THE Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade will hold public hearings in Perth as part of its inquiry into strengthening Australia’s trade and investment relations with Africa.

Subcommittee Chair, Fiona Phillips MP, said, "These hearings will allow the subcommittee to engage directly with organisations and individuals based in Western Australia and hear important insights into how Australia can strengthen its trade and investment relations with Africa.

"The subcommittee will hear from a variety of organisations and individuals, including Curtin University, the Organisation of African Communities in Western Australia, the Australia Africa Minerals and Energy Group, and the organisers of the Africa Down Under conference, Paydirt Media. Witnesses will have the opportunity to share their perspectives on the changing demographic and economic opportunities across Africa’s diverse markets."

Mrs Phillips said, "The evidence gathered at these hearings will further inform the subcommittee’s understanding of Australia’s mining footprint in Africa and value adding opportunities, the potential for education partnerships with African nations, and the role of African diaspora communities in facilitating trade and investment opportunities."

Public Hearing details

Perth

Date: Thursday, 9 July 2026 

Time: 9am – 12:45pm (AWST)

Location: Mercure on Hay, 417 Hay Street, Perth – Floreat Room

The public hearing program is available on the inquiry website.

Public hearings are broadcast live on the Australian Parliament House Streaming Portal.

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THE National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA) is inviting Australians to nominate recordings that have shaped Australia's cultural, historical and social life.

They might be chart-topping songs, memorable radio broadcasts, podcasts, speeches, oral histories, sports commentaries, television themes, advertisements or experimental recordings that challenge the way we listen.

Sounds of Australia is the NFSA's registry of recordings that have had a significant impact on Australia's cultural, historical and social life. Each year, public nominations help shape a capsule of new additions to the registry. 

Sounds of Australia reflects the extraordinary breadth of Australia's recorded sound culture. Past inductees have included everything from songs, speeches and sporting calls to environmental recordings and everyday sounds that have become part of the national story.

The 2026 additions continued that tradition and included Marcia Hines' hit song 'You', the Reading Writing Hotline jingle, and the familiar click of the PB/5 pedestrian crossing signal.

“Opening nominations for Sounds of Australia is always one of the highlights of the year because it gives us an insight into the recordings Australians value most,” assistant curator at the NFSA, Hannah de Feyter said. 

“The nominations we receive each year are often unexpected and deeply personal. Sound is one of the most intimate things we share because it speaks to memory, place and belonging.

“Public nominations help us build a capsule that reflects the full range of recordings Australians listen to and care about.”

For the NFSA, preserving sound is essential to telling the national story. Recordings capture voices, emotions and experiences directly, helping future generations understand not only what Australians thought and did, but how they sounded.

Nominate a recording

Australians can nominate any eligible recording made between 1896 and 2016 via bit.ly/4emek2l

When submitting a nomination, entrants should explain:

• what the recording is
• why it is significant
• how it has influenced or reflects Australian life and culture.
• Selected recordings from the 2026 nomination round will be announced in 2027.
• Nominations are now open via this form

Explore more than a century of Australia’s recorded sound and revisit every Sounds of Australia inductee at nfsa.gov.au/stories/deep-dives/sounds-of-australia

ABOUT THE NATIONAL FILM AND SOUND ARCHIVE OF AUSTRALIA

The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia is the national audiovisual cultural institution. From the earliest recordings of the 1890s to the latest games and immersive digital productions, the collection comprises video and audio recordings, and contextual materials such as costumes, scripts, props, photographs and promotional materials. It ranges from items inducted into the UNESCO Memory of the World register to sporting matches, game shows and advertising jingles. Originally known as the National Historical Film and Speaking Record Library and operating under the auspices of the Commonwealth National Library, the collection dates back to 1935, making it one of the first audiovisual archives in the world. The NFSA became an independent cultural organisation in 1984. As well as preserving these items for future generations, NFSA curators continue to add to the collection, ensuring it provides an unbroken record of life in Australia, and of Australian creativity.

THE Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) has commenced an inquiry into Australia’s Foreign Relations (State and Territory Arrangements) Amendment Bill 2026.

The bill overhauls the Foreign Arrangements Scheme – the regime requiring states, territories, local governments and public universities to notify, or seek approval, from the Minister for Foreign Affairs before entering into arrangements with foreign entities. The scheme exists to stop subnational deals undermining Australia’s foreign relations or foreign policy.

The amendments proposed by the bill primarily seek to respond to recommendations made in a 2025 Independent Review of the Foreign Arrangements Scheme by Rosemary Huxtable AO PSM.

The bill also seeks to amend the review framework for advice provided by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) to the Foreign Minister as part of the Foreign Arrangements Scheme.

Additional information on the committee’s review is available here.

The committee has invited submissions to this review by Monday, July 27. Submissions should be prepared solely for this inquiry and should not be published prior to being accepted by the committee.

Further information about making a submission can be found at this link.

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The WIPO Treaty on IP and Genetic Resources (GRATK) aims to introduce a requirement to disclose sources for patent applications based on genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge.

At this hearing, the committee examined Indigenous perspectives on the proposed disclosure framework and the potential impacts of ratification and implementation on communities.

Committee Chair, Lisa Chesters MP said, "This treaty is the first multilateral intellectual property agreement to recognise Traditional Knowledge. Its provisions are intended to provide visibility into sources of Traditional Knowledge within patent systems.

"Ratification would give Australia an opportunity to lead ongoing global discussions about the relationship between intellectual property and Traditional Knowledge."

The committee heard evidence from the Indigenous Knowledge Panel and National Native Title Council at the public hearing.

Public hearing details

Date: Monday, 6 July 2026
Time: 3:45pm – 4:30pm AEST (approximately)
Location: Committee Room 2R1, Parliament House Canberra

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