Category: Australian News

The Western Mine Workers’ Alliance is calling on Australia’s largest superannuation funds to pressure Rio Tinto over the mining giant’s appalling workplace culture and profit-at-all-costs approach.

The WMWA has written to 13 super funds covering more than 6.5 million Australian members. The funds, each identified as having a Rio Tinto stake, are required to exercise their powers in the best interests of their members.

A recent by report by Elizabeth Broderick found that of all Rio Tinto’s global divisions, bullying and sexual harassment were highest in its iron ore division, in Western Australia’s Pilbara. More than half of those iron ore employees reported experiencing bullying and one third of the women experienced sexual harassment.

As key shareholders in Rio Tinto, each superannuation fund “has a key role in guiding Rio Tinto’s corporate behaviour and setting a high expectation for governance in the organisation,” Australian Workers’ Union National Secretary Dan Walton says in a joint letter to the chairs, CEOs and investment managers of each fund.

“We encourage you to challenge Rio Tinto’s leadership and ask what concrete steps they are taking to resolve these systemic cultural issues.”

The Broderick report backs up the findings of a worker survey conducted by the WMWA last year across Rio Tinto Pilbara iron ore mines, which found:

●One in five women said they had experienced physical acts of sexual assault.

●One in three women said they had received requests for sexual favours, and repeated invitations to engage in sexual relationships.

●Most workers (men and women) did not believe that the work culture protects workers from sexual harassment.

Mining and Energy Union President Tony Maher says Rio Tinto still refuses to engage or consult directly with its workers and representatives to discuss collaborative solutions to issues such as these.

“We have sounded concerns for several years about Rio Tinto’s failure to appropriately respond to bullying and harassment in the workplace,” Mr Maher says in the letter.

“There are particular historical factors contributing to Rio Tinto’s workplace culture that stem from their ‘direct engagement’ philosophy, which puts workers at the mercy of their immediate supervisor for their livelihoods.

“It removed a collective voice for workers and discouraged difficult issues like bullying from being raised.”

The Western Mine Workers’ Alliance is an agreement between the Australian Workers’ Union and the Mining and Energy Union.

RENEWABLES PROVIDED FIVE times more power into Australia’s largest grid than gas in 2021, according to new data from the Climate Council.

Renewables reached record highs in all mainland states in 2021, while gas generation fell once again across the country, down to its lowest level in more than 15 years in the National Electricity Market (NEM) despite virtually no change in electricity demand. Tasmania equaled it’s previous record of 99.9 percent of wind, water and sun in 2021

“The increase in solar, wind and batteries in our electricity system is making power bills cheaper for Australian households and businesses. Electricity is now the cheapest it has been in almost a decade and we have solar and wind to thank for that,” said Climate Council Senior Researcher, Tim Baxter.

“Let’s be clear, this record has nothing to do with the federal government, which has been missing in action and leaving all of the heavy-lifting to the states and territories.”

“When you look at the data and what renewables are doing for Australians’ hip-pockets, the push for gas from the Morrison Government seems increasingly irresponsible and economically reckless.

“This week, the federal government approved its Kurri Kurri gas-fired power station, despite it making zero commercial sense.”

In NSW, gas provided just 1.5 percent of the state’s power, its lowest level in 15 years.

Climate Councillor, energy expert and former BP Australasia President, Greg Bourne said: “Every taxpayer dollar spent on new gas-fired power infrastructure is at risk of being wasted on unnecessary stranded assets.”

“Gas simply cannot compete with renewable energy, which is bringing down power prices for consumers and creating a cleaner, healthier energy system.”

“We’re also seeing a similar clean energy trend on the other side of Australia, in WA’s largest grid, which for the first time ever in 2021 saw renewables overtake gas to become the state’s biggest source of power. This is incredibly significant considering renewable energy generation has more than doubled in WA in just three years,” said the former West Australian.

Renewable energy generation increased by almost 20 percent in the NEM in 2021, with a 30 percent jump in Victoria and 26 percent jump in Western Australia. In South Australia, gas generation slumped to its lowest level in more than two decades, while in Victoria it dropped a whopping 30 percent in just 12 months.

“Why is the Morrison Government investing in gas-fired power stations when the need for gas in our electricity system is clearly disappearing?” said Mr Bourne.

“Gas is expensive, polluting, and diminishing in importance and relevance as the rest of the world moves towards net zero, and our own states and territories rapidly roll-out large-scale renewable energy and storage.”

The National Electricity Market (NEM) is Australia’s largest grid and supplies the vast majority of Australia’s electricity. It is an interconnected system supplying electricity right across Victoria, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory, and most major populated regions of Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia. ACT’s generation is accounted for within the NSW total.

The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Economics will hold a public hearing with the Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), Mr Philip Lowe, on Friday, 11 February 2022. The RBA last appeared before the committee in August 2021.

Monetary policy has been incredibly consequential for the Australian economy and the decisions the RBA take, have an impact on everyone. Particularly at a time of great uncertainty when the COVID-19 pandemic and new strains continue to affect economies and markets around the globe.

The committee will be scrutinising recent measures of the RBA, including its decisions to cease further purchases under the bond purchasing program and to maintain the cash rate target at 10 basis points. Additionally, the committee will scrutinise the RBA’s thinking around inflation targets and its outlook for monetary policy.

United Kingdom, Taiwan and South Korea – ‘Yes’
China – ‘re-establish relations before consideration’
US – ‘time to renew interest’

The Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade (JSCFADT) has tabled its report on Expanding the membership of the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

Mr Ted O’Brien MP, Chair of the Trade Sub-Committee, said, “Australia should support the expansion of the CPTPP to include new members, but not unconditionally.”

‘Only aspiring economies that support an open, transparent and stable trading environment and those that demonstrate an ability and willingness to meet the agreement’s high standards should be considered,’ Mr O’Brien said.

‘The CPTPP is one of the world’s most comprehensive trade agreements and its quality must be maintained,’ said Mr O’Brien on tabling the report in the House of Representatives.

Among the Committee’s recommendations was that the Australian Government work with other CPTPP members to encourage and facilitate the accession of the United Kingdom, Taiwan and South Korea.

‘The UK was the first to apply to join the CPTPP and the process it’s going through can be a template for other future aspirants,’ said Mr O’Brien.

The Committee’s recommendation on Taiwan went one step further, suggesting the government also consider negotiating a bilateral Taiwan-Australia FTA.

‘A lesson from our experience with the UK is that benefits accrue from negotiating a bilateral FTA and the CPTPP at the same time, and we see merit in replicating this approach with Taiwan,’ stated Mr O’Brien.

On China, the Committee recommended the Australian Government work with other CPTPP members to, ‘encourage China to re-establish full trading relations including ending its coercive trade measures and reengaging in ministerial dialogue, and to demonstrate an ability and willingness to commit to the CPTPP’s high standards, prior to supporting the commencement of an accession process’.

‘The ball is in their court,’ said Mr O’Brien. ‘It’s up to China if it wishes to re-engage with Australia and I hope it does because that would enable the discussions that are necessary to determine whether an accession process should commence,’ Mr O’Brien said.

The United States has not sought to join the CPTPP since it withdrew from negotiations under President Trump. Nevertheless, the Committee recommended that the Australian Government work with other CPTPP members to encourage the US to renew its interest.

The Committee also recommended ongoing informal discussions with other economies that have expressed an interest in joining the CPTPP including Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines.

A new project, led by Monash University researchers, will develop an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-assisted application to help with real-time interpretations for diplomatic talks, international business and tourism.

The US$5 million project, funded by the US Department of Defense’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), will develop a smart phone-based assistive dialogue system using smart glasses that will apply machine learning, speech recognition and vision technology to provide cross-cultural communication assistance in real-time.

Project researchers from Monash University’s Vision and Language Group (VLG) at the Faculty of Information Technology (IT) said the goal of the program is to develop language processing technology that will recognise and adapt to the emotional, social, and cultural norms that differ across societies, languages, and communities.

“In addition to interpreting the content of the speech, the system will be ‘translating’ body language and facial expressions, providing cultural cues to prevent a breakdown in communications and ensuring smoother cross-cultural dialogue. During this project, we will be focussing mainly on negotiation-based dialogues,” the researchers explained.

During a conversation, the dialogue assistance system may notice an imminent communication breakdown by analysing audiovisual cues in real-time. The system can then send ‘notifications’ to the user’s smart glass providing appropriate culturally attuned prompts to secure the negotiation.

For instance, the system may prompt the user to rectify the negotiation by making the other party feel more comfortable. It may then notify different ways the user can increase the level of comfort such as addressing the other person more respectfully as per their specific cultural norms.

Faculty of IT Deputy Dean (Research) Professor Maria Garcia de la Banda welcomed the support for research that will lead to innovation in the use of AI and data science for dialogue assistance technologies.

“Current AI-enabled systems are not capable of accurately analysing the many nuances of human communication or of providing useful assistance beyond basic machine translation,” Professor Garcia de la Banda said.

“In this project our researchers will combine sophisticated speech technology with advanced multimedia analysis and cultural knowledge to build systems that provide a holistic solution.”

The study will be conducted over the next three years in two phases. The first prototype will be released by March 2023.

This research will be led by the VLG from the Faculty of IT at Monash University in collaboration with researchers from the David Nazarian College of Business and Economics at California State University, Northridge and the Department of Biostatistics & Health Informatics, the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at King’s College London.

The Mining and Energy Union has called on AGL to urgently meet with workers and union representatives to discuss the impact of fast-tracked closures of Bayswater and Loy Yang A power stations announced today.

MEU General President Tony Maher said that the workers and communities who have supported and relied on the coal-fired power industry for decades should not be thrown on the scrapheap.

“Our energy generation industry is undergoing a major transformation. But it shouldn’t follow that the workers and communities who have supported and relied on the coal-fired power generation industry for decades should pay the price of decarbonisation,” said Mr Maher.

“Central to closure plans must be measures to prevent forced redundancies, create job transfer opportunities for skilled workers and invest in diversification in the Hunter and Latrobe Valley regions.

“We have worked constructively with AGL on measures to support workers at Liddell power station, which is the next slated for closure.

“With the timelines outlined today by AGL for Bayswater and Loy Yang A, there is time to put comprehensive plans in place to support and reassure workers.

“Unfortunately, Australians have seen too many examples of workers and communities being thrown on the scrapheap when their industries face structural change. We can and must take this opportunity to demonstrate that workers’ livelihoods and futures matter and deserve planning and investment.”

The Australian Parliament’s Agriculture and Water Resources Committee has tabled the report of its inquiry into the Australian aquaculture sector: Supporting a strong future for Australian aquaculture.

The report found that Australian aquaculture is a growing industry with a strong positive outlook. Australia’s aquaculture already has a reputation for producing premium product and further improvements will strengthen our market position. The report noted that unlocking the full potential of the industry will require the removal of some barriers to growth.

Committee Chair Mr Rick Wilson MP said, ‘There are many exciting opportunities for the growth of Australian aquaculture. The growth of the industry will help meet domestic demand for seafood, boost exports and provide thousands of additional jobs, especially in regional areas.’

‘Aquaculture, like all industries, has its share of challenges and potential barriers to growth. The Committee has made a number of recommendations with the aim of overcoming these barriers,’ Mr Wilson added.

Mr Wilson notes the confusion caused by current rules around the country of origin labelling of seafood. ‘Consumers are unable to know whether they are buying imported or Australian fish at their local fish and chip shop.’

‘Consumers have the right to know where the seafood they buy originates from. It is nonsensical that there are no country of origin labelling rules for the food service industry, and this must be addressed’.

For further information, please visit the inquiry website.

The Greens have welcomed the parliament’s acknowledgement of the abuse and harassment experienced by staff in parliamentary workplaces, but have warned that words alone will not satisfy Australian women.

The Greens continue to urge the government to implement all 28 recommendations of the Set the Standard report, in addition to the remaining Respect@Work recommendations, particularly fully funding working women’s centres and the centrepiece reform of legislating a positive duty on employers.

Greens deputy leader and spokesperson on women Senator Larissa Waters said:

“The patience of Australian women has been sorely tested by this government.

“It’s been nearly 12 months since Brittany Higgins bravely came forward – and much longer still since we first learned of the terrible experiences of Rachelle Miller, Chelsey Potter and many others.

“Today’s acknowledgement to survivors of abuse, harassment and bullying is a worthy first step, but it does nothing to make parliamentary workplaces safer now and into the future. I also note that today’s statement did not acknowledge that for First Nations people, people of colour and people with disability, harassment and disrespect can be even worse.

“The government must now implement all 28 Set the Standard recommendations, and the Greens will be pushing them to get on with the job.

“The government must also finish implementing Respect@Work. It’s been more than two years since Kate Jenkins submitted her landmark report to the government and they still haven’t committed to its central reform, a positive duty on employers to ensure a safe workplace, or provided guaranteed funding to working women’s centres.

“The PM has a terrible track record on women’s safety and respect. He kept an alleged rapist in his Cabinet and refused to even initiate an inquiry, and gave little more than a slap on the wrist to a backbencher accused of harassing and stalking women in his electorate.

“And we have learned overnight that many survivors of abuse and harassment in parliament, including Brittany Higgins, weren’t even invited to attend today’s acknowledgement.

“Everyone deserves to be free from harassment, bullying and sexual assault, no matter who they are or where work. The government needs to stop running from its responsibilities and make it happen.”

West Australian children with life-limiting health conditions are set to get new help and hope with the construction of the state’s first and only dedicated respite and hospice care facility for children.

The WA Children’s Hospice will be jointly funded by the Federal Government, the WA State Government and the Perth Children’s Hospital Foundation, with the Morrison Government committing $7.5 million towards the project.

Minister for Health and Aged Care, Greg Hunt, said hospitals could often be a stressful environment for children.

“Children’s hospices help to reduce the stress of a very difficult time by offering a more home-like atmosphere and allow families to stay together,” Minister Hunt said.

“Children’s hospices can also offer therapies and activities not easily accessible in hospitals and mainstream hospices, such as respite care, outdoor play, child appropriate nutrition and meals, multi-sensory play and onsite hydrotherapy.”

The WA Government, in partnership with the Child and Adolescent Health Service (CAHS) and the Perth Children’s Hospital Foundation, will build WA’s first children’s hospice.

The WA Government has transferred the land at Swanbourne to the Child and Adolescent Health Service, and has provided $3.2 million for project planning and design.

The Foundation will provide funding for the construction, fitout and ongoing non-operational costs of the hospice, while CAHS will be responsible for governance, management and ongoing operational clinical and support services funding.

Dr Rosanna Capolingua, CAHS Board Chair, said the service welcomed the investment from the Morrison Government towards the building of the first children’s hospice in the state.

“This facility is such an important and much-needed service for children living with a life-limiting illness, and their families,” Dr Capolingua said.

“The CAHS Board would also like to acknowledge the work the Perth Children’s Hospital Foundation has done in connecting with generous donors in our community enabling this hospice to be built on land provided by the WA Government.

“Having a dedicated facility in close proximity to WA’s tertiary children’s hospital, with top-class medical equipment and expert staff, in a beautiful setting overlooking the Indian Ocean, will provide some of our most vulnerable children and their families with much-needed respite and support.”

The Hon. Ian Campbell, Chairman, Perth Children’s Hospital Foundation, said: “On behalf of the Perth Children’s Hospital Foundation, I want to thank the Australian Government for this incredibly generous donation that recognises the need for a hospice for young palliative care patients and their families.

“This funding, on this one exciting day, moves the WA Children’s Hospice from dream to reality, providing the biggest single financial contribution alongside our other donors, large and small. We can now look forward with confidence to start building in Swanbourne in a few short months’ time,” Mr Campbell said.

The WA Children’s Hospice will provide palliative out-of-home respite care and support for children and families.

Aged care providers in regional and remote parts of Australia will be able to improve services and create safer environments under the latest investment from the Morrison Government.

The $35.3 million multi-purpose services (MPS) program will see 110 aged care sites benefit from minor capital grant projects averaging $321,000 each.

Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services Richard Colbeck said the work would range from simple improvements such as gardens and pathways to major building renovations.

“The aim is to improve the health, safety and wellbeing of residents, including for those living with dementia,” Minister Colbeck said. 

 “These services allow people to stay in their own communities as they get older, close to their family and community ties.

Providers of MPS sites will also soon have the opportunity to expand their services, with 100 new residential care places on offer through a competitive allocation round.

“The grant funding and the MPS places round join the Government’s $18.3 billion aged care reform package as part of the Government’s comprehensive response to the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety,” Minister Colbeck said.

“The Royal Commission recommended the MPS program should be maintained and extended, and $35.3 million in grant funding and a further 100 places in 2022 will do just that.”

The maximum funding available for each individual MPS site is $600,000, with providers also required to contribute at least 20 per cent of the total project costs. Grant funding will be allocated across the 2021–22 and 2022–23 financial years.

The MPS grants build on the single largest investment in residential aged care infrastructure in Australia’s history, which in July 2021 saw $150 million in capital grants allocated to residential care services, predominantly in regional and remote Australia.

Outcomes of the MPS grants, including details of the successful providers, can be found here.