Tuesday, May 30, 2006
The main winners from Victorian tax cuts will be people with property valued at more than $2.7 million.
The top rate of land tax, which applies to people and businesses with properties valued at more than $2.7 million, will fall to 3 per cent from July 1 - a year earlier than previously promised.
The cuts will deliver no benefit to people who only own a family home, since such properties are exempt from land tax.
State Treasurer John Brumby will also promise that no individual land tax bill will increase by more than 50 per cent in 2007.
The cuts follow more than $800 million of land tax cuts announced in last year's State budget.
(Source: The Age)
The top rate of land tax, which applies to people and businesses with properties valued at more than $2.7 million, will fall to 3 per cent from July 1 - a year earlier than previously promised.
The cuts will deliver no benefit to people who only own a family home, since such properties are exempt from land tax.
State Treasurer John Brumby will also promise that no individual land tax bill will increase by more than 50 per cent in 2007.
The cuts follow more than $800 million of land tax cuts announced in last year's State budget.
(Source: The Age)
New welfare laws mean that homeless people could go without financial support for up to eight weeks, and disabled people could be forced to take work that leaves them worse off.
From July 1, thousands of people who have previously received a single-parent or disability pension will be forced onto the lower jobseeker's allowance if they are assessed as being able to work 15 hours a week or more.
Last week, the Government announced that single parents could turn down a job if it didn't offer them at least $25-a-week net benefit when the cost of such things as child care were taken into account.
However senior public servants admitted yesterday that there was no such threshold for people with a disability, despite the fact that some could face higher costs in returning to work than single parents.
Labor senator Penny Wong, who led the questioning of the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations in a Senate Estimates hearing, said the Government could not guarantee that people with a disability would not end up "effectively paying to work, instead of getting paid to work."
Public servants also revealed that homeless people who breached their mutual obligation requirements under Welfare to Work could lose all government payments for two months.
Under Welfare to Work, those who breach certain rules — by turning down a job offer or getting fired for misconduct, for example — will lose their Newstart payments for eight weeks.
Those judged "exceptionally vulnerable" will still get their bills and rent paid by a government-commissioned financial case manager such as an NGO or Centrelink. But public servants admitted that homelessness is not sufficient to have a personal classified as exceptionally vulnerable.
(Source: The Age)
From July 1, thousands of people who have previously received a single-parent or disability pension will be forced onto the lower jobseeker's allowance if they are assessed as being able to work 15 hours a week or more.
Last week, the Government announced that single parents could turn down a job if it didn't offer them at least $25-a-week net benefit when the cost of such things as child care were taken into account.
However senior public servants admitted yesterday that there was no such threshold for people with a disability, despite the fact that some could face higher costs in returning to work than single parents.
Labor senator Penny Wong, who led the questioning of the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations in a Senate Estimates hearing, said the Government could not guarantee that people with a disability would not end up "effectively paying to work, instead of getting paid to work."
Public servants also revealed that homeless people who breached their mutual obligation requirements under Welfare to Work could lose all government payments for two months.
Under Welfare to Work, those who breach certain rules — by turning down a job offer or getting fired for misconduct, for example — will lose their Newstart payments for eight weeks.
Those judged "exceptionally vulnerable" will still get their bills and rent paid by a government-commissioned financial case manager such as an NGO or Centrelink. But public servants admitted that homelessness is not sufficient to have a personal classified as exceptionally vulnerable.
(Source: The Age)
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Staff at the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs are not allowed to wear jeans or polo shirts, and have to consult their managers about zips and hemlines.
Community and Public Sector Union organiser Alison Rahill said members were unhappy at being told what to wear. The rule that required managers to be consulted in order to adjust zips and hems was galling, Ms Rahill said.
She said there were fears that the rules would be linked to performance and result in pay reductions and sackings if they weren't followed.
A staff member, who did not wish to be named, said that staff at the Department were demoralised after last year's reports about the mistreatment of Australian residents Cornelia Rau and Vivian Alvarez Solon. They said that "there's been all this time and energy organising this dress policy so that we appear to look professional, instead of dealing with the issue of becoming professional."
(Source: The Age)
Community and Public Sector Union organiser Alison Rahill said members were unhappy at being told what to wear. The rule that required managers to be consulted in order to adjust zips and hems was galling, Ms Rahill said.
She said there were fears that the rules would be linked to performance and result in pay reductions and sackings if they weren't followed.
A staff member, who did not wish to be named, said that staff at the Department were demoralised after last year's reports about the mistreatment of Australian residents Cornelia Rau and Vivian Alvarez Solon. They said that "there's been all this time and energy organising this dress policy so that we appear to look professional, instead of dealing with the issue of becoming professional."
(Source: The Age)
Tyre-maker Bridgestone has been buying rubber from plantations that use slave labour, according to the United Nations.
A report by the UN and the government of Liberia says that rubber-tappers work in conditions of slavery at two plantations in the West African country.
Firestone, owned by Bridgestone Corporation, denied having bought rubber from either plantation. However more recently the Liberian manager of Firestone, Patrick Rodrigo, recently claimed not to know whether the company had bought rubber from one of the plantations.
(Source: MX)
A report by the UN and the government of Liberia says that rubber-tappers work in conditions of slavery at two plantations in the West African country.
Firestone, owned by Bridgestone Corporation, denied having bought rubber from either plantation. However more recently the Liberian manager of Firestone, Patrick Rodrigo, recently claimed not to know whether the company had bought rubber from one of the plantations.
(Source: MX)
John Howard's overseas trips have cost a total of $14 million of public money, according to the Opposition.
The Opposition says that Mr Howard has spent a total of more than a year overseas during his ten years as Prime Minister, taking a total of 70 trips overseas.
Mr Howard's visit to Britain and the United States in July last year cost more than $600,000.
(Source: MX)
The Opposition says that Mr Howard has spent a total of more than a year overseas during his ten years as Prime Minister, taking a total of 70 trips overseas.
Mr Howard's visit to Britain and the United States in July last year cost more than $600,000.
(Source: MX)
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Forthcoming military investigations into alleged war crimes in Iraq will show that a squad of U.S. Marines killed about 24 Iraqi civilians, including women and children, while on patrol last year, and then gave inaccurate reports on the incident to their commanders, according to an American government source.
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Duncan Hunter, a Republican, said his panel will hold oversight hearings on the two investigations into the incident being held by the military, to ensure they are "undertaken by the military with integrity."
A preliminary military investigation completed in March found that on Nov. 19 insurgents attacked a Marine convoy with a roadside bomb, killing Marine Lance Cpl. Miguel Terrazas, 20, of El Paso. It said insurgents then opened fire on the Marines from several locations, and during the battle, eight insurgents and 15 civilians were killed, including women and children.
But earlier this week, Representative John P. Murtha said the incident was "much worse" and had involved no firefight or roadside bomb that killed civilians. "Our troops overreacted because of the pressure on them, and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood" Murtha said.
Hunter also indicated that new facts had emerged on the number of civilian deaths and unfolding of events, but said he would not preempt the investigation and say that murders were committed. "I think we're going to see those [deaths] in the neighborhood of 20 or so people," he said. A statement from his committee put the number at "about 24."
"The initial reports, obviously, that came up through the command didn't...tell the story," he said. The military's original Nov. 20 statement said an insurgent bomb had killed the civilians and Marine.
Three Marine officers whose 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment was involved in the incident, were relieved of command in April as a result of questions about their leadership. However no-one has been charged.
Hunter said that the actions of a single squad should not reflect negatively on the rest of the troops engaged in Iraq or their mission, adding that "there has been no war in our history in which you didn't have incidents in which people did the wrong thing at one time or another."
(Source: Washington Post)
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Duncan Hunter, a Republican, said his panel will hold oversight hearings on the two investigations into the incident being held by the military, to ensure they are "undertaken by the military with integrity."
A preliminary military investigation completed in March found that on Nov. 19 insurgents attacked a Marine convoy with a roadside bomb, killing Marine Lance Cpl. Miguel Terrazas, 20, of El Paso. It said insurgents then opened fire on the Marines from several locations, and during the battle, eight insurgents and 15 civilians were killed, including women and children.
But earlier this week, Representative John P. Murtha said the incident was "much worse" and had involved no firefight or roadside bomb that killed civilians. "Our troops overreacted because of the pressure on them, and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood" Murtha said.
Hunter also indicated that new facts had emerged on the number of civilian deaths and unfolding of events, but said he would not preempt the investigation and say that murders were committed. "I think we're going to see those [deaths] in the neighborhood of 20 or so people," he said. A statement from his committee put the number at "about 24."
"The initial reports, obviously, that came up through the command didn't...tell the story," he said. The military's original Nov. 20 statement said an insurgent bomb had killed the civilians and Marine.
Three Marine officers whose 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment was involved in the incident, were relieved of command in April as a result of questions about their leadership. However no-one has been charged.
Hunter said that the actions of a single squad should not reflect negatively on the rest of the troops engaged in Iraq or their mission, adding that "there has been no war in our history in which you didn't have incidents in which people did the wrong thing at one time or another."
(Source: Washington Post)
Friday, May 19, 2006
Despite the common idea of 'executive stress', a new survey has found that women with little power at work are far more likely to develop severe depression.
The European survey of over four thousand workers found that women who reported having low influence at work were more than twice as likely as other women to develop symptoms of severe depression.
(Source: MX)
The European survey of over four thousand workers found that women who reported having low influence at work were more than twice as likely as other women to develop symptoms of severe depression.
(Source: MX)
Saturday, May 13, 2006
Workers at Beaconsfield gold mine, site of the recent mine collapse in which one man died and another two were trapped for two weeks, have claimed that some underground managers behaved like bullies and were not receptive to input from miners on safety.
Management was unavailable to comment on the latest allegations and has so far refused to discuss safety issues directly.
Australian Workers Union national secretary Bill Shorten said miners were angry about perceived management indifference to their concerns.
Some miners have told the union they would not go back underground until safety was assured.
There have been seven deaths in Tasmanian mines since 1998 compared with two in the previous eight years. Some in the industry blame the shift towards 'self-regulation' in the late 1990s and a move to 12-hour shifts.
(Source: The Age)
Management was unavailable to comment on the latest allegations and has so far refused to discuss safety issues directly.
Australian Workers Union national secretary Bill Shorten said miners were angry about perceived management indifference to their concerns.
Some miners have told the union they would not go back underground until safety was assured.
There have been seven deaths in Tasmanian mines since 1998 compared with two in the previous eight years. Some in the industry blame the shift towards 'self-regulation' in the late 1990s and a move to 12-hour shifts.
(Source: The Age)
Friday, May 12, 2006
Three construction workers have had their pay docked after delivering money collected for the family of the miner killed in the Beaconsfield mine disaster.
Ninety construction workers building a treatment plant for a new gold mine in Bendigo, 150km north-west of Melbourne, collected $2,000 to donate to the family of miner Larry Knight.
Mr Knight died in the April 25 rock fall at Tasmania's Beaconsfield Gold Mine that also trapped two other miners, Todd Russell and Brant Webb, for two weeks. The pair were rescued on Tuesday.
The three workers are employed by McFee Pty Ltd, which is building the plant for Bendigo Mining's new mine beneath the town.
The workers collected the money on Tuesday during work breaks.
CFMEU shop steward Gary McCarthy said he and two workmates had advised their boss they would be off-site during their half-hour lunch break to hand over the money at the Bendigo Trades Hall Council.
But a delay in getting a receipt made them 20 minutes late back to work, he said.
"It's the first time any delegates have gone off-site on company time," Mr McCarthy told AAP.
"We were 20 minutes late and we were confronted by the site superintendent who abused us and deducted half an hour from our pay."
(Source: AAP)
Ninety construction workers building a treatment plant for a new gold mine in Bendigo, 150km north-west of Melbourne, collected $2,000 to donate to the family of miner Larry Knight.
Mr Knight died in the April 25 rock fall at Tasmania's Beaconsfield Gold Mine that also trapped two other miners, Todd Russell and Brant Webb, for two weeks. The pair were rescued on Tuesday.
The three workers are employed by McFee Pty Ltd, which is building the plant for Bendigo Mining's new mine beneath the town.
The workers collected the money on Tuesday during work breaks.
CFMEU shop steward Gary McCarthy said he and two workmates had advised their boss they would be off-site during their half-hour lunch break to hand over the money at the Bendigo Trades Hall Council.
But a delay in getting a receipt made them 20 minutes late back to work, he said.
"It's the first time any delegates have gone off-site on company time," Mr McCarthy told AAP.
"We were 20 minutes late and we were confronted by the site superintendent who abused us and deducted half an hour from our pay."
(Source: AAP)
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Quote of the Moment - 'They Hate Us So Much, I Think We'll Stay'
"The scenes of several hundred Iraqis yelling their opposition to the coalition's military presence, carried on Arabic TV throughout the day, could also call into question Blair's hopes of Iraq stabilising sufficiently to begin reducing the British presence."
The normally left-wing Observer shows signs of Bush-esque logic.
"The scenes of several hundred Iraqis yelling their opposition to the coalition's military presence, carried on Arabic TV throughout the day, could also call into question Blair's hopes of Iraq stabilising sufficiently to begin reducing the British presence."
The normally left-wing Observer shows signs of Bush-esque logic.
Saturday, May 06, 2006
The Labor Party should give public funds to parents who send their children to private schools, according to its national president.
Warren Mundine said that, presumably unlike parents who send their children to government schools, "these families are contributing on top of their taxes. They're paying for education twice." He added that "not all are wealthy people, they're just ordinary, average Australians trying to do the best for their kids."
Mr Mundine said his party should consider offering tax breaks on school fees and direct subsidies for parents using the private school system, similar to the childcare rebate.
Private schools themselves are already given public funds.
The Labor Party recently dropped its policy of cutting public funding to the nation's wealthiest private schools.
(Source: The Australian)
Warren Mundine said that, presumably unlike parents who send their children to government schools, "these families are contributing on top of their taxes. They're paying for education twice." He added that "not all are wealthy people, they're just ordinary, average Australians trying to do the best for their kids."
Mr Mundine said his party should consider offering tax breaks on school fees and direct subsidies for parents using the private school system, similar to the childcare rebate.
Private schools themselves are already given public funds.
The Labor Party recently dropped its policy of cutting public funding to the nation's wealthiest private schools.
(Source: The Australian)
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Major employers Spotless Services Australia and the Coles-Myer company have moved to take advantage of the new industrial relations laws by reducing workers' take-home pay by up to $160 a week.
A Spotless Services document also states that the company does not expect the newly-established 'Fair Pay Commission' to award increases in minimum wages of 'more than 1%-2%' - which would represent a significant cut in real wages for 1.6 million award workers.
ACTU Secretary Greg Combet said that in the case of Coles-Myer, the outsourcing of maintenance work for its stores to a new national contractor PMS Ltd will result in the loss of Rostered Days Off and a pay cut of $8,000 a year for some of the skilled tradespeople it employs at outlets that include Bourke St Melbourne.
Mr Combet said that currently, qualified electricians in Coles-Myer's Melbourne stores are on an annual salary of $53,000 a year but the new contractor, PMS Ltd, is only offering to pay electricians and other skilled tradespeople $45,000 a year under a new non-union employment contract registered last week.
Spotless is offering its cleaners and catering staff a new contract that cuts their wages and removes or reduces entitlements such as part time and casual loadings, overtime and redundancy, Mr Combet claimed. He also said that Spotless plans to introduce 'split shifts' that mean a worker can be paid to help prepare breakfast, then be unpaid for two hours, and then be required to work again during the lunch period.
He added that "it is extremely worrying that major companies are already starting to factor in expectations that the new Fair Pay Commission will cut real minimum wages. If as Spotless' lawyers state, the Fair Pay Commission gives a pay increase of only 1%-2%, with inflation now running at 3% this means that 1.6 million Australians that rely on award wages will see their living standards go backwards."
(Source: ACTU)
A Spotless Services document also states that the company does not expect the newly-established 'Fair Pay Commission' to award increases in minimum wages of 'more than 1%-2%' - which would represent a significant cut in real wages for 1.6 million award workers.
ACTU Secretary Greg Combet said that in the case of Coles-Myer, the outsourcing of maintenance work for its stores to a new national contractor PMS Ltd will result in the loss of Rostered Days Off and a pay cut of $8,000 a year for some of the skilled tradespeople it employs at outlets that include Bourke St Melbourne.
Mr Combet said that currently, qualified electricians in Coles-Myer's Melbourne stores are on an annual salary of $53,000 a year but the new contractor, PMS Ltd, is only offering to pay electricians and other skilled tradespeople $45,000 a year under a new non-union employment contract registered last week.
Spotless is offering its cleaners and catering staff a new contract that cuts their wages and removes or reduces entitlements such as part time and casual loadings, overtime and redundancy, Mr Combet claimed. He also said that Spotless plans to introduce 'split shifts' that mean a worker can be paid to help prepare breakfast, then be unpaid for two hours, and then be required to work again during the lunch period.
He added that "it is extremely worrying that major companies are already starting to factor in expectations that the new Fair Pay Commission will cut real minimum wages. If as Spotless' lawyers state, the Fair Pay Commission gives a pay increase of only 1%-2%, with inflation now running at 3% this means that 1.6 million Australians that rely on award wages will see their living standards go backwards."
(Source: ACTU)
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
The Australian Defence Force has been accused of covering up the alleged rape of a Territory air force woman by a superior.
A Defence Force member based at RAAF Tindal near Katherine contacted the media in disgust at the alleged cover-up.
It is alleged the woman was sexually assaulted during a RAAF-organised trip near Darwin.
She reported the assault to the Defence Force and Territory Police on returning to base.
The Defence Force gave the accused man leave at taxpayers' expense until the situation "cooled down".
Defence sources claim the victim was offered a posting of her choice if she dropped the charges, which she accepted.
A Defence Department spokeswoman said the victim was posted to allow her "to access appropriate care and support services, many of which are not available in the Katherine area...the purpose of the posting was to facilitate the member's access to appropriate support services and was not linked in any way to whether or not charges were laid in relation to the alleged incident." The Defence Department did not address the question of why someone would need support services if the 'incident' was only 'alleged'.
A Tindal source aware of the claims labelled the alleged victim's treatment a "grave injustice perpetrated by a good old boys' mentality" at Tindal.
"Even if the charge of rape was dropped, what happened to all the other charges, like no fraternisation, assault and conduct unbecoming" the source said.
"This man has been allowed - no, encouraged - to commit crimes simply by the 'we can cover it all up' attitude."
NT Police confirmed last night they are not investigating the alleged rape.
(Source: Northern Territory News)
A Defence Force member based at RAAF Tindal near Katherine contacted the media in disgust at the alleged cover-up.
It is alleged the woman was sexually assaulted during a RAAF-organised trip near Darwin.
She reported the assault to the Defence Force and Territory Police on returning to base.
The Defence Force gave the accused man leave at taxpayers' expense until the situation "cooled down".
Defence sources claim the victim was offered a posting of her choice if she dropped the charges, which she accepted.
A Defence Department spokeswoman said the victim was posted to allow her "to access appropriate care and support services, many of which are not available in the Katherine area...the purpose of the posting was to facilitate the member's access to appropriate support services and was not linked in any way to whether or not charges were laid in relation to the alleged incident." The Defence Department did not address the question of why someone would need support services if the 'incident' was only 'alleged'.
A Tindal source aware of the claims labelled the alleged victim's treatment a "grave injustice perpetrated by a good old boys' mentality" at Tindal.
"Even if the charge of rape was dropped, what happened to all the other charges, like no fraternisation, assault and conduct unbecoming" the source said.
"This man has been allowed - no, encouraged - to commit crimes simply by the 'we can cover it all up' attitude."
NT Police confirmed last night they are not investigating the alleged rape.
(Source: Northern Territory News)
Listed companies' directors and executives received an average pay rise of 10 per cent last year, double the increase afforded to average workers.
A review of boardroom remuneration in 2005 by corporate research firm Connect 4 also found that bank chief executives overtook media bosses as the highest-paid employees, with a 58 per cent pay increase that took their average remuneration to $2.7 million during 2005.
The Financial Services Union said this compared with an average 4 per cent rise in wages among general banking staff last year, where annual pay starts at $32,000 a year before tax.
(Source: The Australian)
A review of boardroom remuneration in 2005 by corporate research firm Connect 4 also found that bank chief executives overtook media bosses as the highest-paid employees, with a 58 per cent pay increase that took their average remuneration to $2.7 million during 2005.
The Financial Services Union said this compared with an average 4 per cent rise in wages among general banking staff last year, where annual pay starts at $32,000 a year before tax.
(Source: The Australian)
The Immigration Department endangered the lives of a group of Chinese asylum seekers by allowing Chinese officials to interview them inside Australian detention centres, according to their lawyer.
The asylum seekers have made claims for protection visas, alleging that they were persecuted by the Chinese government.
Refugee lawyer Michaela Byers today said that some of her Chinese clients had been interviewed by security officials from China while being held at Villawood and Baxter detention centres.
Ms Byers also said the Immigration Department lied about the interviews, saying that the officials were allowed in to facilitate travel documents for unsuccessful asylum seekers to be returned to China. In fact the asylum seekers have not finished their claims for asylum.
Ms Byers said that "by allowing Chinese officials into the detention centre to interview them has now allowed their refugee claims to be known to Chinese authorities."
"So should they be forced to be returned to China I believe that my clients' lives would in danger."
(Source: The Australian)
The asylum seekers have made claims for protection visas, alleging that they were persecuted by the Chinese government.
Refugee lawyer Michaela Byers today said that some of her Chinese clients had been interviewed by security officials from China while being held at Villawood and Baxter detention centres.
Ms Byers also said the Immigration Department lied about the interviews, saying that the officials were allowed in to facilitate travel documents for unsuccessful asylum seekers to be returned to China. In fact the asylum seekers have not finished their claims for asylum.
Ms Byers said that "by allowing Chinese officials into the detention centre to interview them has now allowed their refugee claims to be known to Chinese authorities."
"So should they be forced to be returned to China I believe that my clients' lives would in danger."
(Source: The Australian)
