AUSTRALIA'S top veteran employers, employees and entrepreneurs are being celebrated today as finalists for the 2022 Prime Minister’s National Veterans’ Employment Awards are unveiled.

Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Matt Keogh said the awards provide the opportunity not only to recognise organisations that actively recruit, employ and support veterans, but celebrate the successes of veterans in their careers post service.   

“As a nation we value the contributions made by veterans and their ongoing commitment to service, and we recognise the valuable skills they bring to the civilian workforce,” Mr Keogh said.

“Making sure that our community is aware of the great benefit that veterans can bring to business is so important, that’s why these awards celebrate the businesses who work with veterans and families.

“The finalists for this year’s awards have all gone above and beyond to create environments where veterans and their families will have successful careers.

“Judges were impressed with the quality and calibre of nominations received.  It is clear to me that many Australian businesses know just how great veteran employees are.”

Mr Keogh said that these businesses have a competitive edge.

“Veterans bring with them great skills that they have gained in Defence. These are individuals with great leadership skills, teamwork capacity, analytical skills, with the ability to work under pressure and to be agile, all critical skills in the modern economy," he said.

“I am also so pleased that there’s some new categories in these awards - ‘partner employee’ and ‘partner entrepreneur’.

“It is very hard to find a good ongoing job or further your own career as a Defence spouse or family member if you are having to relocate regularly. We need to work with business so they can better understand that even if this person is only going to be employed for a short time, they are going to provide huge value to business."

The annual awards are part of the Prime Minister’s National Veterans’ Employment Program.

Winners will be announced at an award ceremony taking place in Canberra later this year.

Full list of finalists

THE AUSTRALIAN Parliament’s Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters is now inviting submissions to the review of the 2022 Federal Election. The committee conducts a review of the previous election early in each new Parliament.

Committee Chair Kate Thwaites MP (Jagajaga, Vic) said the inquiry is an important part of ensuring that Australia’s democracy remains strong.

"This review is an important opportunity to examine how things worked during the last election, including areas that could be improved for future elections. It helps to ensure the conduct of our elections is accountable and transparent and supports public confidence in our electoral system and our democracy,"  Ms Thwaites said.

The terms of reference for the inquiry include examining proposals to reform laws on political donations, including real time disclosure and a reduction to the disclosure threshold, and potential reforms to election funding.

Additionally, the committee expects to focus on the potential for 'truth in political advertising' laws to enhance the integrity and transparency of the electoral system; and increasing participation of First Nations People; as well as increased electoral participation and enfranchisement generally.

The committee will be interested in hearing from anyone with a view to share, whether from a major institution like the Australian Electoral Commission, or an individual who has an interest in the electoral process.

The Terms of Reference are included below and are available from the committee website.

Submissions are open until October 7, 2022. Comments are welcome on one or more of the terms of reference, or other matters of relevance to the conduct of the 2022 Federal Election.

The committee expects to hold public hearings in due course. All relevant information will be available from the committee website as the inquiry progresses.

Further information will be available on the Inquiry website. 

Terms of Reference:

That the committee inquire into and report on all aspects of the 2022 federal election and related matters, including consideration of:

(a) reforms to political donation laws, particularly the applicability of 'real-time' disclosure and a reduction of the disclosure threshold to a fixed $1,000;

(b) potential reforms to funding of elections, particularly regarding electoral expenditure caps and public funding of parties and candidates;

(c) the potential for 'truth in political advertising' laws to enhance the integrity and transparency of the electoral system;

(d) encouraging increased electoral participation and lifting enfranchisement of First Nations People;

(e) the potential for the creation of a single national electoral roll capable of being used for all federal, state and territory elections in Australia;

(f) encouraging increased electoral participation and supporting enfranchisement generally, and specifically in relation to:

1. i. accessibility of enrolment and voting for persons with a disability;
2. ii. voting rights of Australians abroad;

iii. Australian permanent residents and new Australian citizens; and

1. iv. New Zealand citizens residing in Australia; and

(g) proportional representation of the states and territories in the Parliament, in the context of the democratic principle of 'one vote, one value'.

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THE Queensland Resources Council (QRC) has welcomed the opportunity to show all Queenslanders what the resources industry is doing to continuously improve safety in the mining industry, following yesterday's announcement by the State Government of a new Parliamentary Inquiry into mine safety.

QRC chief executive Ian Macfarlane said the safety of every mine worker was a priority and a core value of every mining operation in Queensland. This has resulted in the state's mine safety record being the envy of every other mining region in the world.

"When it comes to worker safety, our industry operates on the basis we're on an ongoing, continuous cycle of improvement and that any injury or fatality is unacceptable,” Mr Macfarlane said.

"We look forward to sharing with the Queensland community just how seriously our companies take their responsibility to provide a safe operating environment, and where improvements can be made in any area, we will listen and follow the recommendations of the experts."

Mr Macfarlane said almost 1000 people are set to attend the industry's four-day, annual health and safety conference on the Gold Coast later this month, with hundreds more expected to attend online.

"Queensland's safety conference is highly regarded internationally and the largest of its kind in the southern hemisphere,” he said.

“It has been overwhelming to see the response from industry to the conference this year, after the Covid-related postponement of the past two years. This again demonstrates just how committed our industry is to our goal of zero harm.

"The conference will feature presentations by the best health and safety experts in the world as well as from leading, independent regulators and government representatives.

“The goal is to share knowledge and insights into critical health and safety issues and innovations in order to continuously improve safety in our industry."

www.qrc.org.au

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QUENSLAND’s new coal royalty regime will not affect international mining investment but will make sure current record prices deliver better returns to regional communities, the Mining and Energy Union said this week.

Mining and Energy Union president Tony Maher said it was disappointing to see the Japanese Government weigh in on royalties when Japanese mining companies have been profiting from Queensland resources for decades.

“Coal prices are at staggering highs and no mining company is making investment decisions based on these prices, or on Queensland’s new royalty rates triggered by these prices,” Mr Maher said.

“In fact, some Japanese players in the Queensland coal industry already had their coal assets on the market before the royalty changes.

“Sure, they would like to pocket a bigger share of the current super-profits on the way out, but we’ll back a new hospital for Moranbah over bigger payouts for Japanese shareholders any day," he said.

“Mining companies will make their investment decisions based on the long-term outlook for coal prices and demand. It’s absolutely appropriate for Australian governments to make sure the industry delivers for citizens, especially at a time of record high prices," Mr Maher said.

“Mining communities are calling out for a fair return for their long-term support for the coal industry and overseas governments and the mining lobby should respect this.”

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