THE House of Representatives Standing Committee on Communications and the Arts will hear from the Department of Communications and the Arts and the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) at a hearing in Canberra for its inquiry into broadcasting, online content and live production to rural and regional Australia.

Committee Chairman, the Hon Bronwyn Bishop MP, said the Committee has heard from a range of media and arts groups at its recent hearings, and now looks forward to receiving evidence from these key government agencies about their important policy, funding and regulatory roles.

“The Department of Communications and the Arts plays an important role in policy setting, and providing funding for public broadcasters and subsidies for the arts,” Mrs Bishop said.

“ACMA, which is responsible for the regulation of broadcasting, the internet, radio communications and telecommunications, will appear with the Department to provide information on broadcasting to rural and regional Australia. In its 2013 investigation into local content, ACMA found that local content is important and valued by regional Australians.”

Public hearing details:
Date: Tuesday, 15 March 2016
Time: 3.40pm to 5.00pm
Location: Committee Room 1R2, Parliament House, Canberra
Live webcast (audio only)

For further background information on the inquiry and Committee, please visit the Committee website www.aph.gov.au/communications 

ends

THE Australian Taxation Office (ATO) and Treasury will give evidence tomorrow to the House Tax Committee on options for more efficient scrutiny of the ATO.

The ATO’s scrutineers include the Auditor-General, the Inspector-General of Taxation, the Ombudsman, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, and parliamentary committees. Complaints about tax administration were transferred from the Ombudsman to the Inspector-General on 1 May 2015.

The Commissioner of Taxation, Mr Chris Jordan AO, has publicly stated that the ATO may be subject to excessive scrutiny and that its scrutineers could be more “forward looking”.

Mr Jordan has stated that, over the past five years, the ATO has undergone 51 reviews producing 6300 pages of reports and almost 350 recommendations.

At the hearing, the ATO is expected to outline its proposals for more efficient scrutiny that maintains confidence in the tax system.

Committee Chair Bert van Manen said, “The ATO is an important agency within government and needs to be scrutinised. However, innovation should be supported and agencies are under constant pressure to be more efficient. I look forward to discussing the ATO’s proposals with them.”

Public hearing program
4.10 pm to 5 pm
Wednesday, 16 March 2016
Committee Room 2R1
Parliament House, Canberra

Witnesses: ATO and Treasury

To watch the hearing: go to www.aph.gov.au/News_and_Events/Watch_Parliament.

ends

A MORE CO-ORDINATED and integrated approach to the development and application of smart ICT to infrastructure is one of the key recommendations to Government in a report released today by the House of Representatives Committee on Infrastructure, Transport and Cities.

Committee Chair, Mr John Alexander MP, said the report on the role of Smart ICT in the design and planning of infrastructure revealed Smart ICT has the capacity to transform the design, construction and management of infrastructure assets, the management and use of existing assets, and the operation of transport, communications, energy and utility systems.

“These technologies are transformational with the capacity to dramatically increase the productivity of the Australian economy,” Mr Alexander said.

“In order to achieve this, however, governments and industry must be aware of the potential of smart ICT, and must invest in the technologies, skills and systems to make the transformation a reality.”

The central recommendation of the report is the formation of a Smart Infrastructure Task Force—based on the UK model—to provide national coordination between governments, industry and researchers.

The Committee has also recommended that:

• The Smart Infrastructure Task Force be given responsibility for the national coordination of protocols and standards relating to infrastructure data and the development of an objects library.
• The National Archives of Australia be given the resources to oversee the development of a whole-of-government infrastructure data strategy.
• Government gives greater recognition to the capacity of new technologies and systems to enhance the operation of emergency management and disaster planning and remediation.
• Government recognizes public safety communications systems as critical infrastructure.

A copy of the report can be obtained from the committee’s website or from the secretariat on (02) 6277 2352.

The Committee’s webpage.

ends

IDENTIFYING innovative funding and financing opportunities will be one of the issues canvassed by the government agency responsible for infrastructure when they appear before the inquiry into the role of transport connectivity on stimulating development and economic activity in Canberra on Tuesday.

Chair of the House of Representatives Infrastructure, Transport and Cities Committee, Mr John Alexander MP, said the Committee looked forward to hearing from the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development, particularly on how value capture mechanisms can generate new partial funding streams.

“Funding and financing of infrastructure is an essential part of the planning process, particularly in its impact on transport connectivity,” Mr Alexander said.

“It is no longer possible for governments – state or federal – to be the sole funder of transport infrastructure and it is important to explore financing options for infrastructure that are more efficient and spread the cost fairly.

“By generating new partial funding streams through value capture, it could allow governments to deliver infrastructure projects ahead of schedule.”

Mr Alexander also said that in its submission, the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development emphasised the need for an integrated land use and infrastructure planning approach, which the Committee looked forward to exploring in further detail.

Hearing details
Date: Tuesday, 15 March 2016
Time: 5.40 - 6.30 pm
Witnesses: Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development
Venue: Committee Room 1R3, Parliament House, Canberra
The public hearing will be webcast live at http://www.aph.gov.au/live

ends