AIRSERVICES AUSTRALIA will appear before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works (the committee) for a public hearing in Rockhampton, Queensland, on Thursday, September 18, 2025.

The hearing will examine two referrals currently under inquiry by the committee: PFAS Remediation of the Former Fire Training Ground at Rockhampton Airport, Queensland and Aviation Rescue Fire Fighting Services NexGen Project for the End-of-life Facilities Upgrades – Phase 1A (Queensland and Victoria).

The PFAS referral proposes remedial actions for the management of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) contamination resulting from historical firefighting operations on the site of the Former Firefighting Training Ground (FFTG) at Rockhampton Airport. The total estimated cost of the proposed works is $24.975 million.

The proposed NexGen Project works will include the rebuilding of three end of life facilities (Cairns, Rockhampton, Mackay), minor works across three sites (Gladstone, Sunshine Coast, and Melbourne Learning Academy), the replacement of Ultra Large Fire Vehicles, and works for cold drill grounds to support training objectives and meet CASA regulations and meet ongoing workforce capability training needs. The total estimated cost of the proposed works is $163.4 million.

Tony Zappia MP, Chair of the Committee, said, ‘The committee is looking forward to conducting its first site inspections and away hearings of this Parliament."

Mr Zappia also said, "It is vital for the committee to get out of Canberra and see how Commonwealth funding is being spent on the ground and we’re eager to see the proposed work sites at Rockhampton Airport."

The committee will hear from relevant officers from Airservices Australia and local land holder, Chris Stasch, at the hearing. 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.

Public hearing details

Date: Thursday, 18 September 2025
Time: 9:20am – 10:20am – PFAS (AEST)

Time: 10.50am – 11.30am – NexGen (AEST)

Location: Apartments on Palmer, Conference Room, 5 Palmer Street Rockhampton

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

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DEMENTIA is now the leading cause of death for Australians, according to the latest update of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s (AIHW) Dementia in Australia report.

The update, which was released today, also found that without a significant intervention, the number of Australians living with dementia will exceed 1 million by 2065.

Dementia Australia CEO Tanya Buchanan said the report, released in the lead-up to Dementia Action Week (September 15-21), reveals the enormous impact dementia has on Australian families.

“These figures highlight just how many families are impacted by dementia across Australia. Most of us know someone who is or has been impacted by dementia,” Professor Buchanan said.

“People affected by dementia often tell us that friends and family drift away after a diagnosis, because they are unsure of how to interact.  

“That’s why the theme for this year’s Dementia Action Week – which starts on Monday 15 September – is ‘Nobody can do it alone’. We are challenging Australians to reconnect with someone impacted by dementia to help combat the high levels of social isolation many experience.”

Dementia Australia dementia advocate Lil Mirtl, who lives with dementia, said the report highlighted how important it was to act now to provide the support and services for people living with dementia.  

“We don’t have time to feel uncomfortable or awkward about these conversations about dementia – we need to have them now," Ms Mirtl said. 

“We have to pull together as a community to do this. We can’t do it alone as individuals, the government can’t do it alone, we need to all act together.”

The update to the Dementia in Australia report also revealed that 43 percent of the dementia burden in Australia can be attributed to six modifiable risk factors: being overweight or obese, physical inactivity, high blood sugar, high blood pressure in midlife, smoking and impaired kidney function.

"With dementia now the leading cause of death for Australians it is more pressing than ever that the Federal Government commit to funding a national conversation on dementia to raise awareness and promote brain health at all ages,” Prof. Buchanan said.

“By taking a comprehensive approach to addressing dementia, we can reduce the impact of dementia into the future. With aged care across the country already under pressure, and the number of people living with dementia expected to exceed 1 million by 2065, we simply cannot afford to wait.

"We call on the government to take decisive action. People living with dementia, their families and carers are depending on us to do this right, and to do it now.”

Visit dementia.org.au/dementiaactionweek to access a range of resources and information to support Australians to reconnect with someone impacted by dementia.  

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THE Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit has commenced an inquiry into the Attorney-General’s Department’s procurement of services in response to the 2017 Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sex Abuse.

Chair of the Committee, Josh Burns MP, said, "Effective tendering and procurement processes are fundamental to how the Australian Government delivers vital services such as these. Eight years on from this Royal Commission, however, they are still not in place."

The committee will consider the findings of Auditor-General Report No. 44 (2024-25), alongside the following terms of reference:

• The tender and procurement processes being utilised by the Attorney-General’s department to seek providers of the required services;
• The lessons learned by the department in relation to these procurements and their current status.

Submissions to the inquiry addressing the above terms of reference are invited by Friday, October 17, 2025. 

Details of this inquiry—including the submissions received and public hearings—will be available on the inquiry website.

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THE House of Representatives Joint Standing Committee on Trade and Investment Growth has commenced a new inquiry into creating sustainable economic growth in rural and regional Australia.

The committee is seeking to identify opportunities to promote and support sustainable markets for rural and regional small and medium businesses in all sectors, through enhanced branding, and certification of Australian grown or produced goods and services.

The inquiry will also examine strategies to improve Australia’s marketing efforts to promote its ‘clean and green’ agricultural, food and drink outputs; and how these align with tourism in rural and regional Australia.

Committee Chair, Senator Marielle Smith said, "The committee is keen to explore the opportunities — both traditional and innovative — that our rural and regional producers and operators are embracing; and how small and medium businesses can be better supported to not only stay in existing markets, but importantly to expand them.

"We would like to hear views from a wide variety of stakeholders about what would make a real difference in sustaining economic growth in rural and regional Australia, including through improving domestic and international branding, and certification of products and services," Senator Smith said.

"Our regional and rural outputs are diverse and are the foundation of safe and top quality goods for domestic consumption and for highly-regarded and identifiable products demanded in overseas markets."

The committee is inviting interested individuals and organisations to make submissions by Friday, October 17, 2025.

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

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THE House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Disability has commenced a new inquiry into the proposed Thriving Kids initiative program.

Committee Chair, Dr Mike Freelander MP, said, "Foundational supports play a pivotal role in shaping the trajectories of children with developmental delay and autism, offering the scaffolding necessary for optimal growth, learning, and wellbeing.

"The launch of this inquiry marks a significant initial step toward ensuring that the voices of families, professionals, educators and the wider community are central to designing a program that meets the real and evolving needs of Australian children. It provides an opportunity for a broad spectrum of stakeholders to share their insights and recommendations, ensuring that policies are practical, equitable, and responsive," Dr Freelander said.

The final design will be settled between the Australian Government and state and territory governments and the Thriving Kids Advisory Group that will be co-chaired by the Health Minister the Hon Mark Butler MP and Professor Frank Oberklaid AM.

The committee has welcomed the views of parents and families; disability representative organisations; disabled people's organisations; disability representative and carer organisations; health care professionals (GPs and other medical specialists, nurses, midwives, and allied health professionals); early childhood, preschool and primary school educators; and service providers.

The Committee has invited interested individuals and organisations to make submissions by Friday, October 3, 2025.

A brief survey is also now available to gather community feedback on the experiences of families and carers in accessing support services for children with additional needs. The survey will be open until Friday, October 10, 2025.

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

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THE Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit (JCPAA) has commenced an inquiry into Sport Integrity Australia’s (SIA) management of the National Anti-Doping Scheme.

SIA was established in 2020 to protect Australian sporting integrity through a coordinated national approach that includes the detection and prevention of illegal drug use by athletes.

Committee Chair Josh Burns MP said, “Sport Integrity Australia has been tasked with the vital role of detecting and preventing the unlawful use of drugs in Australian sport. It is of great interest to the Committee whether the current scheme to achieve this is working as it should. The Australian National Audit Office has provided advice to the committee recommending further investigation.”

"Given the importance of sport in Australian life, and as we approach the hosting of the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Brisbane which will be another wonderful landmark in our nation’s sporting history, it is critical that SIA has effective management and governance arrangements in place.”

The inquiry’s terms of reference will include an examination of SIA’s testing and investigative functions, the alignment of Australia’s Anti-Doping Scheme with both domestically and internationally established standards, and the prevalence and causes of unlawful doping in Australian sport.

The inquiry will further consider the findings in Auditor-General Report No.27 2024-25 Sport Integrity Australia’s Management of the National Anti-Doping Scheme.

Submissions to the inquiry addressing its terms of reference have been invited by Friday, October 17, 2025.

Further details of this inquiry – including its terms of reference, submissions received and public hearing schedules – can be accessed on the inquiry website.

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THE 2025 edition of the national My First Speech competition for year 10, 11 and 12 students, run out of the Hosue of Representatives in Canberra, is open and now accepting submissions.

The My First Speech competition seeks to engage young Australians in democracy and speak about the issues that are important to them.

Students are asked to write a 90-second speech on a topic they are passionate about, as if they are making their first speech in the House of Representatives.

A winner from each year group will be selected and flown to Canberra with a parent or guardian, where they get to deliver their speech at Parliament House. Winners will also meet Members of Parliament, tour Parliament House, and learn more about the democratic process.

A panel of judges, which includes Members and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Milton Dick MP, will choose the winner from each year group.

Entries close at 11.59pm (AEST) on 1September 15, 2025. More details can be found on the My First Speech website at: My First Speech Competition – Make your first speech.

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THE Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters in now inviting submissions to its inquiry into the 2025 Federal Election.

In keeping with previous parliaments, the committee has been asked to undertake a review of the last federal election.

Jerome Laxale MP, Committee Chair, said, ‘The inquiry plays an important role in ensuring the Australian public have their say in how their elections are run.

"We have one of the oldest and most respected democracies on earth. Keeping that standard requires ongoing scrutiny."

Matters widely reported during the 2025 election raise serious questions about safety, security and voter experience. Voters, volunteers and officials should never feel intimidated, harassed or have such an experience that they are discouraged from participating at future elections.’

The terms of reference of the inquiry call on the committee to focus its attention on the following emerging issues:

• assessment and review of the purported increase in incidents of aggressive conduct, deliberate obstruction, and intimidating behaviour towards voters, political participants, volunteers, and Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) officials;
• potential reform of safety and security arrangements, including consideration of the powers, processes, and capacity of the AEC to manage and address increasingly threatening or disruptive behaviour;
• reforms to address the ongoing threats of interference in our electoral system, both foreign and domestic; and
• the composition of the Parliament as a whole; including the length of the parliamentary term, the potential for fixed terms, and the number of elected representatives relative to the growth in population and the electorate.

The full terms of reference for the inquiry are also available on the inquiry webpage.

Submissions addressing any or all of the terms of reference are now invited, prior to the committee commencing public hearings in mid-October.

The committee will further announce its program of public hearings as the inquiry progresses. All relevant information will be available from the committee website.

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