From Palestine to jobseeker and keeping children safe online: Tanya Plibersek on Labor's tough calls
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The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
Labour's border chaos is fuelling public fury and fear as dangerous foreign offenders vanish into thin air
Labour's not smashing it IT is little more than a year since Labour came to power promising to smash the people-smuggling gangs. Instead they have smashed the economy — with inflation up, unemployment up and business confidence at a record low. The only significant growth is in the number of illegal migrants coming here in small boats. Already over 25,000 have arrived this year — a 50 per cent rise on the 2024 figure by this stage, which was shocking enough. That number is dwarfed by the UK's astonishing 700,000 population increase in just a year — almost entirely due to legal immigration — which itself is utterly unsustainable. The arrival of thousands of mostly undocumented illegal migrants is symptomatic of just how badly Britain has lost control of its borders. It's not just the millions of pounds it costs taxpayers every day to shower the migrants with handouts and put them up in hotels, nor the fact that so many of them find black market jobs. Most of the arrivals are young men of fighting age — yet the authorities seem to have little idea who they are, even if they end up in court. National emergency We discovered earlier this week that the number of foreign sex offenders and violent criminals in prison in England and Wales is at a record high, and that 40 per cent of people charged with sex attacks in the capital were foreign nationals. Now we learn foreign criminals are simply walking free mid-trial and disappearing under false names because of a dangerous 'disconnect' between prosecutors and immigration enforcement. It is little wonder that people — not least mothers — worry about migrant hotels on their doorsteps, or that protests are growing, or that polls show immigration is the number one issue concerning voters. So what is the Government doing about this national emergency? Reform UK's rising star Laila Cunningham It seems to have no plan, beyond a sketchy one-in-one-out deal with France and setting up a spy unit to track anyone on social media discussing anti-migrant sentiment or two-tier justice. While Britain continues to house soaring numbers of uninvited guests in four-star hotels, America has seen a massive drop in illegal border crossings because tough detention centres and deportations await those who do. President Donald Trump has shown the problem CAN be tackled, if only the political will exists. The Government, which ditched the Rwanda scheme — the only viable deterrent — as its first act in power, has shown precious little will so far. It's about time Sir Keir Starmer realised the urgency of the situation... and started taking tough action of his own. 1
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Trump fires labor statistics chief hours after data showed jobs growth slowed
Donald Trump fired of the federal government official in charge of labor statistics, hours after data revealed jobs growth stalled this summer, prompting accusations that he is 'firing the messenger'. The US president claimed that Erika McEntarfer, commissioner of labor statistics, had 'faked' employment figures in the run-up to last year's election, in an effort to boost Kamala Harris's chances of victory. Trump later claimed: 'Today's Jobs Numbers were RIGGED in order to make the Republicans, and ME, look bad'. He produced no evidence for these allegations, and insisted that the US economy was, in fact, 'BOOMING' on his watch. But Friday's employment figures told a very different story, and raised questions about the state of the labor market since Trump's return to office. 'We need accurate Jobs Numbers,' he wrote on Truth Social. 'I have directed my Team to fire this Biden Political Appointee, IMMEDIATELY. She will be replaced with someone much more competent and qualified.' McEntarfer was contacted for comment. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) confirmed in a brief statement that she had been dismissed. William Wiatrowski, the agency's deputy commissioner, will serve as acting commissioner. Trump's abrupt announcement came as administration officials scrambled to explain a lackluster employment report. Not only did jobs growth fail to meet expectations in July, but previous estimates for May and June were revised significantly lower. The president was promptly accused of trying to hide accurate statistics. 'Trump is firing the messenger because he doesn't seem to like jobs numbers that reflect how badly he's damaged the economy,' said Lily Roberts, managing director for inclusive growth at the Center for American Progress, a thinktank, said. 'Politicizing our country's collection of data on what's going on in the economy … will make it harder to create an economy that makes sure everyone has a good job,' added Roberts. 'Borrowing from the authoritarian playbook fuels more uncertainty that will cost Americans for years to come.' Paul Schroeder, executive director of the Council of Professional Associations on Federal Statistics, described the president's allegation as 'very damaging and outrageous', adding: 'Not only does it undermine the integrity of federal economic statistics but it also politicizes data which need to remain independent and trustworthy. This action is a grave error by the administration and one that will have ramifications for years to come.' McEntarfer is a widely respected economist and veteran employee of the federal government. She previously worked at the US Census Bureau under George W Bush and at the US census bureau under Barack Obama, Trump and Joe Biden. Sign up to This Week in Trumpland A deep dive into the policies, controversies and oddities surrounding the Trump administration after newsletter promotion In January 2024, before McEntarfer's confirmation for her current post by the US Senate, her nomination was backed by four former BLS commissioners. In a letter also signed by organizations including the American Statistics Association and a string of senior economists, they said there were 'many reasons' to confirm McEntarfer as commissioner of labor statistics, citing her 'wealth of research and statistical experience'. She was ultimately confirmed by a vote in the Senate, with 86 votes cast in favor and eight against. Gene Sperling, chair of the national economic council under Bill Clinton and Obama, and who worked as an official under Biden, said he expected Trump to 'destroy the credibility' of economic data when his administration suffered its first bad jobs report. 'Now: first bad job report, and he just fired BLS head over absurd claims of bias,' Sperling wrote on X, formerly Twitter. Trump's decision to fire McEntarfer was 'outrageous but not surprising', said Julie Su, former acting US labor secretary under Biden. 'He hates facts, so he blames truth-tellers.' The US 'needs and deserves trustworthy economic data', added Su. 'This is a pathetic attempt by the president to gaslight everyone about the consequences of his disastrous economic policies.'
The Guardian
3 hours ago
- The Guardian
Victorians could soon have the right to work from home two days a week under Australian-first laws
Victorians could soon have a legal right to work from home two days a week, under proposed Australian-first laws to be introduced to parliament by the state Labor government in 2026. The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, will use Labor's state conference on Saturday to announce the proposal, which, if passed by parliament, would make the state the first in the country to legislate the right to work remotely. Allan will tell party faithful if a job can reasonably be done from home, employees would have the legal right to do so for at least two days a week. The law would apply to both public and private sector workers, though how it would be enforced and other specifics were not outlined ahead of her speech. In a statement, the premier said that working from home was popular, it saved families money, cut congestion and allowed greater workforce participation, particularly among women with children, carers and people with a disability. Sign up: AU Breaking News email 'Work from home works for families and it's good for the economy,' Allan said. 'Not everyone can work from home, but everyone can benefit.' The announcement sets the stage for a political fight in the lead-up to the November 2026 state election, given the Coalition opposition has previously signalled plans to return the public service to the office full-time. The shadow treasurer, James Newbury, told the Herald Sun in February that the government 'should be requiring public servants to work from the office' but stopped short of confirming whether the Coalition would enforce a mandate. The issue was also a flashpoint at the recent federal election, with Peter Dutton forced mid-campaign to reverse a policy to restrict work from home arrangements for public servants due to public backlash. Allan's statement said consultation on the legislation would be led by the Department of Premier and Cabinet and would cover the types of businesses and the size of businesses that would be included, as well as the definition of remote work and who was able to do it. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion It stressed the consultation process 'won't determine whether working from home should be a right' as that position had already been decided. Instead, it would focus on 'the appropriate laws to reflect it'. It said 'several legislative options were available'. Allan will be left to rally the room of 600 Victorian Labor delegates, with the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, unable to attend as he will be at the Garma festival in the Northern Territory. It will mean the deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, will be the most senior party figure at the two-day event and placed in an uncomfortable position as delegates vote on a review of the Aukus submarine deal he has strongly backed. Other urgency resolutions up for debate include a call for the federal government to immediately recognise a Palestinian state and impose sanctions on Israel, rejection of the Allan government's proposed protest laws – described as 'anti-democratic and regressive' – and for all 44 public housing tower sites slated for redevelopment to remain in public hands.
