Conscience votes on same-sex marriage legislation

In the last months of 2011 there was much media interest in the possibility of the Australian Labor Party and the Liberal Party allowing a conscience vote on the issue of same-sex marriage.

On 3 December 2011, delegates to the ALP national conference voted in favour of the amendment to the party platform moved by Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, allowing members a conscience vote on same-sex marriage (208 votes to 184). Members of the Left faction had argued strongly against treating same-sex marriage as a conscience issue. Delegates also agreed to change the definition of marriage (carried unanimously on the voices) by:

... amend[ing] the Marriage Act to ensure equal access to marriage under statute for all adult couples, irrespective of sex, who have a mutual commitment to a shared life. These amendments should ensure that nothing in the Marriage Act imposes an obligation on a minister of religion to solemnise any marriage.

The National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education and Care

Source: Victorian Government

The legislative arrangements for the introduction of the National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education and Care (NQF), which is to be phased in from 2012 to 2020, are almost complete. The Education and Care Services National Regulations, under the Education and Care Services National Law Act 2010, were made by the Ministerial Council for Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs on 9 December 2011. Western Australia is the only jurisdiction left to pass the National Law Act.

The NQF was agreed to by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) through the National Partnership Agreement on the National Quality Agenda for Early Childhood Education and Care. It will create a national system of regulation, quality assurance and standards for the early childhood education and child care (ECEC) sector, replacing the previous state and territory systems.

Draft Basin Plan and Environmental water

Image source: University of Sydney

The Murray Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) released the long-awaited Draft Basin Plan on 28 November 2011. The plan will be available for public comment until 16 April 2012. The MDBA also released a Socio-economic analysis of the plan, and a plain English summary, Delivering a healthy working basin, that is intended to put the ideas into a broader context. Criticism began almost as soon as the document went out.

But first, what is the purpose of the plan, and what does it propose?

International Migrants Day

In December 2000, the United Nations (UN) adopted a resolution noting the increasing number of migrants in the world and proclaiming 18 December to be International Migrants Day. Since then the UN has invited government and non-government organisations alike to celebrate International Migrants Day each year and to continue to work towards ensuring the protection of all migrants.

A bigger cabinet and more women in it


The new ministry to be sworn in today, with 22 cabinet members, is the largest cabinet since the second and third Whitlam Ministries (1972–75). When the Second Whitlam Ministry was sworn in, all 27 members of the ministry sat as members of the cabinet. During this period, and also between 1901 and 1956, there was no ‘inner cabinet’. The inner cabinet system was formally adopted by the Menzies Government on 11 January 1956 and has characterised all Governments since, with the exception of the Whitlam Government.

The other notable feature of the new ministry is its record number of five female cabinet ministers.

New autonomous sanctions against Iran

Image source: IAEA website

On 6 December 2011 the Australian Government announced its intention to impose additional sanctions against Iran, ‘targeting additional entities and individuals for their involvement in Iran’s ballistic missile and nuclear programs’.

This follows the introduction on 21 November by the governments of the United States (US), Canada and the United Kingdom (UK) of additional autonomous sanctions against Iran in response to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors’ report about the advancement of Iran’s nuclear research and development program.  

PNG parliament votes to allow reserved seats for women



Image source: United Nations Democracy Fund

In a historic vote, the Parliament of Papua New Guinea has passed a bill allowing 22 parliamentary seats to be reserved for women MPs. On 23 November 2011, the Equality and Participation Bill (or ‘Women’s Bill’) received 72 votes to two, with several members abstaining and some absent. PNG has had four women Members of Parliament since the country’s independence in 1975, and currently has only one woman MP—Dame Carol Kidu—who sponsored the Bill. In a recent ABC radio interview, the Queensland-born MP described the vote as ‘a real paradigm shift’ on the floor of the parliament, and noted that the years of campaigning for change had helped to raise public consciousness of women’s under-representation in the country’s parliament. In a nation where violence against women is endemic, Dame Carol cites international evidence to show that social issues gain priority when more women are involved in making laws. The PNG parliament must now pass enabling legislation that will determine the boundaries of the 22 electorates. The enabling legislation, still to be introduced, will require 73 votes or two-thirds of the parliament.

 

WA Fire Escape

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

Recently, a fuel reduction burn escaped from a national park and destroyed more than 30 homes in the Margaret River region in south-west Western Australia. This serves as a reminder of the risks in using low intensity burns of forest and bushland to reduce the fuel load so that future wildfires may be controlled.
The burn was started at a time of favourable weather but with forecasts of high temperatures and winds for a couple of days later. It was reported that the authorities made the decision to proceed with the burn because the area would pose a greater fire risk unless the fuel reduction burning program could be finished beforehand. They indicated that there was a backlog of forested areas with high fuel build-up and ‘once the fuels start getting old, like they are, and you have an escape, the consequences are much more significant.’

Disability employment in Australia and the OECD

Source: University of York

Accounting firm, PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC) has released a report outlining a series of principles that it believes should guide the implementation of the national disability insurance scheme proposed by the Productivity Commission. In the report, PwC cites statistics which indicate that Australia ranks 21st out of 29 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries in employment rates for people with a disability. It also highlights the fact that Australia is ranked 27th out of 27 OECD countries when it comes to relative poverty risk for people with a disability.

The first of these figures begs the question: Why does Australia perform so poorly relative to other OECD countries in terms of employment of people with disability? And, relatedly, are there any lessons to be learned from other OECD countries as to how this situation might be improved?

Are maths and science enrolments increasing?

Image source: RMIT University

In the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook the Government announced savings of $403.6 million over three years through a measure to increase the HECS amount for mathematics and science students from 2013. The increase will reverse the 2009 reduction in HECS which aimed at increasing enrolments in the science disciplines.

This post discusses the trends in enrolments following the 2008-2009 Budget measure.

Sibling rivalry: Baby Bonus and Paid Parental Leave

Image Source: wikimedia images

The Government has announced as part of the Mid Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO) that it will reduce the Baby Bonus to $5000 and freeze indexation of the payment for three years. Currently, the Baby Bonus is $5437 and indexed in line with changes to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) on 1 July each year.

The decision has been criticised by some as discriminating against 'stay at home' mothers because the Government did not also take savings from the Paid Parental Leave scheme. This post attempts to clarify the issues involved by briefly looking at the relationship between Baby Bonus and Paid Parental Leave.

Trafficking in Persons: a round up of recent Australian events.

Kay Chernush for the U.S. State Department

As we prepare to mark the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery on 2 December, it is timely to reflect on what has been a busy two weeks for all of those involved in Australia’s anti-trafficking efforts.

As reported an earlier FlagPost, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons, especially women and children, has been in Australia for a two week fact finding mission (17–30 November), which included meetings with Government and non-government agencies, public lectures in Sydney and Melbourne (see also here), and a Parliamentary Library Lecture in Canberra.

Progress towards transition in Afghanistan

Image source: Flickr

The Parliamentary Library has released a new publication—Australia's involvement in Afghanistan: revised facts and figures—which updates previously published material concerning Australia’s involvement in Afghanistan, (see FlagPost entries Australia’s military involvement in Afghanistan—update, 10 June 2011; Australia’s involvement in Afghanistan – frequently asked questions, 15 October 2010; Background Note Australia’s military involvement in Afghanistan since 2001: a chronology, 16 July 2010; and the Afghanistan section of the Anzac Day Kit).

UN Special Rapporteur Visits Australia

Dr Joy Ngozi Ezeilo, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons, especially women and children, is in Australia for a two week fact finding mission (17-30 November).

Special Rapporteurs are independent experts appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council (formerly the Commission on Human Rights) to investigate, monitor, and advise on human rights violations  –  world wide or in specific countries. In carrying out their mandate, the Special Rapporteurs undertake: country visits to study the situation on the ground and develop recommendations to better prevent or combat trafficking and protect the human rights of its victims; and take action on complaints about human rights violations against trafficked persons.

Dr Ezeilo, a human rights lawyer and professor at the University of Nigeria, took up her appointment as Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons in August 2008.  Since becoming Special Rapporteur, she has conducted official visits to Thailand, Argentina, Uruguay, Egypt, Japan, Belarus and Poland.

Electronic gaming machines: lessons from Norway

Image: Norwegian woods by Sara Den Rara (Flickr)

In recent months both sides in the contentious debate around mandatory pre-commitment (MPC)—where players would have to pre-set the amount they were prepared to lose on electronic gaming machines (EGMs)—have cited 'evidence' from Norway to support their respective arguments. As this Parliamentary Library Background Note explains, supporters of MPC have pointed to Norway to argue in favour of MPC. Meanwhile, those opposed to MPC, including those in the clubs industry, argue that the evidence from Norway shows that MPC won't work.

How can the same evidence be used to support opposite sides of the argument?

White Ribbon Day

The 25th of November is White Ribbon Day. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the White Ribbon Campaign, which aims to prevent violence against women and to create positive role models for men and boys. White Ribbon Campaign co-founder, Michael Kaufman explains that:

Wearing the ribbon is a public pledge never to commit, condone, nor remain silent about violence against women, and it is a call on governments and all institutions controlled by men to seriously address the issue.

This approach is based on the premise that men can play a positive role in helping to stop violence against women, and builds on the fact that most men are not violent.

Money Laundering in Australia

Source: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

The Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) recently published Money Laundering in Australia 2011, a consolidated picture of money laundering activity in Australia, key vulnerabilities and emerging threats. The report is drawn from Australia's first (classified) National Threat Assessment on money laundering, produced as part of the Commonwealth Government's Organised Crime Response Plan. 

Every year, crimes such as drug importation, fraud, people trafficking, migrant smuggling, corruption and theft generate large amounts of money, usually in cash. Money laundering is the processing of these proceeds of crime to conceal their illegal origin  -- turning "dirty" cash into "clean" money.  

Determining the ages of people smugglers

Introduction
It is the responsibility of the Australian Federal Police (AFP) to arrest and charge crew members alleged to have committed a people smuggling offence under the Migration Act 1958. These cases are then referred to the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions (CDPP) for prosecution. As at 30 June 2011, there were 304 people smuggling prosecutions involving organisers, captain and crew before the courts (CDPP, 2010–11 Annual Report, p. 84).

Between 1 January 2009 and 18 October 2011, 170 crew members and 4 organisers had been convicted of people smuggling offences (Senate Estimates, Attorney General’s portfolio, 18 October 2011, p. 68).

Any crew member determined by the AFP to be a minor (under 18 years of age) is not sent to an adult prison, but is usually removed (unless there are other factors involved that may lead to a conviction—see page 147 of the Attorney General’s portfolio Senate Estimates hearing on 18 October 2010 for further details).

Reducing elective surgery waiting times - is more money the answer?

Image source: State of our public hospitals 2009

Performance of public hospitals is rarely out of the news. Attention is often focussed on elective surgery waiting times or episodes of poor care. Recently there have been reports of ward closures in Victoria and the Tasmanian government has announced cuts to elective surgery in an attempt to balance the budget. Likewise, funding arrangements for hospitals are guaranteed to generate community debate, with more, not less, funding often proposed as the answer.

The most recent COAG Reform Council Progress Report presents a sobering, if not contradictory, view of public hospitals in Australia. This report is a high level examination of implementation of the Government’s reform agenda across a range of measures through COAG and National Partnerships Agreements. For hospitals, the report considered changes to hospital funding arrangements including the implementation of the activity based funding arrangements (ABF) and elective surgery waiting times. It also reflects on whether key reform indicators are being met and if progress is being made on key performance indicators.

What can be done about the growing cost of health care in Australia?

Source: Courier Mail

 The sustainability of Australia’s health system is becoming a key concern for Australian governments, along with those in many other advanced economies. But, with growing demand for high quality health care, an ageing population and rapid advances in medical technology, what can be done to keep a lid on health expenditure? This recently published Parliamentary Library Research Paper outlines the key mechanisms the Australian government has to control health care spending, and it proposes some potential options for reform.

 

In a recent speech on the sustainability of the health system, the Finance Minister, Penny Wong, highlighted the problem policymakers now face: health care expenditure is projected to continue to rise, but the pool of taxpayers is shrinking. According to The Treasury’s 2010 Intergenerational Report, health care will consume about two thirds of the projected increase in government spending over the next 40 years if current trends continue. Clearly, this is not going to happen because changes will be made. But what changes?

Queen's visit revives republican debate

Source: Wikimedia Commons

The recent trip to Australia by Queen Elizabeth II marked her 16th visit since 1954, when she was the first reigning British monarch to make the journey. The Queen is the Head of State of the United Kingdom and holds the symbolic position as Head of the Commonwealth. She is currently Head of State in 16 of the 54 Commonwealth member countries including Australia. Thirty-three Commonwealth countries (including the Fiji Islands which was suspended from the Commonwealth in 2009) have a republican form of government. Each of the remaining five member countries has its own monarch as head of state. The Queen is also the head of each of Australia’s six states, and she is represented in Australia by the Governor-General.

Addresses to joint meetings of the Australian Parliament

Source: Prime Minister of Australia

 Following an invitation from Prime Minister Julia Gillard, United States President Barack Obama will visit Australia on 16–17 November 2011 to coincide with the 60th Anniversary of the ANZUS Alliance. On 3 November 2011, the House of Representatives passed a motion to invite President Obama to address the House on 17 November 2011 and to invite Senators to attend the House as guests at a joint meeting of the Houses. President Obama's address will be the tenth occasion that a foreign Head of State or dignitary addresses the Australian parliament and will be the fourth US President to do so. Table 1 lists all addresses to joint meetings of the Australian parliament by Heads of State and foreign dignitaries.

Stalemate looms over closure of chronic disease dental scheme

Image: Dental Health Services Victoria

It is looking increasingly unlikely that the Government will move to close down the popular, but costly to the budget, chronic disease dental scheme (CDDS) before the end of the year. This is despite increasing pressure on the Government to meet its commitment to return the budget to surplus in 2012–13 and the subsequent savings closure of the scheme would deliver. During recent Senate Estimates hearings in October, the Secretary of the Department of Health and Ageing indicated that while it remains the government's intention to close the scheme, continuing opposition to its closure in the Senate means it is unlikely it will move to do so.

Parliamentary committee scrutiny of the Commonwealth Ombudsman—Private Member’s Bill

  

Source: Commonwealth Ombudsman
     2009-10 Annual Report

A Private Member’s Bill introduced on 1 November 2011 in the Senate by Australian Greens Senator Bob Brown seeks to bring the operation, functions and resourcing of the Commonwealth Ombudsman under the scrutiny of the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit. The Commonwealth Ombudsman is an independent statutory office established by the Ombudsman Act 1976 (Cth).

The Public Accounts and Audit Committee Amendment (Ombudsman) Bill 2011 follows the resignation of the former Ombudsman, Allan Asher, in late October 2011 over his provision of suggested questions to Australian Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young prior to the May 2011 Senate Budget Estimates hearings. In a statement to the Senate Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee at the October 2011 Supplementary Budget Estimates hearings, Asher indicated that his motivation for providing the questions to Senator Hanson-Young had been to raise concerns over resourcing of the Ombudsman’s office. On 2 November 2011 the Special Minister of State, the Hon Gary Gray, made a ministerial statement in relation to Asher’s resignation.

Australia's current spending on science research and development



Source: Mount Stromlo Observatory

 The awarding of the 2011 Nobel Prize for Physics to Professor Brian Schmidt, an Australian National University (ANU) professor of Astrophysics, for his role in the discovery that the universe is expanding at an accelerating rate, is a significant achievement not only for ANU but also for Australia. It is the first time in almost one hundred years that an Australian has won a Nobel Prize in Physics – William and Lawrence Bragg, a father and son team, were the last Australians to win a Nobel Prize for Physics in 1915 – and it is the sixth Nobel Prize to be won by an ANU researcher.

In light of this great achievement, it is pertinent to ask about the broader state of health of Australian science as measured by its funding. How much goes to science research and development (R&D) and is this level of funding adequate? This article will not address the question of adequacy of the current levels of R&D science funding, but instead examines Australia’s current and past R&D science expenditure, and what sectors of the economy provide the funding.

Parliamentary Library Vital Issues Seminar - The Australia-US alliance in the 21st Century: two perspectives

Source: Australian War Memorial

This seminar was held on 2 November 2011 and featured prominent analysts Professor Geoffrey Garrett and Professor Hugh White. Both speakers marked the 60th anniversary of the ANZUS alliance by examining current and future challenges for the ANZUS alliance in the context of United States–Australia relations and the Asia-Pacific.

The seminar was chaired by Mr Michael Danby MP.

Low Flying Kangaroo

The dispute between Qantas and unions can be seen in the context of Qantas’ attempts to remain viable in a highly competitive domestic and international aviation environment. This article examines some of the sources of these competitive pressures and the strategies that Qantas has adopted, or proposes to adopt, in responding to this environment. It finds that these strategies are broadly akin to those that Australian companies in other sectors have adopted when faced with similar circumstances.

A Handbook for the 43rd Parliament

The Parliamentary Library recently published the 2011 edition of the Parliamentary Handbook. The Handbook is a comprehensive guide to the 43rd Parliament. The biographical section includes details of the parliamentary service and political career of each Senator and Member, as well as some personal particulars. The Handbook also provides statistics on the age, length of service, qualifications and previous occupations of the current Parliament, together with data on the 2010 elections as well as a map of federal electoral divisions. Valuable lists and tables concerning the history of the Australian Parliament are provided, such as lists of Governors-General, Presiding Officers, Prime Ministers, Leaders of the Opposition, Ministers, Shadow Ministers and all Senators and Members since 1901. The Handbook also includes a copy of the Constitution, and detailed information on all referendums and plebiscites.

The Handbook can be used as a source document for questions such as:
Where can I get a list of Prime Ministers since 1901, with their terms of office?
Where can I find biographical information on MPs?
Who is the longest serving MP?
How many women MPs have there been since 1901?
Which MPs were born overseas?
Where can I find information on electorates?
What was the composition of the Senate in 1996?
When is the latest possible date for the next election?
How many referendums have been successful?

Full text of the Parliamentary Handbook can be accessed online, and hard copies can also be ordered from the Parliament Shop at $70 each.

Who's counting? Seven billion and growing

According to the United Nations (UN), the 31st of October 2011 is the day the world’s population officially reaches seven billion. However, it is not possible to absolutely calculate at which point in time the seven billionth person will be born. The US Census Bureau does not estimate the population reaching seven billion until February 2012, so the 31st of October is more symbolic. However, sometime in the very near future the world’s population will reach this milestone.

How many venues would be affected if mandatory pre-commitment is implemented in 2012?



ABC News Online

 A significant proportion of gaming venues will be exempt from the proposed reforms to electronic gaming machines (EGMs), at least until 2018. Mr Wilkie's proposal is for venues to introduce mandatory pre-commitment on high intensity EGMs or deploy low intensity machines which have been configured to limit losses to around $120 per hour (or a combination of the two). But the Joint Select Committee on Gambling Reform Committee Mr Wilkie chaired on the proposed mandatory pre-commitment scheme also recommended (see recommendations 39 & 40 of the Committee's report) that venues with 15 or fewer machines, and those in rural and regional Australia, be exempt from this requirement until 2018. This was in recognition that smaller venues may require special consideration and assistance regarding the implementation timeframe and costs.

Is counselling for pokie addiction an effective harm minimisation measure?

Source: ABC online

At a rally at the Canterbury RSL in western Sydney on Tuesday evening, the opposition leader Tony Abbott predicted a future Coalition government would rescind any legislation that introduces mandatory pre-commitment on electronic gaming machines (EGMs). Instead of mandatory pre-commitment, he suggested a greater focus on individual counselling for problem gamblers is needed.

Australia's record at the WTO

If success is measured by a win/loss record, then Australia has done remarkably well in the WTO dispute settlement system despite losing its recent appeal against New Zealand apple imports. Since the WTO dispute settlement system was created in 1995 Australia has been actively involved in 17 disputes in the WTO as a complainant and a defendant. Australia has won five of the seven cases it has prosecuted and lost three of the ten cases brought against it.

The hung Parliament: the first year

Image source: Wikimedia

On 7 September 2010 an agreement was formulated between the ALP, Rob Oakeshott and Tony Windsor which, together with other agreements, gave the Labor Party the support it needed to form a minority government. A major component of the agreement with Mr Oakeshott and Mr Windsor was an annex, Agreement for a Better Parliament: Parliamentary Reform, which was negotiated by the ALP, the Coalition and the independents. The Agreement for a Better Parliament identified a range of changes to House of Representatives procedure and practice, many of which were subsequently implemented through changes to the House of Representatives Standing Orders.

Strategic Review of the Student Visa Program

Image source: The University of Sydney

On 22 September 2011 the Government released the Strategic Review of the Student Visa Program 2011(the Knight Review), along with its response to the Review’s 41 recommendations.

The Review recommends making some significant changes to visa processing, and post-study work rights, for students in the university sector. It also recommends some minor changes to the student visa program across other education sectors, and to the integrity measures applied by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) in monitoring and enforcing student visa compliance.

The Government has responded positively to the Review’s recommendations, and announced some significant reforms to the student visa system.

A return to the Six-Party Talks?

Image sourced from: Joseph A Ferris III on Flikr

In diplomacy, as in comedy, timing is everything. Recent diplomatic signals suggest that the time for a return to the Six-Party Talks on North Korea's nuclear weapons program has arrived—even if the incentives of the participating countries do not match.

The Six-Party Talks, involving North Korea, South Korea, China, Russia, Japan and the United States, seek a negotiated end to the North Korean nuclear weapons program. The talks started in August 2003 and have been effectively stalled since 2008. Since that time, relations between the two Koreas have deteriorated, culminating in the March 2010 sinking of the South Korean naval vessel Cheonan and the November 2010 North Korean shelling of Yeonpyeong Island.

MPs’ wages fall relative to average wages

The Remuneration Tribunal’s current review of parliamentary remuneration is generating much public discussion and media comment. This FlagPost examines the growth in MPs’ basic salary (the annual allowance) against growth in average wages (as measured by male total average weekly earnings) over the last 40 years.

Since the 1970s the annual allowance for members of parliament has declined relative to the average wage. For instance in 1975 the annual allowance paid to an MP was nearly three times that of the average wage. In 2011 it was just over twice the average wage.

Much of the deterioration in the relative size of the allowance to average wages occurred during the 1970s and 1980s. This trend is illustrated by the following graph, in which the annual allowance and average wage have been converted into an index in real, that is, inflation adjusted terms.

Government's reponse to the deferring of medicines on the PBS

Image source: Department of Health, Victoria

The announcement by the Government earlier today that medicines previously deferred on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) will be listed on the PBS has been welcomed by the main stakeholder groups. Medicines Australia (MA), the Consumers Health Forum (CHF) and the Generic Medicines Industry Association (GMiA) have all been lobbying Government to reverse the deferral decision made in February this year. See here and here for background.

At the same time, the Government also released the ‘statement of principles of commitment between stakeholders.’ This sets out the short and medium term arrangements for the deferral of PBS medicines.

Affordability and access to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme

Image source: www.pbs.gov.au

Expenditure on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) grew by 9.3 per cent last year (to 30 June 2010). Growth in PBS expenditure (and other health care programs) and the subsequent pressure on growth in spending was noted in paper recently released by Senator Wong as background to the upcoming tax forum. Yet it is not only government that is feeling the financial pain. A recent study found that expenditure by consumers on prescription medicines trebled between 1991 and 2007. The Government has attempted to rein in PBS spending through the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) it signed with Medicines Australia and, controversially, the deferral of the listing of some medicines on the PBS.

Coal seam gas: should the gates be locked?

Coal seam gas! It’s controversial and in the news every day. Why has it suddenly become an issue? What is going on? The exploration for and development of coal seam gas (CSG) is a relatively new and small activity in Australia, but the size of the estimated CSG resource suggests that it could grow to become a major industry, and an important new energy export sector. But only if it can overcome some problems.

 

Industrial relations reforms: boosting labour productivity?

Business leaders are citing impediments caused by the Fair Work legislation as a significant limit on labour productivity:

Mr Argus (former BHP Billiton chairman) ... warn(ed) of a return to "the dark days of the 1970s" if labour market flexibility was not boosted. He said under the Fair Work laws, unions were resisting "management attempts to achieve efficiency"... Bureau of Statistics data shows little change in labour productivity growth under the Fair Work Act when compared to the period under Work Choices, while other measures of productivity have also weakened since 2000.( ‘Labor woeful on economic reform, says Argus’)

The aim of such criticism, at a minimum, would be to widen ‘prohibited content’ in the matters addressed in enterprise bargaining, yet Australia has witnessed two decades of national industrial relations reform to make enterprise bargaining the centrepiece of our industrial relations system. It is thus reasonable to ask what were the IR reforms and have these influenced labour productivity?

Health Insurance in Australia: time for a new debate?



Image: Department of Health, Victoria

 In July 2011 the Government re-introduced its Fairer Private Health Insurance Incentives legislation into the House of Representatives; for an overview of the history of this legislation, see here. The Bills have not yet been debated. The key changes proposed by this legislation are: a means-test on tax-funded rebates for private health insurance (PHI) for those on incomes above a specified threshold, and; a higher Medicare Levy Surcharge for people on high incomes who choose not to purchase PHI.

If passed, the legislation will mean that higher income earners will receive a lower or no tax-funded subsidy when they purchase PHI, and, if they choose not to purchase PHI, they will face higher tax penalties.

Not in New Zealand? Labour exploitation on foreign flagged fishing vessels.

Oyang 70 - Photo by New Zealand Defence Force

A Ministerial Inquiry is underway in New Zealand into the use and operation of Foreign Charter Vessels in New Zealand's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The review has been convened jointly by the Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture, the Hon Phil Heatley MP, and the Minister for Labour, the Hon Kate Wilkinson MP.  Its principal objective is to ensure that foreign owned and flagged vessels chartered by New Zealand companies: 

• Protect New Zealand’s international reputation and trade access
• Maximise the economic return to New Zealand from its  fisheries resources, and
• Ensure acceptable and equitable New Zealand labour standards are applied on all fishing vessels operating in New Zealand’s fisheries waters within the EEZ.

Commercial fishing in New Zealand is managed by a quota system, with all fishing quota owned by New Zealand companies.  Foreign Charter Vessels are foreign owned and flagged fishing vessels leased by a New Zealand company to fish in New Zealand's EEZ.  There are currently 26 such vessels (and around 2000 foreign crew) operating in New Zealand waters, flagged to the Republic of Korea, Ukraine, Japan and Dominica.  Foreign Charter Vessels account for approximately 40 per cent of the total commercial harvest under the quota management system; in 2009-10, the approximate total export revenue generated by their catch amounted to some NZ$274.6 million.

Government extends special Youth Allowance access to Inner Regional students

Image: University of the Sunshine Coast

The Government has announced that it will introduce legislation allowing students from inner regional areas to access independent Youth Allowance under the same rules that apply to students from Outer Regional, Remote and Very Remote areas.

This follows the Government’s release of a scheduled review of student income support reforms conducted by Professor Kwong Lee Dow (the Dow Review).

The Government brought forward the review by 12 months in response to concerns about access to income support by students in rural and regional areas. The Government has not accepted Professor Dow’s most contentious recommendation which is to remove the current special arrangements for young people from Outer Regional, Remote and Very Remote Australia and establish a single new self-supporting criterion for independence for young people.

Australia and the European Union: towards a Treaty-level partnership agreement



Image source: Australian National University

The President of the European Commission and former Portuguese Prime Minister, José Manuel Barroso, visited Australia on 4–7 September 2011 as a guest of the Australian Government. The last President of the European Commission to visit Australia was the former prime minister of Luxembourg, Gaston Thorn, in February 1982. Thorn came to Canberra during the Fraser Government’s last years, and his visit was remembered in the Australian press at the time by disagreements over agricultural issues.

Changes to the National School Chaplaincy Program

Image source: Victorian Government

As foreshadowed in a previous FlagPost, the Minister for School Education, Peter Garrett has announced changes to the National School Chaplaincy Program (NSCP). From 2012, the NSCP will be transformed into the National School Chaplaincy and Student Welfare Program. Schools will be able to employ ‘either a chaplain or a secular student welfare worker’ and tighter administrative controls will be introduced. This announcement appears to have appeased some of the NCSP’s proponents and addressed some of the concerns raised by its critics.

National Child Protection Week

Image source: UNICEF

 
The week beginning 4 September 2011 marks the start of National Child Protection Week. The Australian Government’s National framework for protecting Australia’s children 2009–2020 acknowledges that child abuse and neglect rates have ‘more than doubled over the past 10 years and the number of children subject to child abuse and neglect remains unacceptably high’. Globally, child protection issues are complex and the consequences for the world’s children of abuse, exploitation and neglect are immense.

Hendra virus

Hendra virus is in the news again. In the last month, the disease has struck in the Gold Coast hinterland and again in northern New South Wales. The Queensland and New South Wales governments have provided additional funding of $6 million over three years for further research.

Hendra virus can live in horses, bats, humans and, as recent events have demonstrated, dogs. This is a nasty virus. About 70% of horses who get the disease will die from it. Of even more concern is the fact that it has also proved fatal to people. Where did it come from, and what can be done about it?

Proposed Changes to Environmental Protection law

The principal federal environmental legislation over the past eleven years has been the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). In 2008 the then Minister for the Environment Heritage and the Arts, Peter Garrett, commissioned an independent review into the EPBC Act. The review was undertaken by an expert panel led by Dr Allan Hawke, and the report was tabled in Parliament on 21 December 2009. The review put forward 71 recommendations. The Australian Government has now released its response to the review on 24 August 2011. In a speech to the National Press Club, the Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, Tony Burke, outlined some of the more important aspects of this response.

Tampa: ten years on



Image source: Project Safecom



26 August 2011 marks the tenth anniversary of the beginning of what became known as the ‘Tampa incident’ where 433 asylum seekers were rescued from an Indonesian fishing boat by a Norwegian container ship—the MV Tampa. Australian authorities spotted the fishing boat during a routine surveillance flight and broadcast a call to ships in the area to render assistance even though the boat was within the Indonesian search and rescue zone. A five day standoff ensued between the Howard Government and the captain of the Tampa over where the rescued passengers were to be taken.

In a speech in Parliament on 29 August 2001, the Prime Minister made the Government’s position very clear:

It remains our very strong determination not to allow this vessel or its occupants, save and excepting humanitarian circumstances clearly demonstrated, to land in Australia, and we will take whatever action is needed—within the law, of course—to prevent that occurring.

The Opposition offered the Government its support for this position. However, this support did not extend to supporting legislation to enshrine the domestic legal basis for actions taken in relation to foreign ships within Australia’s territorial waters. The Bill was introduced, and passed in the House Of Representatives, on the same day that the Tampa entered Australian waters, but was rejected by the Senate the following day. Kim Beazley later complained that the Opposition had been ‘wedged’ and its reputation damaged over the issue.

The impasse was resolved when Australia reached an agreement with Nauru and New Zealand to take all of the people aboard the vessel for initial processing. The Tampa incident is outlined in detail in the final report of the Select Committee on A Certain Maritime Incident.

The Tampa incident has been characterised as the catalyst for the introduction of a new border protection policy in Australia that came to be known as the ‘Pacific Solution’. Under this policy 1637 asylum seekers, including most of those those rescued by the Tampa, were sent to Offshore Processing Centres in Nauru and Manus Island in Papua New Guinea.

What became of these people?

One hundred and fifty of the Tampa asylum seekers went straight to New Zealand for processing, and the remainder were sent to Nauru where the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) agreed to conduct refugee status determinations for them. According to the report on A Certain Maritime Incident processing claims began in late 2001 with the majority of decisions being handed down by June 2002. However, not all Tampa cases were resolved so quickly; in August 2004, three years after the incident, 22 Tampa asylum seekers remained on Nauru. By January 2005 these cases had been resolved and no asylum seekers from the Tampa remained on Nauru.

In January 2005, the UNHCR produced a media backgrounder, UNHCR Nauru case load Tampa, outlining the outcomes for the 424 Afghan, 3 Pakistani and 6 Sri Lankan asylum seekers from the Tampa. By January 2005, 186 of the Tampa caseload had returned to their country of origin, 1 had died on Nauru and the remainder (246) had been resettled, mostly in New Zealand. All 3 Pakistanis voluntarily returned; 4 out of the 6 Sri Lankans voluntarily returned, and 2 were resettled in Sweden. Of the 424 Afghans, 179 voluntarily returned following negative refugee status determinations, 1 died on Nauru, 208 went to New Zealand, 29 to Australia, 5 to Sweden and 2 to Norway.

Between 2001 and September 2003 a total of 1544 asylum seekers were accommodated under the Pacific Solution, with a peak population of 1515 in February 2002. By September 2003 there were only 335 remaining on Nauru (although there were later transfers of asylum seekers from Christmas Island in 2006 and 2007).

When the Rudd Government dismantled the Pacific Solution in February 2008, a ministerial press release noted that a total of 1637 people had been detained in the Nauru and Manus facilities. Seventy per cent were resettled to Australia or other countries. Of those, around 61 per cent (705 people) were resettled in Australia.
The conditions on Nauru and Manus Island attracted criticism, including from refugee advocates, journalists and Parliamentarians. The report of the inquiry into A Certain Maritime Incident outlined many of these concerns and noted that the Nauru site initially lacked water, sanitation or electricity with asylum seekers housed under harsh conditions. Evidence to the Select Committee suggested that the facilities on Manus were a slight improvement on those in Nauru; however, several asylum seekers contracted malaria.

Several witnesses to the Committee expressed concern about the lack of independent scrutiny, difficulty in obtaining access to the facilities, and an apparent lack of legal advice for detainees. Australian Lawyers for Human Rights told the Committee that when they sought to send a team of lawyers to Nauru to provide legal advice to asylum seekers the Nauruan Government refused them visas. The report also included comments by the UNHCR expressing concern that people who had been found to be refugees on Nauru and Manus were left in limbo while resettlement options were sought.

In 2007, a report by A Just Australia, A price too high: the cost of Australia’s approach to asylum seekers, outlined numerous concerns relating to the Pacific Solution, including the mental health impacts on asylum seekers, including serious psychological damage, people engaging in hunger strikes, and self-harm. The report also argued that the Pacific Solution was a costly and highly inefficient exercise and estimated the total cost was at least $1 billion.

Ten years on from Tampa, asylum seekers are again a major political issue in Australia. In the lead up to the 2010 election campaign Prime Minister Gillard announced plans to establish a regional processing centre for asylum seekers in East Timor. In the end no such centre eventuated, but negotiations with other countries to establish offshore processing have proved more successful. Just three years after the Pacific Solution was formally ended the Gillard Government is planning to reopen the facility on Manus Island, but so far has rejected calls by the Opposition to reopen the centre on Nauru. Instead, the Government has signed an agreement with Malaysia under which up to 800 asylum seekers who arrive in Australia by boat will be transferred there for processing. Ten years on from Tampa, processing of asylum seekers outside of Australia is once more the preferred solution to the ‘problem’ of boat arrivals.

Authored with Janet Phillips