THE House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Sport has published an issues paper concerning the health impacts of alcohol and other drugs (AOD) in Australia.

After launching an inquiry into this topic on August 22 last year, the committee received more than 200 written submissions and heard from witnesses across seven days of public hearings in Melbourne, Brisbane, and Canberra. This significant level of public engagement underscored the critical importance of efforts aimed at addressing and curtailing AOD-related harms across the country.

"Alcohol and other drug use is not just a health issue – it is a complex social challenge that cuts across multiple measures of wellbeing for communities throughout Australia," Committee Chair, Mike Freelander MP, said.

Highlighting the often complex and wide-ranging consequences of substance use, Dr Freelander noted that "the impacts extend far beyond individual health, touching on critical social issues such as family violence, child protection, community services, and the criminal justice system".

The issues paper explores several key themes underpinning the evidence presented during the inquiry, such as the national coordination of the AOD sector, service demand and provision, prevention and harm reduction strategies, workforce development and tailored support for high-risk population groups.

Recognising the depth and complexity of the inquiry subject matter, the committee acknowledged that multiple aspects of the terms of reference could not be fully explored within the available time frame. The committee has recommended that the inquiry be continued in the next Parliament.

The report is now available on the Committee's website.

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THE House of Representatives Standing Committee on Communications and the Arts has today released a report, Am I Ever Gonna See You Live Again?, following its inquiry into the challenges and opportunities within the Australian live music industry.

Over the course of the inquiry, the committee held 18 public hearings in Canberra, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, and received many submissions from a wide range of stakeholders, including all levels of government, artists, broadcasters, promoters, venues, festivals, service providers and peak industry bodies.

Committee Chair Brian Mitchell, the Federal MP for Lyons in Tasmania, said the inquiry’s recommendations, if taken up by government, would help ensure a strong and sustainable future for live music in Australia.

"It was clear to us that many people across the country are doing a lot of work on live music," Mr Mitchell said.

"There was broad agreement about the myriad challenges and a lot of good ideas about how to grasp the opportunities of a fast-changing technological landscape.

"Our committee hasn’t sought to reinvent the wheel, but rather bring all that work and evidence together in a report and a set of recommendations that are practical and achievable."

The report is being tabled in the parliament out of session and can be found on the Committee’s webpage on the Commonwealth Parliament’s website.

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THE Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) has today tabled an advisory report on the Transport Security Amendment (Security of Australia’s Transport Sector) Bill 2024.

The report makes recommendations about proposed amendments to the Aviation Transport Security Act 2004 (ATSA) and the Maritime Transport and Offshore Facilities Security Act 2003 (MTOFSA).

Committee Chair, Senator Raff Ciccone, said, "It has been over 20 years since the ATSA and MTOFSA became law and in that time the threat environment has changed considerably. It is appropriate that the legislative framework governing transport security change along with it.

"The committee’s advisory report makes a number of recommendations — recommendations that seek to improve the bill and make our aviation and maritime industries even safer than they are already."

Further information on the inquiry, and the full report, can be obtained from the Committee’s website.

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THE Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit has today released its report on public sector artificial intelligence (AI) use.

The committee examined the current policy settings for AI use across the Federal Government to determine if they were fit for purpose.

Committee Chair Linda Burney said, "These policy and governance frameworks must be equipped to adequately assess the great promise that AI brings but also understand the inherent and significant risks that accompany its use."

The committee’s recommendations include:

• that the Australian Public Service Commission introduce detailed questions on the use and understanding of AI systems into its annual APS census;
• that a whole of Government working group be established within 12 months to consider what mandatory rules, governance frameworks and legislation will be needed for AI systems across the Commonwealth;
• that a statutory Joint Committee on Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies be established to give the Parliament fully effective oversight of how the government and the public service is managing the impacts of AI.

“If effective and coordinated governance frameworks for AI systems are not implemented now, a very real concern of the committee is that this technology will outpace the government’s ability to do so in the very near future,” Ms Burney said.

The report can be downloaded from the inquiry website.

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