Workplace Relations Reforms, The US in Syria? Iraq, Earth Day
Malcolm Turnbull has been prepared to risk forcing a double dissolution to obtain a vote by both houses sitting together on legislation to pass the Registered Organisations bill and to re-establish the Australian Building and Construction Commission. That body was abolished under the Gillard government in May 2012 and replaced by Fair Work Building & Construction with much reduced regulatory powers. Turnbull also secured the winding up of the Roads Safety Remuneration Tribunal established under Gillard at the behest of the Transport Workers union and effectively designed to favour unions able to collude with transport companies.
Turnbull Decides Early Election & Budget
No sooner had the latest Newspoll been published (details are attached) with a 51/49 TPP in favour of the Coalition, but with the first negative net satisfaction ratio for Turnbull personally, than he announced an early return of Parliament to (again) consider two pieces of legislation on workplace relations and a double dissolution election on 2 July if the legislation is not passed this time by the Senate (of the two pieces of legislation, one has already been rejected twice and this rejection could be used to call a DD). This would be a considerably earlier election than the September/October months which Turnbull himself had previously foreshadowed.
Heydon Report – Ministerial Behaviour- A Hydrogen Bomb?- Saudi Arabi v Iran
The behaviour of the Turnbull Government continues to raise questions.
Immediately following the publication by Justice Heydon of the Royal Commission on Trade Union Governance and Corruption, on 30 December the government issued a press release by the joint team of Turnbull, Brandis and Cash acknowledging the assessment of “a ‘widespread’ and ‘deep seated’ culture of lawlessness among many union officials. It also said it would submit improved legislation on regulating the construction industry and (separately) on the governance of trade unions. It promised to give full and careful consideration to the recommendations in the final report and “announce a detailed response to the public in early 2016”.
More Needed than Heydon RC Recommends & Turnbull Proposes So Far
So far I have read only Volume I of the Overview and introduction of the final report of the Heydon Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption. Volumes 2-4 largely deal with specific cases and Volume 5 with policy and law reform. Based on the Overview there appears to be a first rate analysis for the Turnbull government to use in framing major reforms of regulatory arrangements covering the role of trade unions and relations between employees and employers.
Far-right; C Polling Worsens; PC Draft Report; US-Iran Deal
What is Far-right? In the Weekend Australian Associate Ed John Lyons wrote what seemed to be an attack on groups which have... Read More
Shorten in Further Serious Difficulties
With the leakage of a “discussion paper” on climate change policy, apparently drafted by Labor’s Shadow Environment Minister Butler, Shorten’s credibility is... Read More
Shorten -More Critiques, incl of Abbott’s Responses
Further developments in the Shorten saga appear in the written media but the ABC seems to have “overlooked” them. The main developments... Read More
Shorten’s Reactions
Shorten has reacted to the criticism of his performance at the RC by stating that he looked forward to debating workplace laws... Read More
More Assessments Of Shorten’s RC Performance; Opportunities for Abbott
Assessments of Shorten’s performance at the Royal Commission continue and, in response to a request from AFR, mine is published there today... Read More
Shorten at RC; Newspoll bad for Shorten & Abbott; Nobel Prize Winning Physicist Declares G Warming a “Non-Problem”
Shorten at Royal Commission Media commentary on the first day of Shorten’s appearance at the Royal Commission does not imply corrupt or... Read More