Australian Politics
Friday, December 16, 2022
'Irreversibly damaged': Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus announces abolition of the AAT
This is very sus. No instances of bad decisions were quoted. It sounds like Albanese wants jobs for Labor cronies. Stand by for decisions that really are biased
UPDATE: Malcolm Smith writes:
I used to work as my department's advocate before the AAT between 1998 and 2008, and its abolition was mooted even then. It has nothing to do with the previous government's appointees, and everything to do with the fact that the members are a law unto themselves, and irresponsible.
Details here
Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said the former government made dozens of politicised appointments to the AAT in its time in office, and that he would end the "cronyism".
"By appointing 85 former Liberal MPs, failed Liberal candidates, former Liberal staffers and other close Liberal associates, without any merit-based selection process … the former government fatally compromised the AAT," Mr Dreyfus said. "Australians rightly expect honesty, integrity and accountability in government."
A new review body will be established in the new year, and already-appointed tribunal members will be invited to continue with it.
For almost 50 years the AAT was tasked with reviewing the decisions of government, including on matters of taxation, immigration and social security. Appointments to the AAT were made by the government of the day for terms of up to seven years, though members could be re-appointed.
Mr Dreyfus said the new body would have a merit-based process for appointing tribunal members, after he accused the former government of sometimes appointing members to review issues such as taxation despite having no expertise in the area.
"The AAT's dysfunction has had a very real cost to the tens of thousands of people who rely on the AAT each year to independently review government decisions that have major and sometimes life-changing impacts on their lives," Mr Dreyfus said.
"Decisions such as whether an older Australian receives an age pension, whether a veteran is compensated for a service injury or whether a participant in the NDIS receives funding for an essential report."
Shadow Attorney-General Julian Leeser said the government's abolition of the AAT made it less accountable to the public. "This government is all about settling political scores," Mr Leeser said.
"I don't buy Mr Dreyfus's spin there will be a new system up and running almost immediately and that nothing will fall through the cracks. It just won't happen."
Politicised appointments reportedly spiked under Morrison
Accusations of politicised appointments have been levelled at former governments of all stripes, though progressive think tank The Australia Institute found a significant rise in what it deemed political appointments after the Coalition won office in 2013.
The think tank found around 5 per cent of AAT appointments under the Howard, Rudd and Gillard governments had been made to people with political connections, but that jumped to more than one-third of appointments under the Morrison government.
Government unnecessarily extends jobs ahead of election
Plum jobs worth up to $500,000 a year were extended to Liberal Party-linked individuals by the Morrison government in the lead-up to the election, and many were not due to end for another two years.
It also found a quarter of senior AAT members who were political appointments had no legal qualifications.
Plum jobs that paid as much as $500,000 were sometimes offered to people in the dying days of government before a federal election.
Former NSW state Liberal minister Pru Goward, former WA Liberal minister Michael Mischin, and Mr Morrison's former chief of staff Anne Duffield were among those appointed to the AAT in the final days of the Morrison government.
Bill Browne, The Australia Institute's democracy and accountability director, said reform was urgently needed.
"Whatever body replaces the AAT must be robust and independent, and that means the AAT’s replacement must be carefully designed with an open and transparent appointment process that ensures only qualified, independent members are appointed," Mr Browne said.
Australian Lawyers Alliance spokesman Greg Barns SC welcomed the AAT's abolition. "Mr Dreyfus has the chance to create a new, impartial and fully independent tribunal that deals with thousands of cases each year involving Centrelink issues, tax issues and military compensation, to name some of the areas," he said. "Today is a win for the rule of law."
Justice Susan Kenney has been appointed as the acting president of the AAT to guide its transition to the new system.
Mr Dreyfus said the new review body would be given 75 additional staff to help clear backlogs, at a cost of $63.4 million.
He said legislation to establish the body would be introduced next year, though likely not until the second half of the year.
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Blast for PM’s ‘Soviet’ plan: higher bills, more blackouts
Throttling future investment for momentary political advantage is very Leftist
Anthony Albanese’s energy market intervention could increase gas bills by $175 per year and push up businesses’ energy costs by 40 per cent, according to independent modelling that warns price caps may trigger supply shortfalls and blackouts in Victoria.
As relations between the private sector and the Prime Minister sank to new lows, Santos chief executive Kevin Gallagher accused the government of doing the bidding of trade unions and imposing a “Soviet-style policy” creating investment settings in line with Venezuela and Nigeria.
“If you go out there and you say, ‘Oh, this will inhibit investment, this will create issues for us going forward’, then you’re essentially talking down your industry. They want to be careful that they’re not talking themselves down,” Mr Albanese told Sky News.
“We saw it before the industrial relations legislation where some were out there saying it would immediately result in all this chaos and dysfunction. The legislation passed, the world’s gone on, it has dealt with things.”
New modelling commissioned by the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association reveals price caps could heap more pain on families and businesses, in addition to Coalition warnings of energy bill spikes in excess of $700 in 2023-24.
APPEA chief executive Samantha McCulloch, representing companies including Shell, Santos, Woodside, Beach and Cooper Energy, said the ACIL Allen modelling showed the intervention “could see wholesale gas prices up to 40 per cent higher than if the market had been left to do its job”.
“In the long-term, households could pay up to an extra $175 per year on gas bills while businesses cop a 40 per cent increase relative to a scenario with no price caps and in which planned investment is able to proceed,” said Ms McCulloch, writing in The Australian.
“The report also cautions that price caps will encourage additional consumption in the short-term that could put significant strain on gas supplies. It warns of the potential for blackouts in Victoria as meeting peak day demand becomes more difficult due to delays in new supply coming online
“According to the report, these higher prices and energy security concerns are a trade-off for short-term benefits that ‘may be nil or very minimal in the first instance’. It is this near-sighted, populist stance of the government that is at the heart of the industry’s concern.”
Santos, which owns a stake in Queensland’s GLNG gas export project, said the Albanese government’s heavy-handed approach had put Australia on par with authoritarian regimes.
“This Soviet-style policy is a form of nationalisation. This will result in companies needing fiscal stability agreements with the government before new gas supply projects can take investment decisions in order to secure capital, just as would be the case if they were operating in Argentina, Venezuela or Nigeria,” Mr Gallagher said.
“Every business owner in Australia should be alarmed at what the federal government has done. If it doesn’t like your business, your profits or the prices you charge for your products and services, it will regulate you. And it will regulate you if the unions don’t like your business.”
The ACIL Allen modelling, based on four scenarios including delays or cancellations of the Port Kembla LNG import terminal and Santos’s Narrabri project, found retail gas prices would rise by between $70 and $175 a year between 2026 and 2040. Wholesale gas prices could rise by between $1.50/GJ and $4.50/GJ from the current price, fuelling an increase of between 10 and 45 per cent.
However, the Prime Minister pushed back against doomsday scenarios and compared industry concerns to those of employers ahead of the government’s controversial IR shake-up. Mr Albanese said there would not be any investment or supply shortfalls as a result of the government’s gas price cap.
“The idea that somehow this decision will inhibit investment, if the investment was good (under $10) prior to 2021, based upon that price, then the higher price that’s allowed, by this temporary measure should do nothing whatsoever to inhibit investment,” Mr Albanese said.
The three big Queensland LNG exporters met Resources Minister Madeleine King on Thursday to discuss progress on the heads of agreement, which governs the producers to offer supplies to the domestic market.
That agreement was imperilled earlier this week after Shell suspended talks with buyers to supply new gas into Australia’s east coast, blaming the government’s series of measures which it warned could lead to shortages and gas rationing.
Mr Gallagher, who warned that manufacturing jobs would be lost as gas supplies dwindle, said gas rationing could follow as producers curtail supply.
“This winter or the one after, the federal government will have to decide between rationing gas and breaking LNG export contracts because this policy will damage Australia’s access to the capital inflows our industry needs to develop new gas supplies and that Australia will need to fund the energy transition,” Mr Gallagher said.
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Australia Day citizenship ceremony limits relaxed by Albanese government
A reasonable compromise
Local councils will be able to move citizenship ceremonies to a day near Australia Day, in a major reversal of a Morrison government policy by the Albanese government.
Immigration Minister Andrew Giles on Friday announced the “pragmatic” change that would allow councils to hold the ceremonies on Australia Day or the three days before and after – from January 23 to 29.
“Invasion Day” protests are also held on Australia Day - the day on which local councils were previously compelled to hold their citizenship ceremonies.
“Invasion Day” protests are also held on Australia Day - the day on which local councils were previously compelled to hold their citizenship ceremonies. CREDIT:CHRIS HOPKINS
It follows Merri-bek City Council in Melbourne announcing plans to follow the lead of Yarra and Darebin councils by moving its Australia Day citizenship ceremonies away from January 26, which many Indigenous people consider a day of mourning.
“The Australian government has today announced an update to the Australian Citizenship Ceremonies Code, removing red tape to allow councils to hold Australia Day citizenship ceremonies on or around Australia’s national day, as a part of their Australia Day celebrations,” Giles said.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Labor supported citizenship ceremonies being held on Australia Day but “the rules, the way that they were fashioned [by the previous government], meant that citizens who are not part of the decisions of when ceremonies would be were missing out on becoming Australian citizens”.
“We want people to become Australian citizens. And that is why we should not place red tape for ideological reasons in front of that opportunity.”
Opposition immigration and citizenship spokesman Dan Tehan criticised the move, claiming Labor had relented to pressure from local councils.
“Make no mistake, this is Labor laying the groundwork to abolish January 26 as Australia Day despite Anthony Albanese promising during the election campaign that Labor had no plans to change the date of our national day,” Tehan said.
“It is a great shame that the Albanese government won’t stand up for Australia Day. We can celebrate the best of us on January 26, and honour the truly incredible richness of our history that spans 65,000 years.”
But Albanese dismissed Tehan’s claim, saying “I support Australia Day, the government supports Australia Day”.
In a sign the federal government anticipated the policy change would be criticised by the federal opposition, Giles urged local councils to stick with January 26 for their citizenship ceremonies, despite the policy change.
“Australia Day holds great significance to many people across Australia. Our national day provides all Australians with the opportunity to reflect, respect, and celebrate,” he said.
“It is the Australian government’s strong expectation that councils conduct ceremonies on January 26. The Australian government implores councils to have new citizens as their key focus, recognising that many community members want to complete their journey to Australian citizenship in connection with Australia Day.”
First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria co-chair Marcus Stewart, who is also part of the federal government’s referendum working group on the Indigenous Voice to parliament, welcomed Friday’s decision and thanked local councils for listening to First Peoples.
“Celebrating January 26 just rubs salt into old wounds at a time we should be finding ways to bring everyone together,” he said.
“[Former prime minister] Scott Morrison tried to whip councils into line with his outdated world view by punishing councils that chose to take a stand in solidarity with First Peoples. So it’s good to see those punitive rules scrapped.”
The peak body for local councils, the Australian Local Government Association, also welcomed the move as a “common-sense decision”.
“Common sense has prevailed as Australia Day is an important recognition of our diverse origins and what it means to be Australian,” ALGA national president and City of Sydney councillor Linda Scott said. “Hosting citizenship ceremonies is a great honour for councils, and it’s one we take very seriously.”
Earlier this week, Merri-bek City Council, which was formerly known as Moreland Council, confirmed plans to shift its ceremony away from January 26.
The council made the move despite Darebin and Yarra Councils being stripped of their rights to hold citizenship ceremonies at any time of year in 2017 by then prime minister Malcolm Turnbull in retaliation for pulling the plug on January 26 ceremonies.
Merri-bek mayor Angelica Panopoulos welcomed the federal government’s shift on Friday, saying the council would hold its next citizenship ceremony on January 24 instead.
“We are grateful that the federal government will allow us, and all councils, to listen to our communities and make decisions that are right for us when scheduling citizenship ceremonies in January,” she said.
Giles also announced the reinstatement of Yarra and Darebin’s right to conduct citizenship ceremonies.
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Rita Panahi: The war against boys is having a damaging impact on the education gender gap
For more than three decades women have outnumbered men at Australian universities.
The education gender gap is widening, with boys trailing girls from primary school to university, but there appears to be little concern about correcting the imbalance.
If men were outnumbering women at university since the 1980s there would be an outcry but no one in authority seems terribly troubled by the fact that, according to University Admission Centre analysis this year, being male is “greater than any of the other recognised disadvantages we looked at”.
There are a multitude of programs to correct the gender disparity in the few areas where male students do better, such as engineering, to encourage greater female participation.
Some universities even lower entry requirements for girls to boost female representation but there are few, if any, schemes to address the education gap for male students.
For boys one of the biggest areas of concern is literacy, where by year 9 they trail girls by about 20 months, according to NAPLAN data — which also shows reading standard for this cohort fell to a record low, with 13.5 per cent of boys unable to read at the minimum standard.
Writing about the gender literacy gap, the Centre for Independent Studies’ Glenn Fahey warned that “boys in Australian schools are at a decisive educational disadvantage”.
Best-selling author and clinical psychologist Jordan Peterson has long argued that the decline in men’s academic performance is bad not just for boys but for society.
He explains the situation in educational institutions is far worse than basic statistics indicate. “There are whole disciplines in universities forthrightly hostile towards men,” wrote Peterson, who says anti-male sentiment in academia is demoralising and demotivating young men.
Indeed the war against boys, and masculinity, is evident even in boys’ schools. Messages about “toxic masculinity” and “male privilege” are unrelenting, as they are in popular culture.
Can you imagine the outrage if the term “toxic femininity” was used to describe traits synonymous with womanhood?
We must stop treating young men like they’re born guilty or that their natural masculine instincts are detrimental to society.
We have a great deal more to fear from weak, inept men than strong, capable ones.
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Also see my other blogs. Main ones below:
http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM -- daily)
http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)
http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)
http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)
http://snorphty.blogspot.com/ (TONGUE-TIED)
http://jonjayray.com/blogall.html More blogs
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Evelyn Rae, a conservative Australian political commentator
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My son Joe at ANU
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