THIS THURSDAY, the Indigenous Affairs Committee will hear from four organisations as part of its inquiry into fostering better engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander consumers. This will be the inquiry’s final public hearing for this current Parliament.

The four organisations appearing at the public hearing this Thursday are: the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE); Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance NT (AMSANT); Danila Dilba Health Service; and Northern Territory Council of Social Service (NTCOSS).

Committee Chair Julian Leeser MP said, "These organisations played a central role in preventing a Dan Murphy’s store from opening near dry communities in the Northern Territory. They have firsthand experience of poor corporate behaviour towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in relation to alcohol, health and other social issues.

"The committee looks forward to discussing options for more effective and meaningful Indigenous engagement by the corporate sector," Mr Leeser said.

Public hearing details

Date: Thursday, 17 February 2022 (AEDT), 11.35am

- Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE)

 - Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance NT (AMSANT)

 - Danila Dilba Health Service

  - Northern Territory Council of Social Service (NTCOSS)

A live audio stream of the hearing will be accessible at https://www.aph.gov.au/Watch_Read_Listen.

For more information about this inquiry, including its terms of reference, details of upcoming public hearings, and instructions on making a submission, please visit the Inquiry webpage.

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THE PEAK BODY for Catholic not-for-profit hospitals is calling on the Federal Government to stamp out the rise of inefficient ‘junk’ health insurance policies by making ‘bronze level’ insurance the new minimum requirement for Australians seeking to avoid the Medicare Levy Surcharge (MLS).

In its Federal Budget submission, Catholic Health Australia is urging the Federal Government to reform the private health insurance system, which currently allows health insurers to sell virtually worthless insurance called ‘basic’ insurance – dubbed ‘junk’ by some – to consumers who are primarily interested in avoiding the MLS at tax time.

CHA Health policy manager Alex Lynch said it was alarming that ‘junk’ policies had grown from a third of all policies sold in 2015, to nearly two-thirds today.

"Most of these ‘junk’ policies merely allow holders to enter the public system as a private patient. Junk policies allow individuals to avoid paying extra tax and provide a super-easy revenue stream for private health insurers. But they offer zero relief to the overburdened public hospital system, nor value to customers," Mr Lynch said.

"We need to recalibrate the system so people are either paying the MLS to fund more Medicare or receiving proper insurance that reliably allows them to be treated in the private health system. Our current system, which encourages private health insurers to make big profits from selling near-worthless products, is a shocking waste our health system can no longer afford."

CHA is calling for bronze-level policies, which cover 18 categories of services in private hospitals, to be the new floor for Australians who wish to be exempt from the Medicare Levy Surcharge.

“A private health policy should give you the chance to exercise choice and use private hospitals where suitable," Mr Lynch said.

"The pandemic has highlighted the need for government to encourage the use of private hospitals so they can take pressure off the public system. But this can only happen if we start winding up the sale of ‘junk’ private health insurance that sees people pushed into public hospitals anyway."

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THE House of Representatives today resolved to extend the reporting date for the Select Committee on Social Media and Online Safety.

Accordingly, the committee has reopened submissions and is calling for interested parties to provide evidence by Tuesday, March 8, 2022. The committee is particularly interested in hearing from young people (aged 13-18) or their representatives on their experiences with social media and online safety, and their perspectives on how online harms might be addressed.

Committee Chair Lucy Wicks MP expressed her thanks to all witnesses who have so far provided submissions and appeared at public hearings, stating that the powerful accounts of online abuse have highlighted to the committee the importance of its work.

The committee has so far conducted nine hearings with over 50 witnesses, and received over 70 submissions from individuals, organisations and government bodies. Further hearings are being considered for coming weeks.

The committee is now required to provide its final report to the Parliament on March 15, 2022.

Further information about the committee can be located on its website.

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THE Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) has commenced a review into new laws to protect Australia’s infrastructure from sophisticated cyber threats.

The Security Legislation Amendment (Critical Infrastructure Protection) Bill 2022 was referred to the committee by Karen Andrews MP, Minister for Home Affairs, and has been requested to report in time for the Bill to be passed in the March 2022 sitting period.

The Bill has been introduced to address the outstanding elements of the proposed framework that the PJCIS reported on in its Advisory report on the Security Legislation Amendment (Critical Infrastructure) Bill 2020 and Statutory Review of the Security of Critical Infrastructure Act 2018.

The Bill proposes revised measures to introduce:

• Critical Infrastructure Risk Management Programs – revised and reformed in line with the recommendations of the PJCIS report. The form of the programs, the rules defining their content and scope, and ongoing consultation to ensure collaborative design and to avoid regulatory duplication has been highlighted by the government in the Bill’s introduction;
• Declaration of Systems of National Significance and accompanying Enhanced Cyber Security Obligations; and
• Other measures to achieve the outcomes of other recommendations from the PJCIS report, feedback from stakeholders and other realised efficiencies. 

More information regarding the Bill and its referral can be found at the review website.

The committee is requesting submissions to the Bill review by Tuesday, March 1, 2022. The committee has acknowledged the short timeframe for this review, and has provided some principle-based questions and themes to help aid submitters on addressing the key areas the committee will be interested in. These principles are available on the review website.

Prospective submitters are 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.

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

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THE Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman (ASBFEO) Bruce Billson is set to visit Lismore on Tuesday, February 15, to meet with flood and storm-impacted small businesses.

Mr Billson said he was keen to speak with small business owners that have had flood or storm damage at a feedback session to be held at Lismore Workers Club (231 Keen St, Lismore) on Tuesday afternoon from 2pm-3pm.

“We want to hear from small and family business owners who have lived experience of a natural disaster such as floods or storms and have ideas about how best the government can support them to prepare and remain resilient in the case of an unavoidable event,” Mr Billson said.

“What we learn from small businesses in this session, will help inform the work on our current Small Business Natural Disaster Preparedness and Resilience Inquiry, including recommendations to improve education and engagement programs to best target and assist small businesses in preparing for natural disasters.

“I encourage Lismore small and family business owners to take part in this important discussion.”

Small business operators who are unable to make a feedback session can contribute their insights here.

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THE Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman (ASBFEO) Bruce Billson is set to visit Murwillumbah on Tuesday, February 15, to meet with flood and storm-impacted small businesses.

Mr Billson said he was keen to speak with small business owners that have had flood or storm damage at a feedback session to be held at Murwillumbah RSL Club (10 Wollumbin St, Murwillumbah) on Tuesday from 11.30am-12.30pm.

“We want to hear from small and family business owners who have lived experience of a natural disaster such as floods or storms and have ideas about how best the government can support them to prepare and remain resilient in the case of an unavoidable event,” Mr Billson said.

“What we learn from small businesses in this session, will help inform the work on our current Small Business Natural Disaster Preparedness and Resilience Inquiry, including recommendations to improve education and engagement programs to best target and assist small businesses in preparing for natural disasters.

“I encourage Murwillumbah small and family business owners to take part in this important discussion.”

Small business operators who are unable to make a feedback session can contribute their insights here.

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HESTA has welcomed the Federal Government progressing their legislation through the Parliament today, removing the $450 monthly wages threshold for payment of Super Guarantee contributions.

The threshold has unfairly disadvantaged the retirement savings of low paid casual and part-time workers for years, according to HESTA.

“The requirement to earn $450 per month with one employer before you get paid super has compounded financial insecurity for casual and part-time workers, who often have lower pay and are in insecure or precarious work,” HESTA CEO Debby Blakey said.

"More than 80 percent of our members are women. Women are more likely to work in multiple part-time or casual roles with different employers. The result is that they can totally miss out on the benefits of super, which leaves them more vulnerable to poverty as they age.”

Ms Blakey said HESTA had advocated for many years to scrap the $450 super threshold and congratulated the Federal Government on ending a super system inequity that disproportionately impacted women.

“Super is for all Australians and ending this outdated measure helps make our super system fairer for women and those on lower wages,” Ms Blakey said.

“Our members spend their working lives caring for others and the long overdue removal of this threshold will ensure that they’ve now got a better opportunity to enjoy a more financially secure retirement.

“The fact that super continues not to be paid on parental leave remains an obvious gap in our super system that needs to be addressed.”

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THE Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman (ASBFEO) Bruce Billson is set to visit natural disaster-hit areas across the country seeking vital on-the-ground feedback from impacted small businesses.

Throughout the sessions, the Ombudsman will gather insights from small business operators all the way from Northern Queensland to Kangaroo Island and Tasmania, to help inform the Small Business Natural Disaster Preparedness and Resilience Inquiry.

Mr Billson said small businesses were encouraged to take part in the ASBFEO-hosted feedback sessions, which kick off in Townsville and Rockhampton on Monday, February 14.

“We want to hear from small and family business owners who have lived experience of a natural disaster and have ideas about how best the government can support them to prepare and remain resilient in the case of an unavoidable event,” Mr Billson said.

“What we learn from small businesses on this tour, will help inform our recommendations to improve education and engagement programs to best target and assist small businesses in preparing for natural disasters such as fires, floods and drought.

“We know the impacts of natural disasters on small businesses can be devastating. It can mean damaged and destroyed assets, reduced production and revenue streams, and sadly, a business-ending event in some cases that can have devastating personal impacts.

“Recovery can be lengthy - taking a heavy toll on small business owners, their staff and the broader community, but can be greatly assisted by good preparedness.

“The cost of natural disasters and the time it takes for small businesses to get back on their feet could be reduced by being better prepared, taking sensible risk and impact mitigation action and bolstering resilience," Mr Billson said.

“Over the coming weeks, we will be visiting more than 20 areas across six states and territories that have been impacted by fires, floods and cyclones. I encourage small and family business owners to take part in this important discussion.”

Small business operators who are unable to make a feedback session can contribute their insights here.

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