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Greens ‘Absolutely Ready' to Negotiate With Labor on New Super Tax

Greens ‘Absolutely Ready' to Negotiate With Labor on New Super Tax

Epoch Times2 days ago

The Greens have expressed readiness to cooperate with the Albanese government on its proposed changes to superannuation.
Greens treasury spokesman Nick McKim said the party was 'absolutely ready' to engage with Treasurer Jim Chalmers on legislation that would double the tax rate on super balances with $3 million from 15 to 30 per cent.

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Health Department Awards Optus $33M Contract for Medicare Communications Infrastructure
Health Department Awards Optus $33M Contract for Medicare Communications Infrastructure

Time Business News

time17 hours ago

  • Time Business News

Health Department Awards Optus $33M Contract for Medicare Communications Infrastructure

The Department of Health has awarded Australian telecommunications giant Optus a $33 million contract to provide critical communications services underpinning Australia's Medicare and e-health systems, marking a significant vote of confidence in the carrier following recent cybersecurity challenges. The three-year deal, with potential extension to six years, was confirmed through a contract notification posted on the government's AusTender procurement website. The agreement consolidates Optus's position as a strategic telecommunications provider to the federal government. Under the arrangement, Optus will deliver what the company describes as 'a fully managed Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) solution for the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, supporting its digital transformation.' The contract represents a consolidation of various telecommunications services previously spread across multiple arrangements. Optus has historically maintained substantial portions of the Health Department's carrier contracts, but the new deal brings together disparate services under a unified framework. The award comes as the Albanese government prioritizes securing core digital infrastructure supporting Medicare and broader e-health services. The telecommunications backbone provided under the contract will underpin the delivery of essential health services to millions of Australians. The deal also signals renewed government confidence in Optus following a turbulent period for the carrier. The company was among several major Australian corporations targeted by Russian-linked ransomware attacks, drawing criticism from former Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil. The cyberattacks resulted in the application of sanctions following what officials described as malicious raids on critical infrastructure providers. Despite these security challenges, the Health Department's decision to award the substantial contract to Optus suggests the government views the carrier as having adequately addressed previous vulnerabilities. The Network-as-a-Service model allows the Health Department to access telecommunications infrastructure without the need for significant capital investment in physical network equipment, while ensuring reliable connectivity for critical health system operations. The contract timeline provides flexibility for both parties, with the initial three-year term allowing for performance evaluation before potential extension to the full six-year period. This structure enables the government to maintain service continuity while preserving options for future procurement decisions. TIME BUSINESS NEWS

'Partial tick': coalition cautious on PM's summit idea
'Partial tick': coalition cautious on PM's summit idea

Yahoo

timea day ago

  • Yahoo

'Partial tick': coalition cautious on PM's summit idea

The federal opposition has given the government a partial tick over its upcoming productivity summit, saying that at least Labor recognises there is a problem. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the plan on Tuesday, saying the gathering of business, union and other leaders in Canberra in August would focus on ways to lift economic output. "A round table. Yay!" shadow treasurer Ted O'Brien joked during an interview on Nine's Today program on Wednesday. "But look ... to be fair, at least they're recognising the problem ... so let's take that as a partial tick." Experts are concerned about Australia's lagging rate of productivity - a key economic measure of efficiency and long-term driver of improved living standards. Despite criticism that previous federal government economic summits were too slanted, Mr Albanese said this roundtable would be broad-based. He called for a mature discussion from all parties, noting it was in everyone's interest for productivity to improve. "We're a Labor government, we support unions existing ... but we will always respect both the role of business and the role of unions," he told the National Press Club on Tuesday. "There are common interests ... you don't get union members unless you've got successful employers. "It's the private sector that drives an economy. What the public sector should do is facilitate private sector activity and private sector investment." The Productivity Commissioner's most recent report showed labour productivity fell 0.1 per cent in the December quarter and dropped 1.2 per cent in the past year. The Business Council of Australia says productivity growth over the past decade has been the lowest in 60 years. Council chief executive Bran Black welcomed the roundtable, saying "lifting business investment is essential to boosting productivity, lifting real wages, creating jobs and ensuring more opportunity for more Australians". "We will continue to be very clear about policies that the business community believes will be counterproductive to improving productivity," he said. Mr Albanese said he wanted a boost to productivity, alongside other economic indicators as part of his second-term agenda. "We want to build an economy where growth, wages and productivity rise together," he said. ACTU secretary Sally McManus said working Australians must be at the centre of the roundtable. "We need to leave behind the idea that productivity is equated with cutting pay and making people work harder for less," she said. Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Andrew McKellar said boosting productivity was essential for economic growth. "The business community looks forward to participating in the summit and contributing constructive and sensible ideas to address the problem," he said. Meanwhile, the World Bank has slashed its global growth forecast for 2025 by four-tenths of a percentage point to 2.3 per cent. The downgrade was driven by higher US tariffs on foreign imports and heightened uncertainty posed a "significant headwind" for nearly all economies. The World Bank is the latest body to cut its growth forecast as a result of President Donald Trump's erratic trade policies. But it stopped short of forecasting a recession, despite predicting global economic growth this year would be the weakest outside of a recession since 2008. with Reuters Effettua l'accesso per consultare il tuo portafoglio

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