Australia news live: Anthony Albanese praises Sally McManus and Michele O’Neil as ‘giants’ as they step down from ACTU | Australia news
PM salutes ‘giants of the labour movement’
Dan Jervis-Bardy
In a statement, the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, described Sally McManus and Michele O’Neil as personal friends and “giants of the labour movement”.
He said:
Working families are in a stronger financial position today than they would otherwise be because of the tireless advocacy and strong leadership of Sally McManus and Michele O’Neil.
Sally and Michele secured incredible successes for working people in their eight years together leading Australia’s union movement – the first all-female leadership team in the Australian Council of Trade Unions’ 99-year history.
It is fitting that Sally and Michele announce they’re stepping down from their respective positions at a time when there have been significant wage increases in critical and long-undervalued sectors, the gender pay gap is at a record low and union membership is growing for the first time in decades.
Key events
ACTU president says now is the ‘right time’ to leave
Michele O’Neil, the president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, said it’s the “right time” to leave after she announced her departure alongside ACTU secretary Sally McManus.
O’Neil told RN Breakfast:
We thought about this and we just think that it’s time for renewal. The union movement is in good shape. We’ve seen changes in workers’ rights that have made a big difference in workers’ lives. We’ve seen the union movement starting to grow for the first time in decades. And next year will be the 100th anniversary of the ACTU. So we think it’s time for a new leadership team to come in.
She went on to say her time at the body had made her “very, very lucky” and a new team coming in after a successful era would be “the best thing for workers” and the “best thing for the union movement”.
“And that’s why we came to the decision,” she said.
Kelly Burke
Paterson continued …
We have a debt heading towards $200bn in this state. We have teachers out striking in the streets because the state government and Ben Carroll can’t secure a pay deal. We have holes in the roads. You need a majority government to fix those problems, and you need someone with a plan.
Ben Carroll announced on Monday he would challenge the premier, Jacinta Allan, for the leadership on Tuesday. Paterson noted that Carroll was in cabinet as deputy premier to Jacinta Allan and before that as a cabinet minister under Daniel Andrews, spanning a period of allegations against the CFMEU of corruption and criminal offences.
“He stood by and allowed that to happen,” Paterson said.
Now he might performatively call a royal commission tokenistically, now that he’s become leader, but that’s not out of sincere concern about corruption. That’s out of sincere concern about the polls and what that means for Victorian Labor.
Kelly Burke
James Paterson won’t rule out Victorian preferences for One Nation
Victorian Liberal senator James Paterson has not ruled out the possibility of the Victorian Liberals giving its preferences to One Nation in the forthcoming state election.
But he said Jess Wilson should hold off making that decision until closer to the time.
“This party should wait and make that decision in an informed way,” Patterson told the ABC’s 7.30 program.
It’s usually done on a seat by seat basis, and it’s usually only done after the candidates have been selected, because in the past some parties, particularly minor parties like One Nation, have had great difficulty screening their candidates to make sure that they are people who are acceptable to stand.
Paterson, whose wife, Lydia Paterson, is deputy chief of staff for Wilson, said the Victorian Liberals were seeking to govern in their own right, without forming a coalition with One Nation.
“They need majority government if they’re going to turn this state around,” he said.
Resources minister says government still hasn’t ruled ‘anything out’ on fuel excise cut extension
Madeleine King, the federal resources minister, said the government remains concerned about the impact of fuel prices on Australians, but wouldn’t commit to any extension of the fuel excise discount, which is due to expire later this week.
King spoke to RN Breakfast, saying the government hadn’t ruled “anything out” and was continuing to work on fuel security. She went on:
I know that time is coming right at us. But as we all are aware, this conflict in the Middle East and appears to be sadly spreading just continues to cause instability in that global energy market and those oil prices.
… But the government is very much aware of the pressure increase in fuel prices does put on Australian families. And we have taken action in the past and we’ll continue to monitor how these prices do affect people and seek to deliver that kind of relief as best we can.
Good morning, Nick Visser here to take over the day’s breaking news. Let’s get to it.
ATO’s ‘same job, same pay’ hearings begin
Jonathan Barrett
Landmark hearings designed to test the Australian Taxation Office’s widespread use of private call centres starts today, amid claims outsource workers are paid up to 40% less than their public service counterparts on the same phone lines.
Nathan Brunne, a former worker on the ATO phone lines employed by the private equity-backed Probe Operations, initiated the “same job, same pay” claim in the Fair Work Commission, and is being supported by the Community and Public Sector Union.
Brunne will argue that the pay gap widens at more senior call centre roles, with team leaders at outsource operators paid about $31 an hour compared with more than $52 at the tax office, according to pre-hearing submissions.
Probe has indicated it will oppose Brunne, while the ATO has not taken a formal position.
Brunne is relying on the Albanese government’s workplace reforms, designed to stop employers using labour hire firms to pay workers less than direct employees doing largely the same work.
The hearings are expected to focus on how much the job functions and systems overlap between the ATO and its three outsource call centres, run by Probe, the US-listed Concentrix Services and the British multinational Serco.
If the application is successful, the call centres would be forced to pay the same rates as ATO staff covered by a public sector agreement, potentially making the outsource model unviable for the tax office and other government agencies.
The hearings are being held in Victoria and are expected to conclude next week.
Dan Jervis-Bardy
Taxpayers to bankroll feasibility study into first Australian oil refinery in 60 years
Taxpayers will bankroll an early stage feasibility study into a new oil refinery in Western Australia under the Albanese government’s long-term strategy to shield the country from future international oil shocks.
The commonwealth and the WA government will spend $4m to scope out what would be the first large-scale petrol refinery to be built in Australia since the 1960s.
The project itself would be constructed and funded by Perdaman, the large multinational behind a $4.5bn fertiliser plant in the Pilbara.
The international oil shock caused by the Iran war exposed how reliant Australia is on overseas suppliers for petrol and diesel, with roughly 90% of fuel products shipped into the country.
There are just two local refineries in operation: Ampol’s Lytton refinery in Brisbane and Viva Energy’s facility in Geelong.
The federal government’s $10.7bn fuel security package, announced in May, included $10m to support feasibility studies into potential projects.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and WA premier, Roger Cook, will announce funding for the scoping study after visiting Perdaman’s urea plant.
In a statement, Albanese said:
The longer war in the Middle East goes on the greater the impact on Australia will be, and my Government will continue to do everything we can to shield Australia from the worst effects – and set us up for the future.
The early stage support for a new oil refinery will likely face pushback from environmentalists, who have criticised the federal government for doubling down on petrol and diesel rather than using the oil shock to reduce Australia’s reliance on fossil fuels.
PM salutes ‘giants of the labour movement’
Dan Jervis-Bardy
In a statement, the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, described Sally McManus and Michele O’Neil as personal friends and “giants of the labour movement”.
He said:
Working families are in a stronger financial position today than they would otherwise be because of the tireless advocacy and strong leadership of Sally McManus and Michele O’Neil.
Sally and Michele secured incredible successes for working people in their eight years together leading Australia’s union movement – the first all-female leadership team in the Australian Council of Trade Unions’ 99-year history.
It is fitting that Sally and Michele announce they’re stepping down from their respective positions at a time when there have been significant wage increases in critical and long-undervalued sectors, the gender pay gap is at a record low and union membership is growing for the first time in decades.
ACTU leaders step down after eight years at the top
Dan Jervis-Bardy
The leadership of the trade union movement is set for a major shakeup after the secretary and president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions announced their surprise departures.
The ACTU’s secretary, Sally McManus, and its president, Michele O’Neil, revealed on Monday night they would be stepping down after eight years together.
The first all-female leadership team in the ACTU’s 99-year history, the influential pair have played a major role in shaping the Albanese government’s workplace agenda.
They successfully campaigned for the right to disconnect law, same job, same pay protections, wage theft criminalisation and ensuring minimum pay, insurance and safety standards for gig economy workers.
The ACTU recently began targeting Pauline Hanson in a clear sign the union movement now considers One Nation – rather than the Coalition – the biggest political threat to Labor and economic risk for working people.
McManus will depart next month while O’Neil will help the new secretary settle in before leaving before the end of the year.
In a farewell video posted to social media on Monday night, the pair said it was time for renewal.
McManus said:
Union membership is growing and workers have over 47 new workplace rights. But, of course, there are still big challenges with cost-of-living pressures, AI and billionaires who have too much wealth and power.
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog.
Anthony Albanese has described Sally McManus and Michele O’Neil as “giants of the labour movement” after the surprise announcement that they will stepping down from their roles as secretary and president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions after eight years. More coming.
Hearings designed to test the Australian Taxation Office’s widespread use of private call centres starts today amid claims outsource workers are paid up to 40% less than their public service counterparts on the same phone lines. More details shortly.
And the Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, faces a leadership challenge this morning – we’ll be bringing you updates on that as things unfold.
I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it will be Nick Visser with the main action.
