THE HOUSING Industry Association (HIA) has welcomed the decision to extend the lease of CSIRO's North Ryde fire testing facility by six months. But HIA is warning that while the announcement "provides valuable breathing space" it does not resolve the long-term threat to Australia's building product testing capability.

“The extension was a positive step that acknowledged industry concerns, but the underlying issue remains,” said HIA chief executive for industry and policy, Simon Croft.

“HIA has raised concerns on behalf of Australian manufacturers and builders about this, problem with the Federal Government so this extension provides an opportunity to further these discussions.

"However, the extension simply buys time. Australia still needs a long-term plan to protect this critical national asset," Mr Croft said.

"It is about ensuring Australia retains the testing capability needed to certify safe, compliant and innovative building products.

“The North Ryde facility plays a vital role in testing products used throughout residential construction, including timber windows, doors, plasterboard systems, flooring, façade assemblies and bushfire-rated building materials," Mr Croft said.

“Without it, Australia risks relying on a single private provider for many forms of fire testing. This reduces competition, risking increasing costs and creating uncertainty and longer delays for manufacturers seeking certification.

"At a time when governments are focused on lifting productivity and delivering more homes, we cannot afford to lose nationally significant testing infrastructure," Mr Croft said.

"This extension gives governments, CSIRO and industry a genuine opportunity to find a permanent solution. We urge all parties to use this time to secure Australia's long-term fire testing capability.

"If six months passes without a long-term commitment, we'll simply be back having the same conversation with the same risks hanging over manufacturers, builders and home buyers.

"A six-month stay is an opportunity that should not be wasted. The clock is now ticking, and industry will be looking for a positive solution," Mr Croft said.

www.hia.com.au

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BUSINESS PROFESSIONALS looking for a straightforward, but in-depth, explanation of the work of the House of Representatives -- and strengthening your understanding of the legislative process -- can do so through both an in-person and online seminar on Juily 29.

How the House Works is a half-day seminar on Wednesday, July 29, designed to build a better understanding of the House of Representatives and how it operates. This professional learning opportunity will help explain the work of members and committees, the legislative process, and more.

This seminar is presented by senior officers from the Department of the House of Representatives and is for professionals seeking a practical understanding of the House.

In-person participants will be able to network with other attendees and ask questions of senior staff from the Department of the House of Representatives during a provided morning tea. They will also have the opportunity to attend a Q&A session in the public gallery overlooking the House of Representatives chamber.

How the House Works seminar

Date: Wednesday 29 July 2026
Time: 9.15am to 12.45pm
Venue: Parliament House, Canberra or online via Webex
Price: $350 AUD (inc. GST) for online or on-site participation

Tickets are limited so book your spot now.

For assistance with group bookings or other ticketing enquiries, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

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THE Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade will hold public hearings in Perth as part of its inquiry into strengthening Australia’s trade and investment relations with Africa.

Subcommittee Chair, Fiona Phillips MP, said, "These hearings will allow the subcommittee to engage directly with organisations and individuals based in Western Australia and hear important insights into how Australia can strengthen its trade and investment relations with Africa.

"The subcommittee will hear from a variety of organisations and individuals, including Curtin University, the Organisation of African Communities in Western Australia, the Australia Africa Minerals and Energy Group, and the organisers of the Africa Down Under conference, Paydirt Media. Witnesses will have the opportunity to share their perspectives on the changing demographic and economic opportunities across Africa’s diverse markets."

Mrs Phillips said, "The evidence gathered at these hearings will further inform the subcommittee’s understanding of Australia’s mining footprint in Africa and value adding opportunities, the potential for education partnerships with African nations, and the role of African diaspora communities in facilitating trade and investment opportunities."

Public Hearing details

Perth

Date: Thursday, 9 July 2026 

Time: 9am – 12:45pm (AWST)

Location: Mercure on Hay, 417 Hay Street, Perth – Floreat Room

The public hearing program is available on the inquiry website.

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

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THE National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA) is inviting Australians to nominate recordings that have shaped Australia's cultural, historical and social life.

They might be chart-topping songs, memorable radio broadcasts, podcasts, speeches, oral histories, sports commentaries, television themes, advertisements or experimental recordings that challenge the way we listen.

Sounds of Australia is the NFSA's registry of recordings that have had a significant impact on Australia's cultural, historical and social life. Each year, public nominations help shape a capsule of new additions to the registry. 

Sounds of Australia reflects the extraordinary breadth of Australia's recorded sound culture. Past inductees have included everything from songs, speeches and sporting calls to environmental recordings and everyday sounds that have become part of the national story.

The 2026 additions continued that tradition and included Marcia Hines' hit song 'You', the Reading Writing Hotline jingle, and the familiar click of the PB/5 pedestrian crossing signal.

“Opening nominations for Sounds of Australia is always one of the highlights of the year because it gives us an insight into the recordings Australians value most,” assistant curator at the NFSA, Hannah de Feyter said. 

“The nominations we receive each year are often unexpected and deeply personal. Sound is one of the most intimate things we share because it speaks to memory, place and belonging.

“Public nominations help us build a capsule that reflects the full range of recordings Australians listen to and care about.”

For the NFSA, preserving sound is essential to telling the national story. Recordings capture voices, emotions and experiences directly, helping future generations understand not only what Australians thought and did, but how they sounded.

Nominate a recording

Australians can nominate any eligible recording made between 1896 and 2016 via bit.ly/4emek2l

When submitting a nomination, entrants should explain:

• what the recording is
• why it is significant
• how it has influenced or reflects Australian life and culture.
• Selected recordings from the 2026 nomination round will be announced in 2027.
• Nominations are now open via this form

Explore more than a century of Australia’s recorded sound and revisit every Sounds of Australia inductee at nfsa.gov.au/stories/deep-dives/sounds-of-australia

ABOUT THE NATIONAL FILM AND SOUND ARCHIVE OF AUSTRALIA

The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia is the national audiovisual cultural institution. From the earliest recordings of the 1890s to the latest games and immersive digital productions, the collection comprises video and audio recordings, and contextual materials such as costumes, scripts, props, photographs and promotional materials. It ranges from items inducted into the UNESCO Memory of the World register to sporting matches, game shows and advertising jingles. Originally known as the National Historical Film and Speaking Record Library and operating under the auspices of the Commonwealth National Library, the collection dates back to 1935, making it one of the first audiovisual archives in the world. The NFSA became an independent cultural organisation in 1984. As well as preserving these items for future generations, NFSA curators continue to add to the collection, ensuring it provides an unbroken record of life in Australia, and of Australian creativity.

THE Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) has commenced an inquiry into Australia’s Foreign Relations (State and Territory Arrangements) Amendment Bill 2026.

The bill overhauls the Foreign Arrangements Scheme – the regime requiring states, territories, local governments and public universities to notify, or seek approval, from the Minister for Foreign Affairs before entering into arrangements with foreign entities. The scheme exists to stop subnational deals undermining Australia’s foreign relations or foreign policy.

The amendments proposed by the bill primarily seek to respond to recommendations made in a 2025 Independent Review of the Foreign Arrangements Scheme by Rosemary Huxtable AO PSM.

The bill also seeks to amend the review framework for advice provided by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) to the Foreign Minister as part of the Foreign Arrangements Scheme.

Additional information on the committee’s review is available here.

The committee has invited submissions to this review by Monday, July 27. Submissions should be prepared solely for this inquiry and should not be published prior to being accepted by the committee.

Further information about making a submission can be found at this link.

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The WIPO Treaty on IP and Genetic Resources (GRATK) aims to introduce a requirement to disclose sources for patent applications based on genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge.

At this hearing, the committee examined Indigenous perspectives on the proposed disclosure framework and the potential impacts of ratification and implementation on communities.

Committee Chair, Lisa Chesters MP said, "This treaty is the first multilateral intellectual property agreement to recognise Traditional Knowledge. Its provisions are intended to provide visibility into sources of Traditional Knowledge within patent systems.

"Ratification would give Australia an opportunity to lead ongoing global discussions about the relationship between intellectual property and Traditional Knowledge."

The committee heard evidence from the Indigenous Knowledge Panel and National Native Title Council at the public hearing.

Public hearing details

Date: Monday, 6 July 2026
Time: 3:45pm – 4:30pm AEST (approximately)
Location: Committee Room 2R1, Parliament House Canberra

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

THE Housing Industry Association (HIA) has expressed deep concern over the planned closure of the CSIRO's North Ryde Fire Technology Laboratory, warning that the loss of one of Australia's most important building-product testing facilities will have significant implications for housing innovation, product development, and the delivery of new homes.

The facility is used extensively for fire-resistance testing of construction materials and systems, but is scheduled to close when its lease expires in December 2026.

The North Ryde laboratory has been a critical part of Australia's building and construction ecosystem, according to the HIA, providing independent fire testing that supports product certification, National Construction Code compliance, research and development, and the commercialisation of innovative building products. HIA's concern is that its closure would remove up to half of Australia's large scale fire-testing capacity at a time when demand for testing and certification is increasing.

HIA chief executive for industry and policy, Simon Croft, said the decision comes at the worst possible time for a nation seeking to improve housing affordability, boost productivity and accelerate the delivery of new homes.

"The closure of CSIRO's North Ryde Fire Technology Laboratory is more than the loss of a testing facility, it is the loss of nationally significant innovation infrastructure," Mr Croft said.

"Independent testing capability is fundamental to developing new building products, supporting housing delivery and accelerating modern construction methods. At a time when Australia faces a housing shortage and is seeking to boost productivity, we should be strengthening these capabilities, not reducing them."

Mr Croft said Australia's ability to adopt innovative building products and construction systems relied on access to timely, affordable and independent testing services.

"Every new building product, construction system, prefabricated solution, engineered timber product or bushfire-resistant housing component must pass rigorous testing before it can be widely adopted by the industry," Mr Croft said. "Without that capability, innovation slows, costs increase and housing delivery becomes harder.

“Industry stakeholders have warned that reduced testing capacity could result in longer approval timeframes, increased certification costs and further pressure on housing supply.

“Australia cannot afford to lose decades of specialist expertise and nationally significant testing capability without a clear replacement strategy," he said.

"If Australia is serious about building more homes, embracing innovation and improving productivity in construction, we need world-class testing and certification infrastructure. The North Ryde facility has played a vital role in providing exactly that.

"Governments, industry and CSIRO must work together to ensure independent fire-testing capability remains available in Australia and that there is no gap in the infrastructure needed to support housing innovation and research and development.

“HIA is calling for an urgent national response to preserve Australia's building testing capability and ensure researchers, manufacturers and builders continue to have access to the facilities required to bring innovative housing solutions to market,” Mr Croft said.

THE Parliamentary Joint Committee on Parliamentary Standards is launching its first inquiry into the Behaviour Codes and Standards in Commonwealth Parliamentary Workplaces.

The inquiry will inquire into and report on the operation and effectiveness of the:

1. Behaviour Standards for Commonwealth Parliamentary Workplaces;
2. Behaviour Code for Australian Parliamentarians; and
3. Behaviour Code for staff employed under the Members of Parliament (Staff) Act 1984.

This will be the committee’s first inquiry into the codes, which were adopted by each House in October 2024. The joint committee is chaired by Anne Stanley MP, with Senator Kerrynne Liddle as Deputy Chair.

"This is an opportunity for the committee to hear directly from people working in Commonwealth parliamentary workplaces about how the codes are functioning," Ms Stanley said.

Ms Stanley explained that the inquiry is limited to the examination of the behaviour codes themselves. As set out in the Parliamentary Workplace Support Service Act 2023, the committee is not authorised to investigate conduct issues, reconsider a decision made by the decision-maker for a conduct issue or give or seek advice about a particular person or conduct issue.

The inquiry fulfils the committee’s obligations under the PWSS Act to commence a review that considers the operation and effectiveness of each code within one year of the commencement of the first session of each Parliament.

For more information about the committee, visit its website. On the site, people can make a submission to an inquiry, read other submissions, and get details for upcoming public hearings. People can also track the committee and receive email updates by clicking on the blue ‘Track Committee’ button in the bottom right hand corner of the page.

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