LABOR’S BILLS SET TO ROLL; $2B SCAM HIT
Full legislative agenda for first sitting week
Federal Parliament resumes today (July 26), with the new Albanese Labor Government committing to introduce at least 18 pieces of legislation in the first sitting week. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the Government’s first-week agenda included legislation to reform aged care, to implement by law a 43 per cent cut in emissions by 2030, provisions for 10 days’ paid domestic and family violence leave, and legislation to establish the new statutory body, Jobs and Skills Australia. Under the Government’s proposed sitting schedule, Parliament will sit again in the first week of August, followed by the first full two weeks of September, before returning for the Budget on October 25.
Foreign investment application fees to double
Foreign investors into Australia will be forced to pay a 100 per cent increase in their application fees, Treasurer Jim Chalmers has announced. From July 29, foreign investment application fees will double, generating an additional $455 million in budget revenue over the four-year forward estimates. The Treasurer said that while Australia welcomed foreign investment that was in its interests, the cost of administering the framework should not be borne by Australians. He also implied that the higher foreign investment application fees, and higher penalties, would help more Australians to buy their own home.
$2 billion lost to scams, says ACCC
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) head Gina Cass-Gottlieb has claimed that more than $2 billion was lost to online and phone scams across the nation in 2021. In a speech to industry, the ACCC chair said that almost $1.8 billion in combined losses was reported to various government agencies and financial organisations. But she said that with about one-third of scam victims not reporting their losses, the real figure was well more than $2 billion. Ms Cass-Gottlieb said the ACCC was pursuing a strategy of stopping the scammers reaching consumers, educating consumers, and stopping funds from reaching scammers.
Burke strips building regulator of powers
National building regulator, the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC), will have its powers wound back by the Albanese Government. Employment and Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke said the ABCC’s Building Code imposed restrictions on construction workers that did not apply to people in other industries. He said the Fair Work Commission would take on the role of enforcing the Fair Work Act in the building and construction industry.
New special envoy for disaster recovery
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced the creation of the position of Special Envoy for Disaster Recovery to assist areas hit by natural disasters. New South Wales Senator Tony Sheldon will take up the role to work with the Minister for Emergency Management, Murray Watt. The PM reaffirmed his Government’s commitment to establish a Disaster Ready Fund of up to $200 million a year for mitigation works. Before his election to Parliament in 2019, Senator Sheldon served as National Secretary of the Transport Workers’ Union of Australia.
Australia joins global alliance on supply chains
Australia has joined with 16 other nations to strengthen co-operation on global supply chains. Industry and Science Minister Ed Husic last week joined a virtual ministerial forum hosted by the United States to discuss collective long-term strategies to build supply chain resilience. The Global Supply Chain Resilience Forum comprises 17 nations, plus the European Union, and is the largest multilateral forum focused on supply chain resilience. supply chain. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told the forum that a resilient supply chain was secure, making it less vulnerable to cyber-attacks by governments or other actors.