THE ABILITY of regional centres to absorb population growth, thereby safeguarding the high quality of life and economic prosperity enjoyed by Australians, will be one of the themes explored by the House Standing Committee on Infrastructure, Transport and Cities when it visits Newcastle tomorrow.

The public hearing is part of the Committee’s inquiry into the Australian Government’s role in the development of cities.

Committee Chair, John Alexander OAM MP, said the Committee expects to hear from community groups, academics and business leaders on how best to ensure the Hunter’s growth boosts its productivity and delivers liveability benefits.

“Regions such as the Hunter Valley and cities such as Newcastle have the capacity to accommodate many more people and businesses, easing the squeeze on capital cities,” Mr Alexander said.

“We need to heed the aspirations of these communities and ensure we set them up with the governance arrangements, infrastructure and resources they need to succeed.”

Newcastle City Council aspires to fast rail links between Newcastle, Sydney and Brisbane.

“Newcastle and the Hunter would appear to be of significant interest for various proponents of transformative infrastructure such as fast train linkages,” Newcastle City Council said.

“Central to these initiatives are new approaches to infrastructure funding, including value capture. Federal government involvement will be required to attract, negotiate and secure such projects.”

Further information on the inquiry, including the full terms of reference, is available on the Committee website.

Public hearing details: 9.00 am – 3.00 pm, Friday, 2 March 2018, Moot Courtroom (x703), NeW Space, City Campus, University of Newcastle, Corner of Hunter and Auckland Streets, Newcastle

9.00 am: University of Newcastle
9.30 am: Hunter Research Foundation Centre
10.15 am: Centre for Urban and Regional Studies
10.45 am: Newcastle City Council
11.15 am: Regional Local Government Roundtable - Lake Macquarie City Council, Maitland City Council
1.00 pm: Government and Infrastructure Roundtable - Hunter Water, Hunter Development Corporation, Newcastle Airport, Hunter Councils Inc
2.10 pm: Business and Community Roundtable - Hunter Business Chamber, Compass Housing Services, Dantia
3.00 pm: Close

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

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FEBRUARY 22 this year saw the effective commencement of the Notifiable Data Breaches Scheme (NDB Scheme). This Scheme applies to eligible data breaches that occur on or after that date.

The NDB Scheme together with the existing provisions of the Privacy Act 1988 effectively mandates a legislative requirement for people handling sensitive information to provide adequate and effective software protection and, more importantly, to report and notify any breaches to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner on a timely basis. 

“Many Tax Institute members have expressed considerable frustration at the lack of clear guidance being provided on practical ways in which to ensure compliance with these ‘new’ obligations” said The Tax Institute’s senior tax counsel, Bob Deutsch.

“Rather than threatening practitioners with all manner of adverse consequences, practitioners need clear guidance on matters such as:

1. Is the printing of tax returns with Tax File Numbers and posting those to clients either by mail or email permissible as a result of these changes?
2. If a client has forgotten their TFN, can an agent email the TFN to them?
3. What exactly must an agent do to demonstrate that he/she has taken all reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse?
4. What practical checks can an agent take to satisfy him or herself that there has not been a notifiable data breach?

“At this stage what is needed is not threats but guidance on practical issues such as those raised above," said Mr Deutsch.

“The answer to the first two issues is a resounding ‘Yes’ provided that adequate data security protection has been used to protect the confidentiality of the personal information. Guidance on the later questions is still sorely needed.”

www.taxinstitute.com.au

The Tax Institute is Australia’s leading professional association and educator in tax. Its 12,000 members include tax agents, accountants and lawyers as well as tax practitioners in corporations, government and academia. The Tax Institute supports the tax profession through education and professional development and works to continually improve tax law and its administration.

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UNIVERSITIES will today make a bold bid for more companies to partner with them on everything from research and business innovation through to snapping up the best graduate talent.

Making a ‘business case to business’ to entice more firms to collaborate with universities, the sector’s peak body will unveil an ambitious pitch at the National Press Club today. 

Universities Australia Chair Professor Margaret Gardner will tell business leaders that Australian universities are equipped to help them solve some of their most complex business challenges.

“Australia’s universities are open for business and we’re here to help,” she said.

“If you have a complex business challenge you haven’t been able to crack, come talk to an Australian university about how we can work together to solve it.”

"By tapping into university talent, business can source new ideas, get the jump on early stage research and cut the time it takes to bring new products to market."

New modelling by Cadence Economics for Universities Australia to be released today also confirms that the 16,000 companies already partnering with universities derive $10.6 billion in revenue from their collaborations.

And their return on investment is $4.50 for every dollar invested into collaborative research with a university.

Professor Gardner will write to the heads of the three major business peak bodies asking them to help spread the word in corporate Australia about the strong returns to business from these partnerships.

“If we could lift the number of firms with formal collaborations with universities from the current 16,000 to 24,000 companies, it would add another $10 billion a year to our GDP,” she said.

“And that would also lift our collaboration rate to the level of global innovation powerhouses such as Israel and the US.”

Along with the new modelling, Universities Australia will today launch Clever Collaborations: The Strong Business Case for Partnering with Universities.

The publication showcases 35 case studies of businesses, community organisations and governments that are partnering with universities to solve complex challenges together.

Clever Collaborations also includes a list of key university contacts to make it easier for businesses to explore collaboration opportunities.

Download a copy of Clever Collaborations report here

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THE House of Representatives Industry, Innovation, Science and Resources Committee will hold a roundtable public hearing tomorrow as part of its Internet Competition inquiry. The public hearing will feature Data61, the CSIRO’s digital innovation group, and Professor Marek Kowalkiewicz, the PwC Chair in Digital Economy at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT).

Data61’s expertise is in digital technologies and data analytics and it provides research and advisory services to businesses, universities, and government agencies. The PwC Chair in Digital Economy is a joint venture between QUT, PwC, Brisbane Marketing, and the Queensland Government that undertakes research into the digital economy and aims to help businesses develop their digital capabilities.

Acting Committee Chair Luke Gosling OAM, MP said that the Committee will be discussing with Data61 and Professor Kowalkiewicz emerging trends in the digital economy and their implications for small Australian businesses.

‘The popularity of online shopping means that many small Australian retail businesses are facing increasingly intense competition from global internet retailers,’ Mr Gosling said.

‘For Australian businesses this increased competition is a significant challenge but, on the other hand, online shopping also provides small retailers with a great opportunity to sell their products directly to consumers across the globe. The Committee is investigating how the Government can assist small business to make the most of the opportunities presented by the digital economy.’

Public hearing details: 10.45am – 12.00pm, Wednesday 28 February, Committee Room 1R4, Parliament House, Canberra

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

Interested members of the public may wish to track the committee via the website.

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