THE INQUIRY into pathways and participation opportunities for Indigenous Australians in employment and business is holding further public hearings by conference call on Wednesday, April 7, 2021.

Julian Leeser MP, Chair of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Indigenous Affairs, noted that stakeholders appearing would include health organisations, Indigenous businesses, university researchers and government agencies.

"These hearings will contribute significantly to the existing body of evidence for this inquiry," he said.

"The committee looks forward to discussing gaps and opportunities in the workforce and future growth sectors that could result in employment and enterprise options for Indigenous Australians," Mr Leeser said.

"We will be particularly interested to hear from Indigenous business owners about their experiences running successful enterprises. It will be particularly useful to learn about present challenges and how Government can better facilitate business opportunities."

Public hearing details

Date: Wednesday, 7 April 2021
Time: 9.50am to 4pm AEST

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

A full program will be available at the inquiry website.

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THE Electric Vehicle Council has welcomed the Australian Labor Party’s pledge to make electric vehicles more affordable.

Labor has undertaken to introduce an Electric Car Discount to make electric cars cheaper for Australians.

As part of the discount, Labor would exempt many electric cars from: Import tariffs – a five per cent tax on some imported electric cars. Fringe benefits tax – a 47 percent tax on electric cars that are provided through work for private use

These exemptions would be available to all electric cars below the luxury car tax threshold for fuel efficient vehicles ($77,565 in 2020-21). 

Electric Vehicle Council chief executive Behyad Jafari applauded the ALP’s announcement.

“Australians want to make the switch to electric vehicles, but the lack of leadership nationally has limited their options,” Mr Jafari said.

“Electric vehicles are cheaper to run, require less maintenance and are better for the environment. It is only government inaction that is causing us to trail the rest of the world in electric vehicle uptake.

“This policy would encourage car manufacturers to import and supply more affordable electric models in Australia. This makes it a win for the environment and a win for fairness.

“This is the type of sensible action that has been taken by world leaders from all sides of politics. It is proven to work by making electric vehicles more affordable for more Australians.

“Unlike Victorian Labor, which is making electric vehicles more expensive with an unnecessary and premature electric vehicle tax, the federal ALP has steered in the right direction.”

Mr Jafari said Labor has also promised to: 

• Work with industry, unions, states and consumers to develop Australia’s first National Electric Vehicle Strategy, including consideration of:
  • Further measures to increase electric car sales and infrastructure;
  • Policy settings to encourage Australian manufacturing of electric car components (especially batteries) and possibly cars themselves; and
  • Ways to address the revenue and policy implications of declining fuel excise.
• Consider how the Commonwealth’s existing investment in infrastructure can be leveraged to increase charging stations across the country; and
• Consider how other existing Commonwealth investments, including in its fleet, property and leases, can also be leveraged.

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A MORE COORDINATED and comprehensive national approach is needed to make a meaningful reduction in the unacceptable rates of family, domestic and sexual violence, according to a bipartisan report of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs released today.

In its report, the committee makes 88 bipartisan recommendations which seek to inform the development of the next National Plan to reduce violence against women and their children, due to commence in mid-2022.

The committee’s recommendations include the development of a uniform national definition of family, domestic and sexual violence, universal age-appropriate respectful relationships and sexual consent education, measures to address coercive control and technology-facilitated abuse, and the establishment of a National Commissioner to have independent oversight of the next National Plan.

The committee’s recommendations also include measures to ensure that the welfare of victim-survivors and their children is at the centre of responses to family, domestic and sexual violence, a continued focus on education and primary prevention, and a stronger focus on programs to change perpetrators’ behaviour.

Chair of the committee, Andrew Wallace MP, said evidence to the committee highlighted that a whole-of-society response was essential.

"While all Australian governments have made substantial investments in an attempt to reduce family, domestic and sexual violence, it remains that one woman is killed on average every eight days at the hands of her partner or former partner. This senseless violence and abuse is sadly all too common, and its impact is profound and long lasting on family, friends and indeed the entire community," Mr Wallace said.

"There is much more work to do. As a nation we must do better to begin addressing these appalling statistics.

"The committee’s recommendations are wide ranging, but our clear message is that we need a more coordinated and comprehensive national approach to ending all forms of family, domestic and sexual violence. It is perpetrators that are responsible for their use of violence, but everyone has a role in bringing about change and stopping violence before it starts."

The committee is indebted to many organisations and individuals who contributed evidence throughout the inquiry, he said, in particular, the committee acknowledges the contributions made by victim-survivors who shared their experiences with the committee.

A full copy of the committee’s report can be found on the inquiry’s website.

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TAFE NSW workers are rallying in Sydney over the loss of 678 frontline jobs and the sale of the Scone campus, with the union warning south-west Sydney's youth unemployment is set to get worse as vital student services get cut.

More than 302 jobs are set to go from Sydney campuses, TAFE NSW's own documents have revealed. That includes 116 jobs from Sydney Metro, 50 from North Sydney, 42 from Western Sydney, and 92 from South Western Sydney campuses.

"TAFE NSW is the best pathway to get people out of the house and ready for work, especially for young people," said Stewart Little, general secretary of the CPSU NSW.

"One in five of Sydney's south-west young people are unemployed -- they need the help and guidance TAFE NSW can offer to find work. Instead of offering them more opportunities the government is cutting 10 percent of student support jobs."

Restructures in Student Services and Facilities Management and Logistics cut 678 positions, including 470 regional jobs. The jobs cuts include people who work directly with students, including: student advisors, customer support officers, field officers, VET fee help coordinators, help desk operators, marketing and promotions support officers.

Workers who maintain the campuses are also going, including: gardeners, caretakers, facilities officers, tradespersons, tool store persons, security officers, asset and fleet control managers, and site services assistants.

"Gladys Berejiklian and Dominic Perrottet are deliberately dismantling TAFE NSW piece-by-piece," said Mr Little. He was joined in the rally outside the Ultimo campus with Labor’s Shadow Minister for TAFE NSW, Jihad Dib and affected TAFE NSW workers.

"It's straight out of the privatisation playbook -- under resource the system and then sell it off claiming the private market will do a better job. TAFE NSW should never be privatised."

Mr Little said the deliberate under investment in TAFE NSW was also felt particularly in the regions.

"The sale of the Scone TAFE is the latest in the Berejiklian Government's fire sale of state assets which will leave regional NSW worse off,' Mr Little said.

"The sale of the Scone campus is incredibly short sighted. The Hunter region has a youth unemployment rate of 18 percent but rather than investing in training opportunities the government is selling off campuses and cutting jobs.

"What do the people of NSW get from this gutting of critical training infrastructure? Fewer jobs and a hobbled education system. In the middle of the worst economic downturn the state has seen in a generation the Berejiklian government is closing pathways to prosperity."

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