Latest news with #Payman
The Australian
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Australian
Fatima Payman and Pauline Hanson in unlikely alliance over staffing allocation
Former Labor senator Fatima Payman has taken a swipe at Anthony Albanese and suggested his decision not to allocate her any personal staff was politically motivated, revealing she would consider supporting Pauline Hanson should the One Nation senator take the matter to the National Anti-Corruption Commission. The unusual alliance between the West Australian senator and the leading conservative in Queensland comes ahead of pushback from the Coalition and other members of the crossbench over the Prime Minister's discretionary powers in how staff are allocated, with expectations the matter will be raised in parliament next week. In June, after many weeks of consideration, Mr Albanese revealed he would be cutting staff from Labor and Coalition ranks. Government sources confirmed the Prime Minister had directed ministers to focus on hiring political operatives over public policy experts. However, the government's approach to the crossbench varied drastically for each party and independent. While some independents, such as Jacqui Lambie and David Pocock, received an adequate number of personal staff, others such as Senator Payman – who left Labor last year – did not. 'From the fourth of July 2024 I have not receive a single response to the letters and emails I've sent to the Prime Minister requesting the additional stuff that's given to all the other cross front senators,' Senator Payman said. 'It's really unfair to see that the Prime Minister would use discretionary power to his advantage of not allowing people like me, an independent senator, an independent voice for Western Australia, to truly represent my state without the resources.' Asked if she believed Mr Albanese had made the decision for political reasons – given her refusal to leave parliament and return the Senate spot to Labor – Senator Payman said 'everyone can read between the lines'. It comes as former 'preference whisperer' Glenn Druery, who joined Senator Payman's staff after she resigned from the Labor Party, announced his resignation. Mr Druery – who will focus on a memoir spanning his 26 years in politics – said he was leaving on positive terms with Senator Payman, citing frustrations with the makeup of the 48th parliament as a factor in his decision. 'I am not your typical staffer. I'm a negotiator. I create opportunity, that's what I've always done,' he said. 'It's very difficult to do that. I shouldn't say it's impossible, but it's very difficult given that the Greens have the balance of power, the rest of the crossbench, I shouldn't say they're not irrelevant, but it's very difficult.' The staffing stoush came on the second official sitting day of the 48th parliament and first question time of the term, with matters including Labor's superannuation tax proposal and childcare safety bill a key focus. Along with the decision not to allocate Senator Payman any personal staff, Senator Hanson was told her party would be assigned a 'pool' of four staff. This was drastically different to the previous term, when Senator Hanson had been assigned two staff members, as had her Senate colleague Malcolm Roberts. The allocation effectively halved One Nation's senator-staffer ratio, given the two newly elected One Nation senators brought the party's total number to four in the upper house. In a letter to Mr Albanese and Special Minister of State Don Farrell, Senator Hanson blasted the 'distress' caused to her staff by the allocation matter and the fact the Parliamentary Workplace Support Service had emailed Senator Roberts' two staff members on Monday informing them their contracts had been terminated. Senator Hanson demanded answers over the move by PWSS and declared 'there is a high likelihood of discrimination being applied' by the Labor leader. 'This process flies in the face of best practice and the requirements of all Fair Work advice regarding reasonableness and consultation and due diligence on mental health and wellbeing,' she said in the letter, seen by The Australian. The government has defended its position on staffing allocation, citing the fact it was 'routine practice to revise staff allocations in a new parliamentary term'. 'Staffing allocations are made based on a range of considerations, including demonstrated need and individual circumstances,' a Labor spokesman said. Education Australia's $90bn education system faces a stark reality check as NAPLAN results show students from poor families and regional schools are falling further behind top-performing students in the cities. Politics Communications Minister Anika Wells will announce YouTube's inclusion in Labor's social media ban for under-16s, reversing a prior exemption and paving the platform to threaten a High Court challenge.
Sydney Morning Herald
7 days ago
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Acting like a medieval king': PM faces multiparty push on staffing
Every MP is also allocated five electoral staff, who typically deal with constituency matters, media and stakeholders rather than legislation. The government gave every MP an extra electoral staffer in the previous parliament. The Coalition joined the outcry over staffing allocation independence – long made by others in the parliament, including crossbenchers Lidia Thorpe, David Pocock and Jacqui Lambie, who avoided cuts this time – when its own allocations were slashed last month. A government spokesperson said Labor had also had its staff reduced this term, though they did not say by how many. 'At the start of this parliamentary term, personal staffing allocations have been reduced for the government, opposition and the Greens,' they said. The government has previously said the opposition has little right to criticise Albanese's decision to cut its staff because it had planned to cut public service jobs if it won. Staffing for the opposition is typically set relative to the government, which would have given it more staff between fewer MPs because Labor won so many seats at the election. Australia's Voice senator Fatima Payman, who defected from Labor last term, said she was the only senator without personal staff, despite repeated requests to the prime minister for more resources. Payman attempted to establish an inquiry into staffing on Thursday – a move she said had broad support including through 'a very unlikely alliance' with One Nation, whose staff remained the same despite adding two more senators – into how the prime minister decided to allocate staff, but it failed at the last moment, 34 votes to 29. 'An hour before I got onto my feet, my team received notice that the Greens won't be backing it,' she said. 'Now it begs the question, what kind of dirty deal was made that they pulled out last minute? '[The Greens] talk a big game on transparency and integrity, and this is when it mattered most because we would have been able to investigate what's really going on, and you back down. Why?' Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young said her party was waiting for an independent review of MP staffing from the Parliamentary Workplace Support Service before considering alternative interventions. The review will examine parliamentary workloads and make recommendations on broad resourcing allocations and support services for offices. 'Australians want politicians to focus on the issues impacting the community, not on ourselves or the trimmings of elected office,' Hanson-Young said. The 2021 Jenkins review into parliament's toxic culture found stressed and overworked employees were a risk factor for inappropriate behaviour and a negative work environment. Payman said she did not have the resources to represent such a large state on every issue, her staff were working 15- to 16-hour days, and they weren't paid appropriately.
The Age
7 days ago
- Politics
- The Age
‘Acting like a medieval king': PM faces multiparty push on staffing
Every MP is also allocated five electoral staff, who typically deal with constituency matters, media and stakeholders rather than legislation. The government gave every MP an extra electoral staffer in the previous parliament. The Coalition joined the outcry over staffing allocation independence – long made by others in the parliament, including crossbenchers Lidia Thorpe, David Pocock and Jacqui Lambie, who avoided cuts this time – when its own allocations were slashed last month. A government spokesperson said Labor had also had its staff reduced this term, though they did not say by how many. 'At the start of this parliamentary term, personal staffing allocations have been reduced for the government, opposition and the Greens,' they said. The government has previously said the opposition has little right to criticise Albanese's decision to cut its staff because it had planned to cut public service jobs if it won. Staffing for the opposition is typically set relative to the government, which would have given it more staff between fewer MPs because Labor won so many seats at the election. Australia's Voice senator Fatima Payman, who defected from Labor last term, said she was the only senator without personal staff, despite repeated requests to the prime minister for more resources. Payman attempted to establish an inquiry into staffing on Thursday – a move she said had broad support including through 'a very unlikely alliance' with One Nation, whose staff remained the same despite adding two more senators – into how the prime minister decided to allocate staff, but it failed at the last moment, 34 votes to 29. 'An hour before I got onto my feet, my team received notice that the Greens won't be backing it,' she said. 'Now it begs the question, what kind of dirty deal was made that they pulled out last minute? '[The Greens] talk a big game on transparency and integrity, and this is when it mattered most because we would have been able to investigate what's really going on, and you back down. Why?' Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young said her party was waiting for an independent review of MP staffing from the Parliamentary Workplace Support Service before considering alternative interventions. The review will examine parliamentary workloads and make recommendations on broad resourcing allocations and support services for offices. 'Australians want politicians to focus on the issues impacting the community, not on ourselves or the trimmings of elected office,' Hanson-Young said. The 2021 Jenkins review into parliament's toxic culture found stressed and overworked employees were a risk factor for inappropriate behaviour and a negative work environment. Payman said she did not have the resources to represent such a large state on every issue, her staff were working 15- to 16-hour days, and they weren't paid appropriately.
Sky News AU
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Australia's Voice leader and former Labor senator Fatima Payman calls on government to be transparent about TikTok's influence on social media ban
Australia's Voice leader and former Labor senator Fatima Payman has called on the federal government to be transparent about whether TikTok lobbyists pressured it to ban YouTube for kids. On Wednesday, revealed that the office of Communications Minister Anika Wells had an 'introductory' meeting with TikTok representatives after the Minister took over from Michelle Rowland in May, who now serves as Attorney-General. Since then, reports emerged that Minister Wells would ban YouTube for kids, a key TikTok demand. Senator Payman, who left the Labor Party in 2024, has now asked if the Chinese-owned and controlled company pressured the minister for a YouTube ban, calling on the government to come clean over the details. She said Minister Wells should explain why the company, which is banned from government devices, liaised with officials prior to the government reconsidering its initial commitment to exempt YouTube from the social media ban. "If this report is correct, it raises extremely important questions about the government's susceptibility to lobbyists and possibly the Chinese government," Senator Payman said in a statement. "It's a bit of a coincidence that the Prime Minister initially backed YouTube's exemption from the ban, but then backflipped following this meeting and in the run-up to an extensive Prime Ministerial trip to China. "Is this all related? We don't know because the minister is not responding to questions from the media. So I want some answers." Senator Payman then questioned whether Chinese business interests were "dictating government policy". "I have been against this from the beginning, and the government's approach has been all over the shop," the senator said. "This social media ban is fundamentally flawed. "If we want to protect our kids online we need real solutions that are practical and evidence based, and not just designed for headlines." Senator Payman quit the Labor Party in July last year following a disagreement with the Albanese government over its position on Palestine. She said it was not a matter she could compromise on, and opted to sit on the crossbench to represent Western Australia. According to the 2023 Senate Select Committee on Foreign Interference through Social Media, TikTok poses 'unique national security risks' to Australia, But even though the app was banned from government devices, Minister Wells' office met with TikTok representatives, arguing they were key 'stakeholders' in the social media ban legislation. asked Minister Wells to reveal which lobbyists met her staff on behalf of the Chinese owned company, and what was discussed. Minister Wells' office declined to share that information. Sky News understands that the minister was not present at the meeting.
Sky News AU
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Political rebellion erupts as Albanese government attempts to sneak YouTube into social media ban after laws passed
In an extraordinary post-legislative twist, an unlikely alliance of lawmakers have warned the Albanese government against attempting to quietly ban YouTube after its social media laws were already passed. After lobbying from Chinese-owned platform, TikTok, and eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, Communications Minister Anika Wells has backflipped on Labor's previous commitment to exempt YouTube from the under-16 social media ban. There have been reports that Ms Wells has already decided to add YouTube to the ban, which she has not publicly denied. The move has triggered backflash from an unlikely alliance across the political divide, including Australia's Voice senator Fatima Payman, Centre Alliance MP Rebekha Sharkie and One Nation leader Pauline Hanson. The diverse set of politicians has warned that the government appears to be pursuing post-legislative amendments, with little evidence to support any change. Ms Sharkie said the government was lumping YouTube in with interactive social platforms, like TikTok and Instagram, without proper scrutiny. 'This legislation was rushed through without the appropriate consultation and consideration,' Ms Sharkie told 'Now YouTube is being brought into the mix to be treated like any other platform under the legislation. But I don't think that's the right move. 'YouTube should not be included in the ban because it's different to other social media where people are actively interacting. (It's) used for information, education and instructional purposes.' Senator Payman also took aim at the government's handling of the policy, accusing it of relying on 'band aid' fixes and a chaotic rollout. 'I have been against this ban from the beginning, and the government's approach has been all over the shop,' Ms Payman said to 'This social media ban is fundamentally flawed. For instance, you don't necessarily need an account on YouTube to access most of the content. 'The government has previously acknowledged that YouTube is an educational resource, so we need to tread carefully and a blanket ban is not appropriate.' While Ms Payman expressed concern about YouTube's advertising model targeting children, she stressed that 'banning it entirely doesn't seem appropriate'. Ms Hanson, who rarely finds common cause with Ms Payman, echoed her criticisms, warning the government not to renege on the YouTube exemption. She said the law had been passed with a clear understanding YouTube would remain accessible and that 'the case has not been made' for changing that. 'It's the thin end of the wedge, with this Labor government and bureaucrats like Julie Inman Grant looking to monitor and control everything we see and do,' Ms Hanson said. 'This is obvious government overreach putting us on the path to communism… It has started with the kids under the guise of protecting them from bullies. 'It will end up with every Australian adult being forced to identify themselves whenever they want to do a simple Google search.' Ms Hanson added that YouTube remains 'an important resource for Australians, and particularly school children.' 'No matter what happens, I'm still going to let my grandchildren use YouTube. It's not the business of the government or Grant to determine what our children can see," she said. The backlash comes after the entire senate crossbench, along with Nationals Senator Matt Canavan and Liberal Senator Alex Antic, opposed the original bill in 2024. The law, set to take effect in December 2025, will ban under-16s from using social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat. Platforms failing to take 'reasonable steps' to verify users' ages risk fines of up to $50 million. Lobbying by TikTok and public pressure from Ms Inman Grant has prompted Ms Wells to reconsider the status of YouTube in the ban. TikTok, which is owned by Chinese tech giant ByteDance, has argued that exempting YouTube would be a competitive disadvantage for them. The company has employed Labor-aligned lobby firm Anacta Strategies to advise them on their government relations strategy. Sky News has confirmed that TikTok held meetings with Ms Wells' office — though the government has refused to disclose who attended or what was discussed. Ms Inman Grant, meanwhile, has publicly supported removing YouTube's exemption, but initially declined to release the full research behind her recommendation. That report — released after freedom of information requests were made — did not support her arguments for the ban, and the evidence 'may be subject to a range of biases'. Shadow communications minister Melissa McIntosh criticised the lack of transparency and said there were still no details on how the ban would be implemented. Despite the review, several educational content creators told they had been shut out of the consultation process. YouTube creator Shannon Jones, from the globally popular children's channel Bounce Patrol, said she had contacted the minister's office but received no response. 'I reached out… but haven't heard back… Everything is just being done so fast, like it's all being considered and decided in the space of a week,' she said. The government has not confirmed when a final decision will be made on YouTube's status.
