THE House of Representatives Standing Committee on Employment, Education, and Training has today presented the report of its inquiry into the perceptions and status of vocational education and training (VET).

Committee Chair, Lisa Chesters MP said, "High-quality VET is crucial to skilling Australians for an increasingly dynamic economy and labour market. Unfortunately, many people do not fully understand the VET sector or the careers to which it leads, and many still consider VET a less valuable or rewarding pathway compared to university.

"Governments at all levels must ensure access to reliable, accurate information on VET and actively promote the sector and the fantastic opportunities that it offers," Ms Chesters said.

"However, information and marketing efforts will not on their own be sufficient to address negative perceptions of VET," she said. "Tangible improvements to the sector must also be made to ensure the quality and relevance of training, and that the sector is subject to robust regulatory, governance, and funding arrangements."

The committee has made 34 recommendations designed to address poor perceptions of the sector and enhance the quality of and access to VET pathways. These include:

• Significantly overhaul the functions of the National Careers Institute.
• Developing a national careers education strategy for secondary schools.
• Improving VET delivered to secondary school students via cooperative partnerships and increased school funding.
• Rationalising the development and implementation of VET qualifications.
• Addressing systemic barriers to women’s participation in VET, with a focus on eliminating gender-based violence and workplace discrimination and challenging gender stereotypes.
• Enhancing apprenticeships, including by piloting a network of industry-led apprenticeship support providers, lifting pay and conditions, and exploring new apprenticeship pathways.
• Creating a robust framework for developing, implementing, and funding micro-credentials.
• Implementing measures to attract and retain a VET workforce with industry expertise and a greater range of pedagogical competencies.
• Defining a clear roadmap to a genuinely integrated tertiary education system.

The committee’s report was informed by other reform processes including the Employment White Paper, the National Skills Agreement, and the Australian Universities Accord. The committee’s recommendations should be considered alongside the findings of these reports.

The report and further information about the inquiry is available on the inquiry website.

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THE House of Representatives Standing Committee on Regional Development, Infrastructure and Transport will examine local government sustainability in a new inquiry launched today.

Chair of the Committee, Luke Gosling OAM, MP, said, "The committee has prioritised a deeper understanding of local government financial sustainability and funding frameworks, alongside the changing infrastructure requirements and service delivery obligations for local governments.

"Local government sustainability is essential to supporting our Australian communities through the provision of vital infrastructure and related services. The committee is seeking to understand the challenges faced by local governments in servicing infrastructure requirements across Australia’s regional, rural, and remote locations."

Mr Gosling further emphasised, "The committee is aware of significant public infrastructure workforce shortages, particularly in local government areas, and the importance of promoting skills development and job security for Australians.

"The committee will examine labour hire and retention trends, including the impacts of labour hire practices, to identify barriers and opportunities to support our local workforce and local government sustainability and service delivery obligations."

The committee welcomes submissions from interested organisations and individuals by May 3, 2024.

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

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THE Joint Standing Committee on Treaties will hold two public hearings today for its inquiries into the Second Protocol to Amend the Agreement Establishing the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area (AANZFTA) (AANZFTA Second Protocol) and the Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks (the Nairobi Convention).

The second public hearing to be held by the Committee on the AANZFTA Second Protocol will provide an opportunity for the committee to discuss issues arising from the treaty including the investor-state dispute settlement mechanism, inter-state dispute settlement, the adoption of a negative list approach and cooperation in education.

The committee will hear from Professor Luke Nottage, the Australian Fair Trade and Investment Network and the Australian Council of Trade Unions.

The committee will then hold a public hearing for its inquiry into the Nairobi Convention which aims to give State Parties the legal means to remove or have shipwrecks removed that potentially affect the safety of lives, goods and property at sea, and the marine environment.

The convention provides rules and standards that facilitate prompt and effective removal of shipwrecks which are located in areas beyond the territorial sea. The convention also ensures that registered ship owners are held financially liable for the creation of wrecks and are required to have insurance or other financial security to cover the costs of locating, marking and removing wrecks. 

Committee Chair Josh Wilson MP said, "Australia is dependent on international maritime trade, so it is vital we keep our maritime environment safe.

“Most wreck incidents affecting Australia involve lost shipping containers from foreign flagged vessels in Australia’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ). By acceding to this treaty, Australia would be legally allowed to remove or have removed wrecks in the EEZ that pose a danger, impede navigation or could cause major consequences to the marine environment or Australia’s coastline.”

The committee will hear from officials from the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, and the Arts and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Public hearing details - AANZFTA Second Protocol  

Date:               Monday 25 March 2024
Time:              11am approximately
Location:        Committee Room 2R1

Public hearing details - Nairobi Convention

Date:               Monday 25 March 2024
Time:               11:50am approximately
Location:         Committee Room 2R1

The hearings can be accessed online and the programs for the hearings are available on the Committee website, along with further information about the inquiries. 

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THE Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security today presented its Advisory Report on the National Security Legislation Amendment (Comprehensive Review and Other Measures No. 3) Bill 2023.

The Bill implements 12 recommendations of the 2020 Comprehensive Review of the Legal Framework of the National Intelligence Community conducted by Dennis Richardson AC (Comprehensive Review). The Bill also makes important amendments to the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Act 1979 to assist Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) officers to perform their vital functions safely and effectively.

The measures contained within the Bill will support Australia’s national security agencies by strengthening identity protections for their employees, increasing operational flexibility and information sharing, clarifying some authorities and approvals processes to provide greater certainty, and supporting quicker processing of security clearance suitability assessments. The committee supported these measures and recommended that the Bill be passed, subject to several recommendations.

The committee’s recommendations included that the Federal Government:

• provide further clarification on the use of cover employment arrangements;
• strengthen notification to individuals who are subject to ASIO security assessments, including as part of security clearance processes, about their right to make complaints; and
• enhance transparency about delayed security assessments by including them in ASIO’s annual report.

The committee also recommended the government consider the need to align amendments to secrecy offences in the Bill with the findings, once published, of the review of secrecy offences legislation being conducted by the Independent National Security Legislation Monitor, Jake Blight.

Committee Chair Peter Khalil MP said, “With the passage of this Bill, the government is delivering on its commitment to implementing the recommendations of the Comprehensive Review to ensure that our national security legislation remains fit-for-purpose.

“Modernisation of our security legislation enables our intelligence agencies to conduct their vital work effectively while also ensuring that appropriate oversight and safeguards are in place," Mr Khalil said.

The committee received both public and classified evidence related to the proposed amendments in the Bill and said it was grateful to those submitters for contributing their expertise to the inquiry.

Further information on the inquiry as well as a copy of the report can be obtained from the Committee’s website.

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