The Indigenous Affairs Committee has today published an interim report for its inquiry into better corporate engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander consumers.

Media release issue date: Tuesday, 22 March 2022

The Indigenous Affairs Committee has today published an interim report for its inquiry into better corporate engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander consumers. This report is presented as an issues paper for consideration in the next Parliament due to the limited time available to conduct the inquiry and the inability to travel due to the ongoing COVID 19 pandemic. The committee had also not concluded its evidence gathering in relation to misfeasance by some corporations against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander consumers or had a chance to speak with those businesses about their practices. The interim report therefore makes no formal policy recommendations to government but highlights core issues that are intended to serve as a useful starting point for the new committee. These include: The future of the Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) program and how it could be strengthened The impact of ongoing poor behaviour in the telecommunications sector with significant debts accumulated by many in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities due to unscrupulous practices The unfair advantage taken of the poor financial literacy of some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander consumers across a number of sectors The predatory practices of certain payday-style lenders, car finance operations, and funeral insurance businesses that operate outside the reach of regulators. Chair of the Committee, Mr Julian Leeser MP, said that ‘the Committee was disappointed to hear during the inquiry that despite some recent high profile cases, such as the $50 million fine imposed on Telstra for unconscionable conduct, bad corporate behaviour towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander consumers continues to exist in certain market sectors such as financial services and telecommunications.’ ‘The Committee would like to see this inquiry re-referred at the beginning of the next Parliament. The newly formed committee will then have time to explore the core issues in this interim report in greater depth and make appropriate recommendations.’ The report can be accessed and downloaded from the Committee’s website. Media inquiries Sarah Greenbaum Office of Julian Leeser MP, Committee Chair 02 9980 1822 For background information Committee Secretariat 02 6277 4559 Indigenous.Affairs.reps@aph.gov.au

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.

Media release issue date: Wednesday, 16 February 2022

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 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. You may also track the Committee to receive email updates on the inquiry by clicking the blue ‘Track Committee’ button. Media enquiries Office of Julian Leeser MP Media contact: Sarah Greenbaum - 02 9980 1822 For background information Committee Secretariat 02 6277 4559 IndigenousAffairs.Reps@aph.gov.au  

The Indigenous Affairs Committee inquiry into fostering better engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander consumers will hear from the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA) at a public hearing this Thursday.

Media release issue date: Tuesday, 8 February 2022

The Indigenous Affairs Committee inquiry into fostering better engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander consumers will hear from the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA) at a public hearing this Thursday. Committee Chair Julian Leeser MP said, ‘NAAJA had expertise on many of the issues currently faced by Indigenous consumers and the gaps that continue to exist in the corporate sector’s understanding of meaningful Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander engagement’. ‘The committee looks forward to NAAJA’s insights and to having a productive discussion,’ Mr Leeser said. Public hearing details Date: Thursday, 10 February 2022 (AEDT) 11.35am    North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency 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. You may also track the Committee to receive email updates on the inquiry by clicking the blue ‘Track Committee’ button. Media enquiries Office of Julian Leeser MP Media contact: Mike Morrow 0497 859 979 For background information Committee Secretariat 02 6277 4559 IndigenousAffairs.Reps@aph.gov.au

Hearings for the Indigenous Affairs Committee inquiry into fostering better engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander consumers are continuing this Wednesday and will include further discussions with Reconciliation Australia and with key Government regulators.

Media release issue date: Monday, 13 December 2021

Hearings for the Indigenous Affairs Committee inquiry into fostering better engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander consumers are continuing this Wednesday and will include further discussions with Reconciliation Australia and with key Government regulators. Committee Chair Julian Leeser MP said, ‘We look forward to continuing our important discussions with Reconciliation Australia and we will also be hearing from the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) who will have insights into some of the issues facing Indigenous consumers in the telecommunications sector.’ ‘The Committee will also hear from the ACCC and ASIC, who are key Commonwealth regulators dealing with business malfeasance, including towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Their knowledge of the current policy settings in this regard will be particularly valuable for the inquiry,’ Mr Leeser said. Public hearing details Date: Wednesday, 15 December 2021 (AEDT) 10.00am          Reconciliation Australia 11.00am          ACCAN 12.30pm          ACCC 1.30pm            ASIC 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. You may also track the Committee to receive email updates on the inquiry by clicking the blue ‘Track Committee’ button. Media inquiries Office of Julian Leeser MP Media contact: Mike Morrow 0497 859 979 For background information Committee Secretariat 02 6277 4559 IndigenousAffairs.Reps@aph.gov.au

The Indigenous Affairs Committee inquiry into fostering better engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander consumers will hear from Reconciliation Australia at a public hearing this Thursday.

Media release issue date: Wednesday, 1 December 2021

The Indigenous Affairs Committee inquiry into fostering better engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander consumers will hear from Reconciliation Australia at a public hearing this Thursday. Committee Chair Julian Leeser MP said, ‘Reconciliation Australia provides the accreditation to businesses and other entities for their Reconciliation Action Plans (RAPs). Evaluating the effectiveness of these plans is an important component of this inquiry.’ ‘Reconciliation Australia’s expertise and insights into how RAPs may be assisting with Indigenous consumer engagement will be of great interest and value to the Committee’s work,’ Mr Leeser said. Public hearing details Date: Thursday, 2 December 2021 (AEDT) 11.40am Reconciliation Australia 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. You may also track the Committee to receive email updates on the inquiry by clicking the blue ‘Track Committee’ button. Media enquiries Office of Julian Leeser MP Media contact: Mike Morrow 0497 859 979 For background information Committee Secretariat 02 6277 4559 IndigenousAffairs.Reps@aph.gov.au

Best practice in fostering better engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander consumers will be the subject of the first public hearing of a new inquiry by the House Indigenous Affairs Committee.

Media release issue date: Thursday, 18 November 2021

Best practice in fostering better engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander consumers will be the subject of the first public hearing of a new inquiry by the House Indigenous Affairs Committee. At a public hearing today, the Committee will be hearing from the National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA), the Indigenous Consumer Assistance Network (ICAN), and Financial Counselling Australia (FCA). Committee Chair Julian Leeser MP said, ‘these are the organisations who sounded the alarm on some of the major corporate misdeeds in banking, financial services and large telco organisations in recent years, who ripped off Indigenous consumers and failed to respect Indigenous culture and heritage. ‘The Committee will hear examples of some of the most outrageous corporate behaviour with respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.’ ‘The ICAN and FCA both advocate for and provide assistance to Indigenous clients experiencing financial hardships and have been integral in identifying systemic mistreatment of Indigenous people by some companies. ‘The Committee looks forward to important discussions on the gaps in the Australian corporate sector’s understanding of the needs of Indigenous peoples’, Mr Leeser said. Public hearing details Date: Thursday, 18 November 2021 (AEDT) 2.40pm National Indigenous Australians Agency 3.20pm Indigenous Consumer Assistance Network 4.00pm Financial Counselling Australia 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. You may also track the Committee to receive email updates on the inquiry by clicking the blue ‘Track Committee’ button. Media inquiries Office of Julian Leeser MP Media contact: Mike Morrow 0497 859 979 For background information Committee Secretariat 02 6277 4559 IndigenousAffairs.Reps@aph.gov.au

How the corporate sector establishes models of best practice to foster better engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander consumers will be the focus of a new inquiry by the House Indigenous Affairs Committee.

Media release issue date: Wednesday, 10 November 2021

How the corporate sector establishes models of best practice to foster better engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander consumers will be the focus of a new inquiry by the House Indigenous Affairs Committee. Recent major corporate scandals in relation to the treatment of Indigenous people including organisations such as Rio Tinto, Telstra, and Woolworths, indicate that corporate Australia needs to walk the walk and talk the talk in relation to reconciliation. The Committee will be looking at the role played by corporate Reconciliation Action Plans (RAP) in assisting with these engagements and practices. Reconciliation Australia has done a great job with their reconciliation plan process. The purpose of this inquiry is to look at ways in which these kinds of plans can be strengthened and ways in which a greater corporate commitment to reconciliation can be achieved. Committee Chair Julian Leeser MP said, “There have been some shocking high profile examples of major Australian companies failing to meet expected standards when dealing with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The $50 million dollar penalty imposed on Telstra earlier this year for unconscionable sales of unaffordable mobile phone plans to vulnerable Indigenous customers is one such example.’ ‘This and other cases indicate that significant gaps still remain in the corporate sector’s understanding of the needs of Indigenous people and the barriers that many of them face. This is true even among businesses that have a RAP in place and have done some good things in relation to Indigenous engagement’, Mr Leeser said. The Committee will report by 31 March 2022. 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. You may also track the Committee to receive email updates on the inquiry by clicking the blue ‘Track Committee’ button. The Terms of Reference of the inquiry are as follows: The way the corporate sector supports meaningful engagement with Indigenous consumers. How to strengthen corporate sector cultural understanding, and how this is demonstrated through their engagement with Indigenous consumers. The impact of Reconciliation Action Plans (RAPs) in developing targeted approaches on engaging with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people through such actions. Other matters as required. Media inquiries Office of Julian Leeser MP Media contact: Mike Morrow 0497 859 979 For background information Committee Secretariat 02 6277 4559 IndigenousAffairs.Reps@aph.gov.au