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ABC editorial staff to postpone strike after new pay offer
By Sarah Keoghan
ABC editorial staff have postponed a 40-minute strike, planned to coincide with the Reserve Bank’s next interest rate decision tomorrow, to consider a new pay offer from management.
The proposed industrial action will be halted to give union officials time to work through the new offer, which includes pay increases of 11 per cent over three years and a $1500 sign-on bonus.
ABC boss David Anderson was pulled into negotiations last week.Credit:James Brickwood
The 40-minute “stop-work” action was set to take place on Tuesday at 2pm.
This afternoon, Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) media director Cassie Derrick said the threat of industrial action had brought the national broadcaster back to the bargaining table.
“The new offer provided by management this morning contains several improvements on what has been on the table until now,” Derrick said in a statement.
“Members are encouraged that the new offer hears their concerns on gender and race pay gaps and buyouts and comes some way to addressing claims on progression and a fair pay rise.
Derrick said the offer did not satisfy all the employees’ demands, and there was still work to be done.
She said negotiations and discussions would continue over the coming days.
The ABC said in a statement last week that the broadcaster continued to negotiate in good faith.
NSW watchdog finds ‘no corrupt conduct’ in Barilaro trade posting
By Lucy Cormack
The NSW corruption watchdog has found no evidence of corrupt conduct in the public service recruitment of former deputy premier John Barilaro to a lucrative trade posting to New York.
The Independent Commission Against Corruption said this afternoon a seven-month investigation into Barilaro’s appointment to the US trade role was closed, following compulsory secret interviews and examination of documents.
John Barilaro at last year’s parliamentary inquiry examining his recruitment as US trade commissioner.Credit:Kate Geraghty
The corruption probe was launched in July last year to scrutinise the decision to appoint Barilaro as US trade commissioner.
The appointment became a political headache for Premier Dominic Perrottet’s government, triggering multiple reviews, inquiries and a severe backlash from Barilaro’s former colleagues.
Barilaro resigned from the posting before it commenced.
In a statement this afternoon, the ICAC said it had considered whether former trade minister Stuart Ayres, former department head Amy Brown or any other public official breached public trust, acted dishonestly or partially, or adversely affected the honest or impartial functions by any public official.
“The investigation did not identify any evidence of corrupt conduct. As a result, the commission has discontinued its investigation,” the statement said.
“The commission does not propose taking any further action with respect to the matter.“
The ICAC did not say who it had called to give evidence in compulsory interviews.
Barilaro has been contacted for comment.
Earlier this month a Labor-led upper house inquiry found Barilaro benefited from a “jobs for the boys” appointment, in a recruitment process that lacked transparency, integrity and was not conducted at arm’s length from government.
One Nation pins hopes on NSW voters deserting major parties
By Alexandra Smith
One Nation’s NSW leader Mark Latham says the party will run in at least 20 seats in the state election on March 25 – more than twice the number it contested in 2019 – as it aims to capitalise on voters deserting major parties.
Latham said candidates were being finalised before nominations close on Wednesday, but the number could be as high as 22. One Nation ran nine candidates in the NSW election in 2019.
One Nation NSW leader Mark Latham. His party will focus on western Sydney, which is also the election battleground for the major parties.Credit:Dominic Lorrimer
The former federal Labor leader said increasingly low primary votes for the ALP and the Coalition indicated voters were turning to smaller parties and Pauline Hanson’s One Nation was in a strong position to grow its support.
“What you can see from published polling is that the combined votes for major parties is trending down,” Latham said.
“We saw Anthony Albanese scrape into government with a primary of just 32 per cent, yet once parties had to be on at least 40 per cent to win.”
The latest Resolve Political Monitor for the Herald showed Labor is on track to return to government after 12 years in opposition, although one-quarter of voters are still undecided about which party to support. The poll showed Labor’s primary vote at 38 per cent and the Coalition’s at 32 per cent. Other parties, which included One Nation, had a primary vote of 7 per cent.
You can read the full story here.
Labor’s super changes to affect one in 10 people in 30 years
By Shane Wright and Natassia Chrysanthos
The federal government’s planned changes to superannuation tax on balances above $3 million will eventually affect one in 10 people – but it will take three decades to reach that point.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers, after a rare question from Coalition treasury spokesman Angus Taylor during question time, revealed there would be more people affected by the tax change over time.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers during question time at Parliament House today.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
The government is planning to double the concessional tax rate on super earnings to 30 per cent on balances above $3 million.
Announcing the plan last week, Chalmers confirmed the $3 million threshold would not be indexed with inflation (similar to how personal tax thresholds are not indexed).
Chalmers said when the scheme starts in mid-2025, less than 0.5 per cent of people or less than 80,000 would be affected.
By the start of the 2030s, this is expected to reach one percent of the population.
One in 10 will be affected in 30 years’ time, Chalmers said as he defended the change.
“What we are proposing, Mr Speaker, is a modest change but it is a simple choice,” he said.
“We inherited $1 trillion of Liberal Party debt and deficits as far as the eye can see, and unfunded ongoing commitments and intensifying pressures in the budget, (and) we say that the generous concessions in superannuation for half a percent of people can be a little bit less generous.
“As those opposite thrash around in the shallowest and mightiest bottles of political opportunism, on this side of the house, the adults will continue to make serious decisions about serious pressures on the budget that we inherited for those opposite.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also scoffed at throwing the discussion forward 30 years.
“I make this bold prediction: in 30 years’ time, some people will be earning more than they are today in dollar terms, and some people will be paying different income tax rates in 30 years than they are now,” he said.
“Our tax changes affect one half of 1 per cent.”
Monique Ryan tells Dutton she’ll be PM before he is
By Natassia Chrysanthos
Independent MP Monique Ryan has responded to a question time jibe from Opposition Leader Peter Dutton about her wanting to be prime minister with the snide reply: “I’ll be there before you are.”
Ryan, the independent Kooyong MP, is embroiled in a legal dispute with her high-profile chief of staff, Sally Rugg. The grievances of both parties were aired at a preliminary hearing in the Federal Court last week.
Kooyong MP Monique Ryan.Credit:Rhett Wyman
Rugg’s legal documents said Ryan had told Rugg that she wanted to be the prime minister one day, and she needed staff who were prepared to work as hard as she was.
While Ryan has since said the comment was a joke, Rugg’s statement alleged it was true.
During question time today, Ryan was interrupted by Coalition hecklers, including Dutton, as she prepared to speak.
The opposition leader said words to the effect of “How is your campaign to be prime minister going?” according to people in the chamber, to which Ryan replied: “I’ll be there before you are.”
That earned several moments of laughter from the Labor benches while Ryan tried to suppress a smirk, before she asked Health Minister Mark Butler a question about the pharmaceutical benefits scheme.
Butler said the government was not ready to make announcements but was considering many options to improve healthcare and make it cheaper as part of the budget process, which was under way.
Nearly 40 fires burning across NSW as heatwave grips eastern Australia
By Megan Gorrey and Olivia Ireland
We’ll return to NSW, where residents of a town in the Central West have been told it’s too late to leave due to an out of control bushfire, as a low-intensity heatwave grips parts of eastern Australia.
The NSW Rural Fire Service said there were 38 bush and grass fires burning across the state at 3pm.
NSW RFS Inspector Ben Shepherd said the state was facing the greatest fire risk since the deadly Black Summer fires in 2019-20.
“This is probably the broadest area of total fire bans from a number of years,” Shepherd said.
The service issued an emergency warning for Tambaroora, near Mudgee, due to the fire burning near Pyramul Creek in a southerly direction towards Alpha Road, about 1.30pm.
Firefighters and aircraft are working to control the fire and those still in the area have been told it is too late to leave, and they should seek shelter as the fire approaches.
You can read the latest updates here.
Plibersek rejects Greens’ concerns over new gas projects
By Natassia Chrysanthos
Back to question time, and Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek has described as “unworthy and insulting” a question from Greens MP Elizabeth Watson-Brown about why the government approved 116 coal seam gas wells in Queensland last month given the global climate crisis.
Watson-Brown accused Plibersek of quietly issuing “late on a Friday afternoon, your decision to approve Labor Party donor Santos a license to frack 116 new gas wells in Queensland until 2077”.
Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
Plibersek said this imputation was insulting, and that the approved expansion of Santos’ Surat Basin project had involved a 1.3 per cent expansion of a project that had been running for eight years.
“To listen to the member opposite, you’d think it was something quite different,” Plibersek said.
“But I will say to the Greens, as they’re sitting there feeling self-righteous, that the very best thing the Greens political party could do, if they were really interested in climate change in this country, is back the government’s safeguard mechanism.”
The so-called safeguard mechanism applies to the country’s biggest polluters and would mandate a reduction in emissions of 4.9 per cent each year.
The government and the Greens have been locked in a standoff over upcoming bills, with Greens leader Adam Bandt calling for a ban on new coal and gas projects in return for the party’s support of the safeguard mechanism.
Labor has refused to yield to the Greens’ demand, and Plibersek again called on the minor party to support the government during question time.
“Those sitting up there in that corner should not make the same mistake they made in 2009, when they voted with Tony Abbott and Barnaby Joyce to block action on climate change,” she said.
“Because what they delivered last time was more emissions for longer, and a Liberal government.”
Act on Indigenous deaths in custody before Voice referendum: Thorpe
By Lisa Visentin
Independent senator Lidia Thorpe says the government should act on the outstanding recommendations of the royal commission into Indigenous deaths in custody before it pursues the Voice to parliament referendum.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s reconciliation envoy, Labor senator Pat Dodson, has called out his own government over inaction on Indigenous deaths in custody, and issued an impassioned plea for urgent measures that should not be delayed by the looming referendum.
Senator Lidia Thorpe.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
Thorpe, who has long advocated for the measures to be implemented, said she had been “pushing and pushing the recommendations ... for so long”.
“We’ve marched the streets to end deaths in custody. We’ve had 500 deaths in custody unaccounted for, no one’s ever been held responsible. 1991 was 32 years ago, my son’s 32.
“I know how long this has taken to even get someone in government to acknowledge that these need to be implemented but, also the fact that Labor have always said it’s state and territory responsibility.
“We need national leadership. Now we’ve got it. What’s next? We want it before any referendum.”
Question time kicks off with debate over superannuation reforms
By Natassia Chrysanthos
Question time has kicked off in federal parliament, where Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been quizzed about the government’s changes to superannuation tax concessions on the first sitting day since the reform was announced.
The government said last month it would increase the tax rate from 15 per cent to 30 per cent on earnings on superannuation balances over $3 million, from July 2025.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton was first up, asking whether the government’s new measures were “yet another broken promise” from a prime minister who had assured there would be no changes to superannuation.
Albanese said that most Australians, including the majority of Liberal voters, agreed with the changes.
“Our priority is dealing with the trillion dollars of Liberal debt that we inherited off those opposite,” he said.
“We are making a very modest change that will impact one half of 1 per cent. One half of 1 per cent. Seventeen of those people have over $100 million in their account. One has over $400 million.”
This afternoon’s headlines at a glance
By Megan Gorrey
Good afternoon, it’s Megan Gorrey taking over the blog for the rest of the afternoon.
If you’re just tuning in, here’s what you might have missed earlier today:
- Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull told a royal commission he never questioned the legality of his government’s controversial robo-debt scheme because he had no reason to doubt the advice coming to the cabinet.
- Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek has brushed off questions about her previous leadership ambitions, after she was quoted in a Good Weekend article on Saturday saying she could have won the Labor leadership contest against Anthony Albanese in 2019.
Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull fronts the royal commission into robo-debt today.
- As the NSW election battle heats up, Premier Dominic Perrottet said Kiama MP Gareth Ward should remain suspended from parliament as long as the former Liberal minister is in front of the courts on sexual assault charges.
- And Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s reconciliation envoy, Labor senator Pat Dodson, has called out his own government over inaction on Indigenous deaths in custody, and issued an impassioned plea for urgent measures that should not be delayed by the looming referendum for the Voice to parliament.
- The NSW Rural Fire Service has warned a low-intensity heatwave in parts of eastern Australia would bring the greatest fire risk to the state today since the 2020 Black Summer fires.
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2023-03-06 06:29:19Z
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