August 2023 – Page 5

Better entitlements on the table for community service workers in NSW

The Minns Labor Government is moving towards extending the established and successful portable long service leave system in NSW.

The government is taking the first step towards fulfilling its election commitment, establishing a consultation process around the introduction of the system in the community service sector.

The move responds to the rise of insecure work in the disability and community sectors and forms part of the government’s commitment to attract and retain key workers in NSW.

Community sector workers are often employed on short-term contracts with multiple employers and don’t have access to long service leave, despite some working in the sector for more than a decade.

Led by Industrial Relations Minister Sophie Cotsis, the government will engage with stakeholders, including unions and employers, about the best way to extend the system to the community service sector.

A portable long service leave system for the community sector could follow the model for NSW contract cleaners, introduced by the previous Labor government in 2010, which provides a portable long service entitlement to workers who have performed work in the NSW contract cleaning industry for 10 years, regardless of whether they have worked for multiple employers or as a contractor, and includes casuals.

Our plan will bring NSW in line with other jurisdictions (ACT, Victoria and Queensland) that have already established portable leave schemes for these sectors. NSW cannot be left behind and must value these essential workers.

The disability sector has an annual turnover of 25% and the highest levels of casualisation in the care economy.

It is also experiencing a rise in gig work via platforms and apps that provide no leave provisions for workers.

And 75% of the 250,000 strong social services workforce in NSW are women.

A recent survey conducted by the NSW Council of Social Service said the care sector in NSW could lose up to 120,000 workers over the next 5 years, with poor pay and insecure work driving staff out.

The Minns Government is looking to find a solution to the high level of churn in these sectors, the cost this high turnover brings to employers and the impact it has on the continuity of care to clients. 

The government will start work on the consultation process immediately and aim to have a bill to parliament in early-mid 2024, subject to the consultation process.

The announcement forms the first step towards the government implementing its broader commitment to introduce portable entitlements, including long service leave, for the community sector and gig economy.

Minister for Industrial Relations Sophie Cotsis said:

“There’s a predicted mass exodus in the community services sector. We are setting up a consultation process that cares about what the industry has to say.

“Workers in these industries have felt abandoned by the former government, which deprived them of basic entitlements, affecting their ability to get a loan, secure rental accommodation and support their families.

“We want to be getting the best out of our workforce, and it’s well known that a portable entitlements system for these industries recognises the service of these workers and helps retain staff.”

Deadline looms for external gambling-related signage ban

Pubs and clubs across the state have less than 1 week left to remove external gambling-related signage, with members of the public encouraged to report venues breaking the rules following the 1 September deadline.

The NSW Government announced in May that all venues must remove, alter or conceal all external gambling-related signs, including fixed unilluminated awning signs and digital video displays.

The ban will be implemented through a staged approach to ensure pubs and clubs are given the appropriate time to conceal, remove and switch off any illegal signs.

From 1 September, Liquor & Gaming NSW (L&GNSW) is primed to start rigorous compliance inspections and is asking the community to alert it to any remaining signage from that date.

Enforcement action will be taken in relation to non-compliant signage except where venues can provide evidence that reasonable steps have been taken to remove gambling-related signage and the delay is outside of the control of the venue.

From December 1 there will no exceptions and a zero-tolerance approach to any external gambling-related signage.

Members of the public can report instances of gambling related signage via L&GNSW’s websitelaunch. The maximum penalty attributable for those who fail to remove their signs and breach the Act is $11,000 per offence.

A gambling related sign means any sign (whether consisting of words, symbols, pictures or any other thing) that draws attention to, or can reasonably be taken to draw attention to, the availability of approved gaming machines in a hotel or on the premises of a club.

Terms such as VIP Room/VIP Lounge, Golden Room/Lounge and Players’ Room/Lounge are among those banned, as well as images of dragons, coins or lightning motifs.

L&GNSW will be reviewing instances of external gaming related signage on a case-by-case basis, with consideration to any relevant aggravating or mitigating factors. Any operators identified as wilfully circumventing legislation will be met with an appropriate and proportionate enforcement response.

Since May, L&GNSW has visited and engaged with venues across metropolitan and regional LGAs on the process and scope of removal and briefed local councils, peak industry bodies and police to provide necessary education and support about the changes and written to them on numerous occasions. A reminder communique has been sent to all venues, on 25 August confirming compliance inspections and action will start on 1 September.

For more information on gambling related signage removal, read the L&GNSW’s position paperlaunch.

Minister for Gaming & Racing David Harris said:

“NSW Government is taking the next step in our commitment to gaming reform, reducing gambling harm and tackling money laundering.

“Pubs and clubs have one week until this ban will take place and we will begin enforcement from day one.

“Let me be clear, if you have gambling related-external signage after September 1 and cannot demonstrate that reasonable steps have been taken to remove it, you will be fined.

“I’m also calling on the community to help us enforce this ban. If you see a sign which may breach the guidelines after September 1, please report to Liquor and Gaming NSW who will investigate further.”

Disallowance of Surveillance Devices Amendment Regulation

The Labor Government yesterday introduced a regulation providing the Independent Commission against Corruption with extraordinary powers.

Leader of the Opposition Mark Speakman said the powers that are being granted through the Surveillance Devices Amendment (ICAC) Regulation 2023 will have enormous scope beyond any one set of recordings. The Regulation would allow ICAC, for example, to use or publish existing or new surveillance recordings, made by private citizens without a warrant on any matter, for the next 2.4 years.

There are also questions relating to the ICAC’s conduct with respect to the potentially illegal records. It is unclear how the ICAC could have formed the view that the records are “of interest to an ongoing investigation” (as stated by the Attorney General yesterday in Parliament) without breaking the law.

“This is a case of reckless drafting by the Labor Government, and requires serious repair,” said Mr Speakman.

Shadow Attorney General Alister Henskens expressed strong disappointment in the Government choosing to introduce these powers through regulation, rather than putting them into the ICAC Bill which was being debated in Parliament on the same day.

“This approach meant that there would not be any parliamentary debate on powers that have been described in the media as ’incredible’ and robbed the Parliament of the ability to amend and improve the drafting,” said Mr Henskens. “The Government could have easily moved an amendment to incorporate these changes in the ICAC Bill that we were already dealing with in Parliament, which was how the only comparable precedent was dealt with in 2009 by the previous Labor Government.”

The Opposition will support the disallowance motion of this Regulation, but will consider any amendment to the ICAC Bill that puts any new powers in firmer legal context with appropriate thresholds and safeguards. This approach would also allow proper debate in Parliament. Neither the Government nor the ICAC has identified the subject of the investigation in the matter to do with the recording.

“The Opposition will also be writing to the ICAC Inspector, requesting an urgent investigation into the leaking of information about an ICAC investigation reported to be related to this regulation and if the ICAC has dealt with the subject recording in accordance with the law,” Mr Henskens concluded.

High Speed Rail Authority Board meets in Newcastle

The Australian Government’s vision for an east coast high-speed rail network has taken another important step forward today, with the Board of the High Speed Rail Authority (HSRA) meeting in Newcastle for the first time.

The Board’s meeting in Newcastle follows on from its detailed briefing with New South Wales transport officials yesterday regarding the existing rail corridor between Sydney and Newcastle.

The HSRA commenced operations on 13 June 2023 to lead, plan, develop, coordinate, oversee and monitor the construction and operation of a high-speed rail network in Australia.

High-speed rail will revolutionise interstate travel on the east coast, providing a fast alternative for people to move between cities and regional centres, promoting sustainable settlement patterns, and generating and spreading economic benefits beyond the outskirts of major capitals.

The HSRA Board is committed to working transparently within a framework of high standards of governance and accountability.

The Board is enthusiastic about the important foundational and planning activities currently underway, and is working to build the HSRA with a strong leadership team, organisational capability, positive culture and transparent processes and decision making.

Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Minister Catherine King said:

“High-speed rail will be instrumental in improving the lives of Australians by supporting shifts in population settlement, better connecting skilled workers with major job centres and be a key enabler of achieving our ambitious carbon reduction targets.

“It is essential the HSRA takes the time now to establish a robust foundation on which to build and this means the planning has to be done properly and in detail.

“Given the size and scale of building an east coast high-speed rail network, it must be based on meticulous planning, good governance and highly effective project management.

“High-speed rail is still in its early days and we acknowledge this project will take time.

“We have a vision about how we want to see Australia develop, not just next year or next decade but decades from now.”

Federal Member for Newcastle Sharon Claydon said:

“High Speed Rail is a game-changer for our region – increasing capacity, cutting carbon, delivering better connectivity and creating good local jobs and opportunities.

“The HSRA Board meeting in Newcastle is a milestone achievement that recognises the lead role our city will play in shaping high-speed rail in Australia.

“After a wasted decade under the former government, Labor is working hard every day to seize the opportunities ahead.

“Newcastle and our region stands to benefit enormously from the Albanese Labor Government’s commitment to get work on high-speed rail underway. It’s time to make high-speed rail a reality in Australia.”

DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS PAY PRICE FOR TWO-TIERED SCHOOL SYSTEM

The Greens say today’s NAPLAN results are evidence that Australia’s two-tiered school system is supercharging disadvantage, and have called for a complete overhaul of the nation’s approach to school funding.

Greens spokesperson on schools, Senator Penny Allman-Payne said:

“Today’s NAPLAN results are clear evidence that Australia needs to entirely rethink its approach to school funding.

“As a share of total education expenditure Australia spends more on private schooling than almost any other OECD country – and it’s growing. Private school coffers are overflowing while public schools, 98% of which are underfunded, are asked to do more and more with less and less.

“The fall in student performance maps directly with the growing resource gap between the private and public systems. School should help kids on a path out of disadvantage, but Australia’s two-tiered system is baking in disadvantage and supercharging inequality.

“Our neoliberal obsession with providing ‘choice’ at the expense of universality is widening the gap between the richest and poorest and worsening outcomes for all.

“Predictably these results have generated the usual calls for changes to teaching methodologies and training. That’s all well and good, but how about we make sure there are enough teachers, support staff and resources in the classroom in the first place before we start telling teachers how to do their job.

“I hear the federal education minister talk about delivering support to the kids most in need, and that’s great. But he’s suspiciously mealy-mouthed when he’s asked if he’ll guarantee full funding to all public school students.

“We need to stop giving money hand over fist to private schools which, a decade since Gonski, are still overfunded, and deliver full funding to public schools at the start of the next National School Reform Agreement in January 2025.”

LABOR ROBBING FUTURE GENERATIONS BY BACKING COAL & GAS AND REFUSING REAL TAX REFORM

The government would have nearly another trillion dollars to tackle intergenerational inequality if Labor implemented popular and progressive tax reforms, the Greens say, urging Anthony Albanese to abandon his status quo centre-right agenda.

The release of the Intergenerational Report showcases the degree to which future generations are getting handed an increasingly fraught future – with a worsening outlook on inequality and climate.

With a significantly worsening outlook for future generations, the ABC has reported that government sources have ruled out any significant changes to tax in this term. Meanwhile, Labor continues to back more coal and gas. The Greens say this represents an abandonment of future generations.

The government would have hundreds of billions of dollars to repair generational equality if the government was to enact the following reforms:

Tycoon Tax (corporate super profits): $286.7b from 2022-23 to 2032-33¹
Mining Super-Profits Tax: $109.9b from 2022-23 to 2032-33¹
Ending fossil fuel subsidies: $117.1b from 2022-23 to 2032-33¹
PRRT Changes: $94.5b from 2022-23 to 2032-33²
Stopping Stage 3 Tax Cuts: $313.1b from 2023-24 to 2033-34³
Winding back CGT/NG Discounts: $74.1b from 2022-23 to 2032-33⁴
- Total: $995bn, over a decade⁵

Adam Bandt MP, Leader of the Australian Greens said:

“Stopping new coal and gas mines and taxing the billionaires and big corporations is the key to fighting intergenerational inequality,” Mr Bandt said.

“By giving tax cuts to billionaires and opening new coal and gas mines, Labor is handing people a future where the rich get richer and everyone else struggles with a broken housing system and collapsing social safety net, all set on a planet dying from climate collapse.

“Labor can’t complain about future ‘pressures on the budget’ while giving tax cuts to politicians and billionaires.

“Labor can’t pretend to care about the climate crisis while approving new coal and gas projects.

“By trying to walk both sides of the fence on climate and inequality, Labor is setting up future generations for disaster.

“Instead of refusing to fund services, Labor should axe the Stage 3 tax cuts for politicians and billionaires and make the big corporations pay their fair share of tax.

“If Labor had the courage to enact these sensible reforms, the government would have almost a trillion dollars over the next decade to put dental and mental health into Medicare, build public homes, and rapidly accelerate the transition out of coal and gas into clean energy.”

Senator Nick McKim, Australian Greens Economic Justice Spokesperson said:

“Anthony Albanese’s legacy shouldn’t be leaving young people with a housing market that’s completely cooked, a planet on fire, and skyrocketing wealth inequality,” Senator McKim said.

“If Labor was serious about improving the lives of future generations they’ve got almost a trillion dollars to make it happen. Labor just needs to find the courage to take on rich people and big corporations.

“Young people know that the Labor party isn’t representing them – and are seeing their future prospects sold off to curry favour with billionaires and coal and gas donors. They deserve better than that.

“A tax and spend regime has been a critical part of progressive reforms across the world. By turning down this opportunity, Labor is abandoning future generations in hopes of becoming the default centre-right party.”

¹Source: PBO, Australian Greens 2022 Election Platform

²Source: PBO, April 2023 Costing

³ Source: PBO, May 2023 Costing:

⁴Source: PBO, as delivered in Adam Bandt’s NPC Address

⁵ Note: These all represent a decade’s worth of revenue measures. As the Stage 3 Tax Cuts come into effect in the 23/24 financial year, this component has a different start date to the other measures.

Human Rights Commissioner slams Labor’s misinformation bill

The Human Rights Commissioner has today become the latest critic of Labor’s deeply flawed Misinformation plan.

Commissioner Lorraine Finlay has published her submission ahead of the Government, and has also written a powerful opinion piece in The Australian setting out her concerns with the Labor’s proposed Bill.

Public submissions on the draft Bill closed on Sunday but the Government has delayed publishing them until September, raising serious transparency questions around Labor’s plan.

The HRC Commissioner has taken the draft Bill apart, setting out four major criticisms of the Bill.

Ms Finlay highlights that authorised government content is excluded from being deemed as misinformation. She says “this fails to acknowledge the reality that misinformation and disinformation can come from government” and the result would be that:

“…government content can never be misinformation but content critical of the government produced by political opponents might be.”

The Commissioner says the “overly broad and vague” definitions of terms such as “misinformation” and “harm”:

“…risk enabling unpopular or controversial opinions or beliefs to be subjectively labelled as misinformation or disinformation, and censored as a result.”

Ms Finlay says the low threshold on what constitutes “harm” is also a concern, noting the Bill requires content to not actually cause harm, but to only be “reasonably likely to cause or contribute to serious harm.”

She says that “Reasonable people may have very different views about what constitutes harm” and that the harm threshold under the Bill is so low, it “risks allowing an extremely broad range of content potentially to be restricted.”

The Human Rights Commissioner also warns there are “inherent dangers” in giving the power to decide what is misinformation to one body. The risk here, she says, is that:

“… efforts to combat misinformation and disinformation could be used to legitimise attempts to restrict public debate and censor unpopular opinions.”

Mr Coleman said the Human Rights Commission is absolutely right to identify that this Bill would restrict freedom of expression in Australia.

‘Australians are entitled to have different views, and the last thing we want is for the Government to decide what is and is not an acceptable opinion,” Mr Coleman said.

“As the Human Rights Commission submission has highlighted, the Bill would allow people to be targeted based on their opinions. This is completely unacceptable in a democratic nation.

“Today’s intervention follows similar criticism of the Government Bill by the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance, and so we are now seeing both union and human rights leaders criticising the Government’s plan.”

$60 billion black hole in Labor’s energy experiment

A $60 billion black hole has torn through the Albanese Government’s 2030 renewable energy plan exposing a Labor lie and leaving everyday Australians to pay the bill.

A leading energy economist has revealed that more than $60 billion of mega energy projects, which Labor is seeking to build by 2030, are unaccounted for in Labor’s logic despite its significant impact on the energy prices paid by households.

The concerns arise through the GenCost study which evaluates the levelised cost of electricity for different energy generating technologies and provides the central justification for Labor’s radical energy experiment.

Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy Ted O’Brien said Labor’s Climate Change and Energy Minister had deliberately misrepresented the study to blind Australians of the true cost of Labor’s plan.

“Chris Bowen has buried a $60 billion black hole in Labor’s radical energy experiment, and it will be everyday Australian households and businesses that pay the price,” Mr O’Brien said.

“It’s high time that Labor came clean with the Australian people and explained the true cost of its radical energy experiment.”

“Australians are paying some of the highest energy bills in the world despite false promises from Labor that it would cut household power bills by $275.”

The whopping $60 billion price tag was calculated by experienced economist, David Carland in a formal submission to the CSIRO and includes projects such as Snowy 2.0, Marinus Link, VNI West and the Battery of the Nation.

The total figure is likely to be far larger with many more costs associated with household energy storage and distribution costs unknown.

“How deep does this black hole go?” Mr O’Brien asks Labor’s Climate Change and Energy Minister.

“Labor’s energy pathway does not account for one cent of the enormous network integration costs and there are billions more to be uncovered.”

“The enormous network cost of connecting Australian homes with solar, wind or gas generators do not simply vanish because Labor wants it too. These costs are paid for by every single business and household in Australia through higher energy bills.”

In the open letter to the editor published in the Australian on 28 July, CSIROs Chief Economist Paul Graham stated the GenCost “report does not provide the cumulative cost of all investments up to 2030” and that “all existing generation, storage and transmission capacity up to 2030 is treated as sunk costs.”

The Coalition’s energy spokesperson thanked CSIRO’s Chief Economist for clarifying the details of the GenCost report and blasted Chris Bowen for lying to Australians about the true cost of its transition.

“Labor continues to tell Australians that a balance of technologies isn’t needed, claiming renewables alone will deliver the cheapest form of energy but, it has not accounted for at least $60 billion of energy infrastructure to be built out through to 2030.”

“We need to replace Labor’s dangerous ideology with a balanced ‘All-of the Above’ approach that allows for a mix of different technologies, including renewables.”

“What really matters, and what Labor deliberately ignores, is the total system costs of energy because that’s what hits people’s power bills.”