Larissa Waters secures top Greens job while Tim Wilson waits anxiously
Welcome back to your weekly federal politics update, where Brett Worthington gets you up to speed on the happenings from Parliament House.
Anyone keeping half an ear on the scenes in Rome in recent weeks will be well versed in the old papal election saying.
"He who enters the conclave as pope, leaves it as a cardinal."
The secrecy of a papal conclave has nothing on the dark arts of the Greens.
Things in the Greens are so secretive that it was months after the fact that Bob Brown confirmed Sarah Hanson-Young had mounted a botched leadership challenge to then deputy Christine Milne.
Live results: Find out what's happening in your seat as counting continues
Like those cardinals getting locked up in the Sistine Chapel, when the green smoke billowed from a Melbourne meeting room on Thursday afternoon, the leader to emerge wasn't the name that had necessarily been on the lips of pundits when they went in. And it certainly wasn't a he.
Queenslander Larissa Waters emerged as the second woman to lead the federal Greens, beating out South Australian Sarah Hanson-Young and Mehreen Faruqi (whose names had been touted as the most likely in the days ahead of the meeting).
The Greens are coming to terms with Labor's landslide victory, which saw the shock loss of leader Adam Bandt and two of the party's three lower house seats in Brisbane.
The loss of Bandt, Max Chandler-Mather and Stephen Bates leaves the Greens party room as two-thirds women so there were few surprises that the party emerged with an all female leadership team.
More shocking was the transparency with which the acting leader, Tasmanian Nick McKim, brought to announcing the results.
The Greens like to do things by consensus and it seems unity wasn't completely on show behind closed doors.
Waters emerged as the consensus pick for leader, as was Hanson-Young's consolation prize as manager of Senate business.
Faruqi, McKim tells us, fended off a challenge from West Australian Dorinda Cox for the deputy leadership (nine votes to three), with Cox then also falling short in her bid to be deputy chair, losing to Penny Allman-Payne eight votes to four.
"Now the Labor Party have a choice," Waters said when she spoke with reporters.
"They can work with us. They can work with us and help people and protect nature, or they can choose to work with the Coalition."
Angus Taylor didn't even have to wait for the vote to be rejected by the Liberal party room.
Attempting to enter the room on Tuesday morning, he was met with a telling omen — a locked door.
Turns out he'd gone to the wrong entry. Well done, Angus.
Once in the room, the outcome was much the same, falling short in a leadership ballot that delivered a historic moment for the federal Liberal Party — a female leader.
Sussan Ley's rise to the worst job in politics came with plenty of column centimetres about whether or not it was another case of the "glass cliff", where a party opts for a female leader when the prospect of success has all but disappeared.
She insists it isn't a "glass cliff" appointment, while others disagree, like former Liberal Julia Banks, who spectacularly quit the federal party in 2018 and later alleged she was subject to an unwanted sexual advance from a cabinet minister.
Whether it's a shattering of a glass ceiling, or a woman thrust before a glass cliff, only history can tell.
But in the interim, Ley is now tasked with bringing together not just her Liberals but the broader Coalition with the junior party vying for greater representation in her shadow cabinet.
Ley insists that cabinet will feature both those who supported her and those who didn't (and when you're leading an opposition as small as hers it's not like one can be be that choosy).
One of the biggest question marks hanging over Ley's frontbench is the future of the federal parliament's newest Liberal — Jacinta Nampijinpa Price.
Price's former colleagues in the Nats insist her defection is just about the NT senator's pursuit of the prime ministership, a sentiment she certainly wasn't hosing down in an interview with Sky News mere hours after Ley's appointment.
"I know there are a lot of Australians who'd love to see that," Price said of the prospect of her becoming prime minister.
Helpful.
Price's defection to the Liberals, a party she insists she wanted to join when she was first elected in 2022, was part of a two-step bid to become Taylor's deputy.
His defeat in partyroom prompted her to abort her plans to run for the second top job. Some argue her defection to the Libs, which was meant to help Taylor, instead helped sink his chances.
Had Price stayed with the Nationals, she would have a guaranteed spot in the shadow cabinet.
In the Liberals, it's far less certain, with South Australian senator Kerrynne Liddle a candidate to replace Price with the Indigenous Australians portfolio.
Peter Dutton's opposition leader office had barely been cleared before the shredding off his connection to the new look Liberal Party started taking shape.
Within 20 minutes of her victory, a WhatsApp group used to communicate logistics and press availabilities between the Liberal leader and the parliamentary press gallery had a new name and new ownership, noticeably with the swift removal of Dutton's close media advisers.
If Andrew Hastie gets his way, his team too might one day get a chance to rename that WhatsApp group.
Like Price's helpful intervention, the WA MP and shadow defence minister under Dutton told a Labor-aligned podcast that he had a "desire to lead" the Liberals... one day.
"I'd be foolish to say I don't have a desire to lead, I do have a desire to lead," he said.
"But the timing was all out for personal reasons."
Want even more? Here's where you can find all our 2025 federal election coverage
Catch the latest interviews and in-depth coverage on ABC iview and ABC Listen
It's amazing the difference a week can make in politics.
Last Thursday, Tim Wilson was still on a dizzying high after claiming victory in the Melbourne bayside electorate of Goldstein, happily reminding whoever would listen the historic nature of his return to Canberra.
Wilson was on such a high that he even flirted with a tilt at the leadership, publicly cheered on by fellow Liberal-turned-loser-to-a-teal Jason Fallinski.
Fast-forward to today, and it's a noticeably quieter Wilson (who at the weekend ruled himself out of a leadership run). He now finds himself in a nerve-wracking wait, with independent MP Zoe Daniel making a late comeback in her bid to hold the seat.
His more than 1,000 vote lead last Friday fell to 401 votes on Wednesday and was just 302 votes at the time of publication on Thursday. With no more than 1,250 votes left to count, ABC election guru Antony Green reckons Wilson remains likely but certainly not as convincing as a week earlier.
Speaking of tight counts, the battle for Bradfield has Liberal Gisele Kapterian just 70 votes ahead of independent Nicolette Boele.
The only other seat in doubt is Calwell, in Melbourne's north-west, which will be weeks away from an outcome thanks to a complicated count the likes of which are rarely seen.
For those keeping count, that's now two women leading federal parliamentary parties... just not at Labor, where despite having a majority female partyroom, the old boys are still very much in charge.
Albanese this week unveiled his new-look ministry after a bruising few days in which the ousted Ed Husic dubbed Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles a "factional assassin".
After the factional carve-ups rained on the party's parade, the new-look team headed for Government House, where the king's representative was tasked with not just swearing in the ministry, but overseeing a game of indoor football, or "Queensland footy" as the ex AFL commissioner turned Governor General Sam Mostyn put it.
Mostyn showed how truly modern her appointment has been to a role more renowned with stuffy former military or lawyer types.
She dispensed with formalities and protocol and responded like a human (rare scenes in political circles) to talk directly with cabinet minister Anika Wells' four-year old twins, who'd arrived with a Maroons ball in tow.
Factional fighting aside, Albanese can lay claim to leading a government like any other in Australia's history. There are more women and more people from diverse backgrounds than ever before.
Those credentials go some way to explaining the pain that's been on display in the dumping of Husic, Australia's first Muslim cabinet minister, and Albanese's decision to offer women just a third of the assistant ministry roles he had the power to determine himself.
Dealing with that, however, is a future problem, with Albanese flying out for a week-long visit to Indonesia, Singapore and the Vatican, which seems pertinent as conclaves here and abroad conclude.
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35 minutes ago
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Starmer warns of war with Russia
Woman's voice: ABC Listen, podcasts, radio, news, music and more. Isabella Higgins: Good morning, welcome to AM. It's Tuesday the 3rd of June. I'm Isabella Higgins coming to you from Gadigal land in Sydney. A third of Australian men have used some form of intimate partner violence in their lifetime, according to a new long-term national study. And this new data from the Australian Institute of Family Studies shows there's been an increase in self-reported violence since 2014. The research also indicates risk factors for this behaviour, which could help prevent violence before it happens, as Bridget Fitzgerald reports. Bridget Fitzgerald: For more than two decades, David Nugent has had a front row seat to Australia's gender-based violence crisis. David Nugent: Men often will look for a reason to justify their behaviour, and when it comes to family violence and the way we act out, it always comes back to a choice. Bridget Fitzgerald: As the founder of Heavy METAL, Men's Education Towards Anger and Life, David Nugent runs behaviour change programs and counselling for men. David Nugent: One of the things that keep men away from doing this work is that they don't believe that they're abusive towards their partner because he's physically not violent. Bridget Fitzgerald: Data from the Australian Institute of Family Studies' Ten to Men report estimates that 35 per cent of adult men have used some form of intimate partner violence in their lifetime. The report shows a rise in intimate partner violence, up from one in four men reporting using violence in 2013-14. Dr Kelsey Hegarty: Domestic or intimate partner violence is not reducing in this country. Bridget Fitzgerald: Dr Kelsey Hegarty is the Chair in Family Violence Prevention at the University of Melbourne and a report co-author. Based on the responses of more than 4,000 men, the study found emotional abuse was the most common form of violence, with 32 per cent reporting that they'd made a partner feel frightened or anxious. Nine per cent had responded that they'd hit, slapped, kicked or otherwise physically hurt a partner in anger. Dr Kelsey Hegarty: And it's the leading contributor to death and disability for childbearing women. It's harmful to children. It's harmful to the people who are using it. We need to try some new ways of preventing and early intervention. Bridget Fitzgerald: The report also found that men with moderate or severe depressive symptoms have a 62 per cent increased risk of using violence. Dr Kelsey Hegarty: We really need to identify and treat severe depression in men, but we also need to be asking more about their relationships and what's happening in their relationships. And the reason we're doing that is obviously to prevent escalation later on, but also particularly if there's children in those settings, to actually try and interrupt the role modelling of that sort of behaviour. Bridget Fitzgerald: Men who had an affectionate father or father figure were less likely to use violence. So too were men with good social support. Micaela Cronin, Australia's Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commissioner, says prevention is the best way to end gender-based violence. Micaela Cronin: If we're going to really radically look at how do we end gender-based violence, we need to be looking at what the causes are, where are the points that we can be intervening at every point to prevent violence. Bridget Fitzgerald: David Nugent says he sees proof every day that violent men can choose to change. David Nugent: It's very, very important to have those role models and support that don't hold that misogynistic, unhealthy perspectives of how men should be. Isabella Higgins: Domestic violence advocate David Nugent ending that report from Bridget Fitzgerald. And if you're in an abusive situation or know someone who is, call 1800RESPECT. If it's an emergency, call 000. Australia's three million lowest paid workers will soon find out how much their pay packets will rise this year. The Fair Work Commission is set to determine the increase to minimum and award wages today. Many are looking for reprieve from the mounting cost of living, but business and employer groups warn too large a lift risks fuelling inflation. Political reporter Nicole Hegarty has more from Parliament House. Nicole Hegarty: For Australia's lowest paid, every dollar counts. Sally McManus: When you're a minimum wage worker it's all essential. So you don't save money, you survive. Nicole Hegarty: And with the cost of living biting, that's truer than ever. Sally McManus is the Secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions. The Fair Work Commission is set to reveal how much minimum and award wages will increase from July. The ACTU is asking for a 4.5% increase. Sally McManus: The Fair Work Commission didn't order enough for these workers to be able to keep the same position they were back in 2019. So part of our claim is catch up claim. Nicole Hegarty: But businesses and employers are also under pressure as rents rise and consumers tighten their belts. The Australian Retailers Association is recommending an increase of no more than 2.5% on top of the 0.5% superannuation guarantee increase. In its submission it argues for an equitable and modest increase to the minimum wage that helps households without increasing business costs beyond what is needed to ensure wages keep pace with higher prices. Cost of living dominated the election campaign and the re-elected Albanese government is now asking for an economically sustainable real wage increase for the almost 3 million Australians on minimum and award wages. Treasurer Jim Chalmers says that can be achieved without pushing up inflation. Jim Chalmers: The submission that we take reflects all of our economic objectives and primarily making sure that when people work hard they can get ahead. Nicole Hegarty: It's a position employer groups have challenged. The Retailers Association warning in its submission additional wage pressure risks fuelling renewed price pressures and undermining economic progress. Chris Wright is a professor of work and labour market policy at the University of Sydney and says the international evidence is that there is room for an increase. Chris Wright: The OECD has identified that there is scope for wage increases, especially for the lowest paid to occur without there being inflationary pressures of any significant scale. Nicole Hegarty: And as the conversation turns to how to address Australia's productivity problem, Professor Wright says a wage rise may have a positive impact. Chris Wright: Workers who feel like they're being paid fairly are more likely to be productive in their jobs and they're more likely to stay in their jobs. Nicole Hegarty: The Workplace Relations umpire has historically decided on increases that fall somewhere between the demands of business and unions. And along with workers who rely on the wages at the heart of this decision, they'll find out soon how much pay packets will grow as of July. Isabella Higgins: Nicole Hegarty there. WA Senator Dorinda Cox has quit the Greens and joined Labor in a shock defection. She says it's about getting results and not rebellion, but her exit has left the Greens blindsided and fuming. Political reporter Olivia Caisley joins me from Parliament House. Olivia, why did she walk away from the Greens? Olivia Caisley: Well, standing alongside the Prime Minister in Perth yesterday, Senator Dorinda Cox says that her values align more closely with Labor and that she believes she'll be able to deliver better outcomes and results for the people of WA. She was a member of Labor briefly in her youth before she did join the Greens. Her switch though comes after months of internal tensions within her former party, so she failed in her bid to become deputy leader following the party's poor showing at the election, and there were also growing doubts that she'd secure a winnable spot on the next Senate ticket. The Greens say they were blindsided by this, that Senator Cox only called the Greens leader Larissa Waters about an hour before announcing her shocked defection, and there have also been allegations of bullying or a toxic workplace culture in her office, which emerged during the last term of Parliament. Anthony Albanese was asked about this yesterday and he says that he's confident that those issues have been dealt with. Here's, Senator Cox, yesterday announcing her defection from the Greens. Dorinda Cox: Being in the government and alongside the wonderful team that the Prime Minister has, you are able to make change. You are able to do the things that raise up and represent the voice of Western Australia and Canberra, and that's what they elect me to do, so I will continue to do that. Isabella Higgins: And Olivia, what does this mean for the Senate and for both of those parties? Olivia Caisley: Well, when it comes to the composition of the Senate, it's not a major shift. The Greens will still ultimately hold the balance of power. So this defection takes Labor's senators in the upper house to 29. The Greens, meanwhile, will drop to 10. But Labor will still need to rely on the Greens for votes in order to pass legislation. Symbolically, though, this is a major blow to the Greens. So at the election, they lost three of their four lower house seats and also their former leader, Adam Bandt, who was unable to retain his seat of Melbourne. And now they've got a high-profile senator defecting without warning. There is a question about how Senator Cox will square some of her policy positions with Labor's party platform. So for example, just last week, she criticised the Albanese government for extending WA's North West gas shelf, a move that environmentalists have also slammed. So how she reconciles those views while inside the Labor tent remains to be seen. Isabella Higgins: Olivia Caisley reporting there. A second round of direct peace talks between Russia and Ukraine has ended without a major breakthrough as other nations say they must be prepared for war with Moscow. Britain's Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer says the threat of Russia can't be ignored, announcing the UK will expand its nuclear-powered attack submarine fleet under the AUKUS security pact with Australia and America. Europe correspondent Kathryn Diss reports from London. Worker: Hello, Keir, nice to see you. Kathryn Diss: On the front line of British security, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced what's billed as the biggest defence plan since the Cold War. Kier Starmer: We are moving to warfighting readiness as the central purpose of our armed forces. Kathryn Diss: After a ten-month review, the UK has revealed its strategy to tackle rising global threats, including those posed by Russia, China and North Korea. Kier Starmer: When we are being directly threatened by states with advanced military forces, the most effective way to deter them is to be ready. Kathryn Diss: The plan will include 12 more nuclear-powered submarines to better protect Britain's waters, which will come under the AUKUS alliance with Australia and the US. Six new munitions factories will be constructed across the UK. Investment in new technologies such as drones will be upped. Hundreds of long-range missiles will be manufactured and thousands of jobs will be created. It comes as Moscow and Kyiv met in Turkiye for a second round of peace talks. But, as expected, little progress was made towards a ceasefire. Ukraine's Defence Minister is Rustem Umerov. Rustem Umerov: We firmly believe that all key issues can only be solved at the level of leaders. And the leaders' meeting could be with possible involvement of other leaders, such as the President of the United States. Kathryn Diss: Moscow's demands for peace include ones we've heard before, such as recognition of Crimea, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson as regions of Russia, a complete withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from these areas and a ban on any military activities by third countries. Here's the head of Russia's delegation, Vladimir Medinsky. Vladimir Medinsky: First, we've handed over our memorandum to the Turkish side, which consists of two parts. First, how to achieve a real long-term peace. And the second part is what steps should be taken to make a full-fledged ceasefire possible. Moreover, in the second part, there is even a variety of options. To enter this path or this path. The memorandum is quite detailed and worked through properly from our side. Therefore, the Ukrainian side decided to take it for study. If they study it, they will react to it. And we will see. Kathryn Diss: The two sides did agree to another prisoner swap of the sick and wounded, as well as those under 25. Russia will also return the bodies of 6,000 fallen Ukrainian soldiers. But when it comes to ending the war, both sides appear worlds apart. This is Kathryn Diss in London reporting for AM. Earlier in the program, we heard about how prevalent domestic violence is. In a separate report released exclusively to AM, the Commonwealth Ombudsman found abusers are weaponising Australia's child support system. More than $1.9 billion in child support is unpaid, with the Ombudsman calling for new legislation to ensure this money goes to the one million children who rely on it. National Education and Parenting reporter, Conor Duffy, has this story. Conor Duffy: After a four-month investigation and complaints from hundreds of parents, the Commonwealth Ombudsman, Iain Anderson, is today releasing a report highlighting financial abuse in Australia's child support system. Iain Anderson: This is really important, Connor, because child support is all about children, vulnerable children who need to be financially supported while they're growing up. Conor Duffy: The Ombudsman has concluded Services Australia is acting in an unfair and unreasonable manner in not using its enforcement powers to stop widespread financial abuse, defined as one parent weaponising the payment of child support. Mr Anderson says his report makes eight recommendations for sweeping changes, including new legislation. He says under the current system, some women feel unsafe just asking for what they're owed. Iain Anderson: We've certainly had complainants who've said to them that this made them feel very unsafe and they in fact withdrew from processes and rather than seeking to pursue unpaid child support, they just said, I can't deal with this, I won't deal with this, I don't feel safe. Conor Duffy: Mr Anderson also highlighted a provision in the law which requires Services Australia to assume all child support has been paid when assessing eligibility for Family Tax Benefit A. Iain Anderson: Services Australia will actively pursue that debt and require it to be paid, even though the child support itself might not have been paid. So you might find you haven't been paid child support, but now you are actively being pursued for a debt for Family Tax Benefit A. Conor Duffy: There are roughly 1.2 million parents in child support arrangements, with 83 per cent of paying parents male and 84 per cent of receiving parents female. Terese Edwards from Single Mother Families Australia says the Ombudsman's report is a breakthrough moment she hopes will turbocharge a long-running push for change. Terese Edwards: The child support system has been a problem for decades. We're really letting our children down, but in the last decade we've understood it to really harm women as well. Conor Duffy: In a statement, a Services Australia spokesperson said it fully accepted the recommendations and would be working to implement them between December 2025 and June 2026. Financial abuse and all forms of family and domestic violence are serious and damaging issues affecting many of our customers, the spokesperson said. In a statement, a spokesperson for the Minister for Social Services, Tanya Plibersek, said the government recognised child support was being used to exploit and traumatise women and where acting. Isabella Higgins: Conor Duffy reporting. More than 80 years after he died, an Indigenous family have discovered the secret war history of one of their relatives. For decades, the story of service of Private Ngakyunkwokka was lost due to a spelling error. Now the Australian War Memorial is fixing that, as James Vyver reports. James Vyver: In Wik country on the western side of Queensland's Cape York, the old Aurukun Mission Cemetery is filled with white wooden crosses. Among them, a gleaming white headstone stands out, the war grave of an Aboriginal World War II soldier, whose service and story has only recently been discovered by his great-niece, Ariana Yunkaporta. Ariana Yunkaporta: We didn't know our great-great uncle was serving in the World War II. We were like, wow, we had an ancestors, you know, who served before and I was like really happy. I was like, wow, I don't know any white Australian served in the World War. James Vyver: The soldier, Private Ngakyunkwokka, died in 1945 while on active duty for the Torres Strait Light Infantry Battalion. Incorrect mission and army records dating back over the last century led to the veteran being buried with the wrong name, Private Ngarkwokka. That error, carved in gold lettering, is still on the headstone today. Ariana Yunkaporta: Seeing that grave for the first time, it was emotional and then I started like, had tears coming down. James Vyver: It meant Ariana Yunkaporta and her family had no idea their ancestor was with them in Aurukun. The mystery of how the headstone bears the wrong name has now been solved after 80 years, thanks to a fellow digger and some luck. Tim White: The last thing I expected to find in a cemetery in a remote Aboriginal community was a war grave. James Vyver: In 2022, Aurukun local and army veteran Dr Tim White recognised the significance of the headstone, but not the Ngarkwokka name. Tim White: My inquiry started that day. I've got to find out who this is and what the story is. If one of our Afghanistan or Vietnam veterans were buried under the wrong name, there'd be national outcry about it. James Vyver: The incorrect records had also led to the soldier being listed with the wrong name on the roll of honour at the Australian War Memorial, twice. Well, his name has been changed three times. Australian War Memorial Director Matt Anderson. Matt Anderson: We're determined now with the help of family, with the help of community that we've got it right. That's the right answer, to keep on striving for perfection. This is a roll of honour. This is the nation's debt recorded in bronze and if we can get it right, that's what we're determined to do and I'm just so pleased we've been able to do that. James Vyver: A supplementary bronze panel now correctly reads Ngakyunkwokka C.B. The previous two incorrect names remain on the roll of honour. Army Reservists themselves, Ariana Yunkaporta and her brother Irwin, travelled to Canberra last week for a last post ceremony at the War Memorial. A service dedicated to a fellow soldier and their new-found uncle, finally recognised with his true name. Ariana Yunkaporta: He's not just a role model for us, he's a role model to Aurukun as well, to the whole community. James Vyver: The headstone on Private Ngakyunkwokka's grave will be replaced in the coming months. Isabella Higgins: James Vyver reporting there. And that's AM for today. Thanks for your company. I'm Isabella Higgins. Sam Hawley: Hi, it's Sam Hawley here, host of the ABC News Daily podcast. Since Donald Trump returned to the White House, Elon Musk has spent a lot of time inside the Oval Office. Now the world's richest man has been farewelled from his role in the Trump administration. Today, staff writer at The Atlantic, Ashley Parker, on Elon's exit and whether that's really the end of his role in politics. Look for the ABC News Daily podcast on the ABC Listen app.
ABC News
35 minutes ago
- ABC News
Fair Work Commission to decide how much minimum wages will rise
Isabella Higgins: Australia's three million lowest paid workers will soon find out how much their pay packets will rise this year. The Fair Work Commission is set to determine the increase to minimum and award wages today. Many are looking for reprieve from the mounting cost of living, but business and employer groups warn too large a lift risks fuelling inflation. Political reporter Nicole Hegarty has more from Parliament House. Nicole Hegarty: For Australia's lowest paid, every dollar counts. Sally McManus: When you're a minimum wage worker it's all essential. So you don't save money, you survive. Nicole Hegarty: And with the cost of living biting, that's truer than ever. Sally McManus is the Secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions. The Fair Work Commission is set to reveal how much minimum and award wages will increase from July. The ACTU is asking for a 4.5% increase. Sally McManus: The Fair Work Commission didn't order enough for these workers to be able to keep the same position they were back in 2019. So part of our claim is catch up claim. Nicole Hegarty: But businesses and employers are also under pressure as rents rise and consumers tighten their belts. The Australian Retailers Association is recommending an increase of no more than 2.5% on top of the 0.5% superannuation guarantee increase. In its submission it argues for an equitable and modest increase to the minimum wage that helps households without increasing business costs beyond what is needed to ensure wages keep pace with higher prices. Cost of living dominated the election campaign and the re-elected Albanese government is now asking for an economically sustainable real wage increase for the almost 3 million Australians on minimum and award wages. Treasurer Jim Chalmers says that can be achieved without pushing up inflation. Jim Chalmers: The submission that we take reflects all of our economic objectives and primarily making sure that when people work hard they can get ahead. Nicole Hegarty: It's a position employer groups have challenged. The Retailers Association warning in its submission additional wage pressure risks fuelling renewed price pressures and undermining economic progress. Chris Wright is a professor of work and labour market policy at the University of Sydney and says the international evidence is that there is room for an increase. Chris Wright: The OECD has identified that there is scope for wage increases, especially for the lowest paid to occur without there being inflationary pressures of any significant scale. Nicole Hegarty: And as the conversation turns to how to address Australia's productivity problem, Professor Wright says a wage rise may have a positive impact. Chris Wright: Workers who feel like they're being paid fairly are more likely to be productive in their jobs and they're more likely to stay in their jobs. Nicole Hegarty: The Workplace Relations umpire has historically decided on increases that fall somewhere between the demands of business and unions. And along with workers who rely on the wages at the heart of this decision, they'll find out soon how much pay packets will grow as of July. Isabella Higgins: Nicole Hegarty there.
ABC News
41 minutes ago
- ABC News
Rock formation Parlapuni a source of strength for outback community
Just outside the remote mining town of Pannawonica, a trapezoid-shaped rock sits on top of a spinifex-covered hill. The outcrop, about 1,400 kilometres north of Perth, has a touch of the supernatural. Its prominence in the surrounding Pilbara landscape draws comparisons with the Devils Tower outcrop in Wyoming made famous by Steven Spielberg in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. While many in town know it simply as the Panna Hill, the area's traditional owners — the Robe River Kuruma people — call it Parlapuni. "It's the most peaceful place," Robe River Kuruma woman Tuesday Lockyer said. The Robe River Kuruma people believe Parlapuni was not always on the outskirts of Pannawonica. Thousands of years ago, the hill is believed to have sat on land belonging to a neighbouring Pilbara group — the Marthudunera people. Ms Lockyer said that changed during a bitter feud between the two groups. "While [everyone] was fighting one another, two old people decided to send out two birds from here called putt putts," she said. According to the story, the birds then sang a song that dragged the hill from Marthudunera country to where it sits today. In the end, Ms Lockyer said each group's elders stepped in and ended the feud. "[It] must have been going on for a while and they must have got tired of fighting one another," she said. Today, a clearing just in front of Parlapuni is one of Ms Lockyer's favourite places to gather with friends and share stories around a campfire. "You feel that the spirits are here," she said. "It's like home. It welcomes you home." In recent years, visiting Parlapuni has also meant confronting a distressing situation for the Robe River Kuruma people. Just in front of the hill is an empty river bed. It is one of several rivers that the Robe River Kuruma people say are running dry more often than usual. They attribute the situation to years of groundwater extraction by mining giant Rio Tinto to supply local iron ore mines and provide drinking water to coastal towns in the Pilbara. Ms Lockyer has been involved in a long-running campaign to reduce water extraction on Robe River Kuruma country. She said she had drawn strength from Parlapuni to sustain what had been a draining campaign. "It's like a David and Goliath fight. We are the little Davids," Ms Lockyer said. "But still we gotta have hope, you know, and we always do, that the country will get rain, we will get water." In response to the traditional owners' concerns, Rio Tinto is building a desalination plant in Dampier, which is set to be completed next year. The company believes that from 2030, no more groundwater will be taken from Robe River country. Ms Lockyer said passing down stories, like the origin of Parlapuni, was just as important as advocating for the protection of country. "Our obligation is not only to look after country but also to pass down the stories that have been passed down from our elderly generations," she said. "That's why we keep these stories going, and it's good that the stories will keep on going for many, many years."
