An estimated 650,000 Australians are diddled by their boss. Time to ask your employers for proof that they are contributing to a super fund in your name?

The Sydney Morning Herald 27 April 2015:

By law, employers have to contribute 9.5 per cent of an employee's salary into their super fund.

However, a report in October by Tria Investment Partners found employer non-compliance amounted to $1.3 billion a year. Those affected by companies that did not allocate a super contribution were, on average, $3750 a year out of pocket, the report found.

In total, $2.5 billion is lost each year, including through the cash economy, sham contracting and businesses that go bust owing employees.

It estimates that 650,000 Australians are diddled by their boss. The worst industries for non-compliance are property services, mining, hospitality and manufacturing.

The report found that a 25-year-old whose super contributions were not paid for five years would lose 14 per cent of their total retirement fund because of compounding factors…..

About $200 million a year is lost by workers at businesses that go into insolvency.

However, Tax Office officials conceded last year that it was often "uneconomical" to chase small, individual amounts.

Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia chief executive Pauline Vamos said that was "disturbing" because the money owed was mainly to low-income earners.

Australian Taxation Office (ATO) page retrieved 27 April 2015:

Compulsory employer contributions

If you’re eligible for compulsory super guarantee contributions, your employer must pay them into a complying super fund.

Eligibility

Generally, you’re entitled to super guarantee contributions from an employer if you’re 18 years old or over and paid $450 or more (before tax) in a month. It doesn’t matter whether you’re full time, part time or casual, and it doesn’t matter if you’re a temporary resident of Australia.

If you’re under 18 you must meet these conditions and work more than 30 hours per week to be entitled to super contributions. If you’re a contractor paid wholly or principally for your labour, you’re considered an employee for super purposes and entitled to super guarantee contributions under the same rules as employees.

How much your employer should pay

If you’re eligible for super guarantee contributions, at least every three months your employer must pay into your super account a minimum of 9.50% of your ordinary time earnings, up to the ‘maximum contribution base’. (Note: prior to 1 July 2013 the rate was 9% and during the 2013-14 financial years the rate was 9.25%)

Checking that your employer is paying the correct super

If you think your employer isn’t paying your super into the right fund, or isn’t paying as much as they’re supposed to, you should ask your employer about it and check how much your super fund has received. If you still think there’s a problem you can lodge an enquiry with us.

Providing your tax file number

You need to provide your tax file number (TFN) to your employer and/or super fund on a Tax file number declaration form. If you don’t, your super fund may take extra tax out of your super contributions.

Choosing a super fund

Most people can choose the super fund they want their employer contributions paid into. If you’re eligible to choose a fund, your employer must give you a Standard choice form so you can make that choice in writing.

Working overseas

If you take up an Australian employer’s offer to temporarily work for them overseas, your employer must continue to pay super contributions for you in Australia. Your employer may be able to apply to the ATO for a Certificate of coverage so neither you nor your employer will have to pay super (or a super equivalent) in the other country.

Has The Daily Examiner editor drunk the National Party kool aid?

Opinion in The Daily Examiner on Page 7 of the 1 January 2015 issue:

Happy New Year, and welcome to 2015.

It promises to be an exciting time for the Clarence Valley, with the pending start to work on the Pacific Hwy upgrade, including a second crossing of the Clarence at Harwood, as well as the start to the second bridge at Grafton.

The announced injection of Federal and State funding for these projects is unprecedented and seems certain to have a highly positive impact on the Valley economy.

Local residents could do a lot worse than to make their new year's resolution coming up with a way to be part of the economic boost heading our way.

You don't need to know how to build a bridge or drive a dump truck to take advantage of the big projects.

Many businesses and service suppliers are poised to benefit from the boost to employment and the economy.

Schools could see an enrolment lift and landlords could be in for a golden period.

Just like a resolution to lose weight, however, those who benefit most from the construction boom will be those who work hardest and are best prepared.

The Daily Examiner reported on 11 December 2014 something which a look at NSW Roads & Maritime Service’s website confirms in January 2015, the second Grafton Bridge has not yet received approval:

CONSTRUCTION of a second bridge for Grafton is in limbo with no announcement yet on when works will begin.

A spokeswoman from Roads and Maritime Services said there would be "no comment" on the proposed bridge while the project was under review by the NSW Department of Planning and Environment.

Meanwhile a spokesman from the Grafton Chamber of Commerce and Industry has raised concerns that an election promise, made in 2011 by the (then) Deputy Opposition Leader and Leader of the Nationals Andrew Stoner as well as current Clarence MP Chris Gulaptis, will not be met.

Des Harvey, board member of the Grafton Chamber of Commerce, said the community deserved clear answers.

"Given it is already December 2014, and the construction industry typically winds down for Christmas and the January holiday period, the Grafton Chamber is very concerned the deadline of 28 March 2015 for commencement of construction will not be met as promised," Mr Harvey said.

"People stop and ask me in the street - what's happening? - at the end of the day we want to see actual construction; we want to see tractors digging holes."

Mr Harvey acknowledged the project had progressed significantly, but he also noted that $177 million had been allocated for construction in the current term.

"I know plenty of work has already been done but the election is getting closer and the problem hasn't gone away," he said….

The second crossing of the Clarence River at Harwood is still at submissions from the community stage at this time, with tenders for preliminary first stage of soft soil treatment still being assessed.

Tenders are still being assessed for preliminary soft soil work on the Pacific Highway upgrade between Woolgoolga and Ballina generally.

This year is unlikely to see the hoped for golden period for the Clarence Valley - more likely there will be a slow trickle of employment opportunities in the second half of 2015.

Of course, if as is likely, the Baird Coalition Government is returned at the 28 March 2015 state election with a comfortable majority then any perception of political urgency in Macquarie Street will have subsided.

Then the federal funding earmarked for 2013-14 and the state's $395 million earmarked for 2014-15 may be the only funding not pushed forward past 2016-17 in this year's state budget papers, where such deferred spending would sit with further promised federal funding listed in forward estimates past the end of the Abbott Government's current (and perhaps only) term in office. 

900 more science jobs forecast to go by June 2015 in Abbott's Australia

ABC Rural 26 November 2014:

The CSIRO is set to lose one staff member in five over the next two years.

The effect of the Federal Government's cut of $114 million is now becoming clearer, with at least four regional research sites under threat.

National organiser for the CSIRO Staff Association, part of the CPSU, Paul Girdler, says 878 staff are to be cut over two years, until June 2015.

"It's over 100 more than originally forecast.

"Over two years, the CSIRO is losing 21.5 per cent of its workforce, or one in five jobs.

"This new analysis demonstrates the cuts are even worse than when they were announced."

Given the cuts last year, the total tally is 1,400 jobs at the Science Organisation.

Now it includes 36 scientists in agriculture and biosecurity fields, the majority in Canberra and Southern Queensland, while 75 scientists in Mineral Resources and Energy, and 71 in Land and Water, are targetted.

Mr Girdler says the futures of regional CSIRO sites are already threatened.

"The ones we have particular concerns about (include) Griffith in the Riverina.

"CSIRO has already announced it would close by 2016. We're trying to fight to keep that site open, but we have concerns.

"Three other sites will close unless they receives additional funding. One is Atherton in north Queensland, which is Ecosystem Science research.

"And two in NSW, the Radio Astronomy sites at Narrabri and Parkes."…..

"As of this week, two thirds of the people directly affected by the 2014 announced changes have been advised of or have completed their transition.  For the remaining positions that need to be identified and discussed with staff, leaders will be talking to individuals as soon as possible to resolve uncertainty.

"I appreciate these changes have been very difficult for all and I can assure you that your leadership team is committed to supporting staff through this time of change," says Mr Roy.

UPDATE

The Age 2 December 2014:

A world-leading CSIRO chemist who was  tipped to win a Nobel prize has been made redundant.

In September, the same month San Thang was nominated as a frontrunner for the illustrious prize in chemistry, he also ceased working as a senior researcher for the national science organisation, which has been hemorrhaging staff since June last year following severe budget cuts and a restructure.

As compensation, Dr Thang, who has worked at CSIRO for almost 30 years, was given an unpaid honorary fellowship. He continues to work at his former laboratory in Clayton, mainly supervising PhD students…..

A CSIRO spokesman confirmed Dr Thang had been made redundant as part of these changes.

As a direct consequence of the federal government slashing $115 million from CSIRO's funding over four years in the May budget, the organisation is expected to lose another 400 researchers and support staff by mid next year in addition to 300 positions being cut as part of an internal restructure.

This month, the CSIRO staff association released new data showing the size and scale of the job cuts were larger than expected, reporting that 878 positions were to be cut by June 2015.

But another CSIRO spokesman said the organisation did not expect a major variation from the number of staff reductions it announced earlier this year, around 720 positions.

Is the Abbott Government 'Relocation Assistance to Take Up a Job' program shaping up to be a dud?

The Abbott Government Relocation Assistance to Take Up a Job program commenced on 1 July 2014.

Eligible participants who have been unemployed for at least twelve months can receive financial assistance of up to $3,000 if relocating to a capital city, $6,000 if relocating to a regional area and an extra $3,000 if relocating with dependent children.

By 22 October 2014 only 145 people out of the estimated 745,500 unemployed persons across Australia (ABS 6202.0 Labour Force statistics September 2014) used this program to move from where they were living to take up a job elsewhere.

The Guardian reported that: In each state the majority of those relocating stayed within state borders. The largest number of relocations occurred within Queensland, where 26 of the 43 movers stayed in the state. Data showed that 30 people accessed the program from NSW, 27 from Victoria, 19 from South Australia, nine from Tasmania and six from WA. So far, no one has left the Northern Territory, but 15 people moved there from around Australia.

These 145 jobs are allegedly in accommodation and food services, manufacturing, and agriculture, forestry and fishing.

According to Federal Assistant Minister for Employment and Nationals MP for Cowper Luke Hartsuyker of these 97 men and 48 women, 42 were under 30 years of age and another 42 were between 30-40 years old.

With the national unemployment rate trending at 6% and only 0.019450033534540577% of the registered unemployed participating in this program to date, it is not shaping up to be a resounding success.

The former Federal Labor Government’s relocation incentives which commenced in early 2011 also did not have a high take up rate.

One has to suspect that the level of financial assistance on offer does not come close to meeting real life relocation costs for the majority of long-term unemployed Australians in 2014.

A message for Yamba's funky hair studio Paul

Although it's  been quite a while between drinks at the table of knowledge at the local watering hole a quorum of members was in attendance today and, boy-oh-boy, it was a not-to-be-missed occasion.

Just one item was raised in general business and, golly gee, it was white-hot.

Long-time Yamba resident Cliff, who's been in town since the year dot, told the gathering he and his missus were absolutely blown away when they heard a local hair dresser was seeking to employ a backpacker at a local cut n curl salon.

Cliff says he and his good wife have drawn a line in the sand and will not be frequenting the place that hosts Paul who placed the ad on Gumtree until things change drastically.

Footnote: Cliff's missus reckons anyone who uses "coastel" is dead-set suss.

Jobs and unemployment under the Abbott Government

Snapshot from Tony Abbott's press release The Coalition's Job Pledge.

On 18 September 2013 Tony Abbott and his merry band of right-wing ideologues formally took up the reins of federal government in Australia and began relentlessly talking down the Australian economy.

During that September the national unemployment rate stood at 5.6 per cent (seasonally adjusted) and the number of job advertisements was only 5% above the lowest level reached during the Global Financial Crisis:

By October unemployment stood at 5.7 percent, in November 5.8 per cent and in December it mercifully held at 5.8 per cent.

Come the new year and in January 2014 the national unemployment rate (seasonally adjusted) jumped to 6 per cent, in February remained at 6 per cent, in March fell back to 5.8 per cent and stayed at that rate in April.

By the month of May, in which the Abbott Government released it first budget papers, the unemployment rate still held at 5.8 per cent, but the actual number of unemployed people had begun to rise again and job advertisements had fallen sharply by 5.6% m/m.  

In June the rate was back to 6 per cent and the number of unemployed people increased by 20,300 to 741,700.

This week the Australian Bureau of Statistics released the July 2014 unemployment figures and the seasonally adjusted rate jumped to 6.4 per cent, with the number of unemployed persons rising by 43,700 to 789,000 and only an est. 142,600 job vacancies across the country:

Ten months have passed since Abbott was sworn in as prime minister and the first of those millions of jobs he promised are yet to surface - apparently jobs growth is not even keeping up with population growth.

The quiet desperation of the unemployed can be seen in the number of individuals vainly applying for the relatively small pool of jobs in 2013 - jobs for which employers believed most were not suitable:

Snapshot from Australian Government Dept of Employment Labour Market Research and Analysis Branch

Beliefs versus research in mainstream media

This is where reliance on belief led one university-educated journalist and news director.

The Daily Examiner 31 July 2014:

However I believe there are people out there who are getting benefits a little too easily these days and hopefully this will weed them out.

This is where reliance on research took another journalist.

The Sydney Morning Herald 1 August 2014:

A Department of Employment official has admitted the Abbott government has not done any modelling to estimate how many job seekers will find employment within three months after completing its multibillion-dollar work-for-the-dole program.

That is despite the government's own data showing work-for-the-dole programs are the least effective way to help people find jobs.

Department of Employment data shows that - for job seekers in 2013 - only 19.8 per cent of participants in work-for-the-dole schemes found a full- or part-time job within three months.

That compares with 40.3 per cent of people who did unpaid work experience, 28.4 per cent of those who completed some form of work training, 25.7 per cent who were trained in job search techniques, and 21 per cent of those who did voluntary work….

As of March 31, there were 17,000 job seekers who were doing work for the dole.

Nationals MP for Cowper and Assistant Minister for Employment Luke Hartsuyker makes a fool of himself on the national stage

ExposureDraft of the Purchasing Arrangements for Employment Services 2015-2020, released 28 July 2014:

ABC News 28 July 2014:

Most unemployed people will be required to look for up to 40 jobs a month and work for the dole, as part of the Federal Government's $5.1 billion overhaul of the job services system.

Details of the Government's draft model and tender information for new five-year contracts, which would take effect in July next year, are expected to be released this morning.

"This new system will focus job service providers on getting people into work, it will cut the red tape, and it will free them up to use their initiatives and innovate in the ways they deliver programs," Assistant Employment Minister Luke Hartsuyker told the ABC's AM program.

"It's going to deliver far better outcomes for job seekers and far better outcomes for employers."

"Job service providers will be rewarded for getting people into work for periods as short as four weeks - so there'll be four-week, 12-week, and 26-week outcomes.

Forty job application a month per person on unemployment benefits?

Did no-one in government bother to look at official ABS statistics?

There were 2,076,666 actively trading businesses in Australia at 30 June 2013. Of which 1,264,298 did not employ staff, 563,412 only employed between 1-4 people and only 3,598 had staffing levels above 200 workers.

This new policy would generate a minimum of 29 million individual job applications nationwide each month (or close to one million per day) for the foreseeable future when there are probably less than 147,000 job vacancies in the 812,368 employing businesses right across the country at any given time.

The human resources departments of companies operating in Australia are going to have a collective nervous breakdown trying to process that many ‘going nowhere’ job applications.

I can see many a giant waste paper basket and numerous overloaded electronic mail boxes in their futures.

The business community was quick to realise this, with The Sydney Morning Herald reporting on 29 July:

''They will be inundated,'' says Peter Strong of the Council of Small Business of Australia. ''It's an embarrassment for everybody and it's going to make people angry. The small business person might be having a lousy day and no customers are coming in, but she'll be getting job-seekers. In the hospitality industry most of the time you know straight away whether someone can pour a cup of coffee. You don't want that person coming back month after month.''

Mr. Hartsuyker (as befits a member of the modern National Party of Australia)  responded  to a complex issue in a simplistic, one-dimensional media grab.

The Australian 30 July 2014:

Unemployed people will be penalised if they indiscriminately spam employers with applications rather than make genuine efforts to find work.

Jobseekers who do not use a range of job search techniques — or approach a range of would-be employers — will face compliance, said a spokesman for ­Assistant Minister for Employment Luke Hartsuyker.

This may include financial penalties or payment suspensions. Under the new employment services 2015 model, which will compel jobseekers to apply for 40 jobs a month, providers will be able to initiate compliance ­actions against those whose ­efforts are clearly unsatisfactory or non-genuine.

Unemployed people can use technology to make jobseeking more efficient, but may be penalised if it can be shown that their use of technology is not part of a genuine effort to find work.

Hartsuyker is proving himself to be a political fool of the first water.

Snapshot taken from The Australian video & graphic found at Google Images

A taste of things to come with the Abbott Government unemployment policy or the flimsey excuse that will be used by Abbott & Co to further harry the unemployed?

The Guardian reports on a taste of things to come, 29 July 2014:

I applied for 40 jobs in nine minutes…

I've just tested how fast I could meet the 40 job application requirement and it only took me nine minutes, albeit with ready internet access.

Here's how:

I created a profile on job search website seek.com.au. You can set up a profile with all your details, including your previous employment history and a resume. I created a fake profile (welcome to the workforce, Mr Fakey McName, former CEO of Awesome Corporation) and uploaded a dummy resume.

I helpfully put a line at the top of my resume to let people know that this was not a serious job application, and included a picture of a kitten in a hat to alleviate any feelings of ill will my fake application might create.

Once you've got your profile, you just need to do a search (I clicked on all "marketing" jobs) and shortlist a bunch of job ads. From your shortlist you can click through to apply for each job. Some job ads take you to their own website and application process – I skipped these, and instead only used job ads that made use of Seek's built-in application system.

Seek allows you to then apply for the job with around two clicks. The details of the job application are sent to your email, which you then have on record in case you might need them for a job seeker diary (not that I'm advocating any rorting of the system, this is purely an academic exercise)….

It's pretty clear that if someone was determined to merely fulfil their 40-job quota, and then concentrate on finding work they would actually like (or not), this new requirement is likely only to create a headache for the people tasked with sorting through job applications.

More proof that when Tony Abbott promised "Work Choices, it's dead, it's buried, it's cremated now and forever" he was lying?

More proof that when Tony Abbott promised Work Choices, it's dead, it's buried, it's cremated now and forever he was lying?

The Liberal-Nationals Coalition Government widens its political moves against unions ahead of final consideration of the Fair Work Amendment Bill 2014  and Building and Construction Industry (improving productivity) Bill 2013 by both Houses of  the Australian Parliament.

The Australian 28 July 2014:

The Abbott government has asked commonwealth agencies to supply detailed information about contact with unions, ­including during the years Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd were in office, leaked documents reveal.

Unions last night condemned the extraordinary move, but the Attorney-General’s Department said the information was neces­sary in the event the government needed to respond quickly to the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption. Confidential government documents obtained by the ACTU show agencies have been asked by the Attorney-General’s Department to supply broad-ranging information by Friday about their contact with unions, including documents relating to policy development.

Agencies have been asked to detail the nature and frequency of their consultation with unions on policies and programs, negotiations on workplace relations matters, and any appointments of union officials to government ­positions.

Agencies have been asked whether they made any grants, including research grants, gifts or donations to unions over the past five to 10 years, a period covering the Rudd and Gillard governments as well as John Howard’s final term in office.

The department has also sought information about any significant property transactions between agencies and unions over the past five to 10 years.

The request seeks information about agency contact with all unions, not just the five unions being investigated by the royal commission. Agencies have been asked if they have documents relating to policy development concerning unions and payments made to unions.

They have also been asked if they possess documents that contain “credible allegations’’ of wrongdoing by a commonwealth official, including a minister, agency head, ministerial adviser or public-sector employee in ­relation to a union.

The department asks agencies if they have had direct contact with the royal commission.

In a letter to agencies, the ­Attorney-General’s Department says it was seeking their assistance to identify “potential areas of commonwealth exposure to matters being considered by the royal commission’’.

“So far, the commission has had limited attention on the commonwealth but this could change at any time should an allegation be made about the conduct of a minister, employees, agency or other matter in relation to a trade union, trade union official or member or a spate entity such as a ‘slush fund’,’’ it says.

“In the event that a credible ­allegation were made against the commonwealth, it is important that the commonwealth is able to respond quickly.’’….

Yet another Abbott Government attack on workers' wages

Australian Government Dept. of Employment 20 March 2014:

Repeal Day - revocation of the Fair Work Principles and the Commonwealth Cleaning Services Guidelines, including the requirements applying to textile, clothing and footwear manufacturers.

Thursday 20 March 2014

News

As part of Repeal Day, the Coalition Government announced that it would cease a number of regulatory arrangements that are administered by the Department of Employment and apply to Australian Government procurements. These changes will take effect from 1 July 2014.

These arrangements create different requirements for suppliers to Government than those required in the private sector. The requirements under the Government’s mainstream procurement framework (such as the Commonwealth Procurement Rules) and the mainstream workplace relations framework will continue to apply.

The changes involve revoking the Fair Work Principles, which currently apply to all procurements above $80,000. The Fair Work Principles require tenderers to complete a declaration of compliance with the Fair Work Act 2009. Existing Government procurement policies and processes that require decision makers to ensure tenderers comply with laws and policies of the Commonwealth, including the Fair Work Act 2009, are not affected.

The Fair Work Principles also create specific obligations for tenderers from the cleaning services industry and those that manufacture textile, clothing and footwear products. These include the requirement for textile, clothing and footwear manufacturers to have accreditation under the Homeworkers Code of Practice administered by Ethical Clothing Australia, a joint union-industry non-government organisation. The Department’s funding agreement with Ethical Clothing Australia will also cease on 30 June 2014 to coincide with the end of this regulatory requirement.

The Fair Work Ombudsman investigates and prosecutes any allegations of underpaid wages or breaches of the Fair Work Laws.

As well as the cleaning services provisions in the Fair Work Principles, the associated Commonwealth Cleaning Services Guidelines (a legislative instrument under the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997) will also cease on 30 June 2014. Cleaning services providers tendering for Government work from 1 July 2014 will still be required to comply with all relevant workplace laws and the Modern Awards set by the Fair Work Commission.

Queries in relation to the revocation of the Fair Work Principles and the Commonwealth Cleaning Services Guidelines may be directed to the Fair Work Principles mailbox at: FairWorkPrinciples@employment.gov.au

The Sydney Morning Herald 23 March 2014:

Some of the country's lowest-paid workers could lose almost a quarter of their weekly wages under changes quietly introduced by the Abbott government.

Thousands of workers will be hit by the changes, which will strip between $172 and $225 a week from the pockets of full-time contract cleaners who work in government buildings.

The changes are among the 9500 regulations to go under Prime Minister Tony Abbott's red tape ''repeal day'' on Wednesday.

Buried in more than 50,000 pages of regulations and acts of parliaments to be scrapped is the revelation the government will abolish the Commonwealth Cleaning Services Guidelines for cleaners employed on government contracts from July 1.

The regulations are a form of collective bargaining introduced by Labor that lift the wages of workers hired by businesses that win government cleaning contracts, by between $4.53 and $5.93 an hour above the minimum wage. This brings their weekly wage from $664 to $836 for a 38-hour week for level 1, and from $724 to $950 a week for level 3 workers.

United Voice, the union representing cleaners, would not comment on the changes before consulting its members. It is understood the union was not aware of the changes and is trying to negotiate with contractors and the government in an attempt to mitigate the effects on its members.

Labor introduced the Cleaning Services Guidelines in 2011 to tackle the exploitation of vulnerable workers in the contract cleaning industry. A 2010 Fair Work Ombudsman audit of cleaning contractors found that 40 per cent of audited businesses did not comply with workplace laws. It recovered almost $500,000 for 934 underpaid workers…..

More jobs go in Lismore under an Abbott Government

The AUSTRALIAN VALUATION OFFICE is a fee for service federal government agency situated within the Australian Tax Office:

A valued partner in government – delivering asset solutions.

The Australian Valuation Office has a team of professionals in cities, regional centres and remote locations across Australia. We provide valuation, assessment, risk management, business intelligence, advice and consultancy services for all types of assets and for all levels of government.

As a government agency, we deliver professional, ethical and intelligent solutions. Our solutions deliver value for money and meet all compliance requirements.

Our position within government guarantees independent advice and results you can trust and use with confidence.

Land Valuations - Valuer General

Land and property valuations are supplied to the NT Government under an agreement with the Australian Valuation Office (AVO).

Requests for valuations from NT Government agencies must be submitted in writing to the AVO by facsimile to 08 8995 5365, or by email to thevaluergeneral@nt.gov.au

Agency requests are regarded as commercial valuations and the costs are charged directly back to the requesting agency.

While the Abbott Government and Federal Labor Opposition issue competing media releases (see below), the fact remains that the Northern Rivers region will see job losses once again as a result of government cost cutting.

The Sydney Morning Herald 23 January 2014:

The office’s remaining work is expected to be taken over by private sector valuers.

The closure will affect workers in Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney as well as regional towns including, Young, Bowral, Wagga Wagga, Lismore, Mildura and Port Lincoln.

Federal Nationals MP for Page, Kevin Hogan, remains silent on the fate of Lismore staff, although he did respond when The Daily Examiner questioned him about the fate of Australian Tax Office staff at Grafton. He’s written another letter.

________________________

The Hon Steven Ciobo MP

Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer

4 January 2014

Media Release

Closure of the Australian Valuation Office

The Australian Valuation Office (AVO) will cease to provide services by 30 June 2014.

The AVO has delivered valuation services exclusively for the Government since 1910 but has become unsustainable and is expected to incur losses of up to $4 million this financial year.

The losses are forecast to get worse each year as the AVO’s revenue declines sharply due to technological changes in the valuation industry and government departments decreasing their use of the AVO’s services.

On top of the predicated losses, at least $1 million would have been required for the AVO to bring their IT equipment up to date.

A compelling case for the Commonwealth providing its own valuation services no longer exists, particularly given there is a highly competitive market of private sector providers.

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer, Steven Ciobo, said he paid tribute to those who have worked in the AVO. The organisation has a rich history and has assisted organisations over many years to meet policy outcomes and financial reporting requirements.

The Australian Taxation Office will work with affected employees and manage the wind-down period for the organisation, with up to 198 staff to be offered redundancies.

ANDREW LEIGH MP

SHADOW ASSISTANT TREASURER

ACTING SHADOW FINANCE MINISTER

MEMBER FOR FRASER

MEDIA RELEASE

MORE JOBS LOST AS ABBOTT GOVERNMENT KILLS PUBLIC VALUATION OFFICE

The Abbott Government’s decision to axe the Australian Valuation Office jeopardises the jobs and livelihoods of almost 200 people across Canberra, Sydney, and Melbourne and in remote and regional cities.

The decision smacks of an ideological preoccupation with cutting government services without regard to their effectiveness.

The 104 year-old AVO, located in the Australian Taxation Office, has been doing an effective job. While the government refers to a projected loss in the future, it fails to point out that the AVO has consistently run a profit.

At the same time that the Minister for Social Services has announced a review of welfare spending, the Government is axing the office that conducts compliance valuations for Centrelink.

The AVO’s team of professionals provide valuation, assessment, risk management and independent advice regarding property and other assets. If the government does not know what its assets are worth, it risks making bad decisions in everything from defence to social security.

Tony Abbott gave no indication of this when in Opposition. The government has not consulted with staff before making this decision.

If there is a compelling case to axe the AVO, the government needs to make it. Scrapping a century-old institution deserves a proper report, not just a short press release from the Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer.

The Coalition said that they wanted more services delivered in regional Australia, but all they have done is cut jobs.

The decision comes off the back of revelations this week that the ATO plans to close regional tax compliance offices across four states.

Why is the Coalition axing jobs at a time of rising joblessness and insecurity? Is this a preview of the savage cuts to come with the Commission of Audit?

Friday, 24 January 2014

Clarence Valley Council management's 2013 missteps follow it into the new year

Letter to the Editor in The Daily Examiner, 30 December 2013, Page 12:

Ranger out of range

It seems the position left vacant when the senior ranger was wrongfully dismissed by Clarence Valley Council is to be filled, but the position will now be based in Grafton instead of Maclean. It seems an odd decision given that the work load for the rangers is centred in the Lower Clarence and very much focuses on holidaymakers and tourists attracted to the Coast. There are a lot of questions begging answers from the council, but it seems even our elected councillors are being stonewalled. So who does the ratepayer go to for a response? "The people shall not be deprived or abridged of their right to speak, to write, or to publish their sentiments; and the freedom of the press, one of the great bulwarks of liberty, shall be inviolable." (James Madison.)

John Catesby

Maclean

John Catesby is not letting go as he pens another letter (below) concerning Clarence Valley Council management’s expensive back down before the NSW Industrial Relations Commission in Smith v Clarence Valley Council, which was settled out of court presumably before any evidence was presented or argument heard.

Before that day at Murwillumbah Court House had ended rumour was circulating in legal circles that Smith was to be reinstated as a council employee.

This would mean that Clarence Valley Council will now be employing two persons in a similar salary range – with one new person to undertake senior ranger duties and the other to possibly twiddle his thumbs all day on full pay.

General Motors in Detroit was not amused by Abbott, Hockey and Truss

Apparently the three amigos pictured above had a plan to force General Motor’s hand – no increase in motor industry funding and get the bad news over before Christmas.

It worked.

So its Merry Christmas! to GM Holden workers at Elizabeth, Dandenong and Port Melbourne from an ungrateful Abbott Government they helped elect just 98 short days ago.

How it played out in the media........

The Australian 7 December 2013:

Holden sources said Mr Abbott's comments were an "extraordinary" attempt by the Coalition to "bully" GM into an announcement before Christmas.

The Sydney Morning Herald 10 December 2013:

Holden strategists suspect the Coalition wants the car maker to pull the pin as soon as possible to put as much distance between the announcement and the South Australian state election it is hoping to win...

Tony Abbott has already pre-empted his own Productivity Commission to some extent by declaring there will be no more money for Holden above that already on the table...

News.com.au 11 December 2013:

THE Prime Minister's flagship fleet of high-security Holden limos is expected to be replaced with bomb and gas proof BMWs after Government sources claimed Holden had failed to bid for a lucrative $4 million plus contract to replace the ageing convoy of armoured cars.

The Sydney Morning Herald 12 December 2013:

It was the text message that sounded the death knell for Holden as a manufacturer in Australia. 

''Are you seeing this question time attack on Holden?'' read the text message, sent by a company insider. ''Taunting [Holden] to leave. It's extraordinary.''

It was sent by one of the company's key strategists at 2.30pm on Tuesday, as Acting Prime Minister Warren Truss and Treasurer Joe Hockey were ripping the car maker to shreds during parliamentary question time...

While listening to the words of Mr Hockey and Mr Truss, the Holden boss was on the phone to Detroit, where it was after 10pm.

Mr Devereux informed GM headquarters of the events in Australia. The decision was swift. Detroit pulled the pin...

UPDATE

The Age 13 December 2013:

The top-of-the-line Holden Caprice was recommended by the Attorney-General's Department in 2012 as the preferred option for a fleet of nine specialised blast-proof VIP vehicles to be used by the Prime Minister and other dignitaries, according to confidential government documents.

The revelation appears to contradict reported Abbott government sources as saying Holden had not even submitted a bid in the tender because the car-maker simply ''was not interested''.

Holden viewed that claim, which appeared in a News Corp newspaper on Wednesday, just hours before the US-owned car maker announced its withdrawal, as part of a deliberate negative backgrounding campaign by Coalition ministers to make Holden look uncommitted to Australia.

The report also cited government sources revealing the multimillion-dollar contract to replace the ageing fleet of Caprices, was about to be filled with ''off-the-shelf BMW High Security 7-Series vehicles'', worth $525,000 each.

Part of a confidential ministerial brief from the Attorney-General's Department to then Attorney-General Nicola Roxon has been shown to Fairfax Media.

Dated 12-12-12, and headed ''Protected Vehicle Acquisition - an update on progress'', its summary advised Ms Roxon that after a lengthy evaluation process through 2012, a bid by BAE Systems in conjunction with Holden was successful - outpointing several European options.

It said the successful bidder had been chosen from a shortlist of four, which also included two German automotive manufacturers - Audi and Mercedes-Benz - and another Holden joint bid by a company called Integrated Design and Engineering Solutions. BMW, however, was not mentioned and it is understood from the documentation that the Bavaria-based auto giant had not even been shortlisted.
It remains unclear why the Holden-BAE recommendation was not acted on, but a government insider from the time said the then-prime minister Julia Gillard had been concerned about negative publicity if Labor was seen to be spending $7 million of taxpayers' money on limousines in the lead-up to the election. The internal departmental documents from December 2012 raise questions as to how BMW came to be considered given it was not shortlisted and was not the successful bidder....