INVESTMENT in transport infrastructure will help bridge the troubled waters of a declining housing market and softening commercial construction sector but there is zero doubt that more needs to be done to fast-track construction activity and ignite economic growth, according to Master Builders Australia.

“The latest industry forecast predicts that the government’s ramping up of investment in transport infrastructure will drive up the volume of civil construction work from $92.42 billion in 2019 to nearly $104 billion in 2022,” Master Builders Australia CEO Denita Wawn said.

 “This $92.6 billion increase will kick the volume of civil construction work up by 12.5 percent over the next couple of years and this is obviously good news for our industry, the economy and the community.

“We are hopeful that investment in urban infrastructure, including projects encompassed in the Government’s Cities Deals, will help to unlock new housing supply and moderate falls in the residential building sector which is forecast to be down 28 percent from its peak by 2020/21,” Ms Wawn said. 

“So while we commend and support the government’s infrastructure agenda, there is no doubt more needs to be done. As the Reserve Bank Governor has consistently noted, more infrastructure investment not only adds to demand in the economy and boosts productivity but construction activity needs to actually commence before this occurs – nothing happens if projects languish on lists.

“Infrastructure Australia’s 2019 Australian Infrastructure Audit points to a committed forward pipeline of $200 billion but also highlights measures that must be considered to accelerate its roll out,” Ms Wawn said. 

“To overcome capacity constraints, fast track construction activity and better realise the benefits to local economies and communities, governments must urgently adopt more sophisticated procurement models that ease the almost overwhelming reliance on a small number of Tier One contractors, unlock the capacity of Tier Two and Tier Three contractors and facilitate local contractors and small businesses working on local projects,” she said. 

“Big is not always better so good on the Prime Minister for backing this measure today,” Ms Wawn said. 

“There must also be a strong focus on investing in the development of more skilled trades people needed to construct the pipeline of infrastructure projects. Master Builders strongly backs the Federal Government’s commitment to reform the vocational education sector including improving its brand so that the erroneous perceptions of young people, parents and careers advisers don’t act as barrier to recruiting the best and brightest into trades where there skills shortages such as building and construction,” she said. 

“A highly skilled workforce will also be needed to meet future demand for social infrastructure such as hospitals, education and aged care facilities. It’s pleasing to see this category is now more of a focus for the nation’s infrastructure planners."

www.masterbuilders.com.au

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THE Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) will hold two public hearings this week for its Inquiry into the impact of the exercise of law enforcement and intelligence powers on the freedom of the press.

The chair, Andrew Hastie MP, said, "The Committee has received numerous and varied submissions regarding the balance between national security, freedom of information and the media. These hearings will allow for the Committee to engage with the major media outlets, other media stakeholders, human rights and legal advocates, as well as the law enforcement, intelligence and other policy agencies.

"The impact and appropriateness of the use of law enforcement and intelligence powers is a legitimate concern to many. The Committee will carefully consider both concerns and statements of support."

Further information on the inquiry can be obtained from the Committee’s website.          

Public hearing details

Date: 13 August 2019
Time: 8.30am – 5pm
Location: Level 3 Conference Centre, Castlereagh Boutique Hotel, 169 Castlereagh St, Sydney

Date: 14 August 2019
Time: 8.30am – 5pm
Location: Committee Room 2R1, Parliament House, Canberra

Programs for the hearings can be found here.

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THE Joint Standing Committee on Trade and Investment Growth has commenced an Inquiry into Supporting Australia’s Exports and Attracting Investment.

The Committee chair, George Christensen MP, said, "Trade and investment are major drivers of economic growth and support millions of jobs in Australia. Ensuring Australia has a supportive regulatory environment will enable more businesses to take advantage of export and investment opportunities.

"As part of its inquiry, the Committee will consider the ambition of Australian businesses to grow via export and attract investment, local regulatory barriers, and examples of best practice regulation to support export and investment growth. The Committee is particularly interested in examining new and rapidly growing areas of export," Mr Christensen said.

Submissions from interested individuals, businesses and organisations are invited by Monday, September 23, 2019. The preferred method of receiving submissions is by electronic format lodged online using a My Parliament account.

Further information about the Committee’s inquiry, including the full terms of reference and details on how to lodge a submission are available on the Committee’s webpage.

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THE Queensland Resources Council (QRC) supports the strong action the Federal Government is taking on anti-farming activists and is urging the Government to extend the laws to cover mining-related businesses and infrastructure.

The QRC has made a submission to the Senate committee inquiry looking at the Criminal Code Amendment (Agricultural Protection) Bill 2019.

QRC chief executive Ian Macfarlane said while everyone supported the right to protest, activists shouldn’t be able to trespass on farms, mines, railways and ports, or block lawful businesses from going about their day-to-day activities.

“There’s no difference between vegan activists storming a farm and anti-coal activists blocking a rail line,” Mr Macfarlane said.

“Both show complete disrespect for everyday Queenslanders who are working hard to make a living so they can support their families.

“There should be no tolerance of this type of behaviour from activists who are nothing more than anarchists obsessed with disrupting people’s lives.

“We’re calling on the Federal Government to extend the Bill to cover all legitimate businesses including mining, rail and port infrastructure and to complement the Private Members Bill on illegal activist behaviour which the LNP has brought forward to the Queensland State Parliament.”

The QRC has also supported harsher penalties for activists who break the law and commit illegal trespass, as proposed under the Criminal Code (Trespass Offences) Amendment Bill currently before the Queensland State Parliament.

“QRC supports the right of every Queenslander to protest peacefully.  But there’s nothing peaceful or safe about the tactics activists are using to delay and disrupt lawful projects,” Mr Macfarlane said.

“Existing state laws do not provide a significant deterrent to unlawful trespass, because it’s often the case that fines are small and no convictions are recorded.

“This is despite the fact that trespass on rail lines is extremely dangerous and disruptive.

“Protestors have characterised this type of illegal trespass as ‘non-violent, safe, direct action’ but such a description is a fantasy. 

“Ironically, they are relying on the strict safety environment and skilled staff who work on the rail network to prevent protesters being seriously injured or killed.

“There is a grave risk to protestor safety, train driver safety and community safety from this type of reckless action.

“The QRC supports action in both the State and Federal Parliaments to prevent activists from using the democratic right to protest to cross the line into trespass or interfering with lawful business.”

Click here for QRC's submission

www.qrc.org.au

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THE Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security has commenced two reviews into the three new national security bills.

The Identity-matching Services Bill 2019 and the Australian Passports Amendment (Identity-matching Services) Bill 2019 (the Identity-matching Bills), and the Counter-Terrorism Legislation Amendment (2019 Measures No. 1) Bill 2019 (CTLA Bill) are all reintroduced Bills. Previous Bills lapsed upon this year’s election. At this time the Committee’s reviews of the Bill also lapsed.

The Identity-matching Services Bill 2019 is intended to facilitate the secure, automated and accountable exchange of identity information between the Commonwealth and state and territory governments, pursuant to the objectives of the Intergovernmental Agreement on Identity Matching Services (IGA), agreed by COAG in October 2017.

The Australian Passports Amendment (Identity-matching Services) Bill 2019 amends the Australian Passports Act 2005 (Passports Act) to provide a legal basis for ensuring that the Minister is able to make Australian travel document data available for all the purposes of, and by the automated means intrinsic to, the identity-matching services to which the Commonwealth and the States and Territories agreed in the IGA.

The Counter-Terrorism Legislation Amendment (2019 Measures No. 1) Bill 2019 contains a range of amendments intended to strengthen Australia’s counter-terrorism legislative framework. The measures in the Bill fall into two broad categories – amendments relating to restrictions on bail and parole under the Crimes Act 1914 , and amendments relating to the continuing detention order (CDO) scheme in Division 105A of the Commonwealth Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth).

The committee invites written submissions addressing any or all aspects of the Bills.

Prospective submitters have been advised that any submission to the committee’s inquiry must be prepared solely for the inquiry and should not be published prior to being accepted by the Committee. 

Submissions are requested by 6 September 2019 for the Committee’s review of the Identity-matching Bills, and by 23 August 2019 for the Committee’s review of the CTLA Bill.

Further information about making a submission to a committee inquiry can be found at this link.

Further information on the inquiry can be obtained from the committee’s website.

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SUBMISSIONS are now open for the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters inquiry into the 2019 Federal Election.

The roles of pre-poll voting, political advertising standards, disinformation and third-party actors are expected to be examined by the Committee.

Committee Chair, Senator James McGrath said Australia had seen more people casting their vote before election day than ever before.

"More and more Australians are choosing to vote early. It is imperative we have voting options, but we need to examine what impact this increased uptake in pre-poll voting is having." Senator McGrath said.

Senator McGrath said the rise of social media manipulation and disinformation campaigns were a threat to democracy.

"Increasingly, Australians are consuming and accessing their news online, away from traditional offline sources. We need to ensure our electoral processes take the serious dangers of digital platforms and disinformation into account."

The committee is expected to hear from a wide range of individuals and organisations, including the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC).

Senator McGrath said, "Elections are everybody’s business, so we are not just reviewing the AEC's performance. This inquiry is an opportunity to look at all actors who participate in our elections, including third-parties. It is an opportunity to see what we can do to improve future elections."

Submissions are open until September 20, 2019. The terms of reference can be found on the committee's website.

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IN AN AUSTRALIAN first, a mentoring program for senior high school girls is expected to boost the number of women working in Queensland’s resources sector. 

Tonight, 20 girls from Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA) schools spread across Queensland will be at BHP's Brisbane headquarters to receive graduation certificates for the program, in which they were individually mentored by 20 women already working in the sector. 

“The results of the program, launched on International Women’s day this year have been outstanding,” said Queensland Resources Council (QRC) chief executive Ian Macfarlane. 

“All of the mentees said that their monthly coaching sessions were beneficial to their development. And, it was great to see that all 20 mentors said they also benefited from the program. 

“I applaud the fantastic support we’ve had for this program from the Queensland Government and our industry sponsors namely, Glencore Coal, Anglo American, BHP, Evolution Mining, New Hope, Peabody, Idemitsu, Hastings Deering, BGC Contracting, MPC Kinetic and Qmetco Limited," he said.

“I’m sure they’ll be keeping tabs on the progress of these exceptional young women as they transition to further studies.

“I also acknowledge the role of Women in Mining and Resources Queensland (WIMARQ) in the success of the program, with whom we work closely to improve the gender balance in our sector. 

“This program is part of QRC’s plan to improve the sector’s gender balance, with the proportion of women now at 16.5 percent, up from just 6 percent in 2006," Mr Macfarlance said.

“The feedback received from the girls and their mentors speaks for itself,” said Platinum Sponsor Glencore Coal’s Anna Wendtman.

“If we are to increase the proportion of women working in our sector, it’s important to expose the next generation of women to the sector, and provide female role models,” Ms Wendtman said.

The QRC/WIMARQ Girls Mentoring Program aims to provide encouragement and mentoring support for year 12 girls intending to transition into education and training, for vocational and professional careers in the resources and related sectors. 

The QMEA is a partnership between the QRC and the Queensland Government under its Gateway to Industry Schools program. It has 60 schools throughout Queensland.  

QRC is the peak representative body for Queensland‘s resources sector. The Queensland resources sector provides one in every five dollars in the Queensland economy, sustains one in eight Queensland jobs, and supports more than 15,400 businesses and community groups across the state, all from 0.1 percent of Queensland’s land mass. 

www.qrc.org.au

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THE Queensland Resources Council (QRC) has supported harsher penalties for activists who break the law and commit illegal trespass, as proposed under the Criminal Code (Trespass Offences) Amendment Bill currently before the State Parliament.

QRC chief executive Ian Macfarlane said action was needed to strengthen the laws because the current laws are being circumvented by organised and professional protestors.

“QRC supports the right of every Queenslander to protest peacefully.  But there’s nothing peaceful or safe about the tactics activists are using to delay and disrupt lawful projects,” Mr Macfarlane said.

“Existing laws do not provide a significant deterrent to unlawful trespass, because it’s often the case that fines are small and no convictions are recorded.

“For example, most protestors who have been charged for blocking rail corridors receive fines between $100 and $500, often with no conviction recorded. There have been instances where fines have been reduced on appeal because of the inability of the protestor to pay.

“This is despite the fact that trespass on rail lines is extremely dangerous and disruptive.

“Protestors have characterised this type of illegal trespass as ‘non-violent, safe, direct action’.  But this is a fantasy. 

“The only reason protestors can claim to be ‘safe’ is because they are relying on the strict safety environment and skilled staff who work on the rail network," Mr Macfarlane said.

“There is a grave risk to protestor safety, train driver safety and community safety from this type of reckless action. The current laws are no longer fit for purpose and are in urgent need of reform.

“QRC respects people’s right to protest peacefully. In fact, lawful protest in full compliance with the law is something our own industry has supported in our recent ‘Fair Go for the Regions’ march.

“However, protestors cannot be allowed to flout the law at their own choosing and to continually disrupt lawful business and people going about their day-to-day lives.

“We urge the Queensland Parliament to pass the Criminal Code (Trespass Offences) Amendment Bill in the interests of community safety.

“QRC also welcomes the action in the Federal Parliament to introduce legislation to create new offences for trespass on agricultural land.  We’re calling on the Federal Government to expand those laws to include trespass on mines, ports and other resources infrastructure.”

www.qrc.org.au

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