Anne Twomey: ‘I honestly don’t see why lobbyists do need to be sponsored for a pass’
Sarah Basford Canales
Continued from last post:
Labor senator Louise Pratt asked Anne Twomey whether publishing details of which politicians sponsored certain lobbyists could make inferences about their motivations.
Twomey said:
If you don’t want an inference of your relationship with a particular lobbyist then don’t sponsor them for a pass. That’s really a choice …
I honestly don’t see why lobbyists do need to be sponsored for a pass. I mean, the reality is, if you’re the minister for whatever, you could have formal meetings with people who make an appointment to meet you and they get a temporary escorted visitor pass – you’ve got staff in your office that can escort them from the public area to your office and there’s really no problem with that so I’m less concerned about people drawing inferences from who members of parliament sponsor for a pass because no one’s forcing you to sponsor them for a pass.
Twomey and Yee-Fui Ng have both called for better regulation of the register, which is currently being overseen by the attorney-general’s department.
Key events
Victorian environment watchdog addresses media after asbestos found in mulch
Adeshola Ore
Victoria’s environment watchdog is holding a press conference after asbestos was discovered in mulch at several parks in Melbourne earlier this month.
The Victorian Environment Protection Authority on Sunday said it had ordered Hobsons Bay City Council, in Melbourne’s west, to hand over records and conduct wider testing for asbestos after the material was found in several reserves in the council area.
The EPA’s director of regulatory services, Duncan Pendrigh, says the watchdog’s inspections uncovered contaminated material at six parks , including five in the Hobsons Bay council region.
We’ve found the contamination in those parks is very low. We’ve only found a handful of asbestos piece through combing through a number of parks in the council area. We can provide assurance to the public that the risk of harm from the contamination is very low.
Pendrigh says council has fenced off the sites as a precaution. He says it’s unlikely that mulch producers are the source of the asbestos given past widespread testing by the regulator.
Pendrigh says the EPA is still investigating the possibility of illegal dumping, noting there has been an uplift in this in recent months.
Aston Brown
Littleproud: government acted too slowly to address supermarket duopoly
The Nationals leader, David Littleproud, has accused the government of acting too slowly to address Australia’s supermarket duopoly following the release of an interim review of the grocery code.
Speaking to reporters from his south-west Queensland electorate of Maranoa, Littleproud welcomed the report’s recommendations but said they had come too late and should have included powers to break up major supermarkets.
“It’s an absolute disgrace that we’ve now taken 15 months for this government to get a report and we’ll still wait another two months before they get a final report from Dr Emerson to implement anything,” he told reporters in Warwick, a town two hours west of Brisbane.
[Major supermarkets control] 74% of the grocery market in this country. In the UK and the US, the big three supermarkets in those respective countries control between 30 to 40% of the grocery market.
So this market concentration needs competition … we need to increase the opportunity to bring new players in.
Chalmers and Leigh weigh in on divestiture powers
Jim Chalmers is now taking questions from reporters, and is asked whether he is “deadset against divestiture” if that idea comes before the parliament?
He responded:
I think the prime minister has made clear the government’s view when it comes to that and I think others – whether it is Craig Emerson today, whether it is the chair of the ACCC – it’s clear to us that there are much higher priorities when it comes to competition policy.
That’s not something we’ve been exploring because we have found better, more effective ways to deal with some of the issues in our competition policy landscape.
Andrew Leigh also weighed in and said the Harper review, Hilmer review, Dawson review and now the Emerson review each did not recommend divestiture powers.
The National Farmers Federation have opposed divestiture powers, the ACTU has also been quite clear that they have concerns about it because of the potential impact on workers.
Consumer group Choice’s first quarterly price monitoring report to come end of June, Andrew Leigh says
The assistant minister for competition, Andrew Leigh, was next to address the media.
Speaking on the interim supermarket report, he said the government has “frequently” heard concerns from suppliers about making complaints under the existing voluntary code because of “fear of retribution” – which is why Emerson has recommended a mandatory code.
Leigh said this sits alongside work he and Chalmers have been doing to make the economy more competitive overall.
The treasurer and I announced the competition taskforce last year which has been working on the issue of mergers … the issue of non- competes … and improving competition in data and digital.
We’re revitalising national competition policy, inspired by the work done in the early 1990s under Fred Hilmer and Paul Keating which put $5,000 a year into the pockets of a typical Australian household. We understand many of these challenges involve working with states and territories and we are actively engaged in that.
In the supermarket space, the treasurer has tasked the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to do a deep dive inquiry into grocery store competition and making sure consumers are getting the best deal possible. Choice are now out collecting the data for the quarterly price monitoring report, the first of which will be coming the end of June.
Treasurer to announce ‘substantial changes to the mergers regime’ later this week
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, is speaking to the media in Canberra about the interim supermarkets report from Craig Emerson.
If you missed it earlier, Daniel Hurst has all the details:
Chalmers said he would announce “very substantial changes to the mergers regime” later this week.
The changes I announce this week will be all about strengthening and streamlining the mergers regime so we can modernise it and make our economy genuinely more competitive, productive and dynamic in the interests of all the Australian people, employers, employees alike.
Speaking on the interim report on supermarkets, he said would help “strengthen the food and grocery code for the better”, ensuring a “fair go” for farmers and consumers.
It recognises by replacing a voluntary code with a mandatory code that it is easier to enforce and we can impose penalties on people who do the wrong thing, and it is also harder for people to walk away from.
Responding to criticism from the Nationals that something should have been done sooner, Chalmers said: “If David Littleproud thinks more should have been done in this area sooner, where were they for the almost decade that they were in office?”
Anne Twomey: ‘I honestly don’t see why lobbyists do need to be sponsored for a pass’
Sarah Basford Canales
Continued from last post:
Labor senator Louise Pratt asked Anne Twomey whether publishing details of which politicians sponsored certain lobbyists could make inferences about their motivations.
Twomey said:
If you don’t want an inference of your relationship with a particular lobbyist then don’t sponsor them for a pass. That’s really a choice …
I honestly don’t see why lobbyists do need to be sponsored for a pass. I mean, the reality is, if you’re the minister for whatever, you could have formal meetings with people who make an appointment to meet you and they get a temporary escorted visitor pass – you’ve got staff in your office that can escort them from the public area to your office and there’s really no problem with that so I’m less concerned about people drawing inferences from who members of parliament sponsor for a pass because no one’s forcing you to sponsor them for a pass.
Twomey and Yee-Fui Ng have both called for better regulation of the register, which is currently being overseen by the attorney-general’s department.
Sarah Basford Canales
First hearing of parliamentary inquiry into lobbying kicks off
Lobbyists working in Parliament House are in the spotlight today as a federal parliamentary inquiry takes a look at whether the rules and regulations applying to them are still fit for purpose.
The esteemed constitutional lawyer Anne Twomey appeared this morning along with associate professor Yee-Fui Ng, an accountability expert, who both acknowledged that lobbying was important for informing politicians about issues in the country but warning regulations were “very weak”.
Both experts say the lobbying register, which publicly names those lobbying politicians and holds them to a code of conduct, should be expanded to include in-house lobbyists – sometimes referred to as government relations.
Ng said it meant the register provided an “incomplete picture”, estimating that only one in five lobbyists are actually being captured by it.
There was also discussion about who can access Parliament House unaccompanied. Right now, there are around 2,000 people with “orange” passes, meaning they can access Parliament House at any time unaccompanied once sponsored by a senator or MP. Details surrounding who holds these passes and who sponsored them are not publicly available.
Thirroul resident details impact of flooding, support from community
Circling back to the flooding in New South Wales, which affected communities in Wollongong and surrounds:
Thirroul resident Jemima McDonald and her family had only moved into their new home two weeks ago, but most of their belongings are now destroyed.
McDonald told ABC News Breakfast she and her partner woke at 5am to neighbours knocking on their door:
They had to wade up through the backyard … it was a metre and a half high up and they had to get up here and start smashing on our windows to get us to evacuate.
We were out the door in a couple of minutes with just our son … When we came back about an hour and a bit later, the house was filled with 20cm of water.
McDonald said the community had rallied around to help with the clean up:
From 6.30am we had people walking up the driveway with rakes and mops, and slowly we got all the mud out … It took all day. There was families coming around with chicken sandwiches, people coming around with cases of beer and water and big pots of soup.
– with AAP
Ben Doherty
Government marks 30th anniversary of the Rwanda genocide against the Tutsi
The foreign minister, Penny Wong, has released a statement to mark the 30th anniversary since the beginning of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, describing it as “a period of unspeakable brutality and inhumanity”.
In just 100 days, more than one million people, including entire families, were slaughtered simply because of their ethnicity. We honour those who lost their lives and the resilience of those who carry forward their memories.
Australia acknowledges the deep suffering of the Rwandan people and recognises that Rwanda’s story is not defined only by these events. The country’s journey to recovery is a rightful source of pride for the people of Rwanda.
Australia remains unwavering in its support for accountability for serious international crimes committed in Rwanda, including through the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, which carries forward the legacy of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.
Rwanda’s genocide against the Tutsi between April and July of 1994 was one of the most brutal pogroms of the 20th century.
In a planned, state-sponsored campaign of violence to exterminate Rwanda’s Tutsi minority, more than half a million men, women and children were murdered by vigilante mobs and trained militia, made up of members of the Hutu majority.
Human Rights Watch estimates that two-thirds of Rwanda’s Tutsi were killed, as well as some moderate Hutu; many were hacked to death with machetes or killed with basic weapons.
Eight flood rescues conducted across New South Wales
The New South Wales SES has conducted eight flood rescues throughout the past 24 hours.
In the same timeframe, it had 348 volunteers respond to 585 calls for help.
There are still 66 warnings active across the state, the SES said, including nine emergency warnings. These can be viewed on the Hazards Near Me app.
In the past 24 hours, the NSW SES has had 348 volunteers respond to 585 calls for help with 8 of those for flood rescues.
There are still 66 warnings active across the state including 9 emergency warnings.Monitor the #HazardsNearMe app and the NSW SES website for warnings. pic.twitter.com/1akSY4yluW
— NSW SES (@NSWSES) April 8, 2024
Flooding at Nepean-Hawkesbury rivers reduced to minor levels
Moving to the New South Wales floods, and the Bureau of Meteorology says flooding at the Nepean-Hawkesbury rivers had now reduced to minor levels.
The Hawkesbury river at North Richmond it as 5.94 metres and falling, likely to remain above the minor level throughout today.
At Windsor the Hawkesbury river is at 6.92 metres and falling, likely to remain above 5.8 metres today.
The Hawkesbury river at Sackville fell below the minor flood level this morning and is now at 4.43 metres and falling.
Meanwhile the river at Lower Portland is at 2.98 metres and steady, below the minor flood level.
Major flooding occurring through south-west Queensland
A major flood peak is approaching the rural Queensland town of Wyandra, expected to reach Cunnamulla later this week.
The Bureau of Meteorology said major flooding is occurring along the Warrego River downstream of Charleville. The river at Bakers Bend peaked at 10.16 metres this morning and is now falling.
Queensland Fire and Emergency said the flood levee “did its job” and protected the Charleville township from a flood peak of 6.72m on Saturday.
As the water flows south, Cunnamulla is likely to find itself facing a major flood peak on Wednesday or Thursday.
Dozens of road closures remain in place, so keep track of which routes are a no-go if you are out and about on Easter holidays. Remember, never drive through floodwater.
The flood levee did its job at Charleville, protecting the south-west Queensland township from a flood peak of 6.72m on Saturday.
As the water flows south, Cunnamulla is likely to find itself facing a major flood peak on Wednesday or Thursday.
Dozens of road closures remain in… pic.twitter.com/hEPArl0gCZ— Qld Fire & Emergency (@QldFES) April 7, 2024
UN rapporteur says Australia must put pressure on Israel over aid worker deaths
The UN rapporteur on human rights and counter-terrorism, Ben Saul, said it was important for Australia to put pressure on Israel, after Israeli strikes killed Zomi Frankcom and six of her World Central Kitchen colleagues.
Saul told ABC radio earlier today:
There is a very long history of Israel giving essentially impunity to its own forces where allegations of violations have occurred. Israel has been saying it hasn’t been violating international law, and that flies in the face of all available evidence from day one.
Even if the airstrikes were not a deliberate attack on civilians, Saul said it could still constitute a war crime if Israel’s offensive caused excessive civilian casualties relative to military advantage, or if the state launched strikes that failed to differentiate between targets and civilians.
Every state has an obligation to respect its international humanitarian law obligations.
– from AAP
Nationals back fines for supermarkets in Emerson report
The Nationals leader, David Littleproud, was on ABC News just earlier to discuss the interim supermarket report from Craig Emerson:
He welcomed the move for supermarkets to face big fines under a mandatory code of conduct, and said the Nationals had proposed this 18 months ago.
I think the arbitration piece is very important as well, because of the fear of retribution. The architecture needs to be worked on closely …
We do believe we need to work closely and look more seriously at things like land banking, that does take away competition …
Littleproud was also asked about calls for forced divestiture – which was not recommended in the report. Earlier, Emerson said divestiture could result in supermarkets selling to other large competitors, decreasing competition, and leaving only foreign buyers.
Littleproud said there were already foreign investors in the market, pointing to Aldi and Costco:
If you can increase the number of players, that increases the competition, but there needs to be guardrails that are trigger points to understand [how] that can be achieved. Not necessarily saying those small players can’t deliver the same outcomes as Woolworths or Coles or Aldi can … that’s where we need to make sure we understand in this country there’s a concentration of market power. The big three control 74% of the market …
Let’s have a transparent look at this, and look at it to make sure we get more competition over time, but in the meantime, give protection to farmers and consumers.
Caitlin Cassidy
NTEU calls for reforms after University of Melbourne fined over treatment of casual academics
The National Tertiary Education Union has called for major industrial reform at universities after the University of Melbourne was fined $75,000 for penalising casual academics for working outside contracted hours.
On Friday, the federal court imposed $37,295 in penalties after the university threatened to not re-employ two academics in the Graduate School of Education because they made complaints about being required to work more hours, without more payment, than the “anticipated hours” per subject in their contracts.
A further $37,295 penalty was imposed after the university offered no further teaching work to one of the academics after she made a complaint by claiming payment for extra work.
The Fair Work Ombudsman, Anna Booth, said the body was investigating other allegations involving underpayment issues in a number of universities nationally, including failures to pay casual academics for all hours worked.
In his ruling, federal court judge Craig Dowling noted the 89% increase in casual and fixed-term employees in higher education between 2010 and 2021. Two-thirds of university staff are employed insecurely.
NTEU national president, Dr Alison Barnes, said the case highlighted the need for major changes to all Australian universities:
A $75,000 fine is welcome, but shocking incidents like this will keep happening unless there’s major changes to universities’ broken governance model.
In submissions to the court, the university apologised for its contraventions and acknowledged the need to improve.
