Category Archives: Australian trade unions

Ensuring integrity bill: officials contradict Christian Porter on union deregistration

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Coalition bill would allow deregistration for single instances of unprotected industrial action, inquiry told

Departmental officials have contradicted Christian Porter’s claim the Coalition’s union penalty bill does not allow deregistration for single instances of unprotected industrial action or breaches of court orders.

Officials from the attorney general’s department told an inquiry on Wednesday that although the Ensuring Integrity Bill was similar to the existing law in that respect, it would expand the type of breaches courts can punish with the strictest penalties.

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Climate strike in Australia: everything you need to know about Friday’s protest

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Time and location for the 20 September school strike for climate change in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Canberra, Adelaide, Hobart and more

Thousands of Australian school students are again preparing to walk out of classrooms across the country to demand action on the climate crisis.

The global mass day of action will take place on Friday 20 September, three days before the United Nations climate summit in New York.

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‘Show some spine’: Jacqui Lambie returns to parliament with John Setka ultimatum

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The Senate powerbroker warns if the union boss does not resign, the Coalition’s ‘ensuring integrity’ bill will pass

The Senate powerbroker Jacqui Lambie has returned to Canberra following the parliamentary break with one message.

Either union boss John Setka resigns, or the government’s controversial ‘ensuring integrity’ bill will pass, with her vote.

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Government refers Crown allegations to integrity commission – politics live

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Attorney general responds to crossbench calls for inquiry. All the day’s events, live

Siri: what is the definition of “a punish”?

David Gillespie saddles the despatch box, and therefore us, with Michael McCormack, which gives me the permission I needed to go make a cup of tea.

“All politics is local, as it should be,” says Sliced White.

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Angus Taylor remains in Labor’s sights over grasslands and power prices

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Push to set up Senate inquiry takes a step forward, as Coalition faces questions on why energy prices keep rising

Labor will continue to target the energy minister, Angus Taylor, as the government’s weak link, citing power price rises since 2015 and renewing its push to set up a Senate inquiry into his meetings with the environment department over endangered grasslands.

On Sunday the mooted inquiry took a step forward with Rex Patrick reversing Centre Alliance’s position and pledging to support the move, although Labor and the Greens still need Cory Bernardi or One Nation’s votes to succeed.

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Labor grills Angus Taylor over company interests – politics live

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Energy minister accuses opposition of ‘grubby smear campaign against my family’ and ALP pursues Coalition over its superannuation schism. All the day’s events, live

With the chambers all quiet and the rush to the airport in full swing, we are going to go collapse in a heap and stare at a wall.

Until Monday, when the parliament is back for the last sitting ahead of the winter break.

Here’s how Mike Bowers saw some of the day

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Why Treasury blaming a lack of ‘job switching’ for stagnant wages may have backfired

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By suggesting switching jobs can even out the power imbalance between employers and employees, Treasury hinted at an obvious solution

Treasury caused consternation in the labour movement on Tuesday by suggesting the best way to win a pay rise might be to switch jobs.

It looked to unions like an attempt to blame workers for their bosses’ failure to grant a pay rise.

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Union forced to drop legal action against Wollongong’s western civilisation degree

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Backdown comes after university intervened to have its governing body sign off on Ramsay Centre degree despite it never being considered by its academic senate

The peak union for university academics and staff has been forced to drop legal action against the University of Wollongong over its approval of the controversial Ramsay Centre-funded western civilisation course.

The National Tertiary Education Union announced on Friday that it had withdrawn its action in the New South Wales supreme court over what it had described as the “unlawful” approval of the degree by the university late last year.

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Culture shock: politics upended in era of identity

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Two worldviews face each other uncomprehendingly – and the flashpoint is the climate emergency

This is the first piece in a new series on what the election result means for the progressive side of politics and the path forward

Political commentators reflexively overinterpret election results. The story we’ve been told is that the Coalition’s win means that “Australian voters” have rejected Labor’s radical plan for reform of the tax-and-spend system, confirming that Australians prefer stability and incremental change.

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John Setka’s deputy Shaun Reardon quits over ‘irreconcilable differences’ with union boss

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CFMMEU assistant secretary says decision was not made under pressure as Setka faces calls to resign

The controversy surrounding the Victorian construction union boss John Setka has escalated with his deputy, Shaun Reardon, quitting, saying it was “untenable” for him to continue.

The resignation came as members of the CFMMEU were being individually lobbied to support Setka, who faces calls for his expulsion from the Labor party and resignation as Victorian secretary of the union.

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John Setka threatens to halt CFMMEU donations to Labor and vows to pursue leakers

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Union boss says he will mount a legal challenge against moves to expel him from Labor party

The embattled union boss John Setka has threatened to halt CFMMEU donations to Labor, said he would mount a legal challenge against moves to expel him from the party and has indicated he will investigate who had leaked against him from the union’s national executive.

The federal Labor leader, Anthony Albanese, has said he plans to expel Setka at a 5 July national executive meeting over claims the CFMMEU Victorian secretary denigrated anti-domestic violence advocate Rosie Batty in a conversation with union colleagues.

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‘Long live love’: Blanche d’Apulget pays tribute to Bob Hawke in memorial service – politics live – politics live

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Party greats, members of former PM’s family and those who knew him best led the public service at the Sydney Opera House

The Guardian brains trust are going to show you a few more photos from Mike Bowers, and a couple more bits and bobs from the day, so I will leave you in their very, very capable hands.

Politics Live will be back, with parliament, in just a few short weeks.

The crowd here has had a singalong and toasted to Bob – there’s a lot of love in this little Brisbane pub.

There is also a lot of love in the Opera House, where David Marr has been watching the service and crowd along with Mike Bowers.

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John Setka refuses to resign and says reports he denigrated Rosie Batty are ‘fabricated’

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Victorian CFMEU leader says attacks on him are ‘political smears’ and that he answers to union members

Embattled union boss John Setka has said he will not stand down as CFMMEU Victorian state secretary, plunging the union movement further into crisis.

“There’s no reason for me to resign,” said Setka, who fronted the media Wednesday with his wife, Emma Walters.

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Labor holds off supporting Indonesian free trade agreement

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ALP had pledged to renegotiate agreement if it won office but will now wait until parliament resume to decide whether to ratify it

Labor is holding out its support for the Indonesian free trade agreement signed off by the Coalition in the previous parliament, as the trade minister, Simon Birmingham, warns against a retreat into protectionism following a meeting of G20 trade ministers.

Speaking to Guardian Australia following the meeting in Tokyo over the weekend, Birmingham said that given trade tensions between China and the US, the country’s signed agreements with Indonesia, Peru and Hong Kong carry additional importance.

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Muffin Break faces backlash after boss says millennials won’t do unpaid work

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Uproar comes as parliamentary inquiry into Australian franchise sector prepares final report

The cafe chain Muffin Break is facing a backlash from customers after its general manager said that entitled millennials weren’t willing to do unpaid work to get ahead.

Natalie Brennan told News Corp there was “nobody walking in my door asking for an internship, work experience or unpaid work”.

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Labor starts fightback on border security as medical evacuation bill passes Senate – as it happened

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Labor, the Greens, Tim Storer, Derryn Hinch and the Centre Alliance vote in favour of the refugee transfer legislation. This blog has now closed.

That is where we will leave you today. It’s been a big week and after the last few days, I think we all need a bex and a lie down.

Obviously, for me, when I say bex, I mean vodka, but insert whatever self-care aid is necessary.

From the valedictories

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Labor caucus signs off on medical evacuations bill – as it happened

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Labor has been holding talks all day and has agreed on three principles. All the day’s events, live

And that is where we are going to call it quits tonight.

But fear not – we’ll be back in about 12 hours. It is going to be that sort of year, me thinks.

Scott Morrison and Marise Payne will hold a press conference at 8.45 tonight to talk about Hakeem al-Araibi.


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