress and mental trauma doesn’t stop once the flood dries and the fires are out,” PSA general secretary Stewart Little said.

“If the Commonwealth won’t fund the Black Dog Institute’s Traumatic Stress Clinic for first responders then the Premier needs to step in and do it.

FBEU secretary Leighton Drury said, “First responders are ordinary women and men who do extraordinary things.

“They're there for us in our hour of need, we shouldn’t abandon them. We should be investing in their mental health and resilience.”

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