DEPARTMENT of Home Affairs boss, Michael Pezzullo AO, will front the Joint Standing Committee on Migration on Wednesday, June 14, to provide evidence to the committee’s Migration, Pathway to Nation Building inquiry.

This will be the seventh public hearing for the inquiry and the first time the department appears.

Committee Chair, Maria Vamvakinou MP, said, "Over the course of the inquiry, the committee has heard from all sorts of people and organisations on what’s wrong with the current migration system and how it could be improved.

‘This hearing will be the perfect opportunity for the committee to get answers on the current operation of the migration system from those directly responsible for administering it. The hearing is particularly timely given the recent completion of the Parkinson Review, the announcement of the government’s proposed Migration Strategy, and the ongoing Multicultural Framework Review. The committee will be very interested to hear about the outcomes of these initiatives and how the Department will implement associated reforms," she said.

"The committee has already heard from a whole range of sectors, all united in the view that migration remains crucial to Australia’s national interest. So it is vital that we have a migration system that is fit-for-purpose, backed by evidence and research, and is beneficial to Australia’s society, culture and economy, as well as to migrants themselves," Ms Vamvakinou said.

The full hearing program is available on the committee website.

Hearing details

Wednesday, 14 June 2023

11.45am to 1.45pm

Main Committee Room, Parliament House Canberra.

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THE Human Rights Subcommittee of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade (JSCFADT) will speak to key charitable and human rights organisations about trends in relation to human rights violations against women and children in a public hearing to be held in Melbourne CBD on Wednesday, June 7.

Ms Maria Vamvakinou MP, Member for Calwell and Chair of the Human Rights Subcommittee, said, “The Subcommittee has heard evidence of a range of human rights abuses being perpetrated against women and children across the globe. This public hearing will focus on delving further into these issues, identifying the root causes of gendered violence, and considering how best to move forward in the pursuit of gender equality and protecting the rights of the child.”

The Subcommittee will finalise its hearing program soon and move towards the preparation of its report. Submissions to the inquiry were due by Friday, December 16, 2022; however, late submissions may be considered. Submissions containing graphic material will not be accepted to the inquiry. Submissions should be lodged online using a My Parliament account.

Further information in relation to the inquiry is available from the JSCFADT’s website.

Hearing details

Time: 10.15am to 4.45pm (AEST)

Venue: Seminar Room 2 & 3, Level 7, Monash Conference Centre, 30 Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000

Witnesses:

Australian Red Cross
Plan International Australia
Uniting Church of Australia                       
Iranian Women’s Association     
CBM Australia & The Australian Disability and Development Consortium
International Women’s Development Agency
Monash University & Eleos Justice

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THIS WEEK the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Milton Dick MP is in Tasmania as part of the Parliament in Schools program.

Students will learn about federation, democracy and the Australian Parliament, as well as hear first-hand from the Speaker and their local member on what a typical day looks like in their electorate and when they are in Canberra for sitting weeks.

Over three days, the Speaker will visit:

• King Island District School, Currie – with the Member for Braddon, Gavin Pearce, on Monday 5 June,
• Perth Primary School, Perth – with the Member for Lyons, Brian Mitchell, on Tuesday 6 June,
• Westbury Primary School, Westbury – with the Member for Lyons, Brian Mitchell, on Tuesday 6 June,
• Ravenswood Heights Primary School, Ravenswood – with the Member for Bass, Bridget Archer, on Wednesday 7 June, and
• Riverside Primary School, Riverside – with the Member for Bass, Bridget Archer, on Wednesday 7 June.

"All students, regardless of their location should have the opportunity to experience a Parliamentary Education Office (PEO) program," Speaker Milton Dick said.

"One of my biggest priorities is to increase the accessibility of civics education.

"These are our future leaders. It is so important we empower school students with the knowledge, skills and values so that they can go on to be active and informed citizens."

About the Parliament in Schools program

Launched last year, the Parliament in Schools program is a bi-partisan initiative to make civics education accessible to students regardless of their location. In collaboration with local federal members, the Speaker is visiting schools across Australia to bring parliament to them.

The program is an extension to well-established PEO onsite, digital and outreach education programs available to schools across Australia.

It also complements the existing PEO online and print resources that are curriculum-aligned, for Australian teachers and students.

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THE SUPPLY of new homes is set to continue to decline under the weight of rising interest rates, according to Housing Industry Association (HIA) senior economist, Tom Devitt.

The ABS released the Lending to Households and Businesses data for April 2023 on Friday of last week.

“The number of loans issued for the purchase or construction of a new home has fallen to a new low,” Mr Devitt said.

“The last time so few loans were issued for the purchase or construction of a new home was in September 2008, when the GFC caused a contraction in building.

“Lending for the purchase and construction of new homes in the three months to April 2023 was 31.5 percent lower than at the same time last year.

“There are very long lags in this cycle and the full impact of the RBA’s rate increases are still to fully hit the housing market, let alone the broader economy," he said.

“These low lending numbers reflect a lack of new work entering the pipeline at the same time that population growth is surging.

“There needs to be a structural increase in the number of homes being built across Australia, a fact recently acknowledged by the RBA.” Mr Devitt said.

In original terms, the total number of loans for the purchase of construction of new homes in the three months to April 2023 declined in all jurisdictions compared with the same quarter a year earlier, led by the Australian Capital Territory (-67.5 percent), and followed by New South Wales (-34.9 percent), South Australia (-32.1 percent), Tasmania (-31.6 percent), Western Australia (-31.3 percent), Victoria (-29.5 percent), Queensland (-27.4 percent) and the Northern Territory (-5.1 percent).

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