THE Department of Defence and Austrade will appear at a public hearing tomorrow of the Defence Sub-Committee of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade. The two key departments will give evidence on the accomplishments and challenges relating to Australia’s defence industry exports.

Defence is the main promoter and controller of Australian exports of defence equipment, including advanced weapon platforms, systems, components and technologies. In conjunction with Defence, the Australian Trade Commission (Austrade) supports companies seeking opportunities in international defence markets.

Austrade notes that the technologies and products of the defence sector are transferable to civil applications and it has developed initiatives to highlight Australia’s advanced manufacturing capabilities to potential customers.

Chair of the Defence Sub-Committee, Senator David Fawcett (SA), said the inquiry provides an opportunity to identify barriers to the export of defence goods and services by Australian companies.
 
“Defence industry should be seen as a fundamental input to Australia's defence capability which means we need it to be innovative and sustainable. One way to achieve this is for the Government to encourage, and where appropriate facilitate, export to suitable nations," Senator Fawcett said.

The inquiry's terms of reference include identifying barriers and impediments to the growth of Australia's defence exports; how Government can better engage and assist Australian defence industry to export its products; the operation of the Defence Export Control Office; and assessment of the export support given to defence industry by governments of comparable nations.

The inquiry's terms of reference are available on the Committee’s website.

Public hearing
Date/Time:  Tuesday, 24 March 2015, 5.40 pm
Location:  Parliament House Committee Room 1R1
Organisations: Department of Defence and the Australian Trade Commission (Austrade)

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

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THE Chairman and other Executive Members of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) will appear before the House Economics Committee this coming Friday 20 March 2015 in Parliament House, Canberra.

The Chair of the committee, John Alexander OAM MP said, "We are looking forward to continuing our scrutiny of APRA on important issues in prudential regulation including governance and accountability in the superannuation industry, the resilience of the banking sector to possible global shocks, the implications of new capital requirements for banks, and property lending standards."

Mr Alexander also commented that the potential implications for APRA of some of the recent Financial System Inquiry recommendations, if adopted by Government, were of interest to the committee.

Public Hearing Details

Committee: House of Representatives Economics Committee
Venue: Committee Room 2R1, Parliament House, Canberra
Date: Friday, 20 March 2015
Time: 9.30am to 12.30pm
Webcast: The hearing will be webcast live on www.aph.gov.au/live

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VECCI Chief Executive Mark Stone said - VECCI welcomes the Commonwealth Government’s announcement of a further $305 million, in addition to the $2.1 billion previously announced, in net red tape reduction measures that will be of great benefit to Victorian business.

Mr Stone said highlights for business include:

• Improvements to the ATO website, estimated to benefit six million Australians who will be able to find relevant tax information more quickly.
• Implementing easier monthly Pay As You Go (PAYG) tax instalments for certain businesses, meaning participants will only need to calculate their actual instalment income on a quarterly basis.
• Lowering the amount of surplus capital that private health insurers need to maintain and simplifying their reporting requirements.
• Reducing duplicate assessments for Australian manufactured medical devices, putting Australian manufacturers on an equal footing with their overseas competitors regarding regulatory assessment requirements.

"VECCI also welcomes the Commonwealth Government’s efforts to measure, and report to Parliament, the total cost of federal regulations, estimated at $65 billion per annum," Mr Stone said. "This portfolio by portfolio stocktake highlights key regulatory hotspots and can be used to target future deregulatory reforms.

"VECCI recognises that well-designed regulation is beneficial for business and the wider community because it improves economic stability, provides operational certainty and increases consumer confidence.

"However, because regulations affect all facets of business, including inputs, prices, and output, unnecessary, complex and poorly designed regulations also constrain the ability of business to provide the best product or service at the lowest cost.

"VECCI has been a consistent supporter of the Commonwealth Government’s repeal agenda and applauds the priority given to red tape reform.

The Victorian Employers' Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VECCI) is the most influential business organisation in Victoria, informing and servicing more than 15,000 members, customers and clients around the state.

vecci.org.au  

THIS Wednesday, Members of Parliament will meet to discuss whether the use of Section 313 of the Telecommunications Act 1997 can and should continue to be used by government agencies to fight cybercrime.

The House Standing Committee on Infrastructure and Communications, chaired by Jane Prentice MP, will examine whether past uses of s.313 were appropriate, legal and effective, and whether changes should be made to the legislation to broaden or narrow the scope of its powers.

Issues to be addressed include:
- the efficacy of disrupting websites that host illegal content
- the legal basis of using s.313 in its current form
- whether other legislation provides for the disruption of illegal activity online
- whether the purpose of disruption has been adequately defined
- the need to better define the issues/offences against which s.313 is directed
- a potential role for ACMA as the principal reporting and oversight agency for use of s.313

Mrs Prentice said the Committee had considered a range of submissions relating to the use of s.313 to disrupt criminal activity online. 

“This Inquiry has raised important issues about personal freedom and community protection. Wednesday’s hearing will allow the Department of Communications to clarify its position on a number of issues and give the Committee a clearer view of the best way to achieve a balance between personal freedom and social responsibility when addressing the disruption of illegal online services,” she said.

Details of the hearing are as follows:
Date: Wednesday, 18 March 2015
Time: 8:00 am to 9:00 am
Venue: Committee Room 1R3, Parliament House, Canberra

Audio of the hearing will be broadcast live at: http://www.aph.gov.au/live

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The House of Representatives Agriculture and Industry Committee will conduct a public hearing tomorrow, Thursday, 19 March 2015, for the inquiry into circumvention of anti-dumping laws.

Appearing at the hearing for the inquiry will be the Australian Forest Products Association and two major Australian steel producers.

The hearing will be held in Committee Room 1R1, Parliament House, Canberra:
 
Thursday, 19 March 2015
12.15 pm Australian Forest Products Association
12.45 pm BlueScope Steel
1.15 pm Arrium (OneSteel)
1.45 pm Close

The public hearing will be webcast live at: http://www.aph.gov.au/News_and_Events/Watch_Parliament

Further details about the inquiry, including submissions received and the terms of reference, can be obtained from the Committee’s website at: www.aph.gov.au/agind

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THE Tourism & Transport Forum (TTF) will outline the importance of Australia marketing itself as a prime destination for wealthy families from the Middle East, at a public hearing in Canberra tomorrow.

The Trade Sub-Committee of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade wants to hear from the TTF about the potential for growing tourism from the Gulf States for its inquiry into trade and investment with the Middle East.

According to the TTF, the Middle East has been identified as a key growth market by Tourism Australia, which estimates that visitors from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates collectively have the potential to spend $1 billion a year as tourists to Australia.

The $1 billion expenditure target places tourists from the relatively sparsely populated countries of the Gulf in much the same league as Japanese and German tourists. The higher average spend of Middle Eastern tourists coming to Australia is mostly due to them spending more per day and staying longer than visitors from other countries.

The potential for attracting more tourists from the Middle East is being assisted by the growth in international air services to Australia from the Gulf States, which grew by 27 per cent in 2014, mostly due to the Australian airline alliances with UAE-based carriers such as Emirates and Etihad.

More than 1.5 million passengers flew to Australia on Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways from the UAE and Qatar, and more than 150,000 came on Qantas and Virgin Australia services from the region.

To promote this, the TTF is urging the government to streamline its visa system for the Gulf countries, provide premium passenger services for passport control and customs for the high-end visitors from the Middle East, and offer similar services at business jet terminals.

Public hearing
Date/Time:  Wednesday 18 March 2015, 11:05 am
Location:  Committee Room 1R3, Parliament House, Canberra
Organisation:  Tourism & Transport Forum

Live audio broadcast will be available at www.aph.gov.au/live

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CHANNELADVISOR Corporation (NYSE: ECOM), a leading provider of cloud-based e-commerce solutions that enable retailers and manufacturers to increase global sales, today announced that Google and Alipay will present keynote sessions at Insite Melbourne 2015.

Taking place at the Grand Hyatt Melbourne on 19 March 2015, Insite will offer online retailers exclusive access to the industry leaders that are shaping the e-commerce landscape.

Dileep Kannan, Google Shopping lead at Google Australia, and Steve Chen, country manager of Australia and New Zealand at Alipay, will each present keynote sessions during this year’s Insite event.

Last year saw Google’s mandatory transition from Product Listing Ad (PLA) campaigns to the recently released Shopping campaigns format. Kannan’s presentation, titled “Winning in Google Shopping,” will help retailers navigate this changing Google Shopping landscape.

“The shopper journey has changed in recent years, and increasingly, we’re seeing local retail converge with online shopping,” said Kannan. “I’m excited to speak at Insite and share how Google is helping retailers change the way consumers interact with their products and discuss strategies for success using Google Shopping."

Alipay, a subsidiary of Ant Financial Services Group, is the most widely used third-party online payment platform in China, with more than 300 million registered users and 80 million transactions daily.

According to Alipay’s most recent annual spending report, the availability of online-payment services has played a major role in making goods and services widely accessible in China.[2]

In his presentation, titled Accessing China’s Mobile Consumer: Alipay as the Cross-Border Payment Solution, Chen will explain how Ant Financial uses big data and cloud technologies to create a hassle-free payment solution.

“Borders are breaking down, and there’s a wealth of opportunity for retailers to expand their businesses into new regions,” said Chen. “At Insite, my presentation will focus on the future of online payment methods and detail the ways that retailers can reach China’s mobile consumer base."

“Insite Melbourne provides unparalleled content and networking opportunities from some of the biggest names in the e-commerce space,” said Mark Gray, managing director, APAC, at ChannelAdvisor. “The theme of this year’s Insite is ‘E-Commerce Advanced,’ and Dileep Kannan and Steve Chen are ideal speakers to address online retailers ready to take their businesses to the next level.”

Insite Melbourne 2015 will be held at the Grand Hyatt Melbourne on Thursday, 19 March. For more information and to register for Insite Melbourne 2015, please visit www.channeladvisor.com.au/insitemel.

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About ChannelAdvisor

ChannelAdvisor (NYSE: ECOM) is a leading provider of cloud-based e-commerce solutions that enable retailers and manufacturers to integrate, manage and optimise their merchandise sales across hundreds of online channels including Amazon, Google, eBay, Facebook and more. Through automation, analytics and optimisation, ChannelAdvisor customers can leverage a single inventory feed to more efficiently list and advertise products online, and connect with shoppers to increase sales. Billions of dollars in merchandise value are driven through ChannelAdvisor’s platform every year, and thousands of customers use ChannelAdvisor’s solutions to help grow their businesses.

For more information, visit www.channeladvisor.com.au.

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THE Financial System Inquiry (FSI) proposal to reinstate the banning of limited resource borrowing arrangements (LRBA) within an SMSF should be reviewed in favour of more targeted measures to address inappropriate use of gearing linked to poor quality advice, according to the Institute of Public Accountants (IPA).

“The IPA believes that the issue is not SMSF borrowing per se, but inappropriate advice provided by unlicensed advisers,” said IPA chief executive officer, Andrew Conway.

“A sledgehammer approach may not be the appropriate way to eliminate the use of poor quality advice relating to SMSF gearing.

“We need better analysis of ways to address the risks surrounding borrowing before merely imposing an outright ban.

“No case has been made, including no evidence presented, that there is a risk to the superannuation system as posed in the final FSI report.

“Interestingly, there are also no alternative measures other than an outright ban to mitigate some of the concerns raised.  For example, if they are worried about the diversification, why not consider excluding LRBAs for funds with small balances.

“There is plenty of scope to amend the rules to specifically address all of the issues raised without resorting to a total ban,” said Mr Conway.

The IPA has made this recommendation as part of its 2015/16 pre-Budget submission.  Further detail can be found at www.publicaccountants.org.au/2015budget

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