NSW Greens Spokesperson for Maritime and Ports letter to NSW Minister for Roads Maritime and Freight, 7 July 2016.
Wednesday 24 August 2016
The message is being sent that the Clarence Valley does not want the Clarence River estuary industrialised and says "No" to a mega port - Part 2
Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service and Minister for Employment, Liberal Senator Michaelia Cash, is learning the hard way that Australians expect the boss to act fairly
As a recognised bargaining representative of the Turnbull Government, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service and Minister for Employment, Liberal Senator Michaelia Cash is once more before the Australian Fair Work Commission.
Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU), media release, 17 August 2016:
CPSU TAKES ON MINISTER MICHAELIA CASH IN FAIR WORK COMMISSION
The CPSU has taken Employment Minister Michaelia Cash to the Fair Work Commission over her failure to engage in good faith around enterprise agreements for Commonwealth public sector workers.
The case is based on Minister Cash’s refusal to deal constructively with the CPSU, including refusing to discuss or properly consider the union’s fair and reasonable proposals to settle bargaining across multiple Commonwealth agencies.
Action in Fair Work is part of the union’s multi-pronged plan to make the Turnbull Government fix its public sector bargaining mess; the strategy also includes industrial action at international airports and elsewhere, community campaigning targeted in marginal electorates and repeated efforts to engage directly with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Minister Cash.
CPSU National President Alistair Waters said: “Minister Michaelia Cash is responsible for setting and implementing the Turnbull Government’s harsh and unworkable approach to public sector bargaining. We’re taking her to Fair Work to hold her and the Turnbull Government accountable for this debacle that’s unfairly attacked workers for nearly three years.”
“Minister Cash hasn’t just refused to meet with the CPSU, she has also publicly misrepresented our position on numerous occasions and otherwise tried to undermine our attempts to help her fix the Turnbull Government’s bargaining mess. Our members have shown a willingness to compromise but Minister Cash’s responses have been consistently toxic and unfair.”
“There’s a bitter irony that we’ve had to take Minister Cash to the Fair Work Commission to get her to fulfil even her most basic obligations. This is the person who as Employment Minister is responsible for the Fair Work Act she’s flouting by actively undermining bargaining.”
“Public sector workers have fought for nearly three years to protect their existing rights against this Government’s bargaining attacks and they are determined to secure a fair and reasonable outcome. The only way for this protracted dispute to end is for the Turnbull Government to realise that its attempts to force workers to give up family friendly rights and other conditions have failed, and instead engage with us on a sensible alternative.”
“Our action in the Fair Work Commission is just one part of a much broader strategy to pressure Prime Minister Turnbull and Minister Cash to fix their bargaining debacle. We’re also planning further industrial action in the wake of last week’s Immigration and Border Force strike at international airports and elsewhere and continuing with our community campaigning in marginal electorates.”
Tuesday 23 August 2016
Clancy says Clarence a winner under Greens plan - fairer funding for regional councils
NSW Greens candidate in Clarence Valley local government election Greg Clancy, media release, 15 August 2016:
Fairer Funding for Regional Councils: Clarence a winner under Greens plan to ensure a fairer distribution of crucial Commonwealth roads funding.
Greens Senator and Local Government Spokesperson Lee Rhiannon said, "NSW regional councils are the winners under the Greens plan for a fairer federal funding based on local needs rather than on a per capita basis.
"When parliament resumes on 30 August I will move to set up an inquiry into Commonwealth Financial Assistance Grants to gather evidence to show that regional areas are losing out under the current system."
Under the current system, the federal grants are awarded according to population numbers with little consideration of the size of the region and transport networks that must be maintained.
Greens candidate for Clarence Valley Council, Greg Clancy said, "Getting equitable road finding, based on financial need and the size of a council's road network, would see the Clarence Valley Council with extra funding to build local infrastructure.
"The roads need fixing and Council needs better support to do that. People also want cycleways, parks, playgrounds and pools. The federal grants program can make that happen.
"The current system of awarding road grants to Councils based on their population and not of their needs is inequitable and short changes regional areas.
"You only have to look at the results from last year's funding. Fairfield Council, which covers just 104 square kilometres and has 677 km of roads, received $5.1 million in Federal road funding. Clarence Valley, which has 2445 km of roads across 10,441 square kilometres, also got $5 million. From these figures, it is clear that something is seriously wrong.
"We're talking about a significant amount of funding. This is crucial funding for roads that needs to be distributed fairly, with those Regional Councils in most need getting priority funding in order to deal with their extensive road network.
"It's not just the Greens saying this. The NRMA has said the same, so has a recent NSW Parliamentary report. A new federal funding model would provide a 'win-win' for Council and the community," Dr Clancy said.
"I believe we need more Greens on regional councils to get behind our senators and state MPs so we get the support for a national senate inquiry to fix the broken federal funding model for local councils," he said.
Further information on the General Purpose and Local Road Financial Assistance Grant available at: http://regional.gov.au/local/assistance/fags-state-summaries-nsw.aspx
The Turnbull Government is just not listening to those who have experienced the immigration detention camps first-hand
The Guardian, 18 August 2016:
The Guardian can reveal that the offices of senior members of the Australian government – including prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, attorney general George Brandis and Dutton – all received an extensive dossier in May 2016 that outlined the ongoing harm to children held on Nauru and the “numerous child rights violations” that had occurred.
Save the Children correspondence Peter Dutton by paulfarrell on Scribd
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