THE administration of government grants will be examined in a new Parliamentary inquiry, seeking to understand and learn lessons from the administration of previous grants programs and strengthen how Commonwealth grants are delivered.

Four Auditor-General’s reports relating to grants administration (Building Better Regions; Grants Hubs; Safer Communities; and Commuter Car Parks) will be considered by the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit in this inquiry.

The administration of three other grant programs (the Urban Congestion Fund; Regional Growth Fund; and Modern Manufacturing Initiative) as well as the implementation of recommendations in the Committee’s previous report on grants will also be reviewed.

Committee Chair, Julian Hill MP said parliamentary scrutiny of these programs was important to ensure that future grants programs were administered consistent with the intent of the Commonwealth Grant Rules and guidelines and in line with community expectations.

"The Committee will amplify the Auditor-General’s work, and also examine additional programs of interest administered by the previous government to learn lessons and to try to improve grants administration in the future,” Mr Hill said.

The Committee invites submissions to the inquiry addressing the terms of reference to be received by Friday, October 28, 2022. Details of public hearings will be made available on the inquiry website.

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THE House of Representatives Standing Committee on Economics will tomorrow hold its first public hearings into three of the four key financial regulators, the ACCC, ASIC and APRA. These follow the hearing into the Reserve Bank of Australia three weeks ago.

Giving evidence will be Gina Cass-Gottlieb, chair of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), Wayne Byres, chair of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA), and Joe Longo, chair of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC).

Labor’s Daniel Mulino MP, the committee’s chair, said that scrutiny of Australia’s financial system regulators is crucial to ensuring Australia’s economic resilience.

“While the Optus data breach has caused immense concern to the millions of Australians affected, it should also be a wake-up call to the corporate sector generally that robust systems are critical, regardless of the industry," Dr Mulino said.

“And as a committee we need to make sure that the key regulators of the corporate sector are doing what is required, and expected of them, to protect all Australians. The data breach has shown how vulnerable Australians can be.”

Dr Mulino added that the regulators needed to remain on the front foot in light of the challenges facing the economy including cost pressures facing businesses and households, skills shortages, concern about competition, uneven performance across superannuation funds, failing neo banks, the rising numbers of social media 'finfluencers', and corporate greenwashing activities.

International factors also pose challenges, including the deterioration in the global economy and heightened global uncertainty, the war in Ukraine and significant supply chain impacts

“The committee will be probing the supervision and enforcement activities of the ACCC, APRA and ASIC, as well as their policy development and governance processes.”

Public hearing details

Date: Tuesday 11 October 2022
Time: 9.15am – 4.45pm
Location: Main Committee Room, Parliament House, Canberra

Program

9.15 am           Australian Competition and Consumer Commission

11.45 am         Break

12.30 pm         Australian Prudential Regulation Authority

2.45 pm           Australian Securities and Investments Commission

4.45 pm           Finish

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

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THE House Standing Committee on Procedure has launched a new inquiry reviewing parliamentary practice and procedure to implement recommendations 10 and 27 of the Set the standard report by Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins.

These recommendations related to eliminating sexist, exclusionary or discriminatory language, behaviour and practices in the chamber and improving safety and respect, as well as looking at the sitting calendar and order of business.

"The Jenkins review recommended that the House consider whether there were opportunities to improve both the standing orders and any unwritten conventions in the Chamber," committee chair Shayne Neumann said. "The committee is interested in feedback and is now welcoming submissions to the inquiry."

However, matters such as codes of conduct and behaviour outside the Chamber are covered by other recommendations and will not be considered as part of this inquiry.

"The focus of our inquiry is on the standing orders and practices and procedures in the Chamber — we are not looking at the development of codes of conduct, for example," Mr Neumann said. "A joint select committee has been established to consider codes of conduct."

To read the full terms of reference or make a submission, visit the inquiry page.

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ACCORDING to Master Builders Australia, it is unsurprising that the Skills Priority List, published this week, has doubled in 12 months, leading to around a third of all Australian occupations facing critical shortages.

“We identified in late 2021 that the pressure of material shortages in the building and construction industry was being taken over by skill shortages, with the pressure steadily increasing throughout 2022," Master Builders Australia CEO Denita Wawn said.

"Skill shortages result in delays in building activity which impacts capacity to occupy new homes, schools, and offices or use new roads and railways.  It also puts a massive handbrake on economic activity.

“Master Builders has been calling on the Federal Government to not only speed up skilled migration pathways but also expand the skills list and provide greater flexibility.  The new Skills Priority List reinforces our calls. We acknowledge that the Federal Government is working on migration solutions.

“Skill shortages can also be resolved through greater completion of apprenticeships.  The industry has appreciated ongoing government support to encourage more people into trade apprenticeships, but we now need an equal focus on completion rates.  The average current completion rate for trade apprentices, of just over 50 per cent, is not acceptable given the environment," Ms Wawn said..

Building and construction roles added to the list in 2022 include:
•    Building inspector
•    Construction estimator
•    Crane, hoist or lift operator
•    Rigger
•    Scaffolder
•    Steel Fixer 

Building and construction roles that continue to be on the list include:
•    Construction project manager
•    Surveyor 
•    Engineer
•    Bricklayer
•    Stonemason
•    Carpenter and joiners
•    Painting trade worker 
•    Tilers (roof, wall, floor)
•    Plumber
•    Electrician.

www.masterbuilders.com.au

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THE PROVISIONS of the National Anti-Corruption Commission Bill 2022 and the National Anti-Corruption Commission (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2022 will be the focus of an inquiry by the newly established National Anti-Corruption Commission Legislation Committee.

Committee Chair, Senator Linda White said, "The inquiry is a way for individuals, organisations and interest groups to share their views on the proposed National Anti-Corruption Commission."

The Committee is calling for submissions commenting on the provisions of the bills and encourages that submissions be concise. The preferred method of receiving submissions is by electronic format lodged online using a My Parliament account.

Submissions close on Friday October 14, 2022.

Public hearings are planned on October 18, 19, 20 and 21 in Canberra with an expected option for remote participation by witnesses.

The Deputy Chair, Dr Helen Haines MP said, "While public hearings will be held in Canberra, the Committee intends to hear from witnesses from around Australia."

Submitters should indicate in their submission if they wanted to give evidence at a public hearing. The Committee’s website will detail any updates or other details regarding general arrangements for public hearings.

The Committee is due to report on or before November 10, 2022.

Further information about the Committee, including membership and details on how to lodge a submission, are available at the Committee’s website:  www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Joint/National_Anti-Corruption_Commission_Legislation.

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A NEW Parliamentary inquiry will examine Commonwealth Procurement, focusing on five recent reviews of procurement practices at Commonwealth agencies.

The inquiry, to be conducted by the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit (JCPAA) will examine ways to improve transparency, efficiency, and value for money in Commonwealth procurement.   

The Chair of the JCPAA, Julian Hill MP said, “in recent years the Australian National Audit Office has too often found that Commonwealth agencies have failed to follow both the letter and the spirit of the Commonwealth Procurement Rules. The Procurement Rules are to ensure value for money as well as encourage competition, efficiency and accountability in the expenditure of public money.

“There appears a concerning pattern of agencies cutting corners or interpreting the rules to suit themselves and make life easier for themselves, rather than apply the Rules and let more people and firms bid for Commonwealth work. Maintaining efficient, effective, economical and ethical procurement practices will always be a challenge for governments”, Mr Hill said.

"And the Committee hopes to identify how Commonwealth procurement practices can be improved to deliver better value for money for Australian taxpayers.”

The five Auditor-General Reports that will form the starting point for the Committee’s inquiry are:

• No. 6 (2021-22) Management of the Civil Maritime Surveillance Services Contract
• No. 15 (2021-22) Department of Defence’s Procurement of Six Evolved Cape Class Patrol Boats
• No. 30 (2021-22) Procurement of the National Capital Authority
• No. 42 (2021-22) Procurement of Delivery Partners for the Entrepreneurs’ Programme
• No. 5 (2022-23) Digital Transformation Agency’s Procurement of ICT Related Services

The Committee has invited submissions to the inquiry addressing the terms of reference to be received by Friday, November 11, 2022. Details of the inquiry – including the terms of reference and public hearings – will be made available on the Committee website.

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HOW Australia makes decisions to send service personnel into international armed conflict will be examined in a new parliamentary inquiry.

The inquiry was referred by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, Richard Marles MP, on September 28 to the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade (JSCFADT) with its own Terms of Reference. The JSCFADT has tasked the Defence Subcommittee to undertake this inquiry.

JSCFADT Chair, Shayne Neumann MP, said, “One of the most significant powers vested in the Executive Government is the decision to deploy Australian servicemen and women into armed conflict where they are at risk of serious injury and death. This review of course does not alter the fact that Labor's defence policy is founded on the principle of Australian self-reliance and the government and Australia's armed forces need to be able to defend Australia and its interests against credible threats in a dynamically changing geostrategic environment unimpeded by dissenting or short term political opinions.”

Commenting on the inquiry, Defence Subcommittee Chair, Julian Hill MP said, “The government has committed to holding this inquiry which presents an opportunity for the public and stakeholders to present evidence to the committee on where improvements can be made including transparency and accountability in the exercise of these powers. The subcommittee will examine whether the current parliamentary processes are sufficient and importantly, if there are inadvertent security implications any proposed policy changes may cause that could compromise the safety and security of our Defence Force personnel.

“During the inquiry it will be important to hear evidence about how other like-minded democracies and Westminster parliamentary systems around the world commit their citizens to conflict.”

The committee has invited submissions addressing the terms of reference to this inquiry by Friday, November 18, 2022.

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

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THE Speaker of the House of Representatives, Milton Dick MP has launched the Parliament in Schools program - an initiative to make civics education accessible to students regardless of their location.

The Speaker will be visiting five schools across Western Australia (WA), over the next three days and later take the in-person program nationally.

In collaboration with the Parliamentary Education Office (PEO), the Speaker will visit schools across Australia to bring Parliament to them. They will learn about federation, democracy and the parliament.

"At the moment, we have a fantastic schools program run at Parliament House in Canberra by the PEO," Mr Dick said. "In 2021-22, 19,468 students from 347 schools across Australia participated in an onsite PEO program.

"But not all students will get the opportunity to travel all the way to Canberra. This is why we are taking this program on the road, and bringing it to them," the Speaker said. 

Over the next three days, the Speaker and the PEO will visit:

• Swan View Primary School (Swan View) and Brabham Primary School (Brabham) - with the Member for Hasluck, Tania Lawrence MP;
• Oberthur Primary School (Bull Creek) - with the Member for Tangney, Sam Lim MP;
• Sacred Heart College (Sorrento) – with the Member for Moore, Ian Goodenough MP; and
• Shenton College (Shenton Park) – with the Member for Curtin, Kate Chaney MP.

About the PEO

The PEO educates Australians about, and inspires their enthusiasm for, Australia’s parliamentary democracy. Through accessible, immersive, experiential programs and resources the PEO fosters informed, engaged and active citizens of all ages.

Find out more about the PEO: www.peo.gov.au

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