THE Joint Standing Committee on Treaties (JSCOT) has recommended that the Australian Government ratifies the Treaty on Extradition between Australia and the Czech Republic (Canberra, February 17, 2022) (Extradition Treaty).

The Extradition Treaty creates a framework that simplifies the surrender of a person from one country to the other for criminal prosecution or to serve a criminal sentence.

JSCOT Chair Josh Wilson MP said, “On ratification, this will be Australia’s 40th bilateral extradition treaty and will allow Australia and the Czech Republic to better combat serious and transnational crime. It will help to ensure that those who commit these crimes are not able to escape across borders and instead face a court of law and prison.”

The Extradition Treaty strengthens the ability of Australia and the Czech Republic to cooperate on matters of extradition which will work to ensure that those responsible for crimes will be held accountable.

Mr Wilson said: “Through cooperation between Australia and the Czech Republic, this Treaty provides clarity and certainty to the extradition process.”

The Report can be found on the Committee website, along with further information on the inquiry.

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ON JUNE 13, the Defence Subcommittee of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade will conduct its third public hearing in support of its inquiry into the Department of Defence Annual Report 2021–22.

The Subcommittee will hear evidence from an academic panel as well as the Department of Defence on the inquiry’s third focus item: Support to domestic crisis.

Chair of the Subcommittee, Julian Hill MP, said, "In recent years Defence has been used increasingly as part of national responses to domestic crises. Recent examples include support to the COVID-19 pandemic, and numerous floods and bushfire events.

“The Subcommittee will hear how this seemingly near persistent requirement is impacting the organisation from a preparation, training, and capability perspective, as well as reviewing current policy and approaches to resourcing.

“Leading experts and senior Defence representatives will publicly share their views on this important matter which will also provide useful context as respective authors consider the 2024 National Defence Strategy.”

Further information is available on the inquiry webpage.

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THE House of Representatives Standing Committee on Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water has tabled its report on the inquiry into the 2009 and 2013 amendments to the 1996 Protocol to the Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter, 1972 (London Protocol).

The committee considered the two amendments to the London Protocol. The 2009 amendment permits the export of carbon dioxide streams for carbon capture and storage between countries who have signed up to the London Protocol.

The 2013 amendment proposes to regulate marine geoengineering activities, such as ocean fertilisation and other activities in the future.

Committee Chair, Tony Zappia MP said, "The evidence received by the committee from government, industry and community groups provided the committee with a perspective on how they could be implemented. The committee subsequently recommended that the Australian Government ratify both instruments."

The report can be downloaded from the committee’s website.

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DEPARTMENT of Home Affairs boss, Michael Pezzullo AO, will front the Joint Standing Committee on Migration on Wednesday, June 14, to provide evidence to the committee’s Migration, Pathway to Nation Building inquiry.

This will be the seventh public hearing for the inquiry and the first time the department appears.

Committee Chair, Maria Vamvakinou MP, said, "Over the course of the inquiry, the committee has heard from all sorts of people and organisations on what’s wrong with the current migration system and how it could be improved.

‘This hearing will be the perfect opportunity for the committee to get answers on the current operation of the migration system from those directly responsible for administering it. The hearing is particularly timely given the recent completion of the Parkinson Review, the announcement of the government’s proposed Migration Strategy, and the ongoing Multicultural Framework Review. The committee will be very interested to hear about the outcomes of these initiatives and how the Department will implement associated reforms," she said.

"The committee has already heard from a whole range of sectors, all united in the view that migration remains crucial to Australia’s national interest. So it is vital that we have a migration system that is fit-for-purpose, backed by evidence and research, and is beneficial to Australia’s society, culture and economy, as well as to migrants themselves," Ms Vamvakinou said.

The full hearing program is available on the committee website.

Hearing details

Wednesday, 14 June 2023

11.45am to 1.45pm

Main Committee Room, Parliament House Canberra.

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THE Human Rights Subcommittee of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade (JSCFADT) will speak to key charitable and human rights organisations about trends in relation to human rights violations against women and children in a public hearing to be held in Melbourne CBD on Wednesday, June 7.

Ms Maria Vamvakinou MP, Member for Calwell and Chair of the Human Rights Subcommittee, said, “The Subcommittee has heard evidence of a range of human rights abuses being perpetrated against women and children across the globe. This public hearing will focus on delving further into these issues, identifying the root causes of gendered violence, and considering how best to move forward in the pursuit of gender equality and protecting the rights of the child.”

The Subcommittee will finalise its hearing program soon and move towards the preparation of its report. Submissions to the inquiry were due by Friday, December 16, 2022; however, late submissions may be considered. Submissions containing graphic material will not be accepted to the inquiry. Submissions should be lodged online using a My Parliament account.

Further information in relation to the inquiry is available from the JSCFADT’s website.

Hearing details

Time: 10.15am to 4.45pm (AEST)

Venue: Seminar Room 2 & 3, Level 7, Monash Conference Centre, 30 Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000

Witnesses:

Australian Red Cross
Plan International Australia
Uniting Church of Australia                       
Iranian Women’s Association     
CBM Australia & The Australian Disability and Development Consortium
International Women’s Development Agency
Monash University & Eleos Justice

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THIS WEEK the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Milton Dick MP is in Tasmania 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 Canberra for sitting weeks.

Over three days, the Speaker will visit:

• King Island District School, Currie – with the Member for Braddon, Gavin Pearce, on Monday 5 June,
• Perth Primary School, Perth – with the Member for Lyons, Brian Mitchell, on Tuesday 6 June,
• Westbury Primary School, Westbury – with the Member for Lyons, Brian Mitchell, on Tuesday 6 June,
• Ravenswood Heights Primary School, Ravenswood – with the Member for Bass, Bridget Archer, on Wednesday 7 June, and
• Riverside Primary School, Riverside – with the Member for Bass, Bridget Archer, on Wednesday 7 June.

"All students, regardless of their location should have the opportunity to experience a Parliamentary Education Office (PEO) program," Speaker Milton Dick said.

"One of my biggest priorities is to increase the accessibility of civics education.

"These are our future leaders. It is so important we empower school students with the knowledge, skills and values so that they can go on to be active and informed citizens."

About the Parliament in Schools program

Launched last year, 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 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.

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THE SUPPLY of new homes is set to continue to decline under the weight of rising interest rates, according to Housing Industry Association (HIA) senior economist, Tom Devitt.

The ABS released the Lending to Households and Businesses data for April 2023 on Friday of last week.

“The number of loans issued for the purchase or construction of a new home has fallen to a new low,” Mr Devitt said.

“The last time so few loans were issued for the purchase or construction of a new home was in September 2008, when the GFC caused a contraction in building.

“Lending for the purchase and construction of new homes in the three months to April 2023 was 31.5 percent lower than at the same time last year.

“There are very long lags in this cycle and the full impact of the RBA’s rate increases are still to fully hit the housing market, let alone the broader economy," he said.

“These low lending numbers reflect a lack of new work entering the pipeline at the same time that population growth is surging.

“There needs to be a structural increase in the number of homes being built across Australia, a fact recently acknowledged by the RBA.” Mr Devitt said.

In original terms, the total number of loans for the purchase of construction of new homes in the three months to April 2023 declined in all jurisdictions compared with the same quarter a year earlier, led by the Australian Capital Territory (-67.5 percent), and followed by New South Wales (-34.9 percent), South Australia (-32.1 percent), Tasmania (-31.6 percent), Western Australia (-31.3 percent), Victoria (-29.5 percent), Queensland (-27.4 percent) and the Northern Territory (-5.1 percent).

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THE Select Committee on Workforce Australia Employment Services will seek evidence from service providers and from peak bodies representing Australia’s multicultural, migrant, and refugee communities at a public hearing in Brisbane on Tuesday, June 6, 2023.

This follows site visits in Brisbane and far North Queensland, which will enable the committee to gain further insight into the design and delivery of the employment service system in regional Australia.

Committee Chair, Julian Hill MP, said, “Frankly, Australia can do much better in engaging multicultural communities to boost the country’s economic prosperity. I represent one of the most diverse electorates and am particularly concerned at evidence that employment services are not adequately supporting migrants in securing skilled work to harness their talents.

“The committee will also continue to listen carefully to the insights of employment service providers — including Sarina Russo, yourtown, and Workways Australia — to identify elements of the system which drive behaviours incompatible with high quality services and meaningful employment outcomes.”

Further information about the inquiry, including Terms of Reference, future public hearings, published submissions and hearing transcripts, is available on the inquiry website.

Public hearing details

Date                
6 June 2023

Time               
1pm – 3.30pm

Location         
Committee Room 3, Queensland Parliament
2A George Street, Brisbane City       

Witnesses     
Multicultural Australia
Ethnic Communities Council of Queensland
Sarina Russo Job Access
yourtown
Workways Australia

A live audio broadcast of the hearing will be available via the Parliament’s Watch, Read, Listen website.

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