Category Archives: Alan Tudge

How the Coalition collaborated with ‘friendly media’ to silence robodebt victims

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Alan Tudge’s office planned to use sympathetic outlets such as News Corp to counter reporting on scheme, royal commission report reveals

When Alan Tudge needed to promote what became known as robodebt in December 2016, he found willing media outlets in the Australian newspaper, 2GB and A Current Affair.

“Welfare debt squad hunts for $4bn,” the Australian dutifully reported at the time. The then-human services minister next went on 2GB, where then-host Chris Smith said in the introduction: “Are all those people with their hands in the taxpayer pocket in genuine need?”

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The robodebt royal commission revealed the worst of ‘welfare cop’ politics. But what happens next is up to us all

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Catherine Holmes’ report is damning for the Coalition and the public service, yet the reckoning she advocates will take more than policy change

Robodebt royal commissioner Catherine Holmes’ report is damning for the Coalition and former ministers, including Scott Morrison, Alan Tudge and Stuart Robert.

And it is disastrous for the public service – certain individuals within it and the entity as a whole; or what some might call the bureaucracy’s soul, if such a thing can exist.

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Robodebt royal commission report handed down – as it happened

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Bill Shorten: robodebt commission report will be a ‘vindication’ for victims and their families

The NDIS minister, Bill Shorten, says today “is a vindication” for victims of the robodebt scandal with the royal commission report being handed down. He told ABC’s RN this morning:

The heart of this story today is the fact that real people unlawfully had debt notices … raised against them by the most powerful institution in Australia, the commonwealth government.

Two of these people, after receiving robodebt notices, subsequently took their own lives that I’m aware of.

Today is not the day [their mothers] want. What they really want is their sons to be alive.

One of the challenges we’re seeing across the country is great teacher shortages … COVID brought that timetable forward.

Classrooms are more complex, there is a great diversity of needs across the classroom, and as society changes a lot of teachers and education ministers are testifying about the impact of technology in classrooms.

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Alan Tudge quits politics sparking byelection in former Liberal minister’s Victorian seat

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The byelection will be an early test of the opposition leader Peter Dutton in a state where the Liberal party has under-performed

The Liberal party will face a high-stakes byelection in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs after the Victorian shadow frontbencher Alan Tudge confirmed he will quit politics.

Tudge, who holds the marginal seat of Aston, confirmed his departure after question time on Thursday, saying his resignation would be effective from next week.

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Capsule found after ‘needle in a haystack’ search – as it happened

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The deputy prime minister and defence minister, Richard Marles, spoke to ABC AM Radio from London following a meeting with the UK prime minister, Rishi Sunak.

Marles would not be drawn into whether he discussed with Sunak the possibility of Australia acquiring British built nuclear submarines under the Aukus deal but said when the announcement is made it will be a “genuinely trilateral effort.”

Prime Minister Sunak commented on just how full the agenda is between our two countries and how much that is making – perhaps our oldest and most historic relationship – one which is deeply relevant in in the contemporary moment and certainly Aukus is central to that.

And we’re close to announcement and I’m not about to preempt that now. But I think what you’ll see is when we ultimately do announce the optimal pathway that we’ve been working on with both the United States and United Kingdom, that what it really is, is a genuinely trilateral effort to see by the UK and the US provide Australia with a nuclear powered submarine capability.

We’re confident that what we will be announcing in the coming weeks is a pathway that will be able to be delivered by all partners on time.

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Government pays Rachelle Miller $650,000 to settle bullying, harassment and discrimination claims

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Miller’s claims relate to when she worked for former ministers Alan Tudge and Michaelia Cash, who both reject allegations of adverse treatment, while government has not admitted liability

The federal government has paid former Coalition staffer Rachelle Miller $650,000 in a settlement for hurt, distress and humiliation she alleges she suffered while working for former ministers Alan Tudge and Michaelia Cash.

No admission of liability was made by the government.

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Selling Covid antivirals over the counter a ‘recipe for disaster’ – as it happened

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The Pharmacy Guild has pushed for the drugs to be made available without a prescription at community pharmacies due to national GP shortages. This blog is now closed

Peter Dutton pressed on voice to parliament

Opposition leader Peter Dutton appeared on ABC’s 7.30 last night and it is worth revisiting for the exchange with host Sarah Ferguson about whether he will commit his party to supporting the voice to parliament.

SARAH FERGUSON: Let me move back into the domestic realm. At the start of parliament, you participated in the smoking ceremony, you allowed your face to be painted and then in your speech you quoted Noel Pearson and seemed to endorse Pearson’s call for constitutional recognition. What would prevent you now from taking the next step and backing the referendum on the voice?

PETER DUTTON: Well, I quoted Noel Pearson for whom I have a great deal of respect, and you can go back and look at the quote and there are many elements to that because there were several paragraphs that I quoted him on.

If we could get that to 60 per cent, then already you would go a long way to addressing part of the supply shortage of teachers.

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Alan Tudge says he is willing to return to frontbench after election in first interview in months

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Liberal MP questioned at prepoll in Melbourne electorate of Aston after declining media requests during campaign

Exiled cabinet minister Alan Tudge says he plans to return to the government frontbenches if the Coalition wins the election, while also claiming he is “unaware” of the reasons his former staffer Rachelle Miller is getting a taxpayer-funded payout of more than half a million dollars.

Tudge, who stood aside as education minister in December 2021, says he has no information about the payment Miller is receiving, and denied he had been avoiding media questioning.

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Rachelle Miller challenges Scott Morrison to release details of settlement following workplace bullying claims

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Lawyers for Miller say the former Coalition staffer wishes to remove ‘any impediment’ preventing the PM giving a ‘full and truthful account’ of her case

The former Coalition staffer Rachelle Miller has challenged Scott Morrison to publicly release details of the settlement payment she will receive after alleging harassment and bullying while working for senior ministers.

It comes after the government cited confidentiality and privacy concerns in refusing to provide the information. But even after Miller’s lawyers said she was eager to “release” the Commonwealth and ministers from being bound by confidentiality around commenting on her case, Coalition ministers are still declining to comment.

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Alan Tudge: Government won’t comment on $500,000 payout to former staffer Rachelle Miller

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Coalition and finance remain tight-lipped on payout to Tudge’s former staffer, while PM says Tudge remains in cabinet

The Coalition has dodged questions about a $500,000 payout made to Alan Tudge’s former staffer Rachelle Miller, with senior ministers and the finance department refusing to comment amid controversy over the education minister’s ongoing role in federal cabinet.

Tudge is currently campaigning as a backbencher for his suburban Melbourne seat of Aston, but continues to be dogged by questions about his political future and his relationship with Miller. His former media adviser alleged he had been emotionally, and on one occasion, physically abusive to her while they were in a relationship in 2017. Tudge denies the allegations. He stood aside from his ministerial position on 2 December while an independent investigation was conducted into possible breaches of ministerial standards.

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Alan Tudge remains as education minister after saying he would not return to the frontbench

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Officials confirm Tudge remains minister ‘on leave’ despite acting minister Stuart Robert performing functions of the role

Alan Tudge will stay officially as the education minister for an extra two and a half months despite claiming he would not return to the frontbench in March.

At Senate estimates on Friday, government officials confirmed that Tudge remains education minister and is “on leave” despite the acting minister, Stuart Robert, performing the functions of the role.

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