THE House Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Resources has launched an inquiry into advanced manufacturing, with the aim of further supporting Australian industry, creating jobs and reviving the country's ability to make world class products in Australia.
Committee Chair Rob Mitchell MP said understanding opportunities associated with advanced manufacturing was crucial for strategic growth.
"Supporting the growth of advanced manufacturing is about enhancing the things we do well by taking advantage of new and improved processes," Mr Mitchell said.
"We need to ensure that we are well-positioned as a nation to take advantage of new technologies, and that our strategic decisions are informed by the right data. Continuing to grow the relationship between industry and our research sector is also vital.
We want to hear from stakeholders across industry, our tertiary sector and government about what it will take to make things better – and how we can ensure reliable growth within Australia’s manufacturing sector."
Submissions for the Inquiry into Developing Advanced Manufacturing in Australia are now open. The inquiry Terms of Reference can be found at aph.gov.au/isr.
The four organisations have all been listed as terrorist organisations under the Criminal Code since 2016 or earlier. The listing of the organisations, made by regulations tabled in Parliament, triggers the application of a number of offences under the Criminal Code relating to membership of, support for or association with the organisations.
The committee said all four organisations sought to revive or re-establish a caliphate within the territories they operate in and seek to do so through a militant jihadist ideology and fomentation of sectarian violence. All four organisations have expressed sentiments against Australian allies and interests, the committee said.
According to the committee, AQAP is a Yemen-based religiously motivated violent extremist group which, since its establishment in 2009, has undertaken numerous terrorist and criminal activities. A recognised affiliate of al-Qa’ida, AQAP has undertaken, attempted to conduct attacks and advocated for the undertaking of terrorist attacks within Yemen and internationally, including praising attacks against Australia’s allies.
Based primarily in Pakistan, AQIS is an al-Qa’ida-affiliated religiously motivated violent extremist organisation, which seeks to advance al-Qa’ida’s objectives in South Asia. AQIS currently recruits from Muslim communities across South Asia, with its leadership based in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
As an officially recognised affiliate of Islamic State, IS-Libya is a religiously motivated violent extremist organisation that has undertaken terrorist attacks and kidnappings against police and military personnel in North Africa, resulting in multiple deaths. Since its re-listing in 2019, IS Libya has undertaken multiple attacks including bombing of a police checkpoint and attacks on Libyan National Army soldiers.
Based on Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, IS-Sinai is a religiously motivated violent extremist group located in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula and is officially recognised by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Since its last re-listing in 2019, IS-Sinai has undertaken multiple attacks including against the Egyptian government, detonation of a gas pipeline and killing civilians and Egyptian soldiers through use of explosive devices.
Chair of the committee, Peter Khalil MP, said, "Based on information provided, it is the view of the committee that the appropriate processes have been followed and that the four organisations meet the threshold for re-listing as terrorist organisations under the Criminal Code."
Further information on the review can be obtained from the Committee’s website.
The inquiry will examine how encouraging healthy competition, stimulating the creation of more businesses and fostering entrepreneurship can enhance the well-being of Australians.
Committee chair Daniel Mulino MP said there had been two significant inquiries into competition over the past few decades – the 1993 Hilmer report and the 2015 Harper review.
"The committee does not plan to go over old ground," Dr Mulino said. "The economy has changed significantly over the past decade or so, particularly in digital technology and disruptive new technologies. We need to ensure we are harnessing this technology in the best way in the interests of consumers."
Dr Mulino said that while new digital technologies and approaches could be a very effective way to increase competitive tension, they could also create regulatory challenges.
"The committee will also investigate the continued market power of the Big Four banks, especially in the area of mortgages, retail deposits, and loans to small and medium enterprises, and whether more can be done to encourage competition through changes to macroprudential arrangements or other measures.
"In recent decades Australia’s productivity growth has stalled. The committee will examine the extent of market concentration, the fall in the establishment of new enterprises, the increase in mark-ups, and reduction in job mobility—and whether these have contributed to a decline in economic dynamism," Dr Mulino said.
The pandemic and the war in Ukraine had challenged supply chains and a diverse and dynamic business environment was one answer to that problem, he said.
"It is also timely that as a committee we explore economic plans that better equip Australia in the face of global uncertainty. As the nation emerges from the pandemic it is critical that we renew our focus on competition and business dynamism, to boost our productivity and for the benefit of all Australian workers and consumers."
Dr Mulino said the committee "would scrutinise the extent to which the consolidation of market power had undermined productivity, stifled wages, created more fragile markets and led to higher mark-ups".
The committee will also examine:
the degree to which anti-competitive behaviour and economic barriers — regulatory, as well as restrictions on access to finance, infrastructure, suppliers, customers, and workers — contribute to rising market concentration, and
international examples of best practice and innovative policies that demonstrate how Australia could lower economic barriers to competition and business formation, further limit anti-competitive behaviour, and better manage changes in industry structure that affect market power.
The committee is seeking submissions addressing some or all of the inquiry terms of reference from interested groups and individuals by Friday March 31, 2023. Submissions can be made online via www.aph.gov.au/economicdynamism.
More details about the inquiry, including the full terms of reference, are available on the committee’s website.
Daniel Mulino MP, the chair of the committee, said given the banks’ key role in the functioning of the economy, ongoing scrutiny was vital.
"The Financial Services (Hayne) Royal Commission, which reported in 2019, showed that far too often the banks did not live up to the trust that Australians placed in them," Dr Mulino said.
The committee will consider a number of consumer protection issues, including:
The financial position of borrowers and areas of potential vulnerability
Interest rates paid on deposits and loans
Ongoing implementation of recommendations from the Financial Services Royal Commission, and
Actions to protect customers from scams.
Other matters that will be raised include:
Supporting the flow of credit, including to small businesses
Operational performance, and
Responses to climate change and supporting Australia’s progress towards climate and other sustainability goals.
"And when it comes to scams, with evidence showing that Australians lost more than $2 billion to scams in 2021, a record amount, we need to hear what extra consumer protection the banks are planning," Dr Mulino said.
Dr Mulino said the government continued to work on implementing the recommendations of the Hayne Royal Commission and that the committee was keen to hear from the banks on their responses.
The terms of reference for the hearings into the Big Four banks are available on the committee’s website. Information about public hearings will be made available in due course.
The committee will not be seeking or accepting submissions for this inquiry.
The inquiry will look closely into a range of areas, including The experience of First Nations applicants and applicants with disability in their dealings with the scheme; and accessibility, performance and effectiveness of support services and legal advice for survivors and their advocates.
Submissions from interested individuals and organisations on the inquiry’s terms of reference are encouraged by Monday, February 27, 2023.
The committee wants to hear from individuals and organisations on their experience with the scheme. Submissions can respond to some or all aspects of the inquiry terms of reference.
Full details of what the inquiry will examine can be found in the terms of reference on the committee’s website. An easy English guide is also available.
Chair of the committee, Senator Catryna Bilyk said it was imperative that the committee heard first-hand the experiences people have had when accessing the scheme.
“There are low rates of access in parts of our community amongst people who are eligible to access the scheme,” Senator Bilyk said. “We need to understand what the barriers to access are to ensure that everyone who is eligible to seek redress does so."
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