THE House of Representatives Standing Committee on the Environment and Energy will on Wednesday hold a public hearing for its inquiry into the current circumstances, and the future need and potential for dispatchable energy generation and storage capability in Australia.  

Representatives from CSIRO will appear before the committee to discuss Australia’s current and future energy mix, specific dispatchable energy technologies and future frameworks that need to be considered to ensure Australia’s energy system is equipped for the future.

Committee Chair Ted O’Brien MP said, "The CSIRO is Australia’s preeminent science agency and will provide the committee with an insight into how Australia’s energy sector, combined with scientific technologies, can catalyse energy transition towards improved dispatchable energy generation and greater storage capability.

“CSIRO will be able to bring to the Committee valuable insight from their scientific research in this area,” Mr O’Brien said.

Public hearing details

Date: Wednesday, 11 August 2021
Time: 10.15am to 11.15am
Location: via videoconference

Program

10.15am – 11.15am: CSIRO

Due to Covid-19 restrictions, committee proceedings held in Parliament House are not currently open to the public. The hearing will be broadcast live at aph.gov.au/live.

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THE Joint Standing Committee on Migration today presented the final report for its inquiry into Australia’s skilled migration program.

Committee Chair Julian Leeser MP said, “Over 500,000 temporary migrants have left Australia since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and the lack of skilled migrants coupled with record low unemployment has led to major skill shortages in many sectors of the Australian economy.

“The government has implemented many of the recommendations the Committee made in Interim report in relation to skills shortages in the economy and their impact on the viability of businesses and their ability to create more jobs for Australians,” Mr Leeser said.

“In this report, the committee has made recommendations addressing a range of issues including a whole of government approach to address skills shortages, providing clearer pathways to permanency to and enabling the best and brightest international students to come and stay here to help us fill persistent skills shortages.

“The report also recommends a number of measures aimed at cleaning up and streamlining the skilled migration system, including consolidating the skills lists, replacing ANZSCO, providing more concessions for regional visas, improving customer service from Home Affairs and streamlining Labour Market Testing and the Skilling Australia Fund,” said Mr Leeser.

A copy of the report and more details about the inquiry are available on the committee website.

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THE Tax Practitioners Board (TPB) today launched its Corporate Plan for 2021-22, outlining its strategic objectives, goals and focus areas for the year.

To fulfil its purpose of ensuring tax practitioner services are provided to the public in accordance with appropriate ethical and professional conduct, and to prepare for the future, the TPB has set out three strategic objectives for the year: 1. Efficient registration of tax practitioners; 2. Effective compliance through education, deterrence and sanctions; and 3. Innovation and preparation for the future.

The TPB’s goals and objectives for the year have been influenced by the Federal Government’s response to the Review of the Tax Practitioners Board.

In his introductory message, the TPB chair Ian Klug AM said, "The review’s recommendations and the government’s response will result in a more effective and independent TPB, which will, in turn, enhance community confidence in our work and the tax profession.

"The TPB will continue to maintain and uphold the integrity of the tax system more broadly. This role will be enhanced by the modernisation of our enabling legislation and better alignment of our purpose and objectives with our current role, responsibilities and expectations."

Mr Klug said in addition to its own improvements, the TPB would work with fellow regulators using data-driven strategies to target high risk tax practitioners.

"This will improve the professional standards of the tax profession by investigating, sanctioning and terminating the registration of targeted high-risk tax practitioners who drive tax avoidance and evasion, create a reputational risk for the tax practitioner profession, and reduce community confidence in the integrity of the tax system," he said.

Mr Klug also said the TPB would continue to support the government’s broader financial services reforms as they implement improvements to reduce red tape and establish a single disciplinary body for the regulation of financial advisers.

The TPB Corporate Plan 2021-22 is available on the TPB website.

www.tpb.gov.au

About the Tax Practitioners Board

The Tax Practitioners Board regulates tax practitioners in order to protect consumers. The TPB aims to assure the community that tax practitioners meet appropriate standards of professional and ethical conduct. Twitter @TPB_gov_au, Facebook and LinkedIn.

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THE Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit (JCPAA) has commenced an inquiry into the use of alternative financing mechanisms in government expenditure, such as equity investments, loans and guarantees.

Committee Chair Lucy Wicks MP noted that the inquiry would focus on reporting in the Budget papers on programs funded through alternative approaches; reasons for programs being funded through alternative approaches; and the costs associated with different policies.

“The committee will have particular regard to the issues raised in Parliamentary Budget Office Report No. 01/2020, Alternative Financing of Government Policies,” Ms Wicks said.

The committee invites submissions to the inquiry that address the terms of reference. Public hearings will be held in the coming months.

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PEAK INDUSTRY body, the Accommodation Association, today welcomed the Victorian Government Commercial Tenancy Relief Scheme (CTRS), and encouraged all States and Territories to provide similar support.

With hotels across Victoria continuing to mitigate the impact of successive lockdowns on both their business operations and staff, the measures provide some hope in the face of flatlining consumer confidence.

Announced by Small Business Minister Jaala Pulford and passed last night, the Commercial Tenancy Relief Act 2021 includes some key changes from the previous scheme which take into account the absence of Jobkeeper, and will provide support to small businesses with a turnover under $50 million that have suffered a decline of at least 30 percent in turnover.
 
The Scheme will run until January 15, 2022, and will apply retrospectively from July 28, 2021.
 
The Victorian Small Business Commission will receive funding to cover mediation costs between tenants and landlords from reintroducing the CTRS Scheme, which can be accessed for free by both parties.
 
“This new CTRS legislation can’t come soon enough for our struggling Melbourne hotel operators , which can’t begin to fully recover until the Sydney lockdown ends and no one knows when that will be yet," Accommodation Association CEO Dean Long said.

“We sincerely thank the Victorian Government and Minister Pulford for recognising the need to support businesses hanging on by a thread. Right now I know there are hotels and staff in Melbourne reliant on international and corporate travel out of Sydney that are effectively operating blindfolded, with no clear pathway forward.

“That’s why it’s critical the CTRS runs into 2022, as it recognises the need to support businesses impacted by lockdowns into next year. Snap lockdowns do not include a snap recovery, it will takes month for hotels to rebuild.

“While this legislation is a step in the right direction for our sector that needs to be mirrored across Australia, our hotels still desperately need a support measure which safeguards our staff and the businesses that employ them," Mr Long said.
 
"When borders reopen the accommodation sector will provide a key pillar our national tourism sector can use to rebuild, but governments must recognise our industry needs help to ensure we keep our staff engaged until then.”

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THE Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) has commenced its review into the operation, effectiveness and implications of the Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme Act 2018.

The Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme was introduced in 2018 with the purpose of bringing transparency to activities undertaken on behalf of foreign principals, particularly where those activities are intended to influence Australian political and governmental systems and processes. The Scheme also imposes obligations on former politicians and senior officials, and criminal penalties apply to those who fail to comply with the requirements of the Scheme.

The Committee requests submissions to the inquiry by Monday, November 29, 2021.

Prospective submitters are being 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.

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

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THE EMOTIONAL toll of reopening a business, only to have it close due to another lockdown, is adding to the stress of employers who are uncertain of what the future holds for them.

Victoria is now in its sixth lockdown - the third since the end of May. While the recently announced small business relief package is helping some financially, it’s the mental health of employers that is feeling the true impact of repeated lockdowns.

Employsure, an Australia workplace relations advisor, has seen an increase in calls to its employer advice line over the past three months from employers concerned on how restrictions are impacting their business.

“We’ve seen a dramatic 67 percent rise in mental and physical health and safety related calls over this time period from employers struggling to hold their business together, even with the financial support they’re receiving,” Employsure employment relations specialist Nicholas Hackenberg said.

“There’s also been a similar 66 percent increase in calls related to employee absence, a 26 percent rise in entitlement queries, as well as a sharp rise in terminations from heartbroken employers who simply can no longer afford to keep their staff on their books.

“Employers across the state have now been placed into a world of uncertainty for a sixth time and will again sadly be feeling the all too familiar sense of anxiety and stress.”

Employers over the coming days should plan for the worst and hope for the best, according to Mr Hackenberg. He said going into cash preservation mode could be more important now than ever before, especially in a post-JobKeeper world. Employers need to assess what costs can be fairly cut, and make changes to protect their cash flow. They should also consider their options for retaining, standing down, or making staff redundant during the lockdown.

Those working from home will also be feeling the pinch of lockdown, Mr Hackenberg said.

To support staff, employers should regularly check in on them to identify any issues that might impede their work, he said. Because everyday encounters with colleagues do not happen spontaneously with those working from home, employers should urge their employees to reach out to their peers to maintain a social connection.

Staying connected not only helps reduce stress and the feeling of isolation but it can boost productivity. It also helps employees communicate with their manager and team to keep them informed of what project they are working on.

To keep better track of employees, business owners should use employee management software such as BrightHR to manage sickness, rosters, work locations and all other sensitive information and documents, he suggested.

“Some businesses are resilient and managed to effectively pivot operations where applicable. For others however, a sixth lockdown could be the final nail in the coffin,” Mr Hackenberg said.

“The cost of running a business is far greater than what financial support could ever offer. While lockdowns are needed until our vaccination rate improves, unfortunately we’re going to see more unnecessary closures from emotionally drained employers who simply can no longer cope.”

www.employsure.com.au

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THE House Select Committee on Mental Health and Suicide Prevention has announced the dates for its August public hearings with a range of health and allied health stakeholders. Due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, these hearings will be held via videoconference.

Public hearing details

Date: Friday 6 August 2021
Time: 9am to 2:40pm AEST

Date: Thursday 12 August 2021
Time: 10am to 12pm AEST

The public hearing programs will be available on the Committee website. Due to the public hearings being held by videoconference, public access will be available via the live broadcast at aph.gov.au/live.

The committee is unable to intervene or provide advice in relation to individual circumstances.

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