The Albanese government wants to drive higher wage growth and says workplace reforms it introduced to parliament last week are the key. But a bid to give workers more power by restoring multi-employer bargaining has business groups and some Senate crossbenchers worried. #abc730
"The Productivity Commission put a report out a few months ago that said if you look back since 1900 ... 80 per cent of real wage growth has come as a result of productivity improvements, so the real question is how do we drive productivity?" – @TimReedBCA#abc730
"Profits will always be the more variable factor. If you look over the last three decades at the split between profits and wages, it's been pretty consistent across Australia." – @TimReedBCA#abc730
"If you move to a multi-employer system, what happens is you remove the flexibility for different workplaces to find solutions that will drive productivity in their workplace. Ultimately that means there'll be lower real wages." – @TimReedBCA#abc730
"We want to make sure businesses that use the current system well continue to do it. We want to make sure direct competitors aren't being dragged into universal outcomes." – @TimReedBCA#abc730
"We're very focused on engaging with the government to try and ensure that the next draft piece of legislation that comes forward incorporates the concerns that we have put forward." – @TimReedBCA#abc730
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Days out from this year's United Nations climate summit in Egypt, activist @GretaThunberg has called for more ambitious cuts to global emissions, while expressing scepticism that the summit will deliver them. #abc730
“People often ask me whether I'm a pessimist or an optimist when it comes to saving the climate. And I always say that I'm a realist.” - @GretaThunberg. #abc730
Tensions between the Albanese government and major gas exporters escalated today. The Industry Minister blamed the current gas price crisis on “a glut of greed” by the industry. The government is weighing dramatic intervention to force prices down. #abc730#auspol
.@David_Speers interviews Samantha McCulloch, chief executive of the Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association, which represents gas producers. #abc730
“What we're seeing is high energy prices across the globe. This is the result of a global energy crisis triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It's affecting all energy sources, and it's affecting all countries.” – Sarah McCulloch, CEO of @APPEALtd. #abc730
Millions of Australians are dealing with the theft of some of their most sensitive private details, after hackers targeted some of the nation’s most prominent companies. Now there are moves for tougher penalties and regulation to protect consumers. #abc730
“We’re in a game of cat and mouse between the good guys and the bad guys, or the organisations and the hackers. And to be honest with you, the hackers are in front at the moment.” – Ben Walker, cyber security analyst #abc730
“Medibank is actually quite sophisticated and quite mature when it comes to their cyber defences. So in my mind, if it wasn’t Medibank, it certainly could have been one of the other big private health insurers.” – Ben Walker, cyber security analyst #abc730
Former prime minister Scott Morrison fronted the cameras today in a new attempt to reframe his decision to secretly appoint himself to five powerful ministerial portfolios within his own cabinet. @latingle#abc730#auspol
“It’s a little known fact that the Prime Minister is not mentioned in the constitution. The constitution speaks of Ministers of State. And our system of government works on the principle of collective responsibility for decisions exercised by the cabinet.” - @latingle#abc730
"Scott Morrison argued today that the reason he had appointed himself to five crucial portfolios in 2020 and 2021 was because they were ones in which ministers have significant powers to take decisions without cabinet approval.” - @latingle#abc730#auspol
Demand for Australian-made fashion is booming, but manufacturers can't keep up with the demand. They're turning down high-end brands including some of Europe's biggest names because they don't have enough skilled staff. #abc730
“For Cue, it’s so important to be manufacturing in Australia because we like to be in the now, in the absolute moment. The only way to get that sort of speed to market is to be able to manufacture locally.” – Justin Levis, Cue Clothing #abc730
“This industry, this $27.2 billion industry that exports twice as much as beer and wine combined and employs more than utilities and mining, employs about 489,000 people in Australia, has long been forgotten.” – Leila Naja Hibri, CEO Australian Fashion Council #abc730
Newmarch House became an early symbol of the COVID crisis in nursing homes. For the past three weeks, their loved ones have been taken back through those extraordinary days as witnesses gave evidence at an inquest into the deaths. #abc730
“No one seemed to know what the chain of command was. So I think it was very evident from the evidence that we’ve got that the house was just in complete chaos. And that didn’t end until the outbreak did.” – Emily Clarke, class action lawyer #abc730
“I think that we’ve got to put things in place so that this can never happen again, and they get the care they need every day – from the day they go in to the day they pass away.” – Louise Payne #abc730