Labor is refusing to ‘keep pace' with defence technology advancements
Sky News host Sharri Markson discusses how the Labor Party is not 'keeping pace' with technology in defence.
'It seems Australia is not keeping pace with the technology advancements in defence,' Ms Markson said.
'It seems from the comments we have heard from Albanese this week that he's not too concerned about it either.'
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News.com.au
33 minutes ago
- News.com.au
NSW Labor workers comp reform to be referred to inquiry despite pleas for urgency
Labor's controversial plan to reform workers compensation in NSW has suffered another blow after being referred to an inquiry, despite a plea by the Treasurer that it be urgently passed. The NSW government is attempting to pass amended plans to reform workers compensation before July 1, having faced significant opposition from the unions and the Opposition. Liberal leader Mark Speakman said the Coalition was in favour of reform to the beleaguered system, but only with key amendments – if not, they will seek to send it to an inquiry. The Opposition, in a bizarre alliance with the Greens and the unions, is seeking to stay plans to lift the threshold for a permanent whole person impairment (WPI) to 31 per cent. Opponents of the planned changes say they would lock most claimants suffering a psychological injury out of support; the government says it offers greater access to lump sum payments. Appearing before the Legislative Council, shadow treasury spokesperson Damien Tudehop moved that the bill be referred to the Public Accountability and Works Committee for inquiry in August. Instead, an amended version of the motion put forward by independent MLC Mark Latham was approved by the Council, which set that the committee would determine its own reporting date. 'It is incumbent upon the Treasurer to at least demonstrate … the manner in which this scheme is currently operating and why the savings, which have been identified for the scheme, are acting or potentially acting to target people who are the most vulnerable in terms of psychological injury which they have suffered,' Mr Tudehop said. Mr Tudehope went on to add: 'There are other areas of the manner in which the scheme is being managed at the moment, which can produce savings. There are significant savings identified in the act, which in fact we will be wholeheartedly endorsing'. During his address, Mr Tudehope said he was 'not here to hold up the process', but that the Opposition had not had enough time to properly assess the plan. In response, Treasurer Daniel Moohley said delaying the bill by referring it to an inquiry would be an 'opportunity that we miss' to begin repairing the 'broken' system. 'The opportunity we will miss is to begin to provide for injured workers,' he said. 'Absent reform, a small business that has no claims rejected is facing the prospect of a 12 per cent increase next year, followed by a further 12 per cent, followed by a further 12 per cent. 'The bigger opportunity that we've been missing is to begin to build a proper culture of prevention when it comes to psychological injury. 'That is crucial to stopping people from getting injured in the first place and at the same time making sure that we have a workers compensation system that complements the task of returning people to their health and returning people to their work.' In four weeks time, Mr Moohkey warned the system would 'fall back even further' and make reform harder, including the private sector which he said was suffering $5m losses per day. He instead urged for the Opposition to 'make this decision today' and put their amendments up for debate, rather than referring the workers compensation bill to an inquiry. Greens MLC Abigail Boyd supported the Opposition's motion, stating that the bill, if passed, 'could cause so much distress to people who are already at their most vulnerable that they may choose to end their lives. 'A bill that is literally about life and death. 'That's why we should never seek to pass a bill like this in these circumstances, with the secrecy, the deception, the blatant mistruths that we've been told over the last three months, and with the government having failed to make out the case for what they have decided to do.' She urged Labor MLCs supporting the bill to consider whether it was 'this reform that has been never recommended in any of the multiple, multiple reports or inquiries into the workers compensation system, that has been sprung on you with very little warning. 'Are you personally satisfied that the only option, the only option is to implement these reforms? The most cruel and dangerous of all of the possibilities.' She went on to add: 'I don't think any Labour member can honestly say that they thought two years ago they would now be sitting here trying to defend a bill that will kill workers.' The proposed workers compensation reform has faced stiff opposition from the state's unions, as well as a parliamentary inquiry, and competing claims about urgency. The state government says the reforms need to be passed before July 1, while the Opposition says premiums for the nominal insurer are already locked for next year. Mr Moohkey previously indicated he would not authorise further payments to the Treasury Managed Fund, the government's self-insurer, following billions in cash injections. The plan also seeks to address the state of the nominal insurer, the health of which has resulted in rising premiums for businesses and charities operating in the state, Mr Moohkey said failure of the bill had already been factored into the state budget,
Sky News AU
an hour ago
- Sky News AU
Shadow transport minister Bridget McKenzie accuses Labor of targeting Liberal seats with Western Sydney jet noise
Shadow transport minister Bridget McKenzie has claimed the Albanese government's night-time runway directive is a politically calculated manoeuvre to burden Liberal electorates with aircraft noise from Western Sydney International Airport. Shadow transport minister Bridget McKenzie has accused the Albanese government of concentrating jet noise over Liberal-held electorates as part of what she labelled a 'short-term political fix' to protect marginal Labor seats near the new Western Sydney International Airport. Transport Minister Catherine King has announced a ministerial directive for Airservices Australia to make 'Reciprocal Runway Operations' (RRO) the default at night at WSIA. RRO requires aircraft to take off and land facing the same direction—towards the southwest—but using opposite ends of the single runway. Ms King claimed the directive was to 'achieve the overall lowest possible impact on surrounding communities'. Labor holds 11 of the 14 seats in the broader Western Sydney region, and Ms McKenzie said the Minister's directive would disproportionately impact the few Liberal seats in the area. 'Labor is attempting to concentrate nighttime aircraft noise over Liberal held electorates of Lindsay and Hume,' Ms McKenzie told Sky News on Thursday. 'Part of Labor's noise mitigation strategy is a risky ministerial direction to have planes fly head-on towards each other for take-offs and landings at night. 'The government waited until after the election before finalising flight paths and attempted to hide the announcements behind the completion of runway construction.' The shadow transport minister has also raised further concerns over air safety and staff shortages. 'Under the Albanese Labor government there are already chronic shortages of Airservices Australia air traffic controllers,' she said. 'How can the government give confidence to pilots, crews and passengers that there will be enough air traffic controllers on shift at all times to keep planes from crashing head-on into each other over Western Sydney at night under Catherine King's new direction?' Ms King's direction to Air Services Australia was to make reciprocal runway operations the "default operating mode" between 11pm and 5.30am. Aviation expert and former commercial pilot Captain Byron Bailey has, in response, warned that the RRO plan may be both unworkable and potentially unsafe at a major 24/7 airport. 'Runway 23 will be the preferred runway due to the predominant wind direction,' Captain Bailey told Sky News. 'Nowhere in the world is (RRO) done like this. The resulting traffic confliction and holding would be ridiculous—possibly difficult for ATC to manage.' Captain Bailey warned that if pilots are forced to land or take off downwind due to the RRO restrictions, many may simply refuse. 'Take-offs for heavy B777/A380 would necessitate an into-wind take-off. A downwind take-off by 300-tonne-plus aircraft imposes an additional hazard which pilots will refuse.' However, aviation consultant Tony Stanton, CEO of Strategic Air, offered a different view, defending the RRO policy when applied in low-traffic overnight conditions. 'The minister's statement rightly includes an important consideration—'when safe to do so',' Mr Stanton said. 'Given the Reciprocal Runway Operations mode is to be prioritised between 11pm and 5.30am, traffic density would typically be favourable… I expect the RRO mode to be used routinely and on most nights of the year.' Western Sydney International Airport is expected to begin operations in 2026.
ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
No-confidence vote against Tasmanian premier succeeds
Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff has announced he will request a snap Tasmanian election, if the Labor Opposition's no confidence motion in him passes parliament's lower house later today. ( ABC News: Ebony ten Broeke )
