A reminder that the Morrison Government's extension of the Indue Cashless Debit Card is due to commence in stages from 2021 onwards

 

"Someone in an office who doesn’t know me is in charge of my financial existence. Same abuse as my former marriage.” (R127-MNI46CDC). [Greg Marston, et al, Hidden Costs: An Independent Study into Income Management in Australia, February 2020]

The Indue Cashless Debit Card is a federal government program which locks 80 per cent of an individual's periodic social security cash transfer payments into that card and dictates what that card can be used to purchase. The remaining 20 per cent of an individual's social security payment is periodically paid into that individual's personal bank account.

The debit card program applies to every person between 15 and 65 years of age who receives a Centrelink pension, benefit or payment - other than Age and Veterans Affairs pensions which are currently exempt.

On 8 October 2020 the Morrison Government introduced into the House of Representatives the Social Security (Administration) Amendment (Continuation of Cashless Welfare) Bill 2020 which:

"Amends the Social Security (Administration) Act 1999 to: remove the trial parameters to establish the Cashless Debit Card (CDC) as an ongoing program; establish the Northern Territory and Cape York areas as CDC program areas and transition income management participants in these areas to the CDC program in 2021; remove a current exclusion to enable people in the Bundaberg and Hervey Bay program area to voluntary participate in the CDC program; enable a voluntary participant to continue to volunteer for the CDC even if they no longer reside in a program area; enable the secretary to advise a community body when a person has exited the CDC program; enable the minister to determine decision-making principles for the purposes of determining whether a person can demonstrate reasonable and responsible management of the person's affairs; enable the secretary to review a wellbeing exemption or exit determination in certain circumstances and remove the determination as a result of such a review; enable the secretary to issue and revoke a notice informing a person that they are a CDC program participant; remove the requirement that an evaluation be conducted by an independent expert of a review of the CDC program; and extend the sunset date for income management in Cape York from 30 June 2020 to 31 December 2021."

This bill reached the Third Reading stage unamended and on 7 December 2020 passed the Lower House by a vote of 62 to 61 (See list at end of post for names & electorates). It is now before the Senate.

When this bill finally becomes legislation all welfare recipients (with the exception of Age and Veterans Affairs pensioners) in the Ceduna SA, East Kimberley WA, Goldfields SA areas will be compulsorily placed on the Indue Cashless Debit Card and all persons in Cape York, Qld and the Northern Territory currently having their income managed will be compulsorily transferred to the Indue Cashless Debit Card.

This forced transfer applies even if during the trial period a welfare recipient was a voluntary trial participant and, all monies held in other income management accounts such as the Basics Card will be immediately transferred over to the forced participant's Indue Cashless Debit Card.

Welfare recipients in the Bundaberg and Hervey Bay areas in Queensland who were voluntary cashless debit card trial participants will be compulsorily transferred to the ongoing Indue Cashless Debit Card program.

The Age Pension is now included as a welfare payment which will be a restrictable payment and therefore included in the Indue Cashless Debit Card program of those who have entered or will enter the program voluntarily and can be included as a restrictable payment in the Cape York area on a case by case basis for involuntary participants.

The cashless debit card program began its trial rollout on 15 March 2016 and yet, according to card holders, after four years Indue Ltd:

• still fails to reliably make scheduled payments on time when it comes to regular mortgage, rent, electricity, gas, telephone/internet accounts due and program participants therefore incur late fees, receive letters threatening non-renewal of a lease/eviction or their credit rating begins to suffer;

• will suddenly decline payment at supermarkets, clothing, electrical/white goods and assorted other stores without explanation, even when there is more than enough money on a participant's debit card to pay;

• will reject use of the debit card for online purchases for absurd reasons - such as not allowed to buy a non-fiction book because the online bookstore might sell books on how to make alcoholic drinks and, not allowed to buy a stethoscope for educational course work because the online site sells hand sanitiser which contains alcohol as one of its ingredients: 

• still has instances where a participant's money disappears from an account which shows a credit balance and repayment of this cash transfer error is not corrected for weeks; and

• still has an IT (including AI) system vulnerable to internal/external outages which leave participants without the ability to use the debit card;

• still does not save and store the details of cashless debit card participant accounts, instead requiring the payer to enter full details for each one-off payment; and

• still has not managed a satisfactory patch of Indue app problems. 

Matters to Note:

The Social Security (Administration) Amendment (Continuation of Cashless Welfare) Bill 2020 does not rule out the federal government increasing the number of designated program areas within the states at some future date.

At all times the federal government reserves the right to monitor how Cashless Debit Card users are spending their money.

Most of the existing financial institution guidelines and regulations do not appear to apply to Indue Ltd's contract to manage the federal government's Cashless Debit Card program and consumer protection also seems to be minimal.

It is not certain if, once the Cashless Debit Card changes from a trial to an ongoing program, it is still covered by the federal government's Financial Claims Scheme.  Nor is it certain if, on death, the balance in the Indue Ltd account of a cashless debit card program participant becomes part of their estate or if it can lawfully be retained by Indue for payment of unspecified fees and charges.

Since May 2020 Indue Ltd pays interest on the balance held in a participant's cashless debit card account. However, the interest rate is decided by the federal government so it is unlikely to ever rise higher than somewhere between 0.01 per cent and 1.0 per cent.

The total daily payment limit on the Cashless Debit Card is currently set by default at $10,000.

Indue Ltd reserves the right to charge fees in certain circumstances. See Indue Ltd Cashless Debit Card Account Conditions of Use. 

Members of the Australian House of Representatives who voted for the Social Security (Administration) Amendment (Continuation of Cashless Welfare) Bill 2020

John Alexander, MP for Bennelong (Liberal Party of Australia)

Katie Allen, MP for Higgins Allen (Liberal Party of Australia)

Kevin Andrews, MP for Menzies (Liberal Party of Australia)

Karen Andrews, MP for McPherson (Liberal National Party of Queensland)

Angie Bell, MP for Moncrieff (Liberal National Party of Queensland)

Russell Broadbent, MP for Monash (Liberal Party of Australia)

Darren Chester, MP for Gippsland (The Nationals)

George Christensen, MP for Dawson (Liberal National Party of Queensland)

Pat Conaghan, MP for Cowper (The Nationals)

Vince Connelly, MP for Stirling (Liberal Party of Australia)

Mark Coulton, MP for Parkes (The Nationals)

Damien Drum, MP for Nicholls (The Nationals)

Peter Dutton, MP for Dickson (Liberal National Party of Queensland)

Warren Entsch, MP for Leichhardt (Liberal National Party of Queensland)

Jason Falinski, MP for Mackellar (Liberal Party of Australia)

Paul Fletcher, MP for Bradfield (Liberal Party of Australia)

Nicolle Flint, MP for Boothby (Liberal Party of Australia)

Josh Frydenberg, MP for Kooyong (Liberal Party of Australia)

Andrew Gee, MP for Calare (The Nationals)

David Gillespie, MP for Lyne (The Nationals)

Garth Hamilton, MP for Lyne (Liberal National Party of Queensland)

Celia Hammond, MP for Curtin (Liberal Party of Australia)

Andrew Hastie, MP for Canning (Liberal Party of Australia)

Alex Hawke, MP for Mitchell (Liberal Party of Australia)

Greg Hunt, MP for Flinders (Liberal Party of Australia)

Barnaby Joyce, MP for New England (The Nationals)

Andrew Laming, MP for Bowman (Liberal National Party of Queensland)

Julian Leeser, MP for Berowra (Liberal Party of Australia)

Sussan Ley, MP for Farrer (Liberal Party of Australia)

David Littleproud, MP for Maranoa (Liberal National Party of Queensland)

Gladys Liu, MP for Chisholm (Liberal Party of Australia)

Fiona Martin, MP for Reid (Liberal Party of Australia)

Michael McCormack, MP for Riverina (The Nationals)

Melissa McIntosh, MP for Lindsay (Liberal Party of Australia)

Scott Morrison, MP for Cook (Liberal Party of Australia)

Ted O'Brien, MP for Fairfax (Liberal National Party of Queensland)

Ken O'Dowd, MP for Flynn (Liberal National Party of Queensland)

Tony Pasin, MP for Barker (Liberal Party of Australia)

Gavin Pearce, MP for Braddon (Liberal Party of Australia)

Keith Pitt, MP for Hinkler (Liberal National Party of Queensland)

Christian Porter, MP for Pearce (Liberal Party of Australia)

Melissa Price, MP for Durack (Liberal Party of Australia)

Rowan Ramsey, MP for Grey (Liberal Party of Australia)

Stuart Robert, MP for Fadden (Liberal National Party of Queensland)

Dave Sharma, MP for Wentworth (Liberal Party of Australia)

Julian Simmonds, MP for Ryan (Liberal National Party of Queensland)

James Stevens, MP for Sturt (Liberal Party of Australia)

Michael Sukkar, MP for Deakin (Liberal Party of Australia)

Angus Taylor, MP for Hume (Liberal Party of Australia)

Dan Tehan, MP for Wannon (Liberal Party of Australia)

Phillip Thompson, MP for Herbert (Liberal National Party of Queensland)

Alan Tudge, MP for Aston (Liberal Party of Australia)

Bert van Manen, MP for Forde (Liberal National Party of Queensland)

Ross Vasta, MP for Bonner (Liberal National Party of Queensland)

Andrew Wallace, MP for Fisher (Liberal National Party of Queensland)

Anne Webster, MP for Mallee (The Nationals)

Mrs Wicks (Liberal Party of Australia)

Mr R. J. Wilson (Liberal Party of Australia)

Mr T. R. Wilson (Liberal Party of Australia)

Ken Wyatt, MP for Hasluck (Liberal Party of Australia)

Terry Young, MP for Longman (Liberal National Party of Queensland)

Trent Zimmerman, MP for North Sydney (Liberal Party of Australia)

Clarence By-election: survey respondent left in the dark

The phone rang last night during dinner so Clarrie Junior kindly offered to answer it.

"Hey Dad, there's a bloke here wanting to ask questions about the election on Saturday. Do you want to speak with him?"

"Yep, sure do," I responded.

Although I missed the caller's preamble I had a fair idea what to expect, given it was about the fifth survey that had come my way since the former, and disgraced, local MP Steve Cansdell sh*t in the proverbial nest and then jumped ship after serving just 6 months of the four-year parliamentary term. Please, remind me again how much this by-election is costing you and me and how much the former local MP is contributing to it from his handsome parliamentary pension. Hey, he caused it so he should be forking out for it.

Question 1: "Which party will you give your first preference to on Saturday?" 

I thought, "That's an easy one to answer but I wished they asked me why would I not vote for candidate so-and-so".

Question 2 went a bit like this: "We want to know what you think about some identities who are  associated with politics in your area. Press 1 for favourable, 2 for neutral, 3 for unfavourable or 4 for if you don't know them."

First name, Steve Cansdell. There's no prize for guessing how this voter, along with most of the electorate, feel about being p*ssed on from a great height by someone who told big fibs in a sworn statement and then tried to downplay the seriousness of his actions.

Second name, Chris Gulaptis. Again, there's no prize for readers on this one.

But then, the real shocker! The phone went dead! No more names! No more questions! I was left standing there with the phone like a shag on a rock. What an anti-climax! Not a thank-you, kiss my b*m or anything else. C'mon, that's not fair and square. Imagine the uproar if the final siren was sounded ten minutes early in the AFL grand final or the winner of the Melbourne Cup was the nag that was in front at the furlong pole.

Boy oh boy, that was such a disappointment. I had been looking forward to giving Fred Nile's disciple a very special rating. After all, she went out on a limb to reveal how out of touch with reality she is when she made a cameo appearance in the scandalous Stuart Ramsey - Grafton abattoir affair.

Admittedly, I would have had to give most of the other candidates, with the exception of The Greens and Country Labor candidates, ratings of "4". Well, they are apart from Wade Walker pretty much blow-ins and/or serial election offenders (one in particular has almost had as many starts as Phar Lap). 

As for Wade Walker, one of my mates at our local watering hole pretty much summed him up when he said, "Walker had a bit of a go and kept the goat track (aka Pacific Highway) up there as an issue but other than that his effort was rather pedestrian." (That mate's a punny fella.)

Ramsey finds closing South Grafton Abattoir may not fix his financial woes

Arguably one of the most disliked blokes in the Clarence Valley, Stuart Ramsey, will have to think again after his dummy spit following adverse Fair Work Australia and Land & Environment Court decisions.

In The Daily Examiner on 2^nd November 2011:

“SOUTH Grafton abattoir owner, the Ramsey group of companies, may have to put up close to $1 million to ensure soon-to-be-displaced workers get their full severance pay and entitlements.

Yesterday, the Fair Work Ombudsman applied to the Federal Court asking that the Ramsey group be required to make the payments, citing concern permanent abattoir employees will not be paid their accrued annual leave entitlements or redundancy pay……….

The ombudsman also asked that the respondents, who were listed as; Stuart Bruce Ramsey, Brugold, Ramsey Food Processing, Ramsey Meats, Ramsey Developments, Coastal Employment Services, Explin, Ramsey Holdings, Ramsey Pastoral Company, Rawhide, Ramsey Pastoral, Ramsey Wholesale Meats, Mortimer Administration Service and Abattoir Contracting Service, pay $988,480 to cover what is estimated to be owed to workers.

The amount was calculated on the assumption that each of an estimated 200 employees would be owed an average of $4942.40.”

Well done, fair Work Australia!

A little more of Stuart Ramsey's business history gets an airing

In a letter to the editor in The Daily Examiner on 26th October 2011, a little more of Stuart Ramsey’s business history gets an airing:
Grafton will lose a part of its history
AS A 13-year-old, my father uprooted our family and we moved to Grafton so that he could run and manage the Grafton abattoir under the company name of the Victorian-based Gilbert & Sons. He managed the Grafton Meatworks for the next 25 years, which made fantastic profits and provided lucrative wages for the hard work endured.
It started to go south when Gilbert & Sons' companies were struggling financially with their Victorian plants and unfortunately the Grafton abattoir was under the same umbrella. However, it was still operating at a substantial profit.
Approximately 15 years ago it was dragged under with the other Gilbert & Sons' companies. Around 300 workers were out of jobs and at this stage Stuart Ramsey put up his hand to purchase the abattoir and run it as a going concern.
With huge input from the Meatworkers Union, Harry Woods and Terry Flanagan (local politicians), I accompanied another three workers and we convinced Bob Carr (the then premier) to give Ramsey approximately $500,000 in set-up grants to keep the jobs of the people affected within our community. The whole town, including the council, all offered to help Stuart Ramsey to get the abattoir up and running. All workers took pay cuts and became the lowest paid abattoir workers in Australia.
I don't think much has changed in that regard. I joined the consultative committee when we tried, for a whole year, to negotiate a better agreement, after working on the present one for three years. When negotiations went sour I and the 11 or so other members of the consultative committee were terminated. We took the case to the Federal Court of Australia and after four years we won all and every aspect of the case. To this day, approximately 10 years after my termination, I still have not received my entitlements awarded by the outcome of the court proceedings. I know what it is like to be out of a job and not knowing whether you will receive your entitlements or not and I feel for these workers.
If the doors finally close at the Grafton Meatworks I will probably shed a tear. The tear won't be for the concerns of an upstanding citizen such as Ramsey, but for all those people that such a radical decision is going to affect. It will also be for the fact that Grafton will lose a part of its history as it has been part of our community for such a long time. And the fact that the Grafton abattoir has been a huge part of the McKenzie family.
PAUL McKENZIE

Clarence By-election: Ms Camac show her true colours

The Daily Examiner 31 October 2011 on the subject of the Christian Democratic Party candidate:

SHE represents the Christian Democratic Party in the upcoming Clarence by-election and happens to be the personnel officer who signed a letter to abattoir workers telling them they no longer had jobs in Grafton.

Asked what she could do for displaced meat workers as a Clarence representative, Bethany Camac admitted she wouldn't be able to do much except encourage investment in the area.

"If they don't want to take up the job offer at Casino and sit around and whinge they can sit around and whinge, if they want to get off their bums and get a new job they can do that," she said.

Ms Camac said all workers, including herself, at the South Grafton site had been "offered" jobs at the Northern Co-operative Meat Company in Casino and "there should be enough jobs for everyone".

"Stuart Ramsey has not taken his business outside the electorate of Clarence, he's moved it from Grafton to Casino."

But reports on ABC North Coast yesterday quoted Northern Co-operative Meat Company management as saying there was no transfer of business between Ramsey Food Processing and the Co-operative.

Workers told The Examiner earlier this week they had been informed by Ramsey that they're entitlements would be transferred if they took up jobs at Casino but subsequent inquiries had proven this to be false……

Ms. Camac obviously doesn’t understand the business history of the man who employs her as well as one local writing in the same newspaper issue.

Who else is to blame?

WELL done, Paul McKenzie, for your factual account of what occurred approximately 10 years ago. My husband was also one of the 11 and he still hasn't received his entitlements despite the court ruling. How this man has been able to get away with ignoring the laws and court rulings amazes me.

Regarding the letter from Lyn Ridge, yes he put food on the table - bread and dripping while he dined on caviar. We used up all our savings in the five years my husband worked for Mr Ramsey. You state that it will be a terrible loss for Grafton, but you can't blame one man alone. Pray tell, who else is to blame?

One man has spit the dummy because he can no longer ignore his commitments. Hay for his horses, it seems, is more important than food on the table for employees.

I congratulate The Daily Examiner for the forthright reporting and please continue to do so. There is nothing nice about this man's business practices and the public is entitled to know.

Regarding the letter from Teddy Bowles, I don't recall any negative media reports when the abattoirs reopened, only how good it was for Grafton.

As far as being given financial assistance, $500,000 from public purses isn't bad, then the assistance given by the city council as regards water rates, etc. How much has to be given to one man? He had employees work for less than award wages for three years to help get the place up and running, then wouldn't come to the table to arrange a new agreement up to two years after the expiration of their agreement. In the meantime, the horse stud prospered.

Mr Ramsey is no pauper. Nor would a dinky-di Aussie treat people the way this man does with his "my way or the highway" attitude.

KERRI BROOKS

South Grafton.

Photograph of Ms. Camac from Chrisitian Democratic Party website

UPDATE

The Daily Examiner on 2 November 2011:

Get a job jibe draws angry retort

COMMENTS from the Christian Democratic candidate for Clarence Beth Camac have been described as a disgrace by the president of the union representing displaced South Grafton meatworkers.

Australasian Meat Industry Employees Union president Grant Courtney said Ms Camac's comments, published in Monday's Daily Examiner, had raised "a fair bit of anger from workers at the South Grafton abattoir".

"Ms Camac's comments in relation to pending displaced workers at the abattoir are nothing short of cheap political opportunism and a disgrace," he said. "Any candidate that stands for good Christian values surely would feel for the 200 workers whose futures are now up in the air thanks to a company pulling its operations at Grafton.

"Calling workers whingers is clearly uncalled for and will not assist her in her political aspirations.

"Social justice, support for the community and regional employment should be the principle policy this woman stands for, instead of blurting out misleading statements that reflect mistruths in relation to future employment at Casino.

"Workers at South Grafton do not appreciate commentary from ill-informed industrial relation consultants that have no idea or concern of workers' rights nor their legal entitlements."

 

Just how many assistance packages does Gulaptis want to give racing identity Stuart Ramsey?

In 1998 the NSW Government provided an assistance package to keep the South Grafton Abattoir open:

The NSW Government through the Department of State and Regional Development’s Regional Business Development Scheme (RBDS) provided assistance to Ramsey Holdings Pty Ltd toward costs incurred in reopening the Grafton Abattoir. Assistance was primarily in the form of payroll tax rebates with a contribution also provided toward costs associated with reopening of the facility. Assistance provided was consistent with similar packages provided to other processing operations across the State. The dollar value of the assistance package is commercial in confidence.
(2) Rebates of State charges (payroll tax and stamp duty) have been provided to Ramsey Holdings Pty Ltd.

This assistance was seen as a problem for the Casino meatworks in 1999:

What has limited the production levels is the consequences of the Government’s assistance to Grafton.

This was not the end of government assistance for Stuart Bruce Ramsey down the years.

Sometime in the early 2000s Ramsey Food Processing at Grafton again received financial assistance from  government - along with about 15 other abattoirs.

In 2009 the Meatworkers Union called on:

the people of Grafton to make sure the businesses which they subsidise behave as good corporate citizens………..

"The people of Grafton paid extra on their water bills to assist Mr Ramsey's business get on its feet. The people of NSW paid further by workers compensation and regional development assistance.

Now the Nationals candidate in the forthcoming Clarence by-election, Chris Gulaptis, would like taxpayers to again put their hands in their pockets to keep Stuart Ramsey afloat (while he plays elsewhere at the very expensive sport of kings) and with NSW Country Labor work together towards an assistance package and he appears to be looking at the NSW Regional Industries Investment Fund to supply some of this cash handout.

Mr. Gulaptis’ plunge into voters pockets will have to be a big one, as any assistance package would probably have to compensate for the sums hinted at in that foolish thought bubble by Nationals spokesperson Clarence Duty MLC Rick Colless, who has in effect, told the ABC that the NSW Liberal-Nationals Coalition Government was prepared to subvert the authority of the Court by dismissing the fines imposed [on Ramsey] by the New South Wales Land and Environment Court in August last year.

No-one wants to see 200 abattoir workers thrown on the scrapheap - but is Stuart Ramsey (with his history of health and safety violations, water pollution convictions and repeated breaches of workers rights) the man to fix the problem he himself has caused?

_____________________

Now over the years not all abattoirs have received such favourable financial treatment as the Ramsey business, so what has been his route to political influence with both Labor and Coalition state governments?

Well, in the first instance, for a good many years the abattoir was in a seat held by a NSW Labor Minister and then by a Nationals MP. However, there may be one other little known political byway trodden by Stuart Ramsey of the Hunter Valley, NSW as he merrily breeds and races thoroughbred horses.

Thoroughbred Breeders of the Hunter Valley have an official lobbyist on the NSW Government Register of Lobbyists.

Thoroughbred Breeders NSW includes the Ramsey horse stud on its honour role, through his company Ramsey Pastoral Co Pty Ltd. This state organisation represents breeders at all meetings and committees with governmental bodies throughout NSW and Australia.

Ramsey’s horse stud is also listed with Thoroughbred Breeders Australia, the peak national body for all Australian thoroughbred breeders.

Retired Nationals MP Peter McGauran is CEO of Thoroughbred Breeders Australia.

Of these three organisations I can find a record of only one making a political donation at state level in 2010 and, Thoroughbred Breeders Australia only donated to one state political party – the Nationals.

Ramsey's destructive dummy spit creates political problem for Nationals in Clarence By-election

Ramsey Food Processing and Stuart Bruce Ramsey's response to recent court proceedings which went against them resulted in an announcement that 'Ramsey Group' was closing the South Grafton abattoir and moving its meat processing business to Casino with the loss of around 200 jobs from the Clarence Valley economy.

Ramsey has existing business interests in Casino as Ramsey Wholesale Meats Pty Ltd and Ramsey Holdings Pty Ltd are already based there.

Hot on the heels of various court judgments (including a finding of contempt, a $130,000 fine and a order to compensate sacked workers) a Ramsey spokesperson attempted to blame state government for the decision to abandon Grafton in favour of Casino.

The local response to this explanation of a move which is going to hit the bottom line of many Grafton businesses was quick and definite - Ramsey had only himself to blame.

That the Nationals find this a politically sensitive issue is evidenced by the extraordinary assertion of Clarence Duty MLC, Rick Colless, that the O'Farrell Government was prepared to subvert the authority of the Court by dismissing the fines imposed by the New South Wales Land and Environment Court in August last year.

As Mr. Ramsey has apparently rejected this offer one can only suppose that he was angling for a higher level of financial support from the NSW Government than that represented by this proposed waiver. 

Leaving the NSW Nationals attempting to blame the punitive measures that the previous government had imposed upon them, the fines that they had imposed upon them for the loss of so many local jobs. Rather than placing the blame squarely where it belongs -on Ramsey's poor business decisions.

As well as chasing Ramsey cap in hand to see if they can throw more money at him, as the political pain widens in the Clarence electorate and the epitaph mongrels is freely tossed about:

Nationals' State Leader and Deputy Premier Andrew Stoner was already working on a "co-ordinated response" to the abattoir closure, he said.

The Department of Trade and Investment, Regional Infrastructure and Services would seek a meeting with the owners of the Ramsey Abattoir next week, a spokesman for Mr Stoner said.

"This meeting will involve discussions about the circumstances of the abattoir's closure and determine whether the NSW Government can assist any businesses and individuals affected by the job losses that may result from the proprietor's decision to relocate to Casino," Mr Stoner said.

[The Daily Examiner, Abattoir jobs cut Closure is 'final straw': Small businesses are already struggling: Chamber,22 October 2011,p1]

While the Nationals candidate in the forthcoming by-election (and well-known supporter of the former Howard Goverment's WorkChoices laws) Chris Gulaptis also ignores the Ramsey Group's long history of worker exploitation and Stuart Ramsey's lucrative horse racing interests when he offers this excuse for Ramsey in The Casino Times on 20 October 2011:

"This is a sad outcome for everyone involved and really marks the end of a long and difficult situation going back a number of years over some waste management issues...
It is my understanding that significant investment would have been required in the plant to meet environmental requirements and that, given the economic uncertainty both in Australia and globally, the owners were not able to make that investment."

Of course, the Coalition has always been a friend to Stuart Ramsey. This is Liberal MLC Charlie Lynn lobbying on the floor of the NSW Parliament in 2001:

The news for Mr Ramsey's abattoir is that his business costs for workers compensation are about to double. I will say that again for the benefit of Country Labor members: Mr Ramsey's workers compensation business costs are about to double......
In the last three years the Grafton abattoir has paid $500,000 a year in workers compensation premiums. It has had to pay out on claims of $120,000. It cares for its workers' safety and welfare—they are family, it is a genuine concern.

UPDATE - Some background:

A year when Stuart Ramsey actually liked a NSW Government - it was giving him money.

Hey, Ramsey, just post the $60,000 winner's cheque to c/- the Grafton Post Office

The big, colourful racing identity who has problems paying his bills lined up as-quick-as-a-rat-up-a-drainpipe for a TV interview immediately after a nag he part owns crossed the winning line and collected the winner's prize of sixty grand at Moonee Valley today.

And, to make matters worse for viewers who had to put up with the pathetically poor payer's big picture on their TV screens, the interviewer referred to Ramsey with an endearing "Stuey". A bloke at a local pub rang me up immediately after he saw the event and reckoned the interviewer should have called him "Chop, Chop Stew".

Another bloke has this message for the victims of StewedRam:
"To all the long-suffering, under-paid ex-employees and the current employees soon to be sacked by Stuart Ramsay Meatworks, take heart all is well in the stables, his thoroughbred won the second race on Cox Plate Day at Moonee Valley! "

Credit: Image from Racing Channel TVN

Ramsey loses in the courts and kicks Grafton community in the teeth

In an ultimate act of corporate betrayal Ramsey Food Processing Pty Ltd and Stuart Ramsey have decided to close down the South Grafton abattoir he has controlled since 1998, after successive losses in Federal and NSW courts resulted in significant monetary penalties for his group of companies.

Not only will this business closure affect many of the 150 abattoir workers who may not be able to transfer elsewhere (rumour has it that workers may not receive full entitlements on termination), it is bound to have a flow-on effect for the Grafton Sale Yards.

While folding the Grafton business, Stuart Ramsey intends to continue in the meat industry via the 78 year-old  Northern Co-operative Meat Company in Casino - a business which earlier this year was threatening to lay off workers and one which has its own workplace issues.

Ramsey, a Hunter Valley horse breeder and racer who owns Turangga Farm Stud, will of course continue with his million dollar interests elsewhere in 2011:

Karuta Queen is another smart horse bred by Stuart Ramsey in the short time he has had the Turangga stud, Segenhoe Valley, Scone. Another is Headway (by another Arrowfield sire, Charge Forward), winner of the AJC Sweet Embrace Stakes and VRC Ascot Vale Stakes and runner up in the Golden Slipper.Turangga itself plays host to a Golden Slipper second, Ramsey’s foundation sire Zizou, one whose first 2-year-olds are predicted to do well in 2011-12. Also second in the Blue Diamond and accoladed a champion 2-year-old, Zizou is by the Mr. Prospector Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus and from Natural is My Name, a half-sister to Karuta Queen’s sire Not a Single Doubt.

Seven of the yearlings they sold at the Magic Millions sale each realised $100,000 or more with the high being $500,000

Christy Moore - Ordinary Man

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While Ramsey blames the government for his woes, a brief history of the 'Ramsey Group' courtesy of Austlii indicates other reasons are at the root of his problems:

1. Fair Work Ombudsman v Ramsey Food Processing Pty Ltd [2011] FCA 1176 (19 October 2011) (From Federal Court of Australia; 19 October 2011; 165 KB) 
2. Environment Protection Authority v Ramsey Food Processing Pty Ltd [2010] NSWLEC 150 (10 August 2010) (From Land and Environment Court of New South Wales; 10 August 2010; 33 KB)  
3. Environment Protection Authority v Ramsey Food Processing Pty Ltd [2010] NSWLEC 23 (24 February 2010) (From Land and Environment Court of New South Wales; 24 February 2010; 120 KB)  
4. Peter Geoffrey Wright v Ramsey Food Packaging No. 2 Pty Ltd - [2007] AIRC 606 (8 August 2007) (From Australian Industrial Relations Commission; 8 August 2007; 58 KB) 
5. McIlwain v Ramsey Food Packaging Pty Ltd (No. 4) [2006] FCA 1302 (4 October 2006) (From Federal Court of Australia; 4 October 2006; 188 KB)  
6. McIlwain v Ramsey Food Packaging Pty Ltd [2006] FCA 828 (30 June 2006) (From Federal Court of Australia; 30 June 2006; 445 KB)  
7. McIlwain v Ramsey Food Packaging Pty Ltd [2005] FCA 1233 (2 September 2005) (From Federal Court of Australia; 2 September 2005; 156 KB)  
8. Ramsey Butchering Services Pty Ltd v Blackadder [2003] FCAFC 20 (21 February 2003)
   (From Federal Court of Australia - Full Court; 21 February 2003; 138 KB)  
9. Blackadder v Ramsey Butchering Services Pty Ltd (includes corrigendum dated 10 May 2002) [2002] FCA 603 (10 May 2002) (From Federal Court of Australia; 10 May 2002; 80 KB) 

North Coast Voices 19 October 2011: Ramsey ordered to compensate sacked workers
The Daily Examiner 15 October 2011: Ramsey in contempt

UPDATE:

Ramsey to deny redundancy package to some workers.

Ramsey has only himself to blame.

Please, in case I forget, remind me NEVER to contact this North Coast solicitor

The solicitor for the Ramsey Group of companies is reported to have said:

"Whilst the move from Grafton is regretted, and not the preferred option by the Ramsey Group, it appeared inevitable certain Government Departments were single minded in their efforts to achieve the closing of the abattoir business at Grafton."

Fair dinkum! So, it's government departments that are responsible for the predicament employees of Stuart Ramsey or whatever shonky bodgey employment mobs that have been orchestrated to be the workers' employer should carry the can, is it?
 The solicitor representing Ramsey is, among other things, the chairman of the board of the major local private hospital in the Richmond valley.

Credit: The Daily Examiner, 21/10/11

Stuart Ramsey ordered to compensate sacked workers

It has been a long time coming for those eleven South Grafton abattoir workers sacked in November 2008, but yesterday in Fair Work Ombudsman v Ramsey Food Processing Pty Ltd and Stuart Ramsey (19 October 2011) the Federal Court of Australia found in the workers favour and ordered compensation for termination without notice, severance pay or annual leave entitlements.

Full transcript of the judgment here.

Update:

The Daily Examiner today offers this summation:

In effect, the court found Mr Ramsey and his company Ramsey Food Processing established shelf labour-hire companies and used them as a mechanism to hire and fire who he wanted, while avoiding paying entitlements.
It found that when the company wanted to get rid of employees without paying entitlements, it moved the employees it wanted to retain into another labour hire company then starved the original company of funds. That company would then become insolvent, leaving neither money to pay the employees nor money to which they were rightly entitled.
That is what the workers claimed when they were sacked and their claims have now been vindicated.
It has not been a great week for Mr Ramsey. Last Thursday he was found guilty of contempt in the NSW Land and Environment Court.

What does it take to ensure a company that controls South Grafton’s abattoir complies with court orders imposed on it?

A company that gave Grafton workers the boot just before Christmas in 2008 and has repeatedly polluted local waters has to front the Land and Environment Court on charges of contempt of court.
The Daily Examiner reports the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water confirmed that contempt charge against the licensee of Ramsey Food Processing (RFP) are set down for August 11.The Ramsey associated with RFP is the same Stuart Ramsey who has very extensive interests in the racing game. It seems Ramsey can find enough cash to put heaps of money into his nags but cannot find enough money to ensure he's a responsible employer and business owner. Shame! Shame! Shame!

Ramsey is somewhat elusive. It seems he's able to avoid being captured on camera at race tracks despite getting heaps of free publicity. His name and racing interests get lots of mentions on the SKY Racing channels ... hmmm.

Here's a pic of young Ramsey when he was a school boy.
Although he's holding a winner's pennant, who did the hard yards?


Credits: The Daily Examiner and The Daily Telegraph

Who is Australia's worst boss?

A South Grafton abattoir owner has repeatedly made headlines for allegedly refusing to pay sacked staff their entitlements. Now he is coming under more fire from workers who claim he has banned them from taking toilet breaks.

Workers say boss banned toilet stops

(The Daily Examiner, 22 May 2009)

SOUTH Grafton abattoir owner Stuart Ramsey has repeatedly made headlines for allegedly refusing to pay sacked staff their entitlements.

Now he is coming under more fire from workers who claim he has banned them from taking toilet breaks.

Two workers contacted The Daily Examiner with concerns Mr Ramsey was penalising staff for leaving their work stations to visit the toilet.

The workers did not want their names published, but said Mr Ramsey told staff they could not leave their stations unless they were on lunch or smoko.

The workers said this ban included staff leaving their stations to visit the toilet. If true, this would mean abattoir staff were expected to work for almost three hours at a time without having to go to the toilet.

One of the workers said Mr Ramsey was punishing those who took toilet breaks by issuing them formal letters of warning and forfeiting their Over Award payment.

The payment is given when workers process above their quota. It can add more than $100 to their weekly pay.

Many staff received this payment regularly and had come to rely on it to meet living costs, the worker said.

Stuart Ramsey - owner of Ramsey Meats Processing - did not return The Examiner's calls yesterday. Mr Ramsey's business is being investigated by the Workplace Ombudsman after sacked staff were not paid their entitlements.

Janelle Saffin MP on North Coast industrial relations

Federal Labor's Janelle Saffin, Member for Page, speaking in the House of Representatives last week:

Re-establishing fairness to Australian workplaces was one of the hallmarks of the Rudd Labor government, so when I hear of workers in my electorate of Page being treated more like cattle than people it makes my blood boil. One of my first jobs after leaving school in Ipswich was as an abattoir hand. It was hard, physical and sometimes dangerous work. On staggered days last year—28 November, 1 December and 2 December—up to 23 employees turned up to a south Grafton abattoir for work to be told by embarrassed foremen that they were out of a job due to 'a WorkCover thing'. They were handed a week's pay, shown the gate and thrown out on Armidale Road to uncertain futures. Appallingly, they did not receive their rightful entitlements: termination pay, redundancy, annual leave and long service—nothing. Coming up to Christmas, with mortgages to service, bills to pay and presents to buy, this was a very cruel, bloody-minded and gutless way to treat employees, some of whom had been veterans of the slaughter floor.

All of these workers tell me they were employed by Tempus Holdings Pty Ltd, a labour hire company that provided labour to abattoir owner Stuart Ramsey's company Ramsey Food Processing Pty Ltd. The sacked workers were informed in writing that Tempus Holdings would on 28 November 2008 cease to be a labour hire company supplying labour for Ramsey Food Processing Pty Ltd. The local Daily Examiner newspaper, which has been championing the plight of the affected workers and their right to entitlements, has repeatedly asked Stuart Ramsay, Tempus Holdings director Michael Considine and their solicitors about the complex corporate structure attached to the abattoir. The Daily Examiner's inquiries have been met by silence and stonewalling. I have twice written to Mr Ramsey, on 12 December and 12 January, on behalf of my constituents seeking clarification on exactly who is responsible for paying the sacked workers their outstanding entitlements, but I have had no response to date............

I have arranged for any sacked abattoir employee to get free legal advice on unfair dismissal or unlawful termination from the Lismore based Northern Rivers Community Legal Centre. I have raised this with my colleague the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations the Hon. Julia Gillard. I raised the allegations of these men with the Commonwealth Workplace Ombudsman and am heartened to say that they have given a high priority to their investigation..........

I know that the Workplace Ombudsman recently served a notice to produce documents on the director at the registered office of Tempus Holdings and that significant resources are being directed at the investigation. I am encouraging more affected workers to come forward and provide evidence so that they can recover what is rightfully theirs and perhaps discourage rogue employers out there from running roughshod over other workforces in regional Australia. I do not care what tricky, albeit legal, company arrangements may have been put in place, the person morally and ethically responsible for paying these workers their entitlements is the person who owns the abattoir—Stuart Ramsey.

The full text of Ms. Saffin's speech here.