THE Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) has commenced a review of the Defence Amendment (Safeguarding Australia’s Military Secrets) Bill 2023.

The Bill would amend the Defence Act 1903 to regulate the work that certain former defence staff members can perform for or on behalf of a military organisation or government body of a relevant foreign country, without a foreign work authorisation. The Bill also regulates the training that Australian citizens and permanent residents may provide to relevant foreign militaries or governments without a foreign work authorisation.

The Minister has the power to grant foreign work authorisations and to refuse, cancel, suspend or vary them.

‘Relevant foreign countries’ are any countries not excluded by the Minister in a legislative instrument.

Peter Khalil MP, Chair of the PJCIS, said, “Reviewing legislation is an important aspect of the PJCIS’ role and the committee will look at the Military Secrets Bill to ensure that it appropriately deals with the potential of former defence staff members revealing sensitive defence information and placing Australia’s national security at risk.”

Submissions are invited by Thursday November 16, 2023. The committee encourages concise submissions. Correspondence addressing individuals’ security clearance issues will not be accepted as submissions to this inquiry.

Further information on the inquiry can be obtained from the Committee’s website.

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THE Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) has commenced an inquiry into the operation, effectiveness and implications of Subdivision C of Division 3 of Part 2 of the Australian Citizenship Act 2007 (Citizenship Act), which provides for citizenship cessation determinations.

The PJCIS is undertaking this review three years after amendments were made to the Citizenship Act in 2020 that established the current citizenship cessation regime.

Subdivision C of Division 3 of Part 2 of the Citizenship Act empowers the Minister for Home Affairs to make a determination ceasing the citizenship of an Australian for certain conduct, or following conviction for certain serious offences, relating to matters such as terrorism, treason, espionage and foreign incursion. The Subdivision sets out public interest considerations to which the Minister must have regard, and procedural requirements that must be followed, in making any determinations to cease a person’s citizenship. A person’s Australian citizenship may not be ceased if as a result the person would not be a citizen or national of any country.

Peter Khalil MP, Chair of the PJCIS, said, “This review will provide a valuable opportunity to consider the current security environment and the use by the Australian Government of its citizenship cessation powers. Three years into its operation, the review is an opportunity for the Committee to assure itself that Australia’s citizenship cessation regime is legally robust, fair and proportionate.

“The committee will also be interested in discussing the status of these provisions following consideration by the High Court since they were enacted, notably in the 2022 Alexander case," Mr Khalil added.

The committee has requested submissions to the inquiry by Thursday, February 8, 2024.

Further information on the inquiry can be obtained from the Committee’s website.

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THE Select Committee on Workforce Australia Employment Services will conduct its final public hearings on Tuesday September 19 and Wednesday September 20 in Canberra. 

The committee will hear directly from individuals with lived experience of employment services and their representatives, as well as from academic and policy experts, peak bodies, and government agencies.

The hearings will focus on the experiences of individuals with lived experience of the system — including older Australians — and their views on options for reform. The committee will also specifically examine Work for the Dole and community and social programs.

Committee Chair, Julian Hill MP, said, “It is absolutely critical that we give voice to the experience of unemployed people. People with lived experiences of the system and those that support and advocate for them have unique insights into what works and what needs to change. The Committee will also hear from specific cohorts of jobseekers — including older Australians — to help ensure that reforms to employment services respond to the needs of an increasingly diverse community.

“The committee continues to hear concerns about what Work for the Dole has become,"Mr Hill said. "It’s nothing like it was when John Howard started it. Mounting evidence suggests that instead of helping people and making them more employable through skills acquisition and meaningful community projects, too often people are forced into demeaning ‘make work’ activities that distract from job searching, stigmatise people and harm their mental health.

"Society must be careful not to make people less employable by making people do pointless activities in unsafe conditions. The committee will engage advocacy bodies, academic experts, providers, and social enterprise as part of its examination of what proper role social and community-based employment programs can play,"he said.

“One day, soon, this inquiry will end and we will table our report near the end of the year. As the inquiry draws to a close, it is important for the committee to re-engage with key peak bodies and research organisations which have provided academic and policy expertise, to consolidate views on key issues and potential options for reform.

“The committee will also examine more technical aspects of the employment services system, including measures to optimise online services and to better utilise data and market insights to improve services for jobseekers, employers, and other stakeholders.”

Further information about the inquiry, including terms of reference, future public hearings, published submissions and hearing transcripts, will be available on the inquiry website.

Public hearing details

19 September 2023

Time:           1.30pm – 5.45pm (Canberra time)
Location:      Committee Room 2R1, Parliament House, Canberra
Witnesses:    Australian Unemployed Workers Union, Antipoverty Centre, Per Capita, Australian Council of Social Services, WISE Employment, Social Traders Ltd, former Age Discrimination Commissione Dr Kay Patterson AO, COTA Australia.

20 September 2023

Time: 8.30am – 4.15pm (Canberra time)
Location: Committee Room 2R1, Parliament House, Canberra
Witnesses: Brotherhood of St Laurence, Centre for Policy Development, University of Melbourne, Victorian Government, National Employment Services Association, Jobs Australia, Employment services participants, Australian Taxation Office, Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, Jobs and Skills Australia.

A live audio broadcast of the hearing will be available via the Parliament’s Watch, Read, Listen website.

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THE House of Representatives Standing Committee on Economics will be rounding out its inquiry into promoting economic dynamism, competition and business formation with its next public hearing today from 8am. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), National Competition Council (NCC), Treasury and the Productivity Commission will be appearing.

Committee Chair Daniel Mulino MP said the public hearing would allow the committee to test ideas with experts from the ACCC, NCC, Treasury and the Productivity Commission.

“The committee has heard a range of ideas and recommendations about how to boost healthy competition and productivity throughout this inquiry," Dr Mulino said. "The ACCC, NCC, Treasury and the Productivity Commission are key players in this area, so the committee will benefit from hearing their perspectives and testing ideas with them.”

The committee will also hear from Meta, which will complete the Committee’s engagement with big tech. The committee has previously heard from Apple, Google and Amazon.

More details about the inquiry, including the full terms of reference, are available on the committee’s website.

Public hearing details

Date: Friday, 15 September 2023
Time: 8am – 5pm
Location: Videoconference

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

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