The proposed provisions to amend the Constitution by referendum have been referred to the newly established Joint Select Committee on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice Referendum for inquiry and review.

The Constitution Alteration (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice) 2023 (Bill), introduced to the House by Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus MP, would – if passed at a referendum – amend the Constitution to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Peoples of Australia.

It would also establish the Voice, intended to be an enduring institution to ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples can make representations to the Commonwealth Parliament and the Executive Government on matters that relate to them, improving the development and implementation of laws and policies.

Committee Chair Senator Nita Green said, "The government has now released the legislation which will ultimately be the mechanism to change the Constitution once it has been taken to the Australian public. This is a critical opportunity for the Parliament to examine the legislative provisions and hear from experts to ensure that the bill gives effect to the creation of the Voice.

"The committee is focused on the question of whether the legislative provisions achieve what is intended and give effect to the Government’s stated objectives before it moves to referendum," Senator Green said.

The committee has invited written submissions addressing the provisions of the bill. Submissions to the inquiry must be prepared solely for the inquiry and should not be published prior to being accepted by the committee.

"Prospective submitters should note that the committee does not intend to accept submissions that do not specifically address the provisions of the bill," Senator Green said.

Submissions are requested by COB Friday, April 21, 2023. Further information about making a submission to a committee inquiry can be found at the following link.

The committee intends to hold public hearings. The dates and locations of hearings will be decided shortly and published as soon as possible, a spokesperson said.

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

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THE House Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs will hold public hearings on Tuesday, April 4 and Wednesday, April 5 as part of its inquiry into online gambling and its impacts on those experiencing gambling harm.

Chair of the committee, Peta Murphy MP, said, “On Tuesday, we will question Sportsbet, Tabcorp and Entain (operator of brands Ladbrokes and Neds), and the peak industry body Responsible Wagering Australia, about whether industry is doing enough to limit the harm of online gambling in the Australian community.”

“Research released last week by the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) shows that Australians support greater restrictions on gambling advertising, and that gambling advertising encourages people to gamble and to do so in more risky ways.

“The AFL and NRL are major beneficiaries of sports betting, including through sponsorship and advertising, and receiving a proportion of each bet placed on their games. The Committee is interested in hearing how this aligns with the promotion of their codes as family-friendly and socially responsible organisations.” Ms Murphy said.

Also appearing on April 4 are the Australian Banking Association, the Australian Lottery and Newsagents Association, The Lottery Corporation, the Department of Social Services, the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts, and the Australian Communications and Media Authority.

On Wednesday, March 5, the committee will hear from the AIFS about their new research findings.

Programs for the committee’s upcoming hearings are available on the inquiry website here.

The hearings will be live streamed on the APH website: www.aph.gov.au/live.

Public hearing details

Date: Tuesday, 4 April 2023
Time: 8:30am to 4:00pm AEST
Location: Committee Room 2R1, Parliament House, Canberra and via videoconference

Date: Wednesday, 5 April 2023
Time: 2:00pm to 2:50pm AEST
Location: Via videoconference

Further information about the inquiry, including published submissions, hearing dates and transcripts, are available on the inquiry webpage.

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COMMITTEE Chair, Julian Hill MP today tabled the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit‘s report on the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's (DFAT) crisis management arrangements during COVID-19.

The committee examined DFAT's role in facilitating the return of Australians who had been stranded overseas during the pandemic due to border closures and travel restrictions, based on a performance audit of this response by the Australian National Audit Office.

The committee expressed deep concern regarding DFAT’s evidence that no advice was provided to inform certain public statements made by Ministers in the previous government during the pandemic.

“This led to confusing and misleading public messaging to stranded Australians in 2020 and 2021, and underscores the responsibility of government ministers to ensure they are informed by sensible and evidence-based advice before making public commitments in such sensitive areas,” Mr Hill said.

“The committee also considers that more could and should have been done by the Commonwealth to provide adequate quarantine facilities later in the pandemic. This was one of the key constraints upon DFAT’s ability to bring stranded Australians home.”

The committee made several unanimous recommendations aimed at strengthening the Australian Government's future crisis response, and ensuring that lessons learned from COVID-19 would be incorporated into existing frameworks, including that:

• the government formally respond to the 2021 Halton review into hotel quarantine arrangements
• human rights considerations be incorporated into the Australian Government Crisis Management Framework, and
• the Auditor-General consider an audit of the updated version of this Framework.

Mr Hill commended the department for its ongoing dedication to assisting Australians across the globe, saying that “it is important that DFAT and the wider Australian Public Service learn from the unprecedented global crisis that COVID-19 posed, so that the Australian Government will be better prepared to assist our most vulnerable citizens during future crises".

The committee focused on matters relating to DFAT's data capability, response coordination, assistance for vulnerable Australians, and procurement practices under the crisis management framework.

The report is available on the Committee’s website.

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THE Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit (JCPAA) will hold public hearings this week for its inquiries into Commonwealth procurement, Commonwealth Grants Administration and the Commonwealth Financial Statements 2021-22.

THURSDAY: Procurement Inquiry wrapping up

Thursday 30 March 2023
Time: 8am – 9am
Venue: Committee Room 2R1, Parliament House, Canberra

The Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) and the Community and Public Sector Union will appear before the JCPAA to further discuss concerns about contract management by the Department of Home Affairs. This hearing will allow the Committee to sum up the broader evidence received throughout the inquiry in what is likely to be the last hearing.

FRIDAY: Grants Administration Inquiry continues

Friday 31 March 2023
Time: 8.30am – 10am
Venue: Committee Room 2R1, Parliament House, Canberra

On Friday, JCPAA will welcome the Department of Finance and the ANAO for the final hearing for the inquiry into Commonwealth Grants Administration. The Committee will consider questions on the effectiveness of the Commonwealth Grants Rules and Guidelines and best practice in the administration of grants programs.

FRIDAY: Commonwealth Financial Statements Inquiry kicks off

Friday 31 March 2023
Time: 10:15am – 12:30pm
Venue: Committee Room 2R1, Parliament House, Canberra

Also on Friday, the JCPAA will commence public hearings for its inquiry into the Commonwealth Financial Statements. Key themes to be explored include:

• ANAO concerns regarding Defence’s use of appropriations
• Financial sustainability of government departments, in the context of media reports that the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry is “on the cusp of requiring a financial bailout”, and concerns regarding the Department of Home Affairs.

Committee Chair, Julian Hill MP, noted that these themes were just two of many matters raised in the ANAO’s audit findings from its review of the financial statements.

"The committee has a particular interest in understanding how Commonwealth entities are managing their financial resources to meet their present and future funding commitments," Mr Hill said.

Further information about the inquiries is available on the Committee website.

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THE Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) today presented its Advisory Report on Item 250 of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2022.

The report considers Item 250 of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2022, which was passed into law in December 2022.

Item 250 amended section 110A(1) of the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979 (TIA Act) to allow the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) access to stored communications and telecommunications data.

The committee made seven recommendations in relation to the reform of Australia’s electronic surveillance framework, parliamentary privilege and security of information.

The committee noted that Item 250 gives a wide range of covert powers to the NACC and considered the effect of the use of these powers on parliamentary privilege. The committee recommended the Government ensure the protection of parliamentary privilege in relation to the use of covert powers in its Reform of Australia’s Electronic Surveillance Framework.

Further the Committee considered that the TIA Act should be expressly amended to ensure that the provisions of that Act do not abrogate parliamentary privilege.

The committee also recommended that, given the sensitivity of information to be collected and stored by the NACC, it should be required to comply with the Essential Eight Maturity Model to Maturity Level Three as recommended by the Australian Cyber Security Centre. Finally, the committee recommended that employees at the NACC hold a security clearance of at least Negative Vetting Level 1, with increased requirements up to Positive Vetting depending on their access to sensitive information.

Committee Chair Peter Khalil MP said, "The committee supports allowing what will be Australia’s premier anti-corruption agency the covert powers necessary to undertake its important work. The committee has recommended some additional measures to ensure that the NACC can operate effectively while ensuring necessary protections for parliamentary privilege, and for sensitive information.”

Further information on the inquiry as well as a copy of the report can be obtained from the Committee’s website.

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THE Joint Standing Committee on Treaties (JSCOT) has recommended ratification of the International Law Organization Convention concerning the elimination of violence and harassment in the world of work (No 190).

The convention is the first international instrument that commits International Labour Organization (ILO) members to respect, promote and realise the right of everyone to a world of work that is free from violence and harassment, including gender-based violence and harassment.

JSCOT Chair Josh Wilson MP said, “Violence and harassment in the world of work is still far too common. In the five years prior to the 2022 Time for Respect Survey, 41 percent of women experienced sexual harassment at work in Australia.

"This convention offers a genuine opportunity for Australians to recognise that mutual respect and dignity are a central part of work, and to reduce the instances of violence and harassment in the workplace.”

The convention contains innovative provisions, including a world-first in international labour standards in the form of a comprehensive definition of violence and harassment in the world of work, including gender-based violence and harassment.

“In recent years, violence and harassment at work in Australia has been a major part of our national conversation and we have seen long-awaited improvements to our domestic law and policy," Mr Wilson said.

"The committee concluded that ratifying this first-of-its-kind convention would be an important milestone in Australia’s continuing efforts to respond to this issue.”

The convention covers all workers and other persons in the world of work, from full time employees to gig-economy workers, and from people who are in training or volunteering to workers who have lost their jobs.

The convention also covers work in public or private spaces, travelling to and from work, rest breaks, and work-related travel and training.

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

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NATIONAL housing campaign Everybody's Home is calling on the Federal Government and Senate to strengthen the social housing fund before Parliament.

Everybody’s Home spokesperson Maiy Azize said the Housing Australia Future Fund needed to be scaled up to match the scale of the crisis. 

“Australia is facing a housing crisis that has never been more dire," Ms Azize said. "Rents are surging, record numbers of Australians are in severe rental stress, and more and more people are being plunged into homelessness.

“We have a once in a generation opportunity to build up social housing. Australians in need expect the government to take action.

“If the government is serious about tackling this crisis, it should be scaling up the Housing Australia Future Fund to match the scale of the crisis we face. That means topping up its funding every year and uncapping the funding for social housing. That would get more badly needed dollars into housing and more homes built.

“We also need to make sure that this Fund actually delivers homes to the people who need them. That means making a binding commitment to build social homes, not just setting a target," Ms Azize said.

“Everybody's Home is calling on the government to strengthen this fund to make sure it delivers for Australians – and work with the parliament to pass it.”

www.everbodyshome.com.au

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