THE House of Representatives Standing Committee on Economics will hold its second biannual public hearing with the Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), Michele Bullock, on Friday, August 16. Additional RBA representatives will also appear.

Committee Chair Daniel Mulino MP said the RBA’s decision this week to leave interest rates unchanged was “welcome news to those who feared a rate rise, but no doubt very frustrating to the many praying for rate relief”.

Consumer price data for the June quarter showed a slight easing in the RBA’s preferred inflation measure to 3.9 percent, forestalling the risk of another rate rise for now. However, the RBA says inflation is still too high and has fallen very little over the past year. The RBA has foreshadowed that it will take inflation longer than previously predicted to return to target, and that restrictive monetary policy will continue.

Dr Mulino said the committee would continue its scrutiny of the RBA’s work as the bank strives to return Australia to its target inflation band of 2–3 percent, in an environment of growing global volatility and domestic cost of living pressures.

Dr Mulino said, “The RBA says it believes Australia is still on the ‘narrow path’ to a soft landing, but we also know that both inflation and mortgage stress are causing real pain for our households and businesses. The country relies on sound decision-making by the RBA and the committee looks forward to questioning Governor Bullock and her colleagues about their recent decisions and the path forward.”

Dr Mulino said the committee was also interested in the RBA’s evolving regulatory remit for payment systems, including Buy Now Pay Later services and credit card payments.

Public hearing details 

Date: Friday, 16 August 2024
Time: 9.30am – 12.30pm
Location: Committee Room 2R1, Parliament House, Canberra

The hearing will be broadcast live at aph.gov.au/live.

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THE House of Representatives Standing Committee on Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water will be travelling to Melbourne this week as part of its inquiry into the transition to electric vehicles (EVs).

The committee will undertake two site visits in Melbourne; the first to Infinitev, a business that is reusing, repurposing and recycling hybrid and EV batteries, and the second to an ANCAP Safety test facility where the committee will view an EV or hybrid model crash test.

A full day public hearing will be held on Thursday,  August 8, where the committee will hear from industry stakeholders, including representatives from health and environmental groups, the petroleum and motor industries, and emergency services about Australia’s transition to EVs.

Committee Chair, Tony Zappia MP, said, "The committee has heard valuable evidence about the benefits and challenges that the transition to EVs presents. We are looking forward to meeting with witnesses in Melbourne to delve deeper into these issues to help inform our inquiry."

The program for the public hearings can be found here.

The committee will be holding further public hearings in Brisbane and Canberra in September 2024. Further information about the inquiry is available on the Committee’s website.

Public hearing details

Date: 8 August 2024
Time: 9.15am – 4.15pm
Location: Legislative Council Committee Room, Parliament of Victoria, Spring St, Melbourne.
Witnesses: Doctors for the Environment Australia, National Automotive Leasing and Salary Packaging Association, ANCAP Safety, Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council, Lithium Australia, bp Australia, Motor Trades Association of Australia, Victorian Automotive Chamber of Commerce, Infrastructure Victoria, Victorian Greenhouse Alliance, Australasian Convenience and Petroleum Marketers Association.

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TOMORROW, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Milton Dick MP will be in Canberra, 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 Parliament House for sitting weeks.

The Speaker will visit Sacred Heart Primary School and St Anthony’s Parish Primary School with David Smith MP, Government Whip and Federal Member for Bean.

“Since we launched this program, we have visited over 100 schools across Australia – from King Island to Far North Queensland, to Nullagine and now we are bringing it back to Canberra,” Mr Dick said.

“The Parliament in Schools program is an integral part of improving civics education across Australia.

“These students are our future leaders, and it is important that we equip them with the information and tools they need, to go on to be active and engaged citizens.”

About the Parliament in Schools program

Launched in September 2022, 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 Parliamentary Education Office (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.

www.peo.gov.au

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AT THE EIGHTH public hearing for the inquiry into food and beverage manufacturing in Australia, the House Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Resources plans to hear from a range of stakeholders in Victoria, including representatives from an independent think tank on alternative proteins and an advocacy group working to improve diets and prevent obesity in Australia.

Committee Chair, Rob Mitchell MP, said, “The committee has held multiple public hearings across the country to find out more about what it is like to be an Australian food and beverage manufacturer. At this final interstate hearing, the committee looks forward to continuing to hear from local manufacturers, as well as stakeholders from the academic, health, and recycling & packaging sectors.”

The committee will conduct further public hearings in Canberra during August 2024. Further information about the inquiry, including the Terms of Reference, is available on the Committee’s website: aph.gov.au/isr

Public hearing details

Date: Wednesday, 7 August 2024
Time: 9am to 2:30pm (AEST)
Location: Legislative Council Committee Room, Parliament of Victoria, Spring Street, East Melbourne VIC 3002
Witnesses: La Trobe University, Australian Dairy Products Federation, Independent Brewers Association, Food for Health Alliance, Food Frontier, AUSVEG, Starward/New World Whisky Distillery, Pact Group.

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