SHOULD Australia move to fixed four-year parliamentary terms? A parliamentary committee will hold a roundtable discussion on this topic on Thursday  November 7, 2019, and has invited questions and views from the public.

Andrew Wallace MP, Chair of the House Social Policy and Legal Affairs Committee, said the Australian Parliament’s House of Representatives was the only lower house in the country with three-year parliamentary terms.

"Four-year terms could address the community’s concerns about the revolving doors of politicians and policy by providing more stability and opportunities for longer-term outcomes," Mr Wallace said.

"All of our state and territory parliaments have four-year lower house terms, with Queensland moving to four-year terms in 2020 following a successful referendum in 2016. On the other hand, there may be down-sides to fixed parliamentary terms. Current events in the United Kingdom show that this issue is one that needs careful consideration."

The roundtable will consist of a panel of Constitutional experts including laureate professor emeritus Cheryl Saunders, professor Gabrielle Appleby, professor Anne Twomey and professor George Williams.

"Any change to parliamentary terms would require popular support from voters, so we’re offering voters the opportunity to be involved in the process from the very beginning," Mr Wallace said.

The roundtable will be open to the public and streamed live on the Parliament's website. Australians can participate by submitting questions and views via the roundtable website.

The Committee will also consider questions posted live on Twitter on the day of the roundtable. The House’s Twitter account, @AbouttheHouse, will post live commentary from the event.

Following the roundtable, the Committee intends to present a short report to the House reflecting the issues discussed.

For more information go to the Committee’s website.

Public roundtable details

Date: Thursday 7 November, 2019
Time: 9am to 12.15pm
Location: Committee Room 2R1, Parliament House, Canberra

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

THE Future of Financial Advice (FoFA) legislation has failed to deliver affordable financial advice, denying many people access to appropriate advice leading into their retirement, according to the Institute of Public Accountants (IPA).

To fill this void, IPA is advocating that all Australians should be able to get limited financial advice and support from their trusted adviser, the accountant.

“The Productivity Commission observed that 48 percent of Australian adults indicated having unmet financial advice needs. So, obviously there is an advice gap in Australia which needs to be addressed” IPA chief executive officer, Andrew Conway said.

“The IPA has developed a revised financial services licensing regime for accountants, which recognises their existing qualifications and experience.

“Our members are answerable to high levels of professional and ethical standards, subject to ongoing quality assurance evaluations, and must maintain currency of knowledge through committed and continuous professional development and training," he said.

“It, therefore, makes perfect sense for public accountants to fill the financial advice void; unshackling them to have genuine discussions with their clients.

“We believe it is the right time to introduce a new, extended Accountants Exemption,” Mr Conway said.

About the Institute of Public Accountants

The IPA, formed in 1923, is one of Australia’s three legally recognised professional accounting bodies.  In late 2014, the IPA acquired the Institute of Financial Accountants in the UK and formed the IPA Group, with more than 37,000 members and students in over 80 countries.  The IPA Group is the largest SME focused accountancy organisation in the world. The IPA is a member of the International Federation of Accountants, the Accounting Professional and Ethical Standards Board and the Confederation of Asian and Pacific Accountants.   

ends

THE Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, Kate Carnell has welcomed the Federal Government’s latest commitment to cutting red tape and is looking forward to working closely with the deregulation taskforce on its key priorities.

“Small businesses and family enterprises are crying out for less red tape and unnecessary regulation, so they can get on with the job of growing their business,” Ms Carnell said.

“The government’s efforts to bring down the barriers to business investment and boost productivity are commendable.

“While we support the intentions of the deregulation taskforce in principle, understanding the detail of these proposals to ensure there are no unintended adverse consequences, is vital.

“It’s also critical the government consults widely as part of the deregulation process, which my office is looking forward to playing an active role in, to ensure the government engages fully with small business.

“Of particular interest is the taskforce’s agenda in dealing with the degree of regulatory complexity, the length of time for approvals and duplication across levels of government," Ms Carnell said.

“This has the potential to be a game-changer for Australia’s small businesses and family enterprises.

“We are working with the government to achieve these positive outcomes for the benefit of Australia’s 2.3 million small businesses.”

www.asbfeo.gov.au

ends

SMALL BUSINESS couriers in the gig economy, like Uber Eats and Deliveroo, can now access the Victorian Small Business Commission (VSBC) to help resolve their disputes. 

Under new amendments to the Owner Drivers and Forestry Contractors Act 2005 passed in Parliament yesterday, the definition of ‘freight broker’ has been changed to make sure contractors employed through third party platforms like Uber Eats are covered.

The change responds to a government review that found many hirers and brokers to be in breach of the Act. For example, many weren’t providing cost schedules and contracts, leaving owner drivers exposed to safety, income and business risks. 

Commissioner Judy O’Connell has backed the change to the dispute resolution process, and our new role in providing further supports for disputes can’t be resolved through mediation. 

“This new support is significant because it means gig economy small business couriers who are in dispute can come to us for determinations that are binding, keeping their disputes out of the court system,” Commissioner O’Connell said.

In 2018–19 the VSBC received 23 applications for small business driver disputes, about 85 percent of which were successfully resolved. Where disputes couldn’t be resolved, this was because the parties couldn’t reach an agreement or the business contracting the service refused to take part in mediation.

“In a lot of instances, it’s just not worthwhile taking these matters to court because of the high costs involved – costs that are prohibitive for many small businesses,” Commissioner O’Connell said. 

“This important change means small business couriers will have access to a low cost, confidential and binding dispute resolution process that will let them resolve their disputes quickly so they can get back to business.”

The VSBC will start providing these new supports in May 2020. For more information about how gig economy small business couriers can access these services, visit the VSBC’s website.

The Victorian Small Business Commission is an independent government agency that advocates on issues affecting small business, educates people in small business about their rights and responsibilities, and helps them to avoid or resolve disputes. 

ends