THE Productivity Commission, Creative Australia and other arts organisations will give evidence at a public hearing on Tuesday to discuss boosting arts and cultural philanthropy.

Chair of the House Standing Committee on Communications, the Arts and Sport, Susan Templeman MP, said the inquiry had uncovered significant opportunities to strengthen private investment in the arts:

"The evidence we've received points to several recurring issues, from tax settings and access to philanthropic networks to support for regional artists and the effectiveness of existing government programs.

"There is strong interest in finding new ways to encourage giving to the arts. This hearing will help us examine those ideas in greater detail and hear how government agencies believe Australia can build a stronger culture of arts philanthropy."

More information about the committee, including membership, may be found on the Committee’s website.

Public hearing details

Date: Tuesday, 4 August 2026
Time: 10am to around 2pm (Canberra time)
Location: Committee Room 2R1, Parliament House, Canberra

Watch on YouTube @AUSParliamentLive or ParlView.

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THE Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters will be conducting a public hearing in Hobart as part of its ongoing inquiry into the 2025 Federal Election.

Chair of the Committee, Jerome Laxale, said, "Over the course of this inquiry, the committee has heard from communities about their experiences at the 2025 Federal Election. At these upcoming hearings, we want to continue hearing evidence relating to conduct at the 2025 election, and we are also looking to gain further insight into the views of Tasmanians on the composition and size of the Australian Parliament.

"We are also interested to hear further evidence about political communications and the frameworks that underpin authorisations, as well as the threat of interference in the electoral process," Mr Laxale said.

The hearing will be held on Wednesday, August 5. Members of the public have been invited to contribute to the committee’s inquiry by making short verbal statements of up to five minutes.

To register interest in making a statement, people can contact the Committee Secretariat at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Respondents should include their name, contact details, the capacity in which they participated in the 2025 election (for example, as a voter or volunteer), and what they would like to discuss.

Further information on the 2025 election inquiry can be found at the inquiry webpage. Committee details can be found at the Committee’s webpage.

Public hearing details

Date: Wednesday, 5 August 2026
Location: Parliament House, Hobart TAS 7000

Programs for these upcoming hearings will be advertised on the committee’s public hearings webpage as they are finalised.

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

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THE House of Representatives Standing Committee on Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water will hold a public hearing on Monday, August 3, as part of its inquiry into solar panel reuse and recycling.

The inquiry was referred on January 19 this year by the Minister for the Environment and Water, Senator Murray Watt.

TODAY's Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data showed Australia’s inflation rate eased to 3.8%, the lowest in four months -- but housing cost pressure remains a major issue according to Master Builders Australia.

Master Builders Australia chief cconomist, Shane Garrett said the result comes after Reserve Bank Governor Michele Bullock signalled that further interest rate increases could be required if inflation was not brought under control.

“While it’s encouraging that the headline rate of inflation is softening, today’s figures continue to show that housing cost pressures remain a problem,” Mr Garrett said.

“The cost of buying a new home is rising at its fastest in three years with a 5.8% increase over the past year. This is the result of a range of unfavourable settings on the supply side of the housing market. Rental inflation also remains stubborn with a 3.6% increase over the year to June 2026,” he said.

The peak body is also warning that inflation cannot be addressed without also tackling the productivity challenges that continue to drive up costs across the economy.

Master Builders Australia will appear before the Parliamentary Select Committee on Productivity this afternoon. They plan to present evidence that productivity-reducing and cost-increasing provisions in CFMEU-backed enterprise agreements make construction projects significantly more expensive to deliver and drive inflationary pressures.

Master Builders Australia national director of policy and legal, Melissa Byrne will tell the committee that unlawful behaviour, poor procurement frameworks and excessive industrial interference undermine productivity, increase costs and fail to deliver safer worksites.

"We will be telling the Senate that the administration of the CFMEU was an important first step, but it cannot be the last," Ms Byrne said.

"Long-term reform is needed to ensure history does not repeat itself when the administration period ends.

"Our six-point plan includes stronger witness protections, the removal of productivity-sapping enterprise agreement provisions, tougher action against anti-competitive conduct, stronger fit-and-proper-person requirements for officials, and the establishment of a dedicated industry regulator.

"These reforms would improve productivity, reduce unnecessary costs and help ease inflationary pressures. The Federal Government must now focus on improving productivity, strengthening accountability and restoring confidence in one of Australia's most important industries,” Ms Byrne said.

www.masterbuilders.com.au

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