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The CFMEU is investigating how a builder with a shoddy safety record and poor social procurement practices has won a tender for a multi-million-dollar State Government social housing project.

Disgraced builder, Ironside, has a deplorable record of unsafe work practices and has shown no interest in working with the CFMEU to improve its OH&S and labour standards.

Secretary of the CFMEU Vic-Tas Branch, John Setka, said: “Victorians expect the Government to spend their hard-earned tax dollars on builders who provide good quality, safe jobs, where workers are treated with dignity and respect.

“This mob are anti-union and anti-worker. They’ve refused to come to the table and talk to us about making work safe, and they refuse to budge on paying workers decent, liveable wages.

“It’s disappointing that the government is spending millions in taxpayer dollars to prop up shoddy builders like Ironside instead of reputable companies who are on the bones of their arse and on the brink of collapse.

“We’re looking into how Ironside managed to dodge the State Government’s Fair Jobs Code, which was designed to provide the checks and balances needed to stop dodgy builders from getting their hands on important community projects like this one.

“It’s a bit bloody ironic that the State Government would even consider giving work to a mob that has absolutely no ethics, to build social housing.”

The CFMEU strongly condemns the State Government’s decision to award this building contract to Ironside.

The CFMEU is calling on the State Government to retract any deals struck with Ironside to protect the safety and welfare of Victorian workers and our community.

The Greens have responded with alarm to reports that Labor will dump its policy to add superannuation contributions to parental leave payments, abandoning young families and women at a time of mounting cost of living pressures and rising rates of poverty and homelessness among older women.

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

“If reports are true that Labor will not add superannuation on parental leave, they would be joining the Liberals in giving a middle finger to Australian families, and especially women.

“Dumping its longstanding commitment to pay superannuation on paid parental leave wouldn’t just be small-target politics, it would be bad politics that would betray and disadvantage women.

“Women bear the brunt of our unjust PPL system, punished for their unpaid family work with tiny super balances. It’s shameful that in one of the richest countries in the world, the reward for women for taking time out of the workforce to raise children is often poverty in retirement.

“The government’s retirement income review recommended paying super on parental leave as an important equity measure. Australian parents will be rightly disgusted if both big parties ignore that recommendation.

“Reports assert that Labor say this won’t be a vote changing issue – but if both big parties short-change women, women will change their vote.

“Earlier this month I announced the Greens’ fully costed plan to boost paid parental leave, including adding super contributions, and in balance of power after the election we’ll push the next government to do the right thing and make it happen.”

The Greens have called on universities to take a zero tolerance approach to sexual violence and harassment on campuses, after the results of the latest National Student Safety Survey revealed that many university settings remain unsafe and unsupportive of student survivors, especially young women.

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

“It’s shocking how little has changed since the 2017 survey that formed part of the Human Rights Commission’s Change the Course report.

“The findings of this latest survey reveal that students, particularly female students, remain unsafe and unsupported in many university settings.

“Students have been speaking out for years about sexual violence and harassment on campuses across the country, hoping that sharing their traumatic experiences would lead to universities taking action and being held accountable.

“Organisations like End Rape on Campus have worked tirelessly to keep these issues in the spotlight and get universities to ensure student safety.

“Today’s results show that not enough has been done.

“Universities must finally take this matter seriously. They need genuine zero tolerance policies; transparent, timely complaints procedures; and appropriate support to students from the moment they raise concerns. Universities must ensure residential colleges have professional, trauma-informed staff and clear accountability for enforcing sexual harassment policies. They must engage EROC and survivors in designing, implementing, and evaluating education programs, reporting mechanisms, and support services.

“The National Plan to End Violence Against Women should include specific indicators for university settings to hold universities to account and ensure students are safe and respected.”

Following an extraordinary day of testimony at the Senate inquiry into oil and gas exploration and production in the Beetaloo Basin, The Greens have today reiterated their support for Traditional Owners who continue to oppose the proposed ‘climate bomb’ fracking project.

At the Darwin hearing, chaired by Yamatji Noongar woman and Australian Greens Senator for WA Dorinda Cox, Traditional Owners expressed concerns at the continued absence of Free, Prior and Informed consent.

The Greens are also deeply concerned to hear testimony to the Inquiry that: 

• if fracking goes ahead in the Beetaloo,it will be impossible for the Government or Opposition to meet their Net Zero by 2050 targets 
• The promise to require all emissions to be offset as a condition of lifting the NT fracking moratorium in 2018 has now been abandoned. The NT government falsely claims they can’t require gas companies to force offsets and are relying on Angus Taylor to do it.
• Government bureaucrats and politicians are having more meetings with the gas industry than Traditional Owners and pastoralists combined.
• The head of the Department approving drilling wells came straight from the gas company and exploration permit holder, Santos.
• Pastoralists plead that gas companies and agriculture can’t coexist in the Territory. There is simply not enough water for Traditional Owners, Pastoralists and gas companies
• Fracking poses serious contamination risks to groundwater, soil and air
• The initial exploration of wells alone will use 2.2 billion litres of precious water, and release at least 1 million tonnes of emissions
• Santos and Sweetpea have not undertaken stakeholder engagement prior to the development of Environmental Plans.

“In the middle of the climate emergency, the Northern Territory Labor government supported by the Federal Liberal and Labor parties want to open up Australia’s biggest ever gas field for oil and gas fracking by big corporations,” Senator Dorinda Cox said today.

“Traditional Owners have been very clear – they don’t want this fracking to go ahead. They don’t want their lands and waters to be poisoned. They don’t want this climate bomb. There is no free, prior and informed consent – and this should be a necessity given the enormous scale of this potential climate disaster.”

Senator Thorpe added that, “Successive governments have undermined First Nations land rights and heritage protections to favour big corporations, who often make big donations to the Liberal and Labor parties. We need to balance the scales.”

Scott Morrison is doling out $50 million of public money to big gas companies to frack the Territory, including long-term Liberal allies like Empire Energy and just announced another $50 million more today to prepare studies for where the pipelines will go

The handful of companies and their owners involved in this proposed project have collectively donated $3.7 million to the two major parties over the decade.

Committee hearings remain ongoing. On Friday, the Senate Committee is expected to hear testimony from gas companies Origin Energy, Tamboran, Santos Limited as well as three federal Government Departments. 

To help get more local doctors trained in the specialties Australia needs, the Morrison Government is providing $708.6 million to continue the Specialist Training Program (STP) for four years from 2022.

Since 2010, more than $1.4 billion has been invested towards the program, which supports training positions outside of traditional metropolitan teaching hospitals.

The program allows participants to train in a multitude of medical environments, including private hospitals, specialist rooms, clinics and day surgeries, Aboriginal Medical Services and non-clinical settings.

Minister for Regional Health, Dr David Gillespie said the extension of the program will mean 920 full-time equivalent places annually, with at least 50 per cent of training to occur in regional, rural and remote locations or private settings.

“This four-year extension of the Specialist Training Program allows specialist trainees to continue to take the opportunity to train in rural communities, which we know creates a higher likelihood they will remain or return after their training is completed,” Dr Gillespie said.

“Already the program has benefitted more than 190 regional, rural, and remote locations, and has seen an increase in rural training from 309 full-time equivalent places in 2018 to 380 places in 2020.

“This investment, coupled with our investment in rural GP and rural generalist training, is part of our deliberate strategy to grow our rural medical workforce.”

Minister for Health and Aged Care, Greg Hunt, said that an important focus for the program from 2022 will be to increase the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander specialist workforce, aligning the program with the recently released National Medical Workforce Strategy.

“Our Government is committed to improving access to quality health care for all Australians, regardless of where they live. This program is an important foundation for that,” Minister Hunt said.

“The program will help to deliver actions of the National Medical Workforce Strategy, including an increase in specialist training opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

“This ensures that Indigenous Australians and regional Australia more broadly will benefit from a redistribution of the program’s existing specialist workforce, ensuring more services and training can be delivered where it is needed most.”

The additional funding to extend the program is being provided to 13 non-GP specialist medical colleges already funded under the Specialist Training Program. The funded colleges are:

• Australasian College of Dermatologists (ACD)
• Australasian College of Emergency Medicine (ACEM)
• Australasian College of Sport and Exercise Physicians (ACSEP)
• Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA)
• College of Intensive Care Medicine (CICM)
• Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators (RACMA)
• Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP)
• Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS)
• Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG)
• Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists (RANZCO)
• Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP)
• Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists (RANZCR)
• Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia (RCPA)

Further information about the program can be found on the Department of Health’s Specialist Training Program web page.

The Morrison Joyce Government is investing more than $4 million across country Australia to increase access to specialists for patients and encourage more specialists to undertake their training in regional, rural and remote areas.

The funding will be shared across eight projects that will support more specialists – such as dermatologists, emergency medicine specialists, sports and exercise physicians, surgeons and psychiatrists – to undertake rural and regional placements and training.

Federal Regional Health Minister, Dr David Gillespie said the investment through the Morrison Joyce Government’s Flexible Approach to Training in Expanded Settings (FATES) program will use innovative approaches to better support trainee specialists in locations with shortages of specialists.

“There is strong evidence that undertaking medical training in a regional or rural setting increases retention rates,” former regional doctor, Dr Gillespie said.

“The Morrison Joyce Government is rapidly expanding and innovating rural training opportunities not only for non-GP specialists such as this, but for GPs, nurses and allied health professionals.

“This investment will improve distribution and supply of specialist medical training in areas of undersupply that will also meet the needs of regional, rural and remote communities.”

Minister for Health and Aged Care, Greg Hunt, said several of the projects will trial new methods for supervising non-GP specialist trainees, including remote supervision, rotation of supervisors, and a hybrid model which blends on-site and remote supervision.

“One in particular will be delivered as a consortia approach in collaboration with the Australian Indigenous Doctors Association, to increase the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people trained as non-GP medical specialists across most specialities,” Minister Hunt said.

Dr Gillespie said he often heard dermatologists and psychiatrists are in short supply in country Australia, and three projects funded in today’s announcement would directly assist with getting more of these two specialities to the bush.

“The Australasian College of Dermatologists will roll out two programs that will boost training opportunities for this speciality in Townsville, Darwin and Katherine,” Dr Gillespie said.

“Psychiatrists are in undersupply nationally, especially in rural and remote areas. The funded project being ran by the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists will employ three specialists that will play a crucial role in implementing the national Rural Psychiatry Training Pathway.”

Projects are located in Queensland, Western Australia, the Northern Territory, with others focussed more broadly in rural and remote area across Australia so that all country patients can benefit from this investment.

The FATES program will run for four years from 2021-22, providing a total of $29.5 million for new and innovative approaches to non-GP medical specialist training, and support for trainee specialists to transition to rural practice.

Project details: