Reports today that Bill Shorten will reintroduce compulsory arbitration into the Fair Work Act despite express commitments from Labor to the contrary, including in Forward with Fairness itself will send a wrecking ball through the Australian economy and cost jobs.
Labor’s plan which it hopes to sneak through the Parliament without any oversight will mean that employers and employees will be told how to run their enterprises.
Another day – More Government incompetence exposed
Truism confirmed
In one of his Jack Aubrey novels, author Patrick O’Brian has Stephen Maturin observe that one seldom hears a person admit that they were asleep when they should have been awake or that they have enough money. So it was not surprising that Senate Estimates heard Immigration Department officials deny Thai Government claims that Australian guards contracted to escort a prisoner who escaped whilst in transit were asleep when the man escaped.
Labor, the Greens and key independents have sided with militant union bosses like the CFMEU in voting down the Coalition’s disallowance motion on the Building Code 2013 71-70.
Earlier this year, Workplace Relations Minister Bill Shorten made a new Building Code under regulation that had no stakeholder consultation and has imposed significant new requirements on the sector which a wide range of stakeholder groups and state governments have expressed concern about.
Government revealed as incompetent and untrustworthy
Budget’s carbon price projections just wishful thinking
Senate Estimates heard today that the forward price on the European market for December 2016 carbon permits is $5.42. This is less than half the $12.10 price contained in the Budget’s forward estimates. If the market is correct and the price in 2016 is only $5.42 there will be a $2b shortfall in Government revenue in 2015-16 and $4b in 2016-17.
The Immigration Department has denied reports that Australian guards contracted by the Department to escort a prisoner who escaped whilst in transit in Bangkok were asleep when the man escaped.
The Department’s denial contradicts reports in the Bangkok Post that the man fled from Suvarnabhumi Airport in Thailand after disarming a security system while his Australian guards took a nap.
Senate Estimates has revealed that not a single overseas investor has taken up the offer of Labor’s much trumpeted “Significant Investor Visa” program in Tasmania.
Labor’s scheme was designed to attract migrant investors to Australia but despite there being some interest in other States there has been not one single application to invest in Tasmania out of the 435 applications to the 30th of April 2013.
Victorian CFMEU Secretary John Setka's comments today that the CFMEU will remain a "militant union" and continue to "break a law a little bit" must be condemned in the strongest terms by Labor and the ACTU.
This comes days after links between the CFMEU and the Comanchero Bikie Gang were established and the Supreme Court making 5 findings of contempt against the CFMEU.
The Victorian Supreme Court's decision on the CFMEU's contempt of court orders relating to the Grocon dispute is welcome.
The Court found the CFMEU guilty on all 5 charges of contempt.
The Coalition today released its Discussion Paper: Building a Strong, Prosperous Tasmania.
The Discussion Paper has identified 12 possible policy measures to strengthen the Tasmanian economy that are in addition to those already announced as part of the Coalition’s Real Solutions Plan.
Eric Abetz has been a Liberal Senator for Tasmania since 1994 and has served in a range of Leadership, Ministerial and Shadow Ministerial roles.