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Summer reading for Anthony Albanese
By Millie Muroi
The sitting week might have Prime Minister Anthony Albanese occupied right now, but when summer rolls around, he’ll be able to kick back, relax...and plough through some books.
The Grattan Institute has recommended six books for Anthony Albanese.
Albanese might be more familiar with budget papers and briefing documents, but Jason Steger reports that the Grattan Institute has prepared a list of essential books it thinks the PM should read.
Every Aussie PM since 2009 has been given a list, including Scott Morrison who, four years ago, was recommended No Friend But the Mountains by former asylum seeker and Manus Island detainee Behrouz Boochani. That one might not have gone down well at the lodge.
Grattan CEO Danielle Wood said the lists weren’t based on particular PM’s reading tastes, but “the archetypal PM who care about the direction of the country and is engaged with broad policy challenges.”
“Once you start trying to fit the books to any particular personality you get yourself in all sorts of trouble,” she said.
Of all the PMs the Grattan has given a list to, they’ve only heard back from one.
“It was Malcolm [Turnbull]. He asked for the books to be couriered to his holiday home rather than the Lodge and I think he read at least some of them that year. He was probably the most receptive PM to the idea of the list,” they said.
David Littleproud casts rural spin on industrial relations bill
By Angus Thomson
Returning to industrial relations, and Nationals leader David Littleproud has delivered a rural spin on the Coalition’s attacks over the governments IR bill by asking that, if a representative for cattle ringers and station hands on a property applies to the Fair Work Commission for a “single interest” agreement, whether all cattle properties in Northern Australia could be roped into multi-employer bargaining.
Nationals leader David Littleproud has asked the government about the industrial relations bill as it relates to cattle ringers and station hands.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke replied: “Are these rules meant to be able to reach agriculture? Yeah. Absolutely.” Burke said some of the worst examples of wage theft had some from that sector.
“Not because of the farmers themselves but because of the labour hire firms, rorting the systems, where the farmers thought they were paying decent wages, they were being charged for them, but there was a rort happening that was never meeting the worker,” he said.
“I met with workers, I remember meeting Kate on a visa here from Taiwan, fishing out of the bins beside the supermarket to get food, and she had a full-time job.”
Bill Shorten seeks immediate investigation into Roberts contracts link
By Angus Thompson
For readers following on from this morning, you’d know a cache of leaked emails revealed how Coalition MP Stuart Robert had been secretly providing advice to a firm that helps big companies win lucrative government contracts.
Bill Shorten said “the job of an MP is to work for your constituents, not your former business partners”.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
Now, Government Services Minister Bill Shorten has asked the heads of Services Australia and the National Disability Insurance Agency to “immediately and thoroughly” investigate contracts awarded to companies named in this masthead’s report on secret advice provided by a Liberal MP to a lobbyist.
Speaking about reports in The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age newspapers during question time in parliament, Shorten said Stuart Robert used his status as a federal MP in 2017 and 2018 to help the lobbying and consulting firm Synergy 360, “to help them sign up corporate clients with the promise of helping them navigate the federal public service and political system and meet key decision makers including senior coalition ministers.”
“Specifically, it was reported that emails reveal that Synergy 360 would frequently update corporate clients as to the progress and lobbying and providing access to senior government officials for the allocating and rewarding of several multimillion-dollar contracts,” Shorten said.
“This morning, I have asked the CEO of Services Australia, and the CEO of the National Disability Insurance Agency to immediately and thoroughly investigate any of the contracts awarded to these companies and individuals named in these reports, to assure me and the Australian people that the process was entirely above board and appropriate.”
Shorten said the government believed the job of the MP was to work for their constituents, “not your former business partners.”
“When there’s career lobbying as revealed by the emails, companies are required to be on the lobbyist register. This is not an option ... If and when public office has been used to enrich private mates it’s corruption,” he said.
PM lampoons opposition leader during question time
By Angus Thompson
Staying in parliament house, and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has lampooned Opposition Leader Peter Dutton during question time as being “not welcome in Victoria” in the lead up to the state’s election on Saturday.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Peter Dutton was “not welcome in Victoria.”Credit:Alex Ellighausen
Segueing into an answer to a question about Labor’s industrial relations bill, Albanese said, “I know [Victorian Liberal leader] Matthew Guy wants him to have a vow of silence...and he’s not welcome in Victoria, but I welcome the Leader of the Opposition here to ask a question about industrial relations.”
Albanese then went on to spruik the government’s bill, which has been under fire from business groups and the opposition over its multi-employer bargaining provisions.
Federal corruption watchdog bill clears first hurdle
By Lisa Visentin
Heading back to federal parliament, and the bill to establish the National Anti-Corruption Commission has cleared its first hurdle, passing the House of Representatives on the voices, paving the way for it to clear the Senate next week.
Its passage was preceded by a lengthy debate over amendments.
Only the amendments moved by the government were successful, while those moved Opposition and by crossbench members were defeated.
As regular readers of this blog will know, a key sticking point during the debate was the requirement for the corruption watchdog to hold hearings in private unless there are “exceptional circumstances” and it is in the public interest to hold public hearings.
This means that the bid by Independent MP for Indi Helen Haines’ bid to scrap the exceptional circumstances test was defeated, as was the Coalition’s attempt to strengthen safeguards for private hearings.
A second related bill that complements the NACC legislation is expected to pass House this afternoon.
The headlines so far
By Millie Muroi
Good afternoon, I’m Millie Muroi and I’m taking over from Ashleigh McMillan to anchor our live blog coverage for the rest of the day.
For those just joining us, here’s what you might have missed:
- Qantas domestic flight staff voted overnight to take protected industrial action as a result of expired employment agreements and the burden of the COVID-19. Labor Senator Tony Sheldon said price gouging of airline ticket prices by companies like Qantas is “absolutely shocking”.
- Drew Pavlou, a 23-year-old activist, former Senate candidate and outspoken critic of the Chinese Communist Party, was ordered by Australian Federal Police to leave Parliament House in Canberra yesterday or face arrest if he refused to do so.
- Senior Coalition MP Karen Andrews urged the Albanese government to better engage with communities where IS-linked woman and children are being repatriated to.
- Federal Environment and Water Minister Tanya Plibersek announced the Albanese government will reform protection laws to shield Aboriginal heritage from damage by development.
- Northern Territory Labor Senator Malarndirri McCarthy says the government is “very determined” for the industrial relations bill to be passed in parliament over coming weeks and enshrined in law.
Coalition MP Stuart Robert has been secretly providing advice to a Canberra lobbying and consulting firm that helps large companies win lucrative government contracts and obtain access to senior Coalition politicians, including Peter Dutton.
Stay tuned for more news as it comes in today, including updates on question time in parliament.
Victoria’s treasurer says most in-debt state will return to surplus in less than four years
By Broede Carmody
Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas insists Labor’s election commitments are measured and responsible and that the party will bring the state back to surplus in three-and-a-half years.
The comments come after Labor handed down its election costings for just over 80 of its policies for this election – including new hospitals, bringing back the State Electricity Commission and providing free tampons and pads.
Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas.Credit:Joe Armao
“We’ve put in place what I see as, effectively, a very modest set of commitments to the Victorian people,” Pallas told journalists in Melbourne a few moments ago.
“Modest in terms of their cost, but quite dramatic in ... the ability of the state to deliver on its agenda.
“We anticipate that there will $3.3 billion in additional output expenditure. On the asset side, it’s about $8.4 billion in new infrastructure investments.”
A mid-financial-year budget update by the state’s Treasury at the end of October stated Victoria was on course to record a $9.7 billion deficit in 2022-23.
The Treasurer said he expects there to be a surplus of “over a billion dollars” in the 2025-26 financial year.
He added that Labor won’t introduce new taxes or increase net debt because the funding for its fresh policies comes from “existing” government funds.
“The funds already exist. The money will be drawn from those funds, but for purposes entirely consistent with those funds.”
‘Big corporate gorillas’ like Qantas CEO withholding spoils from staff
By Ashleigh McMillan
Labor Senator Tony Sheldon says price gouging of airline ticket prices by companies like Qantas is “absolutely shocking” and had an effect on businesses big and small, as well as Australian travellers.
As we’ve already reported today, Qantas domestic flight staff voted overnight to take protected industrial action as a result of expired employment agreements and the burden of the COVID-19.
The pay dispute follows the carrier’s ASX announcement on Wednesday of a $150 million upgrade to its profit forecast.
Here’s a little of what Sheldon told Sky News earlier today.
They’re not only gouging from the Australian community, they’re also gouging from their own workforce.
What Qantas has done in its negotiations - whether it be pilots, engineers, flight attendants and of course their white collar workforce - they’re saying, ‘If you don’t turn around and accept the agreement, we’re going to put you back to the award’.
Twenty years of negotiations that have been openly agreed to are now thrown out the door, and you can now accept the 50 or 60 per cent wage cut.”
Sheldon said Qantas CEO Alan Joyce had “spearheaded” an attack against the federal government’s industrial relations bill in order to stifle a measure in the bill which does not allow businesses to unilaterally dump an existing enterprise bargaining agreement.
Sheldon said while just 35 per cent of Australians are on enterprise bargaining agreements, more than half of those people’s agreements have already expired.
Senator Tony SheldonCredit:Rhett Wyman
“I agree with Steve Knott (chief of the Australian Resources and Energy Employer Association) that these big corporate gorillas like Alan Joyce are hoarding all the bananas and not sharing them out, neither to the workforce nor the community,” he said.
“Qantas right now is a wonderful company, but the leadership is letting it down... it needs a rethink as a company about how it operates.”
Sheldon did not disagree when Sky News presenter Laura Jayes put to him that he wanted to see Joyce sacked as CEO.
Cloud over Victoria’s long COVID clinics as federal funding dries up
By Aisha Dow
Long COVID patients will face worsening waits for support as one of Victoria’s limited number of hospital clinics prepares to close its doors, with a loss of Commonwealth funding blamed.
The Victorian Health Department has estimated that more than one in 200 Victorians, or roughly 40,000 people, have suffered from severe long COVID this year, but GP and hospital services for those living with the debilitating chronic condition are not being adequately funded.
Dr Mike Freelander is the chair of a Senate inquiry into long COVID.Credit:Dominic Lorrimer
Dr Mike Freelander, a federal Labor MP and paediatrician who has been chairing an ongoing parliamentary inquiry into long COVID, said Australian hospitals were having to find money and staff out of their existing budget and workforce to fund their long COVID clinics.
“They’re doing it more for altruism, than getting any separate funding for it,” he said.
The Long COVID Rehabilitation Service at the Austin Hospital in Heidelberg recently shut new patients and will stop operating entirely on December 23. It has treated almost 300 people since it opened.
Patients are being told to access alternative support through their GP.
Read the full article by Aisha Dow here.
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2022-11-24 04:35:28Z
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