THE Department of the House of Representatives is seeking a suitably qualified and experienced service provider to develop and deliver a National Youth Parliament to be held in Canberra in 2026.
Participants in the National Youth Parliament will have the unique opportunity to learn about aspects of being a Member of Parliament, including the process by which bills are drafted, considered, and pass Parliament to become law.
The provider will manage the event and deliver a program for 150 senior students, one per federal electorate, which complies with all child safety requirements and will achieve best practice educational outcomes.
An open tender is available via AusTender for interested suppliers.
THE Human Rights Subcommittee of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade (JSCFADT) has published its report into the operation of amendments made by the Autonomous Sanctions Amendment (Magnitsky-style and Other Thematic Sanctions) Act 2021.
Chair of the Subcommittee, Maria Vamvakinou MP said, "Sanctions can and do play a vital role in tackling human rights abuses, curbing serious corruption, and addressing other issues of international concern.
"Recent legislative developments have strengthened Australia’s sanctions framework. But as this review makes clear, there are opportunities for us to have an even greater global impact through our use of autonomous sanctions."
This report makes five recommendations aimed at strengthening Australia’s autonomous sanctions framework, including:
sanctions decisions be accompanied by detailed reasoning;
reasons for sanctions decisions be included in the Consolidated List of sanctioned individuals and entities;
the Parliament receive an annual report on sanctions decisions taken during the previous year;
the regulations for imposing autonomous sanctions be updated to include listing criteria for all thematic areas;
a humanitarian exemption be legislated to ensure humanitarian assistance is not adversely affected by the imposition of sanctions.
The report is now available on the JSCFADT website.
After launching an inquiry into this topic on August 22 last year, the committee received more than 200 written submissions and heard from witnesses across seven days of public hearings in Melbourne, Brisbane, and Canberra. This significant level of public engagement underscored the critical importance of efforts aimed at addressing and curtailing AOD-related harms across the country.
"Alcohol and other drug use is not just a health issue – it is a complex social challenge that cuts across multiple measures of wellbeing for communities throughout Australia," Committee Chair, Mike Freelander MP, said.
Highlighting the often complex and wide-ranging consequences of substance use, Dr Freelander noted that "the impacts extend far beyond individual health, touching on critical social issues such as family violence, child protection, community services, and the criminal justice system".
The issues paper explores several key themes underpinning the evidence presented during the inquiry, such as the national coordination of the AOD sector, service demand and provision, prevention and harm reduction strategies, workforce development and tailored support for high-risk population groups.
Recognising the depth and complexity of the inquiry subject matter, the committee acknowledged that multiple aspects of the terms of reference could not be fully explored within the available time frame. The committee has recommended that the inquiry be continued in the next Parliament.
The report is now available on the Committee's website.
THE House of Representatives Standing Committee on Communications and the Arts has today released a report, Am I Ever Gonna See You Live Again?, following its inquiry into the challenges and opportunities within the Australian live music industry.
Over the course of the inquiry, the committee held 18 public hearings in Canberra, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, and received many submissions from a wide range of stakeholders, including all levels of government, artists, broadcasters, promoters, venues, festivals, service providers and peak industry bodies.
Committee Chair Brian Mitchell, the Federal MP for Lyons in Tasmania, said the inquiry’s recommendations, if taken up by government, would help ensure a strong and sustainable future for live music in Australia.
"It was clear to us that many people across the country are doing a lot of work on live music," Mr Mitchell said.
"There was broad agreement about the myriad challenges and a lot of good ideas about how to grasp the opportunities of a fast-changing technological landscape.
"Our committee hasn’t sought to reinvent the wheel, but rather bring all that work and evidence together in a report and a set of recommendations that are practical and achievable."
The report is being tabled in the parliament out of session and can be found on the Committee’s webpage on the Commonwealth Parliament’s website.
The report makes recommendations about proposed amendments to the Aviation Transport Security Act 2004 (ATSA) and the Maritime Transport and Offshore Facilities Security Act 2003 (MTOFSA).
Committee Chair, Senator Raff Ciccone, said, "It has been over 20 years since the ATSA and MTOFSA became law and in that time the threat environment has changed considerably. It is appropriate that the legislative framework governing transport security change along with it.
"The committee’s advisory report makes a number of recommendations — recommendations that seek to improve the bill and make our aviation and maritime industries even safer than they are already."
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