In the final sitting week of 2021 the Independent Review into Commonwealth Parliamentary Workplaces was published by the Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins.

Today, on the first sitting day of 2022, we deliver this Statement on behalf of the Parliamentary Cross-Party Leadership Taskforce recommended by Commissioner Jenkins and as a reflection of the Parliament. We acknowledge the unacceptable history of workplace bullying, sexual harassment and sexual assault in Commonwealth Parliamentary Workplaces.

The Leadership Taskforce overseeing the implementation of the recommendations of the Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins’ Set the Standard: Report on the Independent Review into Commonwealth Parliamentary Workplaces (the Jenkins Report), held its first meeting on Thursday, 3 February 2022.

Establishing the Leadership Taskforce was a key recommendation made in the Jenkins Report. Consistent with Recommendation 2 of the Jenkins Report, the Leadership Taskforce’s role will include:

The 2022 Prime Minister's Literary Awards are now open.

The Awards recognise and celebrate the exceptional literary talents of established and emerging Australian writers, illustrators, poets and historians.

If you had a work published during 2021 you may be eligible to enter this year's Awards.

There are six categories of Awards:

The recipients of the 2022 Australian of the Year Awards have now been announced.

As with every year, these Australians are role models and highly-respected individuals who provoke change on issues of national importance but who also inspire every Australian to create a better nation.

The recipients were nominated for an Australian of the Year Award by the National Australia Day Council due to their impact and achievement in a range of sectors.

Do you know someone in Australia who is helping improve soil health and inspiring others? Nominations for the 2022 General Jeffery Soil Health Award are open.

Now in its second year, the award recognises the work of people who care for soil health and who are educating or inspiring others to do so.

The National Office for Child Safety is inviting feedback on a proposed advisory group for The National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Child Sexual Abuse 2021-2030 (National Strategy).

The National Office recognises the need to design and implement measures in a way that meets the diverse needs of all Australians including the National Strategy’s priority groups. The priority groups are:

On 1 January 2021, the words of the Australian National Anthem were changed on from ‘For we are young and free’ to ‘For we are one and free’ by proclamation of Governor General His Excellency The Honourable General David Hurley AC DSC FTSE.

New recordings of the Australian National Anthem are now available.

Listen now to the new official recording of the Australian Anthem performed by Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and vocalist Dami Im.

Australians from all walks of life have displayed resilience and perseverance during the past two years as we have faced many challenges on an individual, community and national level.

What is a testament to the Australian spirit is that many among us have dealt with these challenges while continuing outstanding service to our local communities and the nation.

The Office of Best Practice Regulation (OBPR) has released Impact Analysis 101. Created for policy makers, this series of animations and resources answers common questions on the Australian Government’s impact analysis process.

Seeds of Australia’s national floral emblem, the Golden Wattle, were launched into space in December 2020 for a seven month journey as part of the ground-breaking ‘What’ll Happen to the Wattle??!’ program.

The ‘What’ll happen to the Wattle’ program is a collaboration between the One Giant Leap Foundation, the Australian Space Agency and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).