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Showing posts with label #TurnbullGovernmentFAIL. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #TurnbullGovernmentFAIL. Show all posts
Tuesday 26 June 2018
Australia’s Border Farce lives down to its nickname
Minister for
Home Affairs and Liberal MP for Dickson Peter
Dutton’s poor oversight and lack of managerial skills is on display for all
to see…….
The Sydney Morning Herald, 6 June 2018:
The benefits of
the merger of the Immigration and Customs departments and creation of
Australian Border Force haven't been proven and promised increased
revenue hasn't materialised, a damning audit report has found.
While the Department of
Immigration and Border Protection did achieve the merger effectively, it
"is not in a position to provide the government with assurance that the
claimed benefits of integration have been achieved," the report said.
The merger of the
Department of Immigration and Border Protection with the Australian
Customs and Border Protection Service took place in 2015, with its functions
now covered under the Department of Home Affairs. Controversial at the time, it
heralded a move to focus more on guarding the country's borders over
resettlement and migration.
In the business case for
the merger, the department committed to a "Benefits Realisation
Plan," but because the plan was not implemented, the claimed benefits have
not been measured and can't be demonstrated, the report said.
While the business case
for the integration of the departments promised an increase in revenue from
customs duty, less than half of the promised revenue increase has materialised.
At the end of 2017, just 42.2 per cent of the extra revenue committed to had
been achieved, and the report predicted that at the current rate just 31.6 per
cent of the additional revenue promised would be delivered.
When the merger was
announced, then immigration minister Scott Morrison promised "hundreds of
millions in savings" would be reinvested back into the agency.
Auditor-general Grant
Herir slammed the department's record keeping, which the department admitted
was in a "critically poor state," and said there was no evidence that
the Minister Peter Dutton was given written briefings on the progress of
the integration of the departments.
In its response, the
Department of Home Affairs acknowledged it had issues with record keeping and
committed to making improvements a priority. The report didn't look on this
commitment favourably though, pointing to more than 10 years of audits and
reviews that have made similar findings.
The problems and their
solutions are known to the department, and it has an action plan to address
them, although numerous previous attempts to do so have not been
successful," it said.
The report also found
that the department experienced a loss of corporate memory through the merger.
"Almost half of SES
officers present in July 2015 [were] no longer in the department at July
2017," it said.
The report also found
that out of 33 consultancy contracts with values of more than $1 million, just
2 were evaluated for value for money, meaning that it was unclear if the other
31 contracts had been value for money.
Spending on consultancy
in the department more than doubled in the years after the merger, topping more
than $50 million in each of the 2014-15 and 2015-16 financial years…..
The Age, 19 June 2018:
The multimillion-dollar
college that trains Australia’s border security personnel has “overpromised and
underdelivered” and immigration and customs officials have repeatedly abused
their powers, a scathing report has found.
The
government-commissioned findings also said many department staff lack the
training needed to perform their jobs and “jaws of death” have gripped
officials struggling to complete more work with fewer resources.
In May 2014 the
Coalition Abbott government controversially announced the creation of the
Australian Border Force (ABF), as part of a merger of customs and immigration
border operations. Crucial to the new super-charged agency was the
establishment of the ABF College, with multiple campuses, to ensure recruits
and existing staff “have the right skills to do their jobs”.
Under the former
department of immigration and border protection, consultants RAND Australia
were asked to evaluate the progress of the merger, ahead of the creation
of the Home Affairs portfolio in December last year which combined immigration,
border protection, law enforcement and intelligence.
The findings concluded
that “clear and unequivocal” progress has been made towards building a “modern
border management capability”.
However, success had
been “uneven” and in particular, the ABF College “largely remains a
disappointment to senior leaders across the department”.
The report involved
interviews with senior department officials, who cited concern that the
college’s curriculum was “not adequate for actual training needs”.
The college’s use of
technology was poor and, in many cases, was used to “automate bad learning
environments” rather than improve training.
The college was supposed
to train staff across the department, however many officials were not given time
to attend courses.
Overall, the college and
other training opportunities in the department “overpromised and underdelivered
to the detriment of the workforce and the morale”.
One senior official was
so frustrated at the problems that he suspended a board examining the issues
“until new terms of reference and fresh ideas were developed”.
The report is dated 2018
but it is not clear exactly when it was finalised. The Department of Home
Affairs did not answer questions from Fairfax Media on how much had been spent
on the college and where its campuses were located. Officials have
previously said the 2014-15 budget included $54 million to establish the
college and other training measures, and that several campuses would be
established including in Sydney and Canberra.
Across the department’s
broader workforce, senior officials said staff in many cases lacked “the
capability to do the work required of their assigned positions”.
This included customs
and immigration investigators “not understanding the law, use of force
protocols, and rules of engagement” which in some cases led to “abuse of
power,” the report said.
One official said field
compliance officers “were doing dangerous jobs without proper training” and
another described a junior officer who was “unable to manage shipboard
operations due to a lack of proper training and experience”.
Department staff
described being held in the “jaws of death” as they juggled an increased
workload and declining resources. Senior officials repeatedly raised concern
that the ABF received more resources than other divisions but “has not been
subjected to the same level of scrutiny”….
As a local
member it appears that Dutton is also having ‘workforce’ issues ahead of the
forthcoming federal election…..
Peter is working hard
but could use your help.
If you can spare an hour or two to help Peter in Dickson, please join the team.
If you can spare an hour or two to help Peter in Dickson, please join the team.
The most shameful evidence of Peter Dutton's management style is found when one condiders that as Minister for Immigration and Border Protection
since 23 December 2014, he currently has ultimate responsibility for the welfare of asylum
seekers held in custody.
Bringing the total number
of deaths in onshore or offshore detention and in the community to est. 64 people since January
2000.
That is the equivilant of almost four deaths each year on Peter Dutton's watch and around three deaths per year overall.
According to MSN
on 21 June 2018; There are nearly 700 men currently in
detention on Papua New Guinea, and more than 900 men, women and children on
Nauru.
Friday 15 June 2018
What I learnt about NBN Co this week
It is easy to lose track of what federal government-owned NBN Co is up to these days, so I did a quick search of mainstream media reports and the company website. This is what I found.
In the nine months up to 31 March 2018 NBN Co listed $1,413 million in revenue, up from $665 million for the same period last year. Nevertheless it appears the company is operating at a loss.
NBN Co’s CEO
earns est. $3.62 million per annum — approximately six times more than Prime Minister Malcolm
Turnbull.
Million-dollar
salary packages are paid to another four top executives.
More than 480
of NBN Co’s staff are on $200,000-plus salaries and 120 earn more
than $300,000.
NBN Co
paid $66 million in bonuses to its staff last financial year.
In February
and March 2018 the company’s three top executives spent almost $40,000 on
business-class flights and accommodation during a trip to Spain to attend a
conference.
Although NBN plans are advertised with speeds such as 25Mbps or 50Mbps, performance on fixed wireless drops in the evening and the CEO has stated that "We don't have the money to invest in this to take it above 6Mbps” – which means that many customers cannot get a decent image when streaming videos or live entertainment.
NBN Co has
fobbed off customers 80,000 times since July last year – nine per cent of
all scheduled appointments.
There were at
least 42,510 formal complaints made about NBN services from January to December
2017.
More than one
third of NBN users wish it had never happened, according to new research by finder.com.au released
on 8 June 2018. Only 43 per cent of respondents still on an ADSL or cable
Internet connection said they were looking forward to switching to NBN.
The basic NBN service is being redefined and entry-level retail prices for NBN broadband are set to rise.
Labels:
#TurnbullGovernmentFAIL,
information technology,
Internet,
NBN
Thursday 31 May 2018
Liberals continue to behave badly in 2018 – Part Six, Cash subpoena for 1 August
The Guardian: Michaelia Cash giving evidence before Senate educaion & employment committee, Parlview video, Feb 2018 |
The Federal Court has
ordered embattled Jobs Minister Michaelia Cash to give evidence in the court
case over last year's raids on the headquarters of the Australian Workers
Union.
Court documents seen by
Fairfax Media show a subpoena has been issued for Senator Cash to attend court
on August 1.
The minister has been
under pressure over her role in a federal police raid conducted on AWU offices
in Melbourne in October, details of which were leaked to the media in advance.
Senator Cash's former
staffer David de Garis - who has also been ordered to give evidence - took the
blame for tipping off journalists and subsequently resigned.
Senator Cash has said
she was unaware of the tip-offs. She was due to appear at a Senate estimates
hearing on Wednesday but sent the assistant minister Zed Seselja instead….
She previously failed in
an attempt to stop subpoenas for communications between her office and the ROC
about the raids….
Mr Turnbull has so far
stood by his minister.
The people of the Liverpool Plains versus Santos and its irresponsible domestic and international shareholders
Oil and gas mining corporation Santos Limited is currently seeking approval to drill up to 850 natural gas wells on est. 425 sites over 95,000 hectares in the Pilliga Forest region of north-west New South Wales.
Pilliga Forest is consdered a rare example of intact temperate forest and covers an est. 300,000 hectares sitting atop a recharge area of the Great Artesian Basin.
Santos presents itself as an Australian company, yet two affilated Chinese companys hold over 624 million voting shares in the company1 and its top institutional shareholders contain the usual mix of international banks, finance and investment companies2.
In its 2017 annual report Santos admits; A range of environmental risks exist within oil
and gas exploration and production activities3.
This is the response of the people living on the Liverpool Plains.
The backyard of New
South Wales is facing its biggest threat yet – invasive gasfields. Betrayal by
governments has meant protectors are fighting to save the things they love. The
Pilliga, Great Artesian Basin, Liverpool Plains – all are at risk. This is a
David and Goliath battle to save our land, air and water from destruction. It’s
also a fight for the soul and future of Australia. In this film we meet the
experts and people living in the sacrifice zone and uncover the truth behind
the real gas crisis confronting ordinary Australians.
https://youtu.be/h3h1FxwI1CE
Footnotes
1. As of 27 June 2017 Hony Partners Group, L.P and ENN Ecological Holdings Co Ltd acting in concert
2. At Page 130 https://www.santos.com/media/4319/2017-annual-report.pdf.
Footnotes
1. As of 27 June 2017 Hony Partners Group, L.P and ENN Ecological Holdings Co Ltd acting in concert
2. At Page 130 https://www.santos.com/media/4319/2017-annual-report.pdf.
3. 15 February 2017 Queensland Department of Environment and
Heritage Protection fined Santos $12,190
for non-compliance with a Soils Management Plan.
Tuesday 29 May 2018
Get Up!: Adani is paying for government staff to 'independently' assess Adani's mine.
Rio Tinto's RTM Wakmatha bulk carrier |
Get Up! is currently sending out an interesting email pointing out the close relationship between the Adani Group and government.
Given past behaviour of the Adani Group it is possible that it might also be considering looking to a small business focused, suspected 'greenwashing' front called the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, for assistance in the future.
Given the Turnbull Government's announcement of a $444 million grant gifted to the coal, ore, gas and petroleum export industries as well as bulk carrier fleets operating on the Australian east coast, by way of the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.
A foundation which classes Rio Tinto's RTFM Wakmatha (a Post Panamax bulk carrier on the Weipa to Gladstone run) as the foundation's research vessel in its so-called mission to save the reef.
https://www.marinetraffic.com |
Two oil tankers were also travelling north behind it.
Get Up! email, 28 May 2018:
Adani is paying for government staff to 'independently' assess Adani's mine.
The corporation has struck a mind-boggling deal that will see Adani pay up to $1.5 million in salaries, housing and vehicle costs for council employees who will directly assess parts of their coal project.1
Adani now has its tendrils deep in every level of our democracy. From local councils, to state governments, right through to our Federal politicians. Adani has infiltrated our democracy in a way that makes objective decision making virtually impossible.
Our Reef is on the brink, and so is our planet. If we're to stop this monstrous coal mine, we have to fight back against the huge influence dirty polluters have over our democracy.
Can you sign our open letter to Australian politicians demanding they get big polluters out of government?
This is only the latest sordid chapter in this country's big book of polluting politics.
From the beginning, there has been a revolving door of operators moving freely between Adani and political offices. Last Queensland election, an Adani lobbyist 'volunteered' to run Labor's election campaign.2
Resources Minister Matt Canavan stacked the board deciding whether or not to give $1 billion to Adani with his pro-coal friends.3 And when that didn't work, Trade Minister Steve Ciobo went out and changed the rules of government funding body EFIC (the Export Finance Insurance Corporation) to allow hundreds of millions in public money to fund projects exactly like Adani's coal mine.4
The fossil fuel industry and their vested interests are rotting our democracy from tip to root. If we are to get the real, urgent change we need, we need to clean them out on every level.
Sign our open letter demanding we get big polluters out of our politics.
It's not just Adani, either. The Turnbull Government has just announced a plan to 'save the Reef'. Except instead of doing anything about climate change, this plan involves granting $444 million to an obscure group with links to climate-deniers. Their plan? Let "corporate interest help decide the science strategy and funding priorities."5
Yep. Nearly half a billion dollars for climate-deniers to work with big business to solve the problem. What could go wrong?
At the same time, the Government's Energy Security Board put out a call for energy companies to help implement Turnbull's new energy plan. Big polluters could be writing the rules they'll have to follow. Again, what could possibly go wrong?6
It's clear that our politicians, and especially this Turnbull Government, have shown us they are both incapable and unwilling to act on climate while they are dominated by climate deniers, the fossil fuel lobby and big coal donors.
Help get fossil fuels out of our democracy. Sign our open letter now.
It's time for a clean out.
Sam R and Jairaj, for the GetUp team.
References
[1] Adani to pay for Isaac council staff working on Carmichael mine activities, ABC Online, 28 May 2018
[2] Adani lobbyist Cameron Milner in Palaszczuk campaign, The Australian, 30 August 2017
[3] Conflicts of interest concerns over $900m Adani loan spark Senate estimates questions, ABC Online, 2 June 2017
[4] Coalition to allow government-backed loans to coalmines as banks hesitant, The Guardian, 11 September 2017
[5] Corporate figures to help decide Great Barrier Reef priorities under $444m grant, Sydney Morning Herald, 21 May 2018
[6] Energy Security Board asks companies for staff to deliver National Energy Guarantee, Australian Financial Review, 21 May 2018
GetUp is an independent, not-for-profit community campaigning group. We use new technology to empower Australians to have their say on important national issues. We receive no political party or government funding, and every campaign we run is entirely supported by voluntary donations. If you'd like to contribute to help fund GetUp's work, please donate now! This email was sent to judith.melville@gmail.com. To unsubscribe this email address from GetUp, please click here.
Our team acknowledges that we meet and work on the land of the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We wish to pay respect to their Elders - past, present and future - and acknowledge the important role all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people continue to play within Australia and the GetUp community.
Authorised by Paul Oosting, Level 14, 338 Pitt Street, Sydney NSW 2000.
Sunday 27 May 2018
Fair Funding Now campaign kicked off in the Page electorate on 23 May 2018
When Nationals MP for Page Kevin Hogan stated that "our local community was a winner from this year’s budget with money put back into family budgets, the creation of more jobs and a guarantee of the essential services that we depend on as the Government continues to heavily invest in regional infrastructure" and "Our schools will also receive an extra $23.5 billion over the next decade. This means funding per student is increasing by around 50 percent over the decade making sure our children get the education they deserve" he appears to have misjudged the mood of the electorate.
Echo
NetDaily, 23
May 2018:
Principals, parents and
teachers in the Page electorate will join with community members at the local
launches of the Fair Funding Now campaign at Grafton and Sandy Beach today
and tomorrow.
The campaign aims to
secure fairer funding for public schools and a reversal of the Turnbull
Government cuts which will cost local schools over $23 million in 2018 and 2019
alone.
Speakers at the campaign
Grafton launch today (Wednesday) will include NSW Teachers Federation president
Maurie Mulheron, South Grafton PS principal, Peter South and P&C
President Kelly Vickers while principal Dianne Blevin will address the Sandy
Beach PS event tomorrow.
Mr Mulheron said: ‘We
are running the Fair Funding Now campaign because a fair go for all
children is needed now.
‘All children in the
Page electorate should have the opportunity to get the highest quality public
education.
‘Polling by the union
shows the overwhelming majority of voters in 18 key marginal electorates,
including Page, believe federal funding for public school is too low and that
funding should be increased straight away.
More important than tax
cuts
‘Results show school
funding will be a key federal election vote decider, with 83 per cent of
respondents stating that public school funding is very important or fairly
important to how they will vote.
‘School funding is more
important to voters than cutting company tax rates, with 79 per cent of
respondents stating that increasing public school funding to the national
schooling resource standard is better for Australia’s future than cutting
company tax rates.
‘If our leaders
can’t commit to ensuring every school is at 100 per cent of the resourcing
standard, then they should look at every parent and teacher in the eye and explain
to them why their children aren’t a priority.
‘We will be active
across Australia, through social media, outdoor advertising, and targeted
action in 18 marginal Federal seats including door knocking and phone banks.
Essential Research 22 May 2018 polling results suggests that this campaign will gain grass roots favour.
Click on images to enlarge
Click on images to enlarge
His end was less than glorious - facing a mutinous electorate and lacking credibility, he retired ahead of the 2007 federal election, before the could be sacked by voters.
Another asylum seeker death on Manus Island
There have been three deaths of asylum seekers held in Australian off shore detention in the last nine months - one on Nauru and two on Manus Island - according to Border Crossing Observatory.
This recent death brings the count to four.
UNHCR: The United
Nations Refugee Agency, media
release, 22 May 2018:
UNHCR Statement
By UNHCR Regional
Representation in Canberra 22 May 2018
UNHCR, the UN Refugee
Agency, is profoundly saddened by the death of a Rohingya refugee on Manus
Island, Papua New Guinea, today. The tragic loss of yet another vulnerable
person under Australian ‘offshore processing’ again underscores the need for
proper care and immediate solutions.
“With the passage of too many years and the withdrawal or reduction of essential services, the already critical situation for refugees most in need continues to deteriorate,” said Nai Jit Lam, UNHCR’s Deputy Regional Representative in Canberra. “Australia’s responsibility for those who have sought its protection remains unchanged. Our thoughts and condolences are with the man’s family today.”
UNHCR renews its call for the Government of Australia to take immediate action to provide assistance and solutions, and to avert further harm and tragedy. Comprehensive, intensive support for refugees and asylum-seekers remains desperately needed in both Papua New Guinea and Nauru. The national authorities of both countries lack the means and infrastructure to address growing needs.
UNHCR is continuing to seek further information from the Governments of Australia and Papua New Guinea respectively.
“With the passage of too many years and the withdrawal or reduction of essential services, the already critical situation for refugees most in need continues to deteriorate,” said Nai Jit Lam, UNHCR’s Deputy Regional Representative in Canberra. “Australia’s responsibility for those who have sought its protection remains unchanged. Our thoughts and condolences are with the man’s family today.”
UNHCR renews its call for the Government of Australia to take immediate action to provide assistance and solutions, and to avert further harm and tragedy. Comprehensive, intensive support for refugees and asylum-seekers remains desperately needed in both Papua New Guinea and Nauru. The national authorities of both countries lack the means and infrastructure to address growing needs.
UNHCR is continuing to seek further information from the Governments of Australia and Papua New Guinea respectively.
UNHCR Regional
Representation in Canberra
UNHCR’s Regional Representation is based in Canberra, and is responsible for the promotion and protection of refugee rights in Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
The Guardian, 22 May 2018:
UNHCR’s Regional Representation is based in Canberra, and is responsible for the promotion and protection of refugee rights in Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
The Guardian, 22 May 2018:
A Rohingya refugee has
died in a violent motor vehicle incident on Manus Island.
The man was witnessed
“coming out of a moving vehicle”, according to the Asylum Seeker Resource
Centre, and suffered “very serious head injuries”.
He died at the scene,
the organisation said. “It is not know who else was in the vehicle.”
The man, whose identity
is not being released until his family is notified, had a long history of
physical and mental illness and had been on Manus for more than five years.
A few years ago he was
sent to Australia for medical treatment but was returned, according to the
journalist and refugee Behrouz Boochani.
Boochani said the other
refugees had been aware of his illness. They were “deeply saddened and
horrified at the news of another friend’s death”.
Sunday 20 May 2018
A call to arms in support of Our ABC
The announcement in last
week’s budget that the ABC’s funding indexation will be frozen for three years from July 2019
is the latest in a series of extraordinary attacks by a government that
displays an unprecedented level of hostility to the national
broadcaster. It represents a real cut to the broadcaster’s operating costs
of $84m.
Added to the $254m cut over five years announced by
then-communications minister Malcolm Turnbull in November 2014, and a $28m cut to the enhanced newsgathering
service in the 2016 budget, this brings the money taken out of our national
broadcaster since the election of the Coalition government to over a quarter of
a billion dollars.
Contrast this with the
former Labor government’s approach. In 2009, when I worked in the office of
communications minister Stephen Conroy, the ABC was awarded the largest funding increase since its incorporation in 1983,
with $136.4m in new money to fund the creation of the ABC Kids’ channel and 90
hours of new Australian drama. Four years later, the ABC was given $89.4m to set up the newsgathering
service and enhance the digital delivery of ABC programs.
In addition to record
funding boosts, Conroy, arguably the best friend in government the ABC has ever
had, also ensured the ABC charters were amended to specifically require them to
deliver digital services; overhauled the board appointment process to put it at
arm’s length from the government of the day; and, in a move that enraged the
Murdoch empire, created legislation that specified that any international
broadcasting service funded by the government could only be delivered by the
ABC. This came after the government’s refusal to award carriage of the
Australia Network to News Corp in 2011, a decision that was regarded both at
home and internationally as common sense by everyone other than the owners of
Sky News.
All this is now under
attack. The Turnbull government seems determined not only to undo every measure
of financial and legislative support implemented by the last Labor government,
but to undermine the ABC’s operations so thoroughly that its ability to provide
the services its charter requires will likely be devastated.
The legislation passed
in early 2013 prevented the incoming Coalition government from reopening the
tender process to award the Australia Network to Sky – so they shut it down
entirely instead.
Five years later, the
Lowy Institute laments that “[o]nce a significant
player in what the British Council calls the Great Game of the Airwaves, the
ABC’s purpose-designed, multiplatform international services have suffered
near-terminal decline”.
"We must rise up against
this concerted campaign of funding cuts and attempts to limit the activities of
our national broadcasters"
As far as the board
appointment process goes, Turnbull as prime minister and his communications
minister Mitch Fifield are doing their best to ignore it: two recent appointees,
Minerals Council boss Vanessa Guthrie and Sydney Institute
Director Joseph Gersh, were not recommended for appointment
by the independent selection panel. Fifield is relying on clauses in the
legislation governing the appointment process that allow the minister to
appoint from outside the recommended list in exceptional circumstances, but has
publicly offered no reason why these candidates were more urgently required on
the ABC board than those recommended as more qualified by the selection panel.
It’s also impossible to
discover whether the minister has tabled the statement to parliament giving his
reasons for ignoring the advice of the selection panel, as required by the
legislation. If he has, perhaps those statements explain why Guthrie and Gersh
are the most qualified candidates to provide governance of our most trusted source of news.
Despite the selection
criteria set out in Conroy’s legislation, the ABC board now includes no one
other than the staff-elected director and the managing director, Michelle
Guthrie, with media experience and, despite the full board having been
appointed by this government, they seem unable to make a case to maintain the
ABC’s funding.
But the biggest danger to
the ABC is the government’s agenda to reduce its digital services, and it’s
here where the ABC – and, in this case, SBS as well – face a truly existential
threat. The so-called “competitive neutrality inquiry” into the national
broadcasters, currently underway, has ostensibly been launched to satisfy Pauline Hanson’s demands for an
inquiry into the ABC in return for her support for last year’s appalling package of media “reforms”, which will
reduce diversity and local content across the commercial broadcast media.
Don’t believe it for a
second. While Hanson’s hatred of the ABC will assist any future government
moves to neuter the broadcaster’s digital activities, this inquiry is yet
another gift to News Corp and the commercial media organisations, who have been
baying for the ABC’s blood since it arrived on the airwaves more than
three-quarters of a century ago.
The $30m of government money given, apparently with few strings
attached, to Foxtel last year was really just “compensation” for the fact that
the commercial TV operators got a windfall gain with the abolition of their broadcast licence
fees and
replacement with spectrum fees. This saves the broadcasters around $90m per
year (money which is forgone government revenue, by the way) so, of course,
Foxtel had to be similarly rewarded for … running a commercial business in a
competitive market.
Read the full article here.
North Coast Voices, 12 May 2018,"Time to show support for the ABC"
The ABC provides vital local news services, as well as things like emergency and bushfire warnings. Every time the Liberals cut the ABC’s funding they hurt local communities.— Bill Shorten (@billshortenmp) May 18, 2018
SIGN THE PETITION ⬇️https://t.co/pNIFrLik2q
Saturday 19 May 2018
Tweets of the Week
Today DHS told the senate, that so far:— NotMyDebt (@not_my_debt) May 8, 2018
Robodebt has cost $276 million to administer.
And... Robodebt has 'recovered' $279 million.
While they can separate forecast savings for newspaper headlines, apparently it's not possible to do that with actual savings.#notmydebt pic.twitter.com/Q6M6NaY09p
DHS was asked how many robodebts are awaiting reassessment. They failed to answer. We've heard from people waiting months.— NotMyDebt (@not_my_debt) May 9, 2018
So far 652,898 reassessments have been initiated.
30,953 debts have changed in value or been wiped. That's 30,953 debt notices that were wrong.#notmydebt pic.twitter.com/LJd3WxDJV4
DHS are including 'prevented debts' in their savings from robodebt.— Sarah Masting (@sarah_masting) May 8, 2018
What happens if a company in the private sector banks a possibly avoided future liability as a cash asset?
See: Blue Sky Alternative Investments - majority of board resigned
Time for robodebt resignations? pic.twitter.com/jsdQVM4NAa
Wednesday 16 May 2018
A Turnbull Government Minister Gets The Dig In - then tries to remove the evidence
This was Australian Treasurer and Liberal MP for Cook Scott Morrison having second thoughts....
This was the tweeted video Morrison was attempting to hide....
The video still lives on Twitter because although Morrison could be incredibly childish he couldn't be all that original....
You're UnbelieveaBill pic.twitter.com/sDmmnbO73V— Alice Workman (@workmanalice) May 11, 2018
Journalist Alice Workman tweeting @nickwray's creation, 11 May 2018
Even the UnbelievaBill has tag is not original - see Instragram hash tag - and then there is poor Bill D who as @unbelievabill must wonder what is happening to his Twitter mentions.
An insider has finally admitted what any digital native would be well aware of - your personal health information entered into a national database will be no safer that having it up on Facebook
Remembering that a federal government national screening program, working with with a private entity, has already accessed personal information from Medicare without consent of registered individuals and entered these persons into a research program - again without consent - and these individuals apparently could not easily opt out of being listed as a research subject but were often only verbally offered the option of declining to take part in testing, which presumably meant that health data from other sources was still capable of being collected about them by the program. One has to wonder what the Turnbull Government and medical establishment actually consider patient rights to be in practice when it comes to "My Health Record".
Healthcare IT News, 4 May 2018:
Weeks
before the anticipated announcement of the My Health Record opt out period, an
insider’s leak has claimed the Australian Digital Health Agency has decided associated
risks for consumers “will not be explicitly discussed on the website”.
As
the ADHA heads towards the imminent announcement of the three-month window in
which Australians will be able to opt out of My Health Record before being
signed up to the online health information repository, the agency was caught by
surprise today when details emerged in a blog post by GP and member of the
steering group for the national expansion of MHR, Dr Edwin Kruys.
Kruys wrote that MHR offers “clear benefits”
to healthcare through providing clinicians with greater access to discharge
summaries, pathology and diagnostic reports, prescription records and more, but
said “every digital solution has its pros and cons” and behind-the-scenes risk
mitigation has been one of the priorities of the ADHA. However, he claimed
Australians may not be made aware of the risks involved in allowing their
private medical information to be shared via the Federal Government’s system.
“It
has been decided that the risks associated with the MyHR will not be explicitly
discussed on the website,” Kruys wrote.
“This
obviously includes the risk of cyber attacks and public confidence in the
security of the data.”
The
most contentious contribution in the post related to the secondary use of
Australians’ health information, the framework of which has yet to be announced
by Health Minister Greg Hunt.
Contacted
by HITNA, the agency moved swiftly to have Kruys delete the paragraph
relating to secondary use.
In
the comment that has since been removed, Kruys wrote, “Many consumers and
clinicians regard secondary use of the MyHR data as a risk. The MyHR will
contain a ‘toggle’, giving consumers the option to switch secondary use of
their own data on or off.”
Under
the My Health Records Act 2012, health information in MHR may be
collected, used and disclosed “for any purpose” with the consent of the
healthcare recipient. One of the functions of the system operator is “to
prepare and provide de-identified data for research and public health
purposes”.
Before
these provisions of the act will be implemented, a framework for secondary use
of MHR systems data must be established.
HealthConsult
was engaged to assist the Federal Government in developing a draft framework
and implementation plan for the process and within its public consultation
process in 2017 received supportive submissions from the Australasian College
of Health Informatics, the Australian Bureau of Statistics and numerous
research institutes, universities, and clinicians’ groups.
Computerworld, 14 May 2018:
Use of both de-identified
data and, in some circumstances, identifiable data will be permitted under a
new government framework for so-called “secondary use” of data derived from the
national eHealth record system. Linking data from the My Health Record system
to other datasets is also allowed under some circumstances.
The Department of Health
last year commissioned
the development of the framework for using My Health Record data for
purposes other than its primary purpose of providing healthcare to an
individual.
Secondary use can
include research, policy analysis and work on improving health services.
Under the new framework,
individuals who don’t want their data used for secondary purposes will be
required to opt-out. The opt-out process is separate from the procedure
necessary for individuals who don’t want an eHealth
record automatically created for them (the government last year
decided to shift to an opt-out
approach for My Health Record)……
Access to the data will
be overseen by an MHR Secondary Use of Data Governance Board, which will
approve applications to access the system.
Any Australian-based
entity with the exception of insurance agencies will be permitted to apply for
access the MHR data. Overseas-based applicants “must be working in
collaboration with an Australian applicant” for a project and will not have
direct access to MHR data.
The data drawn from the
records may not leave Australia, but under the framework there is scope for
data analyses and reports produced using the data to be shared internationally……
The Department of Health
came under fire in 2016 after it released for download supposedly
anonymised health data. Melbourne University researchers were able to
successfully re-identify a range of data.
Last month the Office of
the Australian Information Commissioner revealed that health
service providers accounted for almost a quarter of the breaches reported
in the first six weeks of operation of the Notifiable Data Breach (NDB) scheme.
The Sydney Morning Herald,
14 May 2018:
Australians who don't
want a personal electronic health record will have from July 16 to October 15
to opt-out of the national scheme the federal government announced on Monday.
Every Australian will
have a My Health Record unless they choose to opt-out during the three-month
period, according to the Australian Digital Health Agency.
The
announcement follows the release of the government’s secondary use of data
rules earlier this month that inflamed concerns of patient privacy and data
use.
Under the framework,
medical information would be made available to third parties from 2020 -
including some identifying data for public health and research purposes -
unless individuals opted out.
In other news.......
The
Sydney Morning Herald,
14 May 2018:
A cyber attack on Family
Planning NSW's website has exposed the personal information of up to 8000
clients, including women who have booked appointments or sought advice
about abortion, contraception and other services.
Clients received an
email from FPNSW on Monday alerting them that their website had been hacked on
Anzac Day.
The compromised data
contained information from roughly 8000 clients who had contacted FPNSW via its
website in the past 2½ years to make appointments or give feedback.
It included the personal
details clients entered via an online form, including names, contact details,
dates of birth and the reason for their enquiries….
The website was secured
by 10am on April 26, 2018 and all web database information has been secure
since that time
SBS
News, 14 May
2018:
Clients were told Family
Planning NSW was one of several agencies targeted by cybercriminals who
requested a bitcoin ransom on April 25…..
The not-for-profit has
five clinics in NSW, with more than 28,000 people visiting every year.
The most recent Digital
Rights Watch State of Digital Rights (May 2018) report can be found here.
The report’s
8 recommendations include:
Repeal
of the mandatory metadata retention scheme
Introduction
of a Commonwealth statutory civil cause of action for serious invasions of
privacy
A
complete cessation of commercial espionage conducted by the Australian Signals
Directorate
Changes
to copyright laws so they are flexible, transparent and provide due process to
users
Support
for nation states to uphold the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the
Child in the digital age
Expand
the definition of sensitive information under the Privacy Act to specifically
include behavioural biometrics
Increase
measures to educate private businesses and other entities of their
responsibilities under the Privacy Act regarding behavioural biometrics, and
the right to pseudonymity
Introduce
a compulsory register of entities that collect static and behavioural biometric
data, to provide the public with information about the entities that are
collecting biometric data and for what purpose
The
loopholes opened with the 2011 reform of the FOI laws should be closed by
returning ASD, ASIO, ASIS and other intelligence agencies to the ambit of the
FOI Act, with the interpretation of national security as a ground for refusal
of FOI requests being reviewed and narrowed
Telecommunications
providers and internet platforms must develop processes to increase
transparency in content moderation and, make known what content was removed or triggered an account suspension.
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