THE Indigenous Affairs Committee inquiry into fostering better engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander consumers will hear from the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA) at a public hearing this Thursday.

Committee Chair Julian Leeser MP said, "NAAJA had expertise on many of the issues currently faced by Indigenous consumers and the gaps that continue to exist in the corporate sector’s understanding of meaningful Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander engagement.

"The committee looks forward to NAAJA’s insights and to having a productive discussion," Mr Leeser said.

Public hearing details

Date: Thursday, 10 February 2022 (AEDT)
11.35am    North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency

A live audio stream of the hearing will be accessible at https://www.aph.gov.au/Watch_Read_Listen.

For more information about this inquiry, including its terms of reference, details of upcoming public hearings, and instructions on making a submission, please visit the Inquiry webpage. 

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THE House Economics Committee will be holding a public hearing via videoconference on February 10, focusing on the impact of recent amendments made to the Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act 1993.

This public hearing is part of the committee’s ongoing Review of the Four Major Banks and other Financial Institutions, with the committee to hear from Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA), Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), Treasury, and Professor Scott Donald.

Committee Chair Jason Falinski MP said, Amendments to Section 56 of the Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act 1996 were made as part of the government’s response to the Hayne Royal Commission to protect the funds of members by preventing trustees from using these funds to pay for fines incurred by their own actions. However, there have been wide reports of superannuation funds seeking judicial opinions to contravene this provision.

"The committee deserves an explanation from APRA, ASIC and Treasury as to how they are interpreting these new provisions, and what actions they will take to ensure that the decisions made by Parliament are not easily and carelessly overturned. The committee would like to know how superannuation trustees could fund their penalties, and ways to do so that do not put member’s funds at risk or increase their fees."

The committee will also hear from UNSW Associate Professor Scott Donald, who specialises in governance within the superannuation sector.

Mr Falinski said, "Throughout this inquiry, the committee has remained concerned about consumers’ best financial interests. While the regulators will be an important focus of the committee at this hearing, we also look forward to hearing from Professor Donald and his perspective on recent events."

For more information about the hearings, or to read transcripts from previous hearings, visit the committee’s website.

Public hearing details

Date: Thursday 10 February 2022
Time: 9.15am to 11.30am
Witnesses: Professor Scott Donald, APRA, ASIC and Treasury

The hearing will be webcast at aph.gov.au/live.\

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THE Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) has endorsed the use of the Telecommunications Sector Security Reforms (TSSR), making six recommendations to improve its continued operation and address industry concerns. 

The TSSR reforms were enacted in September 2018 to help manage the national security risks of espionage, sabotage and foreign interference in Australia’s telecommunications networks and facilities.

The committee commenced a review in late 2020 to ensure the operation, effectiveness and implications of the reforms were being achieved in line with the original intention of the government and the PJCIS when legislated in 2018.

The committee today presented its recommendations which address industry concerns on the operation of the existing framework, as well as to complement the continued evolution of the government’s cybersecurity and critical infrastructure reform agenda.

The six recommendations cover:

• ensuring that reforms and regulation are informed by the latest global network trends and threats;
• ensuring that the aim of increased security and cyber-resilience is a central object of the Telecommunications Act 1997; and
• increasing government and industry collaboration and information sharing in a collaborative working environment to ensure that threat-sharing is efficient, and that any further reforms are co-designed between industry and government to avoid regulatory duplication.

Chair of the committee, Senator James Paterson said the lives and livelihoods of Australians depended on safe and secure telecommunication networks and facilities.

"When our economy and way of life is so heavily reliant on telecommunication networks, this is an area of vulnerability that can be exploited by both state and non-state actors who may seek to cause us harm," Senator Paterson said.

"That’s why we need appropriate safeguards that empower both service providers and the government to protect our networks from national security risks.

"The Committee’s recommendations aim to refine the current operation of the reforms to help secure the telecommunications sector, to protect our economy and national security," Senator Paterson said.

Further information on the inquiry as well as a copy of the report can be obtained from the inquiry website.

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AUSTRALIAN company, Lloyds Auctions is supplying more than 400,000 highly sensitive bulk Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) to Australian businesses as one of the nation’s cheapest tests available at $8 each.

“Aussie businesses have been left with only breadcrumbs to survive on during this pandemic, so we are choosing to help support struggling businesses by providing bulk quantities of Rapid Antigen Tests for only $8 each with no limits," Lloyds Auctions chief operations officer, Lee Hames said.

“As Josh Frydenberg commented today, it is time for the private sector to take the baton and continue to run hard,” stated Mr. Hames.

The 400,000 tests available are known as Cellife, one of the highest quality RAT tests on the market and available for distribution now.

"It should be recognised that not only have individuals been struggling to get these tests but both small and large Australian businesses, these are the people keeping our economy going and they are struggling to continue trading without having these Rapid Antigen Tests on hand," Mr Hames said.

"For this reason, we want to guarantee a supply to as many Australian businesses as possible allowing them to specify the quantity they need."

Lloyds Auctions has made similar contributions towards the community back in March 2020 at the start of the pandemic, when they were fortunate to receive thousands of bottles of sanitiser when Australia had next to nothing available. The team came together to give these sanitisers away to the community and have come into a similar circumstance yet again with these Rapid Antigen Tests.

"Like many Australian businesses struggling to trade during the pandemic we actually put a call out to our Lloyds family desperately asking for goods to sell on our site and someone replied saying they had hundreds of thousands of Rapid Antigen Tests for sale," Mr Hames said.

"Again, our team purchased tens of thousands of those which we gave away for free to individuals in need.

"The response so far has been overwhelming both physically and emotionally for our team who are passionate about helping people who are really struggling to find or afford these tests, but it is very rewarding, and people are extremely grateful," Mr Hames said.

RAT tests can be purchased on the Lloyds Auctions website at www.lloydsauctions.com.au 

Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 1800 456 588 for a custom quantity of Rapid Antigen Tests for delivery until supply runs out.

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