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Senators urge governments to ban silicosis
By Olivia Ireland
Let’s return to Canberra, where senators Pocock and Lambie have urged federal and state governments to ban engineered stone as they look to whether they can amend the workplace relations bill to include the ban.
Independent Senator Pocock said the evidence on the need for an engineered stone ban was overwhelming.
“We have to be looking after Australians … and we can’t allow a lack of courage or ambition from politicians not stepping up on this issue,” he said.
Engineered stone being water cut in a factory.Credit: Eddie Jim
“I would urge the government to step up, [and] state and territory leaders and the federal minister to get this done now.”
Lambie said she would get advice on whether the workplace relations bill could be amended to include a ban on silicosis.
“We’ll just see if that can be done because that would be smart,” she said.
A joint Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and 60 Minutes investigation this year revealed a growing number of people working with engineered stone were experiencing symptoms of the lung disease silicosis.
This afternoon’s headlines
By Caroline Schelle
Thanks for reading our live coverage today.
If you’re just joining us, here’s what you need to know:
- Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced the government will spend $350 million on climate-related infrastructure and energy projects in the Pacific.
- The government has suffered a symbolic defeat over its controversial industrial relations reforms after the Senate voted to effectively split the bill.
- Optus chief executive Kelly Bayer Rosmarin has denied claims that Optus communicated poorly with customers, following mounting criticism.
- Victoria is reviewing its relationship with Optus after the telco’s outage yesterday halted the Melbourne train network and blocked phone services at 11 hospitals.
- NSW Premier Chris Minns has also urged Optus to compensate customers affected by the service blackout.
- The National Australia Bank has posted a $7.7 billion profit despite its boss saying there were challenges in its operating environment.
- Coalition home affairs spokesperson James Paterson has described the implications of the High Court ruling over immigration detention as “disturbing”.
I’ll be back first thing tomorrow, and my colleague Anthony Segaert will keep readers updated for the rest of the afternoon.
Senators successfully split Labor’s controversial IR bill
By Olivia Ireland
Senators David Pocock and Jacqui Lambie have announced the successful split of the Labor government’s workplace relations bill in the Senate, which will test the government if they pass their own amended legislation next week.
The Senate voted to split the industrial relations bill in two, focusing on the expansion of the Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency to address silicosis, compensation for first responders with PTSD, discrimination and small business redundancy.
“What we’ve done is split out the four things that have unanimous support … the entire Senate has endorsed these four … bills that will now go into the House,” Pocock told media.
Jacqui Lambie and David Pocock.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
“On the other stuff, we’ve got another Senate committee hearing on Friday, there’ll be another one in January, there’s a huge amount to work through.
“We’re looking forward to seeing amendments moved by the government and others in the house to clarify a whole range of issues that have been raised, I think you’ve seen admissions from the government that there’s a lot of work that needs to be done on the rest of the bill.”
Pocock and Lambie were unable to say if the government would pass these four separate sections of the industrial relations bill in the House, however argued it would be “stupid” to block the legislation.
“That would not be a smart gateway to play politics, it was a stupid way they did it in the first place, surely they couldn’t get dumber,” Senator Lambie said.
Canada Bay mayor acted corruptly, NSW corruption watchdog finds
By Megan Gorrey
The state’s corruption watchdog has found long-time Canada Bay mayor Angelo Tsirekas engaged in serious corrupt conduct when he helped developers in exchange for thousands of dollars worth of perks, including international flights and accommodation, and should be removed from office.
The Independent Commission Against Corruption’s Operation Tolosa last year investigated claims Tsirekas accepted rewards from developers in return for favourable planning decisions since 2012.
Long-time Canada Bay mayor Angelo Tsirekas.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
The inquiry heard Tsirekas, a former state and federal Labor candidate, took trips to Shanghai with his long-time friend, Joseph Chidiac, and representatives of collapsed property group iProsperity, which funded some of his expenses.
Those trips coincided with iProsperity’s attempts to gain planning permission to build a residential tower, initially of 46 storeys, comprising hundreds of apartments at Rhodes, which Tsirekas supported at council.
Victoria considers private investment deal for Suburban Rail Loop
By Patrick Hatch and Kieran Rooney
In state news, Victoria is considering using a public-private partnership to cover the cost of building the Suburban Rail Loop East, as the government faces a multibillion-dollar funding hole in its flagship infrastructure project.
The move could help the Allan government spread out the cost of its $35 billion underground railway between Cheltenham and Box Hill over multiple decades and ease pressure on its already stretched finances.
Suburban Rail Loop construction in Clayton last year.Credit: Jason South
Victoria has committed to pay for a third of the project at $11.8 billion, but soaring construction costs and inflation have put its hopes for receiving another $9.3 billion in Commonwealth funding into doubt.
Questions also remain about the state’s plans to fund another third of the project through developer contributions and other levies.
Join the conversation
Our story about why you’ll have to pay more if you want your fruit and vegetables without the plastic is sparking much discussion with subscribers.
@Buff says: “Unfortunately too many people place all their loose fruit and vegetables into plastic bags. I have to stop myself from saying something to them and remind myself it would have no effect on their mindless behaviour.”
Shoppers are being charged more when they buy loose produce, with supermarkets offering cheaper prices for fruit and vegetables in plastic.
@Milly writes: “Don’t buy from supermarkets, use your local greengrocer and your local butcher. Then not only can you avoid plastics but you will be supporting smaller businesses and sending a message to the supermarkets ... I only use supermarkets when I can’t buy elsewhere and when I do I mostly buy their half-price specials which roll around about every three months. If they can sell at half price so regularly why are their prices so inflated at other times? Let’s put some pressure back on them to do the right thing both for the environment and their customers.”
@Lizzy says: “We purchase our fruit and veg from fruit and veg suppliers … or local fruit and veg stores. There is almost no plastic packaging (especially the small independents) and they provide no plastic bags at “checkout” i.e. it’s a cardboard box or BYO. Even the loose salad leaves can be put in your own bag or a paper “mushroom bag” and recycled. We find their quality is usually better and it’s sometimes cheaper if you buy seasonal. Regulation will certainly assist to reduce single use plastic but consumers need to drive this too.”
@Phil R. writes: “Catch 22. Most people who buy unpackaged produce place it in a plastic bag torn from a roll. You can’t win.”
What do you think? Let us know via the link above.
Greens secure Senate inquiry into Optus outage
By Olivia Ireland
The Greens have secured a public-facing Senate inquiry into the Optus outage, which will be chaired by Senator Sarah Hanson-Young.
The inquiry will compel witnesses to appear and answer questions publicly which Senator Hanson-Young said was what Australians deserved.
“We want those affected to be fairly compensated and to work so this doesn’t happen again. The inquiry will look at what responsibility Optus has to protect the public, not just their profits,” she said.
Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
“The question of compensation will be asked, and it’s our hope that the CEO will have the answers that Australians and 10 million Optus customers expect and deserve.
“The inquiry will also look into the role of the Commonwealth government in ensuring Australians have access to essential, reliable telecommunications going forward.”
The terms of reference of the inquiry will be looking at communications from Optus to affected customers, the steps that Optus is taking to ensure that the outage doesn’t happen again, the compensation offered to affected customers and the role of government in ensuring Australians have reliable access to telecommunication technology.
PM announces $350m for climate-related projects in Pacific
By Matthew Knott
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced the government will spend $350 million on climate-related infrastructure and energy projects in the Pacific.
Speaking during the Pacific Islands Forum in the Cook Islands, Albanese said the government would make further climate-related announcements tomorrow.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during the Pacific Islands Forum.
“There is a recognition that my government is committed to climate action and that we are playing a positive role, not just with our commitment to reduce our emissions by 43 per cent by 2030 and to reach net zero by 2050, but importantly that we are playing a role in the region and indeed around the globe,” Albanese said at a press conference in Rarotonga.
The government has been seeking to gain the support of Pacific nations for Australia to host the COP31 climate change conference in 2026.
The $350 million for the Pacific Climate Infrastructure Financing Partnership fulfils a commitment Labor took to the last election.
When announcing the policy, Labor said the partnership would fund projects agreed upon with Pacific governments and take the form of grants and loans.
“The program will also partner with Australian clean energy businesses to roll out small-scale clean energy infrastructure in Pacific countries,” Labor said in its election platform.
Government suffers symbolic defeat over industrial relations bill
By Angus Thompson
The government has suffered a symbolic defeat over its controversial industrial relations reforms after the Senate voted to effectively split the bill.
Coalition and crossbencher senators scored a victory when they voted without opposition from Labor and the Greens to pass parts of the Closing Loopholes Bill benefiting emergency workers suffering PTSD, workers with silicosis, and employees suffering family violence.
Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie and ACT independent David Pocock introduced four separate bills identical to parts of the government’s legislation, calling for them to be passed urgently while the more complex reforms relating to casual work, labour hire and the gig economy continue to be debated.
Senator Jacqui Lambie and Senator David Pocock in discussion.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
The bills will now go to the lower house, and it will be up to the government whether they are debated or withheld along with the accompanying legislation that is still being scrutinised by a Senate committee.
Opposition industrial relations spokeswoman Michaelia Cash accused Labor of holding some workers hostage by bundling up the reforms with the more controversial legislation, and challenged the government to pass the separate bills in the lower house next week.
“There are actually some of us in this chamber who want to be constructive,” Cash said.
But Agriculture Minister Murray Watt accused the opposition of crocodile tears, and accused the Coalition and crossbench of cherry-picking, and ignoring workers who had died due to the negligence of their bosses, after the industrial manslaughter provisions in the substantive legislation were excluded from the four bills.
“What we’re saying by leaving them out is their rights don’t matter,” he said.
Want your fruit and veg without the plastic? You’ll have to pay more
By Mike Foley
Shoppers who are trying to cut down on plastic packaging are being charged more for fresh produce than those who buy packaged goods, with a new survey showing that supermarkets charge more by the kilo for fruits and vegetables sold without plastic.
The Australian Marine Conservation Society sent volunteers to 180 supermarkets across the country to survey their plastic footprint.
Shoppers are being charged more when they buy loose produce, with supermarkets offering cheaper prices for fruit and vegetables in plastic packaging.
“In a concerning finding, 78 per cent of volunteers conducting shopper surveys for this audit reported that plastic-packaged fresh produce was cheaper than loose produce, when comparing price per kilogram,” the report said.
“This price discrepancy not only incentivises customers to choose plastic packaged options, it penalises those who try to shop plastic-free. ”
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2023-11-09 02:19:52Z
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