What to look out for this Parliamentary sitting week

Both the House and the Senate will return to Parliament today for the sitting fortnight.?

New Members and Senators will continue to deliver their First Speeches throughout the sitting week.?

Proceeding the Government’s Jobs and Skills summit held last week, the House will debate legislation to establish Jobs and Skills Australia. The independent body will sit within the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations. Following the summit, the Government has also started consultations to expand multi-employer bargaining in an effort to lift wages, which may influence debate.?

Debate over the government’s climate change bill is expected to dominate the Senate.?

House of Representatives?

Monday?

The first bill set for debate is the Fair Work Amendment (Paid Family and Domestic Violence Leave) Bill 2022. This Bill aims to amend the Fair Work Act 2009 to provide workers with 10 days of paid family and domestic violence leave in the National Employment Standards (NES), replacing the 5 days of unpaid leave currently standing in the NES.??

The Military Rehabilitation and Compensation and Other Legislation Amendment (Incapacity Payments) Bill 2022 is also scheduled to be debated this afternoon. This Bill provides funding to continue the incapacity payments of 100% if normal weekly earnings for veterans engaged in full-time study on the proviso that recipients participate in a DVA rehabilitation program if they have the capacity to do.??

Introduced alongside the Jobs and Skills Australia (National Skills Commissioner Repeal) Bill 2022, the Jobs and Skills Australia bill establishes a statutory body within the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, to provide advice and collect, analyse, share and publish data and other information on Australia's current and emerging labour market and its current, emerging and future skills and training needs and priorities (including in relation to apprenticeships), and the adequacy of the Australian system for providing vocational education and training (including training outcomes).

Tuesday?

The first bill set for debate on Tuesday is the Narcotic Drugs (Licence Charges) Amendment which amends the Narcotic Drugs (Licence Charges) Act 2016 to enable the regulations to specify an amount of a charge or a method for working out a charge.

This will be followed Defence, Veterans’ and Families’ Acute Support Package which aims to extend eligibility to veterans and their family members who are at risk of or in crisis, whether or not the veteran is participating in a rehabilitation program or has rendered warlike service and expand the range of supports available to family members under the current family support package.?

Debate on the Jobs and Skills Australia Bill is set to continue on Tuesday.?

Proceeding Question Time, the Treasury Laws Amendment (Electric Car Discount) is set for debate. The Bill aims to exempt from fringe benefits tax the use, or availability for use, of cars made available by employers to current employees that are zero or low-emissions vehicles with a value at first retail sale below the luxury car tax threshold for fuel-efficient vehicles.

Tuesday will conclude with debate on the Aged Care Amendment (Implementing Care Reform) which will require approved providers of residential care to ensure a registered nurse is onsite and on duty at all times at each residential facility operated by them. The bill will also enable the capping of prices that approved providers of home care can charge care recipients and remove the home care providers' ability to charge exit amounts and require the secretary to publish information in relation to aged care services.

Wednesday?

Debate on the Aged Care Amendment (Implementing Care Reform) will continue on Wednesday morning.

Treasury Laws Amendment (2022 Measures No. 1) Bill 2022 provides for further support to small businesses impacted by Cyclone Seroja, transitional provisions for the repeal of the Superannuation (Resolution of Complaints) Act 1993, and tax exemptions for FIFA and its subsidiary FWWC2023 Pty Ltd for activities promoting the delivery of the 2023 Women’s World Cup.??

Thursday

Only two Bills are scheduled to be debated on Thursday.?

Firstly, the resumption of the? Treasury Laws Amendment (2022 Measures No. 1) Bill 2022.?

The Social Security and Other Legislation Amendment (Self-Employment Programs and Other Measures) 2022 amends the: Family Law Regulations 1984, Social Security Act 1991 and Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 to clarify that the Acts operate in the same way in relation to payments under the Self-Employment Assistance program as payments under the New Enterprise Incentive Scheme; and Social Security Act 1991 and Social Security (Administration) Act 1999 to make minor technical amendments.

A full list of legislation scheduled in the House of Representatives can be found here.

Senate

Monday?

This morning began with the Consideration of two Private Senators’ Bills.

The Restoring Territory Rights Bill 2022 amends the Australian Capital Territory (Self-Government) Act 1988 and Northern Territory (Self-Government) Act 1978 to remove the prohibition on legalising euthanasia.

The Social Services Legislation Amendment (Enhancing Pensioner and Veteran Workforce Participation) Bill 2022 aims to enable age pensioners and certain veterans' entitlement recipients to have their payment suspended for up to two years, instead of cancelled if their income precludes payment.?

The only Government Bill discussed on Monday will be the Climate Change Bill and the Climate Change (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2022, outlining the Government’s goal to reduce the greenhouse gas target to 43% of the levels in 2005 by 2030 and achieve net zero by 50.??

Tuesday?

Tuesday will begin with the Australian Human Rights Commission Legislation Amendment (Selection and Appointment Bill 2022 to the Senate codifies a merit-based and transparent selection and appointment process for members of the Australian Human Rights Commission.?

This will be followed by the Health Legislation Amendment (Medicare Compliance and Other Measures) Bill 2022 which aims to broaden the remit of the Professional Services Review (PSR) to make agreements with any person under review who acknowledges inappropriate practice and introduce new sanctions for persons who fail to respond to a notice to produce documents to the Director of the PSR or to a PSR Committee.?

Subject to the bill passing the House of Representatives the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation and Other Legislation Amendment (Incapacity Payments) Bill 2022 will be debated in the Senate.

Wednesday?

Subject to the bills passing the House of Representatives, two bills are set for debate on Wednesday:

The Narcotic Drugs (Licence Charges) Amendment aims to amend the Narcotic Drugs (Licence Charges) Act 2016 to enable the regulations to specify an amount of a charge or a method for working out a charge.

The Treasury Laws Amendment (Electric Car Discount) aims to exempt from fringe benefits tax the use, or availability for use, of cars made available by employers to current employees that are zero or low-emissions vehicles with a value at first retail sale below the luxury car tax threshold for fuel-efficient vehicles.

Thursday

Thursday will begin with debate on the Social Security (Administration) Amendment (Repeal of Cashless Debit Card and Other Measures) Bill 2022 which aims to abolish the cashless welfare arrangements and provide for certain exiting program participants to enter alternative income management arrangements.?

Debate is also set to continue on the Treasury Laws Amendment (2022 Measures No. 2) Bill 2022 and the Defence, Veterans’ and Families’ Acute Support Package Bill 2022.?

The final bill set for debate in the sitting week is the Social Services and Other Legislation Amendment (Lifting the Income Limit for the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card). The bill amends the Social Security Act 1991 and Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 to increase the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card income test limits to $90 000 a year for a single person and $144 000 a year for couples.

A full list of legislation scheduled in the Senate can be found here.?