THE House of Representatives Environment Committee today presented its report into the Register of Environmental Organisations, a government scheme that enables eligible environmental organisations to receive tax-deductible donations.

The report centres on the administration of the Register, and how the Register supports communities to take practical action to improve the environment. The Committee has identified some key areas of possible reform of the Register, including measures relating to:

• the operation of the Register;
• activities undertaken by organisations listed on the Register; and
• the integrity of the current regulatory framework for registered organisations.

The Committee acknowledges the high level of public interest in the inquiry, having received over 685 submissions and a significant volume of correspondence. A substantial portion of this evidence originated from organisations currently listed on the Register. In recognition of this strong interest in the inquiry, the Committee undertook an extensive program of public hearings and site inspections around Australia, to hear firsthand about the range of environmental work being supported by the Register.

The Committee’s report is accompanied by a dissenting report from the Labor members of the Committee, and additional comments from the Member for La Trobe, Mr Jason Wood MP.

A full copy of the Committee’s report can be found on the inquiry’s website 

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THE Joint Standing Committee on Treaties  last week tabled two reports, with the first focussing on treaty activity regarding fisheries, marine safety and taxation, while the second summarised material from the recent seminar marking 20 years of the Committee’s work.

Committee Chair Luke Hartsuyker MP said the first report recommended ratification of an agreement designed to strengthen the Niue Treaty on fisheries surveillance and law enforcement in the South Pacific.

“The treaty will provide another avenue for preventing illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the region, which depletes fish stocks through overfishing and poses a serious threat to food security in our region,” Mr Hartsuyker said.

“Australia plays a key role in maritime surveillance in the region and is committed to supporting regional cooperation on maritime security. This agreement will help us to maximise our operational reach and effectiveness in monitoring illegal activity, such as IUU fishing.”

Mr Hartsuyker said the report also included two new International Maritime Organization codes which will improve ship safety and protect the marine environment.

“The Polar Water Code will ensure that ships operating in polar waters are built to withstand the conditions, while the IGF Code will provide an international standard for ships using low-flashpoint fuels,” he said.

Mr Hartsuyker said the final treaty in the report is a new taxation agreement with Germany aimed at curtailing tax evasion.

“Australia and Germany have taken the opportunity to update and modernise an existing treaty by incorporating the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) /The Group of Twenty (G20) recommendations to prevent base erosion and profit shifting,” he said.

“By including these provisions in the treaty we hope to promote the work of the OECD and create a precedent for future treaties.”

Mr Hartsuyker said the Committee also presented a second report, which summarised material from the recent seminar held to mark 20 years of the Committee’s work.

“The report contains a full transcript of the presentations delivered at the seminar, reflections on the Committee’s work, an assessment of its performance and useful statistical data,” he said.

“The seminar provided some thought provoking ideas on the Committee’s future direction and I am confident that the information included in this report will prove useful to experts, academics and students of the treaty making process in Australia.”

The reports are available on the committee’s website: http://www.aph.gov.au/jsct or by contacting the committee secretariat on (02) 6277 4002.  

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THE Standing Committee on Indigenous Affairs today tabled an interim report as part of its Inquiry into Educational Opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.

Although the Committee did not have an opportunity to fulfil its planned hearing program, issues raised by the community were so significant that the Committee resolved to release interim findings and recommendations for the Minister’s urgent consideration.

The Interim Report recommends that:

• ABSTUDY be overhauled and redesigned with the new system being fully operational by 30 June 2017
• the Government rectify the current gender imbalance in Commonwealth funding provided to Indigenous girls’ and boys’ programs, and ensure that future grants are gender equitable
• the Minister for Indigenous Affairs re-refer the inquiry to the Committee in the new Parliament so to ensure that the Committee may finish this vital work. 

Further information on the inquiry, including a full copy of the report is available on the Committee website at www.aph.gov.au/educationalopportunities.  

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IMPROVING health and nutrition in Australia’s neighbourhood is the subject of the first report of the inquiry into the role of development partnerships in agriculture and agribusiness in promoting prosperity, reducing poverty and enhancing stability in the Indo-Pacific region released by the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade (JSCFADT).

The chair of the JSCFADT’s Foreign Affairs and Aid Sub-Committee, Dr Sharman Stone MP, said a major focus for the inquiry has been the so-called ‘double burden’ of malnutrition.

“This is when there is a coexistence of both under and overnutrition – which has a high cost to Indo-Pacific countries. Undernutrition is one of the largest causes of child mortality in children under five years. Stunting in children, which can be a sign of inadequate nutrition can cause irreversible developmental problems. Overnutrition and obesity on the other hand can cause non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and coronary disease,” Dr Stone said.

Undernutrition is a severe problem for some of Australia’s nearest neighbours with child stunting rates high, for example in Timor-Leste and Papua New Guinea. At the same time globally, of the top ten countries with the highest rates of overweight and obese adults, nine are Pacific island nations.

“The double burden of malnutrition in the Indo-Pacific region, especially in Pacific Island countries threatens the health of individuals, and the growth of regional economies,” Dr Stone said. “The scale of these problems and the tragic outcomes cannot be underestimated. The high rates of diabetic related amputations in some of these Pacific countries is not only a tragedy for individuals it’s also placing pressure on already stretched health services,” Dr Stone said.

The importance of local agriculture, the promotion of local cuisines and the role women can play in achieving better dietary outcomes for their families are some of the issues explored in the report as possible means to combat this health crisis and improve the nutritional health of our neighbours.

The report makes a range of recommendations to address the double burden of malnutrition, looming as a malnutrition crisis. In particular it needs promoting though a more co-ordinated and targeted approach by all stakeholders in the region.

The full report, information about the inquiry, including copies of submissions and public hearing transcripts, can be found on the committee’s website at www.aph.gov.au/jfadt.