THE House of Representatives Standing Committee on Regional Development, Infrastructure and Transport will hear from the representatives of more than 50 councils during five interstate hearings in Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia this week as part of its inquiry into local government funding.

The committee wants to better understand the funding challenges faced by local government and its workers who provide infrastructure and deliver services to residents of regional and urban communities in Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia. It also wants to listen to issues faced by councils trying to meet the demands of rapidly growing commuter areas near Hobart, Launceston, Adelaide and Perth.

Committee Chair, Fiona Phillips MP, said, “The committee is looking forward to learning more about the fiscal sustainability of local government in Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia, potential solutions to current challenges, and the impacts of rising demands on the sector’s workforce.”

Hearings will begin in Launceston on Monday, August 24, where the committee will hear from local government representative bodies, unions, metropolitan councils and regional councils, including from King Island. The committee will explore a range of issues including workforce issues, and labour market conditions across Tasmania.

The committee will then travel to Adelaide for a hearing on Tuesday, August 25 to listen to councils as diverse as the City of Adelaide, Kangaroo Island Council and the Mildura Rural City Council in Victoria, as well as from local government associations for the Northern and Yorke, Murraylands and Riverlands, Limestone Coast and the Southern and Hills regions. The committee will hear from the Essential Services Commission of South Australia and members of the Australian Services Union too.

Port Lincoln in South Australia will be the next hearing venue on Wednesday, August 26, for the committee to listen to the range of challenges faced by rural district councils across the Eyre Peninsula, along with the larger city councils in Port Lincoln and Whyalla.

The committee will then travel to Perth for a hearing on Thursday, August 27, to explore a wide range of issues including grant distribution processes. It will hear from state government officials, councils in metropolitan, regional and outer‑urban areas, unions, and other stakeholders such as the WA Local Government Association, the Local Government Professionals WA and the Local Government Elected Members Association.

The committee’s final hearing in Western Australia will be in the wheatbelt town of Northam, on Friday, August 28.  Discussions will cover financial sustainability, insurance and risk, workforce and infrastructure challenges, as well as the broader pressures facing local government across regional WA such as providing rural health services.

Programs for each public hearing are available on the inquiry webpage.

Further information on the inquiry, including the terms of reference and how to contribute, is available on the Committee’s website.

Public hearing details

Date: Monday, 24 August 2026
Time: 8.30am – 3.20pm
Location: Hotel Grand Chancellor, 29 Cameron Street, Launceston, Tasmania

Date: Tuesday, 25 August 2026
Time: 8.40am – 4.45pm
Location: Parliament of South Australia, Kingston Room, Adelaide, SA

Date: Wednesday, 26 August
Time: 8.30am – 1.30pm
Location: Port Lincoln Yacht Club, 1 Eyre Street, Port Lincoln, SA

Date: Thursday, 27 August 2026
Time: 9.00am – 4.25pm
Location: WA Legislative Council, Committee Room 1, 2 Parliament Place, West Perth, WA

Date: Friday, 28 August 2026
Time: 9.00am –4.30pm
Location: Bridgeley Community Centre, Avon Auditorium, 91 Wellington St, Northam, WA

Public hearings are broadcast live on the Australian Parliament House Streaming Portal.

Details for upcoming public hearings and more information about the inquiry, including the terms of reference, submissions and transcripts of previous hearings, is also available on the inquiry webpage.

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THE Housing Industry Association (HIA) has welcomed the establishment of the Senate Economics References Committee Inquiry into social housing, describing it as an important opportunity to identify the reforms needed to deliver more housing of all forms at scale and address the bottlenecks holding back housing supply broadly.

HIA said the inquiry comes at a critical time with governments struggling to meet housing supply targets and the mismatch between supply and demand continues to grow.

"The critical question for this inquiry is not whether Australia needs more social housing. The question is how governments can remove the barriers preventing enough housing of all types from being built," HIA managing director, Jocelyn Martin said.

"The inquiry should focus on practical reforms that deliver more housing across the continuum rather than simply expanding existing programs or producing another report identifying the problems without delivering concrete solutions industry has called for across multiple Inquiries and reports.

"A key area for consideration should be improvements on the operation of the Housing Australia Future Fund (HAFF), including whether current delivery models are maximising the capacity of the broader residential building industry," she said.

“Australia's detached housing sector has extensive experience delivering large volumes of housing across metropolitan, regional and growth areas.

"We should be looking at how to bring more of these detached home builders into the system, create greater competition and deliver more homes for every dollar invested,” Ms Martin said.

“The inquiry should also recognise that social housing outcomes cannot be improved without addressing the broader constraints affecting the entire housing system.

"Whether it is social housing, affordable housing or private housing, we are building with the same planning systems, the same infrastructure networks and the same workforce.

"If governments want more social housing, they must also tackle planning delays, infrastructure bottlenecks, workforce shortages and rising construction costs that are constraining housing delivery across the board,” Ms Martin said.

"The residential building industry continues to face substantial workforce shortages, limiting the sector's ability to increase supply at the scale required.

"HIA will use the inquiry to advocate for reforms that increase housing supply across all tenures while ensuring social housing forms part of a balanced national housing strategy.

"The long-term solution to Australia's housing challenges is increasing housing supply across the spectrum.

"We need more social housing, more affordable housing and more private housing.

"This Inquiry provides an opportunity to ensure government investment is delivering the maximum number of homes possible and making use of the full capacity of Australia's residential building industry,” Ms Martin said.

www.hia.com.au

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THIS Friday, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works (the committee) will examine witnesses from the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (the Department) on their proposed fit-out of new leased premises at London Central, 40-60 London Circuit, Canberra City.

The department is proposing to fit-out 46,389 square metres of newly leased office accommodation at 40-60 London Circuit, Canberra. The London Central development is scheduled for completion in early 2030, with the department expected to start move staff into the new building in March 2030.

The proposed works will enable the department to consolidate its Canberra-based workforce from five buildings into a single precinct. The total estimated cost of the proposal is $153.5 million, with a total construction cost of 110.6 million, or $2,375 per square metre.

The committee will be briefed in private about the project followed by the public hearing with departmental officials.

Interested members of the public are encouraged to listen in to the public hearing via the APH website or attend the hearing in person at the location listed below.

Date: Friday, 21 August 2026
Location: Committee Room 1R3, Parliament House, Canberra
Time: 11:30am – 12:10pm (AEST)

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

Note: the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works is not involved in the tendering process, awarding of contracts or details of the proposed works. Enquiries on these matters should be directed to the relevant Commonwealth entities.

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THE Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters is holding a public hearing on Friday, August 21, with representatives of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church and Advance, as part of its inquiry into the conduct of the 2025 Federal Election.

"The committee has heard many reports about significant and apparently coordinated disruption at polling booths during the 2025 election," Committee Chair, Jerome Laxale MP said. "The committee will be seeking to build its understanding of third party engagement to ensure a positive experience for voters in future elections.

"I look forward to the cooperation of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church and Advance at the hearing," Mr Laxale said.

The program for the hearing is available on the committee’s public hearings webpage. The hearing will be broadcast live at aph.gov.au/live.

Further information on the 2025 election inquiry can be found at the inquiry webpage. Committee details can be found at the Committee’s webpage.

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