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Another day, another penalty for the CFMMEU – and a test for Bill Shorten

Bill Shorten faces a critical test of his leadership as the Federal Court today penalised the militant CFMMEU and its officials, including CFMMEU Queensland boss and Labor Party National Executive member, Michael Ravbar.
The militant CFMMEU and two of its officials have been penalised a total of $58,500 for coercing a crane company in an attempt to have them sign on to a CFMMEU-friendly enterprise agreement in Brisbane in 2012. The Court found the CFMMEU is:
“an identified recidivist and it has, by its conduct, demonstrated a continuing defiance of the law.”
CFMMEU boss Michael Ravbar has himself been penalised $5,000 for giving the order to take the illegal action that led to today’s Federal Court decision.
The CFMMEU’s conduct cost workers their jobs or significant hours. It was undertaken despite the fact that workers had voted for a different enterprise agreement that gave them better value-for-money redundancy and insurance arrangements.
Bill Shorten has previously said of Mr Ravbar:
“if there is illegality established, well Labor has zero tolerance or place for that within the ranks of the Labor Party”
Despite this, Mr Shorten continues to support Mr Ravbar, who is a voting member of Labor’s National Executive.
Minister for Jobs and Industrial Relations, the Hon Kelly O’Dwyer, said Bill Shorten should do the right thing and sack Mr Ravbar from his National Executive position and sever ties once and for all with the militant CFMMEU, including by no longer accepting their donations.
“Bill Shorten has given a lawbreaking union boss a seat at the Labor Party’s most powerful table giving him a say about the party’s policy platform and decision-making,” Minister O’Dwyer said.
“This is a test of Bill Shorten’s character – he must demonstrate leadership and remove Michael Ravbar from his National Executive and sever ties with the CFMMEU, including refusing any more CFMMEU donations.”
“The decision today provides all the evidence you need to know about how bullying, intimidation and harassment would return to Australia’s construction sites under Labor, who have promised to scrap the building and construction watchdog the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC).”
“This is a textbook example of how Bill Shorten will let lawbreakers become the lawmakers.”
The CFMMEU has been penalised over $16 million for unlawful conduct in cases brought by the ABCC and its predecessors. There are currently 80 CFMMEU representatives before the courts. Since Bill Shorten became leader, the CFMMEU has donated over $4.2 million to the Labor Party.
In the last 10 days alone the Courts have now handed down $2 million worth of penalties against the CFMMEU and its officials for conduct including:

Unlawfully shutting down building sites;
Abusing, threatening and harassing public servants;
Intimidating female police officers;
Instigating coordinated strikes across multiple building sites;
Disrupting expensive construction work; and
Coercing workers into paying union fees before they’re allowed to commence work.

“The CFMMEU see themselves as above the law. If Bill Shorten does not act, it will be clear he is happy to keep them there,” Minister O’Dwyer concluded.

Funding for Research Prevention to Eradicate Domestic and Family Violence

The Morrison Government is investing $15 million over the next three years in Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS).
This funding will support ANROWS to produce, disseminate and promote new research into domestic and family violence and sexual assault.
ANROWS was established in 2013 as an initiative of the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010‑2022.
Minister for Families and Social Services Paul Fletcher said ANROWS plays an important role in ensuring that domestic and family violence services and policy makers have access to high quality research.
“Our Government’s first priority is to keep Australians safe. An integral part of achieving this is building a strong body of evidence-based research on domestic, family, and sexual violence, in order to determine what works in addressing the scourge of domestic violence in the community,” said Mr Fletcher.
“This funding will also enable ANROWS to undertake targeted research on specific groups experiencing violence, such as women with disability, women from culturally and linguistically diverse communities, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women.”
Under the Fourth Action Plan of the National Plan, ANROWS will receive $5.64 million to undertake a range of research and evaluation projects.
An additional $4.3 million will support ANROWS to carry out the 2021 round of the National Community Attitudes towards Violence against Women Survey (NCAS), and undertake further research into the 2017 NCAS findings.
In addition, the Commonwealth will provide ANROWS with $1.7 million in core funding per annum, for the next three years, bringing the total Commonwealth investment in ANROWS to $15 million.
The Morrison Government recently announced the largest ever Commonwealth investment of $328 million investment in the Fourth Action Plan, which includes a total of $9.2 million in research funding, including the $5.64 million for ANROWS.
The remaining funding will support key agencies such as the Australian Bureau of Statistics and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare to undertake ongoing work to address data gaps and produce high quality reports on family, domestic and sexual violence. It will also support evaluations of the National Plan and National Plan partner, Our Watch.
Minister Fletcher also announced a commitment of $480,000 for the Penrith Women’s Health Centre if the Morrison Government is re-elected.
“This funding commitment will improve the safety and resilience of women and children in Penrith and surrounds experiencing or at risk of family and domestic violence, through allocation of additional caseworkers and physical resources,” said Mr Fletcher.
Federal Liberal Candidate for Lindsay, Melissa McIntosh welcomed today’s announcement and highlighted the importance of this commitment for Penrith.
“The statistics on this issue are shocking – one in six women have experienced physical or sexual violence by a current or former partner since the age of 15. This figure increases to nearly one in four women when violence by boyfriends, girlfriends and dates is included,” Ms McIntosh said.
“Whether it’s at home, in the workplace, in our communities or online, all women and children deserve to be safe.”
“This additional support for the Penrith Women’s Health Centre will improve resilience for vulnerable women and children experiencing or at risk of family and domestic violence – who require assistance from community support services.

New Era in South West Dementia Care at Donnybrook

The Morrison Government is helping usher in a new era in care for South West people living with dementia, with $1.45 million for a new care centre at Donnybrook’s Tuia Lodge.
The Lodge will also receive annual recurrent funding of $737,000 to operate an extra 11 aged care places, as part of the biggest residential aged care expansion program in Australian history, worth $967 million, including $60 million for capital works.
“Our Government is passionate about ensuring all Australians have access to quality aged care services, regardless of where they live,” said Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Ken Wyatt AM.
“The funding will allow the Lodge to establish a state of the art, 10-bed wing for residents living with dementia.
“This will offer the best quality care, including contrasting colours, specialised lighting, appropriate electronic beds and aids as well as a nursing station, dining and lounge area within the secure area and a special garden area.”
“This will be a valuable asset for the Donnybrook community and the entire South West,” said Member for Forrest Nola Marino.
“An area currently utilised as a library and small kitchen area for residents will be refurbished to include a single palliative care bedroom with adjoining kitchenette and lounge area.
“This will be available for the resident and their family for private interaction and will also have a dedicated private garden for their use.”
The expansion of Donnybrook’s Tuia Lodge will also be supported by a $300,000 contribution from the Shire of Donnybrook-Bailingup.
With the rising number of people with dementia, 34.6 per cent of the new residential aged care places allocated across Australia are for dementia-specific care.

LABOR’S SURGERY WAITING LIST BLITZ

Australians stuck on hospital waiting lists will get the essential surgery they need faster with a Shorten Labor Government.
As part of Labor’s $2.8 billion Better Hospitals Fund, we will dedicate $250 million to blitz elective surgery waiting lists in public hospitals.
The $250 million waiting list blitz is in addition to the $500 million commitment to slash public hospital waiting lists for cancer patients as part of our Medicare Cancer Plan.
But procedures such as knee and hip replacements or cataract surgeries aren’t elective – they are essential.
Labor’s $250 million investment could pay for more than 62,000 cataract procedures or 9,800 knee replacements or 9,400 hip replacements.
While patients are stuck waiting for essential surgery, Scott Morrison is cutting $2.8 billion from public hospitals so he can pay for handouts to multinationals and the top end of town.
Only Labor will deliver a fair go for all Australians, reverse the cuts to public hospitals and blitz Scott Morrison’s public hospital surgery backlog.
As Treasurer, Scott Morrison cut $715 million from Australia’s hospitals – cutting hospital beds, cutting healthcare workers, and blowing out hospital waiting lists.
The average wait time for elective surgery has increased by more than 10 per cent since the Liberals were elected in 2013.
Now as Prime Minister, Scott Morrison is planning to cut another $2.8 billion from public hospitals if he wins the next election. This will make surgery waiting times even longer.
A Shorten Labor Government will restore every dollar that Morrison wants to cut from public hospitals.
As well as stopping Morrison’s $2.8 billion cut to public hospitals, Labor will invest $2.3 billion in our Medicare Cancer Plan – delivering cheaper cancer scans, consultations and medicines in the biggest cancer package in Australian history.
While Scott Morrison and the Liberals spend billions of dollars on tax loopholes for the top end of town, they are cutting billions of dollars from public hospitals and leaving all Australians worse off.
Labor believes access to healthcare should depend on your Medicare card, not your credit card.
Bill Shorten and Labor will deliver a fair go for all Australians, not just the top end of town.
STATE-BY-STATE BREAKDOWN OF THE $250 MILLION

NB – Tasmania’s commitment already announced

State-by-state breakdown of the Liberals’ $2.8 billion cuts to public hospitals:

ONLY LABOR WILL DELIVER THE NDIS THAT AUSTRALIANS DESPERATELY NEED

A Shorten Labor Government will invest in the NDIS workforce and get the scheme back on track by investing $40 million in local NDIS workforce trials and urgently developing a national NDIS workforce strategy.
Scott Morrison and the Liberals have short-changed the NDIS and the people who rely on it, delaying the rollout and capping staff in a bid to deliver a surplus.
The $1.6 billion underspend the Liberals booked in their budget is a direct result of their failure to deliver the NDIS as promised.
77,000 people with a disability and their families are going without vital services because of the delayed rollout.
And on average people are only using just 50 per cent of their first NDIS plan, largely because of a lack of access to services.
That’s not good enough and only Labor will get the NDIS back on track by properly investing in the workforce so quality services are delivered to people with disability.
As many as 90,000 extra NDIS workers will be needed over the next five years to meet the needs of the 460,000 Australians who will get access to the NDIS.
A Shorten Labor Government will establish two-year local NDIS workforce trials in 2020 and 2021 to establish the best way to sustainably grow and maintain a skilled NDIS workforce.
The trials will be flexible and place-based and will be a partnership between people with disability, providers, TAFE, government and workers.
The NDIS workforce trial will have three components:

Ensuring NDIS workers have the foundation skills they need, with up to 3000 training support payments of $2,000 for induction training;
Supporting NDIS workers to get Certificate III qualifications, with up to 2000 training support payments of $4,000; and
Providing a portable professional development entitlement for NDIS workers, with up to 5000 training support payments of $750 per year, so people can take time off work to specialise and upgrade their skills.

Labor will also scrap up-front TAFE fees for 20,000 students studying to get skills for the NDIS and aged care.
The trials will establish the best flexible local solutions to skills shortages, gaps in the training curriculum and course availability, and barriers to getting the right people working in the NDIS.
The initial trial sites will be:

Canberra – where the NDIS is creating between 1000 and 1200 new jobs.
Townsville – where the NDIS is creating between 800 and 950 new jobs.
Joondalup – where the NDIS roll-out is just beginning and hundreds of new workers will be needed.

A Shorten Labor Government will work with state and territory governments to expand the workforce trial to other locations.
Labor will also develop a comprehensive national NDIS workforce strategy, in partnership with people with disability, families and advocates; service providers; state and territory governments; TAFE; and workers.
Only Labor can be trusted to properly fund, deliver and support the NDIS so that people with disability, their families and loved ones get the support they desperately need and deserve.

LABOR TO KICKSTART CONCORD HOSPITAL STAGE 2 REDEVELOPMENT

A Shorten Labor Government will kickstart Stage 2 of Concord Repatriation General Hospital’s redevelopment with a $50 million investment in this vital facility.
Concord Hospital provides crucial services to people who live in the Inner West. But its main clinical building was built in 1941 and is in urgent need of redevelopment.
Concord is the oldest building of any teaching hospital in Sydney.
This aging infrastructure is now undermining the efforts of doctors, nurses and other staff to provide contemporary care.
And the Liberals in Canberra and Sydney have made no commitment to the main clinical building, which houses all acute services.
That’s why a Shorten Labor Government will invest $50 million to help redevelop the main building and kickstart Stage 2 of the redevelopment.
Labor believes in more money for our local hospitals, not bigger handouts to multinationals.
While Labor will work with local experts to plan Stage 2, it is expected to include:

An integrated Emergency Department, ED Short Stay Unit and Medical Assessment Unit, with a co-located Radiology Department and expanded medical imaging capabilities.
New operating theatres to accommodate advances in minimally invasive surgical procedures and image-guided interventions.
New facilities for medical procedures (including cardiac catheter lab, renal dialysis and endoscopy suite).
A new and expanded ICU with direct access to helipad for ICU and Statewide Burns Service.
Additional 150 acute inpatient beds to meet the rapidly growing population in the Concord catchment.
Adequate facilities to accommodate planning for the introduction of paediatric and obstetric services to respond to the increase in the younger population within our local area.
The co-location of ED, Radiology, Intensive Care/High Dependency Unit and Operating Theatres in the new facility will provide for safer management and transport of critically ill patients, and for more efficient and effective use of technology.

This investment will be funded through Labor’s $2.8 billion Better Hospitals Fund.
Labor can pay for better local hospitals because we will make multinationals pay their fair share and close tax loopholes used by the top end of town.
Scott Morrison is spending billions on handouts to the top end of town while cutting money from local hospitals.
As Treasurer, Scott Morrison cut funding from health while trying to give an $80 billion tax handout to big business, including $17 billion to the big banks.
And Morrison will cut even more money from hospitals if the Liberals win the election.
Families in the Inner West are sick of the Liberals’ cuts and chaos. They want investment in their hospitals.
That’s what a Shorten Labor Government will deliver.

MORRISON’S $2.8 BILLION CUT TO PUBLIC HOSPITALS

Every patient in every hospital across the country will be better off under Labor’s plan to restore the $2.8 billion in funding that Scott Morrison is cutting from public hospitals.
As Treasurer, Scott Morrison cut $715 million from Australia’s hospitals – cutting hospital beds, cutting healthcare workers, and blowing out hospital waiting lists.
Now as Prime Minister, Scott Morrison is planning to cut another $2.8 billion from public hospitals if he wins the next election.
Figures released today show that the Liberals and Nationals will continue their cuts for the next six years. By ripping up Labor’s 50-50 funding agreement between the Commonwealth and the states, public hospitals will lose $2.8 billion from now until 2025.
Cutting $2.8 billion from our public hospitals is equivalent to cutting:

1,931 doctors a year for six years; or
3,959 nurses a year for six years; or
695 hospital beds a year for six years; or
108,284 knee replacements; or
782,283 cataract surgeries.

The Liberals and Nationals promised they wouldn’t cut hospitals but they broke their promise. And now they want to keep cutting.
A Shorten Labor Government will restore every dollar that Morrison wants to cut from public hospitals.
Labor’s $2.8 Better Hospitals Fund will deliver more hospital beds and healthcare workers, more capital upgrades and tackle waiting lists.
As part of the Better Hospitals Fund, Labor will negotiate a new agreement with the states and territories to deliver more funding for public hospitals.
While the Liberals and Nationals have been cutting hospitals, presentations to hospitals have hit a record eight million a year – or 22,000 hospital presentations a day.
Under the Liberals and Nationals, one in four Australians who present to an emergency department are not seen on time.
As well as stopping Morrison’s $2.8 billion cut to public hospitals, Labor will invest $2.3 billion in our Medicare Cancer Plan – delivering cheaper cancer scans, consultations and medicines in the biggest cancer package in Australian history.
Our Medicare Cancer Plan includes $500 million to blitz public hospital waiting lists for cancer patients.
While Scott Morrison and the Liberals spend billions of dollars on tax loopholes for the top end of town, they are cutting billions of dollars from public hospitals and leaving all Australians worse off.
Labor believes access to health care should depend on your Medicare card, not your credit card.
Bill Shorten and Labor will deliver a fair go for all Australians, not just the top end of town.
State-by-state breakdown of the Liberals’ cuts to public hospitals:

State / Territory	Estimated share of cut 2019-20 to 2024-25 $million
New South Wales	854
Victoria	635
Queensland	651
Western Australia	359
South Australia	144
Tasmania	35
ACT	69
Northern Territory	69

LABOR COMMITS $60 MILLION FOR CENTRAL COAST ROADS PACKAGE

A Shorten Labor Government will fast track $60 million worth of road works planned for the New South Wales Central Coast to ease traffic congestion and improve road safety in this fast-growing region.
Labor’s Central Coast Roads Rescue Package will allow the Central Coast Council to complete the road improvements planned for the next decade in only four years.
Accelerating these road upgrades and repairs will create jobs and economic activity, while reducing delays for motorists and making a practical improvement to the lives of the 350,000 residents of this beautiful part of Australia.
Most importantly, the work will save lives by making the roads safer.
The geography of the Central Coast, with its abundance of beaches, lakes and national parks, presents a particular challenge when it comes to maintaining transport networks.
Seventy per cent of the region’s residents rely upon motor vehicles to move around, and nearly a quarter travel outside the region each weekday to work.
The NRMA has calculated that these challenges, and years of under-investment, have created a backlog of road work valued at $84 million – the largest backlog of any region in New South Wales.
Federal Labor’s Roads Rescue Package will help the Central Coast Council clear the backlog and ease traffic congestion, boosting productivity and liveability for residents.
After nearly six years of cuts and chaos from the Liberals and Nationals, Australia needs a Shorten Labor Government prepared to work with other levels of government to provide practical solutions to the infrastructure challenges facing the nation.
The Abbott-Turnbull-Morrison Government has cut investment in roads and public transport and allowed traffic congestion to worsen under its watch.
In its first budget, the Abbott-Turnbull-Morrison Government cut support for local government around the country, including freezing Financial Assistance Grants to the Central Coast for three years.
By contrast, Labor has a comprehensive plan to ease congestion in our big cities, as well as in growing regions such as the New South Wales Central Coast.
Labor’s Central Coast Roads Rescue Package is in addition to the extra Roads to Recovery funding that is already built into the federal budget.

LABOR TO HELP REGIONAL BUSINESSES WIN DEFENCE CONTRACTS

A Shorten Labor Government will make sure local companies get a fair chance to compete for regional Defence contracts.
Defence is a major investor in regional Australia. In some regions it is the single largest investor in infrastructure.
Local economic benefit is the social licence Defence needs to operate in local communities. Labor’s Defence Regional Procurement Policy will ensure local economic outcomes are a key objective of Defence procurement.
Labor will require any contractor tendering for more than $4 million in work from Defence in regional areas to provide a Local Industry Capability Plan.
Labor will require Defence to produce a Regional Procurement Plan ahead of key decisions for regional procurements of more than $10 million, including an analysis of local industry and workforce capability and capacity.
Regional procurements over $100 million will be referred to the Minister for Defence to ensure local communities are getting a fair deal from these major projects.
Labor will invest in local expertise by appointing Local Procurement Officers in key regions, beginning with Darwin and Townsville. Local Procurement Officers will map local industry capability, advise on appropriate scheduling of work, and be the contact point for local industry with Defence.
Labor will establish Local Advisory Groups comprising representatives of local industry and civic leadership to monitor the roll out of Defence investment in the regions.
Together, the Local Procurement Officers and Local Advisory Groups will make sure Defence tenders are packaged in a way that allows local businesses to compete.
Regional businesses are full of highly skilled people eager to help keep our country safe through Defence industry. Labor’s Defence Regional Procurement Policy will make sure they can.

Greens launch participatory democracy policy for citizens juries and petitions to be debated

The Greens are today announcing a commitment to bring the voice of the people into politics through trials of Citizens Juries and participatory budgeting, and requiring a parliamentary debate on petitions which receive over 100,000 signatures.
Senator Larissa Waters, Greens co-Deputy Leader and democracy spokesperson, said “Confidence in Australia’s democratic systems is at an all time low, and no wonder when governments are working for their corporate donor mates and and ignoring the people who elect them. It’s critically important that we work to earn back trust, and giving people a real voice in decision-making is central to that.”
“The Greens have been leading the political debate for many years on getting the influence of big money from corporate donations out of politics, closing the revolving door of lobbyists and MPs and setting up a federal anti-corruption commission,” Senator Waters said.
“This election, we are taking that commitment further, with plans to not just get corporate money out of politics but also create paths to bring the people back in.
“We’ve just seen an enormous petition with 1.4 million signatures calling for Fraser Anning to be booted from the parliament which was tabled by Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi, but what many people don’t realise is the petition is never actually debated by federal politicians. We think that’s wrong and petitions that reach a threshold of 100,000 people – the equivalent size of a lower house electorate – should be allocated time during parliamentary sittings for debate and to be voted on so the signatories know where their representatives stand.”
Greens candidate for the new seat of Canberra, Tim Hollo, who has been running a series of participatory democracy meetings across the electorate, said “On climate change, refugees, planning, and so much more, our politics has been failing us, because governments are listening to their corporate backers instead of the people. We absolutely have to turn that around, and fast.”
“Involving a broad range of people in decision-making, and giving them space and support to discuss the ideas, consistently leads to better decisions,” he said.
“What’s even better is that people love the opportunity to get involved. At our community meetings, people have been having a great time, and really appreciate that their views and ideas are being taken seriously.
“We need our politics to work for people and planet, not just profits, and to do that we have to get corporate money out and bring the people back in.
The Greens policy will:

legislate to require a formal and meaningful parliamentary debate on issues for which a petition reaches a threshold of 100,000 signatures;
work with the government to select a mutually agreed key issue on which to run a national Citizens’ Jury and a trial of participatory budgeting; and
legislate to ensure that government decision-making bodies include citizens in a meaningful way.