PARLIAMENT’s Joint Standing Committee on the National Capital and External Territories has opened an inquiry into enabling communications infrastructure in Australia’s external territories of Norfolk Island, Christmas Island, and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands.

Committee Chair, Anne Webster MP, said, “The remoteness of Australia’s external territories makes providing communications infrastructure, technology and services particularly challenging, while at the same time even more important to the daily lives of residents.

“In addition, ensuring communications infrastructure is fit for purpose is important for the ongoing social and economic development of Australia’s external territories.

“The Committee will examine the current communications situation in each of the territories, activity underway to enhance connectivity and services, and the options and opportunities for improving availability of and access to communications infrastructure," Dr Webster said.

“We look forward to hearing from all interested people and organisations, including residents and businesses in the external territories.”

The Committee is accepting submissions addressing the terms of reference until January 27, 2021. Further information on how to prepare and lodge a submission can be found on the inquiry website. Public hearings are expected to be held during 2021.

ends

THE House of Representatives Standing Committee on the Environment and Energy has called for submissions for an inquiry into two climate change Bills, sponsored by Zali Steggall OAM MP.

Chair of the Committee, Ted O’Brien MP noted that the Bills propose a change in how Australia manages climate change and the Committee looks forward to considering all views on this important subject.

Over the last 12 months, the Committee has managed parliamentary inquiries into nuclear energy, bushfires and feral cats, and it has also inquired into a Bill on Scope 3 emissions proposed by Mr Andrew Wilkie MP.  

“As always, the Committee will assess the information presented with dispassionate independence before drawing conclusions,” Mr O’Brien said.

The Bills were referred to the Committee by the House of Representatives on November 11, 2020 for its inquiry and report. The Bills are the Climate Change (National Framework for Adaptation and Mitigation) Bill 2020 and the related Climate Change (National Framework for Adaptation and Mitigation) (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2020.

The substantive Bill sets out a framework of national climate change risk assessments, national plans for adaptation, an emissions reduction target and emissions budgets.

The Bill would establish an independent Climate Change Commission to advise the Government on these, and to monitor and report on progress. The consequential Bill seeks to amend a number of other Commonwealth laws to reflect the changes made by the substantive Bill.

To contribute to the inquiry, make a submission. Submissions to the inquiry will be accepted until November 27, 2020.

Submissions must be relevant to the terms of the Bill. Details about the Bill and how to make a submission are available on the inquiry website at www.aph.gov.au/ClimateChangeBills2020. The preferred method of receiving submissions is by electronic format lodged online using a My Parliament account.

The Committee intends to hold public hearings which will be announced in due course on the inquiry website. 

ends

THE Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee will hold a public hearing tomorrow as part of its Review of the Counter-Terrorism Legislation Amendment (High Risk Terrorist Offenders) Bill 2020.

The Committee will hear from the Law Council of Australia, the Australian Human Rights Commission, the Australian Federal Police, the Attorney-General’s Department and the Department of Home Affairs.

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

Public Hearing Details

Date: Friday, 13 November 2020
Time: 10.30am – 3:30pm (AESDT)
Location: Committee Room 2R1, Parliament House, Canberra

A program for the hearing can be found here.

Due to ongoing COVID-19 requirements, teleconference and video conference facilities will be used to connect witnesses to Committee Members. The hearings will be broadcast live at aph.gov.au/live.

ends

THE House Standing Committee on Employment, Education and Training has today tabled the report of its inquiry into the education of students in remote and complex environments.

Committee Chair, Andrew Laming MP, said the "inquiry examined how education meets the learning needs of students in regional, rural and remote communities, and how barriers to education can be overcome".

Mr Laming said, "The committee was mindful that significant work is being undertaken to address the issues outlined in this report. While noting the government accepted the findings of both the Halsey (2018) and Napthine (2019) education reviews, the committee has recommended that implementation plans be provided to show how the government is progressing the recommendations and actions proposed by these reviews."

The committee made 14 recommendations in total, including measures to:

• Ensure all Australian students can access secondary school education, to a nationally-consistent minimum standard, regardless of their geographic location;
• Provide greater opportunities for families and communities to have more say in how schools apply the Australian Curriculum;
• Ensure that the education available to children and young people with disability in regional, rural and remote locations is inclusive;
• Improve access to mental health treatment and support in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities;
• Improve access to quality early childhood education and care in regional, rural and remote communities;
• Provide up to 30 hours per week of subsidised early education and care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children;
• Support early learning programs provided through distance education, and provide greater flexibility and surety in funding for mobile early childhood education services, and wrap-around models of early intervention, family support, early childhood education and health care in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities;
• Provide adult literacy campaigns in communities with low levels of adult English literacy;
• Improve access to English as an Additional Language or Dialect support and bilingual education for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students;
• Support the development and professionalisation of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education workforce;
• Establish trauma-informed, cultural induction and training programs for educators working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students; and
• Enhance the integration of Australia’s Vocational Education and Training and Higher Education sectors.

The report can be accessed through the inquiry website.

ends