With only weeks left until the federal election, Labor is still silent on the detail of its so-called Forward With Fairness policy as they desperately try to manufacture a political stunt.
Speculation on the detail continues as more evidence has emerged today that the Labor Party will revise its position on AWAs for people earning more than $100,000 per year.
One Labor MP has foreshadowed an announcement that Labor will retain AWAs for high income earners. The final detail being haggled over is simply whether the $100,000 threshold is the base salary or whether it will include overtime.
These claims support the conclusive proof that emerged last week that Kevin Rudd had sidelined Julia Gillard and was holding secret meetings with business leaders.
Kevin Rudd has provided undertakings to business that they will accommodate AWAs and review Labor’s policy on the construction watchdog.
Despite these reports, Julia Gillard as recently as yesterday again confirmed that Labor would not allow AWAs - that Labor saw no role for individual statutory agreements.
Even if Julia Gillard is going to be forced to eat her words by making a version of AWAs available to a very small fraction of working Australians, Labor’s announcement will be nothing more than a political stunt.
It will only prove that Kevin Rudd is too weak to stand up to the unions.
Only 1.6 per cent of all employees, on any sort of individual contract (AWAs or common law contracts), earn $98,800 or more. Why open the door to all of the benefits of AWAs to just the very few earning six figure salaries?
By allowing AWAs for some, the Labor Party will leave behind those they claim to represent.
Back in May, Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard said they would announce details of their policy, namely the transition arrangements for AWAs and the ABCC, ;in several weeks time”. Over three months have passed and again yesterday Labor said they would announce the details “well before the election”.
It’s now weeks before the federal election. Time’s up.
For further information contact:
Emma Needham 0400 334 091
August 23rd, 2007
Sixteen innovative young men and women from across Australia will hone their business talents by participating in the Australian Government’s Enhancing Entrepreneurial Skills Course.
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Sussan Ley, today announced the names of successful applicants for the course, to be held in Melbourne from 10 13 September 2007.
“Participants come from across the supply chains of a range of industries including pork, horticulture, cattle, seed production and agribusiness,” Ms Ley said.
“We have selected a group of 18-35 year old budding entrepreneurs who are enthusiastic about growing their businesses through innovation. This course aims to help young Australian farmers and business people to recognise opportunities and adopt a market-driven approach to their business.
“Participants will explore the big picture of their operating environment and supply chain, as well as the fundamentals of growing their business, developing markets and putting new ideas into action.
The course builds on the success of the first Course that was held in May 2007. Graduates of that course reported that they have more confidence and know-how to build their business and explore and exploit opportunities.
“By blending and sharing their diverse skills and experiences, participants get unique insights into challenges and opportunities that extend beyond their own businesses and industries to the entire agricultural sector,” Ms Ley said.
Further information about the course is available by calling (02) 6272 3292 or by visiting www.yarn.gov.au
Details of the participants in the Enhancing Entrepreneurial Skills Course follow.
Background information:
QUEENSLAND
Natasha Dunne, 27 – Rockhampton, QLD
In 2003, Natasha established Harvest Hotline Australia Pty Ltd (Hha), a recruitment and contracting company dedicated to servicing primary industries, now specialising in harvest recruitment. The business aims to provide an efficient, cost effective solution to all workforce needs so the client’s business can run smoothly. In 2005, Natasha won the Australian Institute of Management Young Business Manager of the Year (Rockhampton Region).
Susan Gleeson, 32 – Brisbane, QLD
Susan is the proprietor and general manager of Farm Gate Training, a registered training organisation. Through her business, Susan has helped workers in the beef, feedlot, poultry, pig, water catchment, lamb, wool and equine industries to enhance their skills so they can continue to successfully contribute to the rural sector. Susan is a member of the Queensland Rural Women’s Network, Regional Women in Business and Australian Women in Agriculture.
David Graham, 27 – Goondiwindi, QLD
After working extensively in Agriculture since 1996, David began farming in his own right in October 2006 as a leaseholder of a Grain/Sheep enterprise in South Western Queensland. His ambition is to have his property, and the Dorper Cross Prime Lambs he produces, organically certified. To ensure viability of his business, David took off-farm work as a TV personality to raise awareness of the effects of drought and the need to connect farmers to city dwellers. Recently, David was a keynote speaker at an Agforce Youth Forum where he launched his nationwide home-delivered ‘Farmer Dave Lamb’ brand.
Michael Lyons, 33 – Charters Towers, QLD
Michael is a manager of Wambiana Station which runs up to 3,000 head of cattle. He also plays an integral role in the on-property tourism business which hosts up to 1,000 American high school students annually, providing them with an authentic Australian Outback Experience. Michael is active in supporting the rural community through the North Queensland Beef Research Committee, as President of Upper Burdekin Progress Association and is a member of AgForce.
Ross Newman, 28 – Mareeba, QLD
Ross is a manager at Southedge Seeds, a privately owned company which is recognised as a market leader in the tropical pasture industry in Australia. Ross implemented a domestic marketing plan that has increased company wholesales by 150% in two years and he has since been offered a partnership in the business. During this time, the business has also commercialised a fully patented seed treatment process that is new to the international and domestic tropical seed market.
James Walker, 27 – Longreach, QLD
James is the manager at Wakefield Grazing, a family based primary production enterprise that owns and runs two grazing properties in Central Western Queensland. His recent achievements include managing the first major consignment of sheep for live export from Queensland and receiving a bursary to attend and speak at a State Landcare Conference. James has also contributed to a state wide DVD launch for conservation, land care and property development in Queensland.
NEW SOUTH WALES
Drew Braithwaite, 26 – Griffith, NSW
Drew is the owner and manager of Braithwaite & Co, a mixed irrigation family farming operation that produces rice, wheat, canola, cattle and sheep. Activities are complementary and ensure maximum return per mega-litre of water. Drew’s key achievements include the expansion of the business to achieve economies of scale, and the implementation of new flood irrigation systems.
Damien Cofield, 31 – Corowa, NSW
Damien is a general manager and winemaker at Cofield Wines. His achievements as General Manager include an expansion of the business and increased direct sales following a review of the business sales plan. Cofield Wines was a co-founder of “Young Bloods of Rutherglen”, a promotional group which has increased consumer awareness of events, activities and produce in their region.
Joshua Curry, 34 – Quandialla, NSW
Joshua is a Director of Bland Agricultural Services and partner in the family farming business, Curry Partnership. Joshua and his wife established Bland Agricultural Services two years ago, an agribusiness designed to give local growers a complete service for dryland cropping from “Seed to Silo”. This includes providing agronomy advice and a full cropping contracting service.
Adrian Maguire, 22 – Grose Vale, NSW
Adrian is the manager of Enniskillen Orchard and has helped change its business focus from strictly primary production to retail and tourism. This has included developing a café, themed herb garden and conducting group tours of the farm. Adrian sees water supply as a current challenge facing their business and is working to address this through the design of an “Irrigation Drainage Management Plan”, including water recycling and wetland filtration.
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Mark McLean, 32 – Waikerie, SA
Over the last eight years, Mark has been the farm business manager for Riverhaven Enterprises. While being actively involved in expanding the pig farm, Mark has also developed a premium boutique brand of olive oil that has already won many awards throughout Australia and is sold through a national retail supermarket chain. In 2006, Mark was awarded the Environmental Stewardship Award for South Australia from Australian Pork Ltd.
James Robertson, 34 – Renmark, SA
James is the Pastoral Manager at Robertson Chowilla Pty Ltd just out of Renmark on the River Murray. As Pastoral Manager, he has helped steer the company out of drought and into a stronger position, significantly increasing its sheep numbers and increasing lambing percentages. In the future, James would like to explore the potential of agri-tourism and organics on the property.
VICTORIA
Tim Kingma, 29 – Gunbower, VIC
Tim is a production manager at Gunpork Joint Venture. Since taking this position Tim has introduced a new in-house breeding program, one of the first attempted by a commercial farm. Tim’s management has contributed to a 10% improvement in production. In the future, Tim aims to increase the farrowing rate through improving genetics, nutrition, health and staff training.
David Nash, 33 – Longwarry, VIC
Over the last three years, David has been active in the stockfeed industry as a nutritionist supporting key domestic and international clients. Currently, David is a technical manager and nutritionist at Southern Cross Feeds where he has found uses for their waste product, converting it into pellets used by the stockfeed industry during times of drought. David is also a Director of the Australian Quarter Horse Association and a past Director of the Australian Paint Horse Association.
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Taraeta Nicholls, 29 – Trayning, WA
Taraeta, the owner of a mixed grain and sheep farm in Trayning, applied for and installed a salinity deep drain that is now being used as a national model. The deep drain has enabled her to crop land that has not been cropped for more than 40 years. Taraeta has begun to diversify the farm income with the creation of Aquarian Craft. Trading in an e-commerce environment, she has achieved exponential business growth and now supplies stock to several outlets.
Simon Shearing, 27 – Bruce Rock, WA
Simon is a manager on his family farm which runs merino sheep and produces wheat, barley, lupins and canola. One of his key achievements has been the introduction of a ‘minimum till’ seeding system and the incorporation of crop chemicals which have significantly increased crop yields. To ease the burden of heavy fuel costs, Simon has explored the option of bio-diesel using canola grown on the farm.
August 15th, 2007
A new free product, the Growing your business checklist, developed to help small business owners make their small businesses more successful, was launched today by Small Business Fran Bailey.
The Growing your business checklist covers many issues that small business owners need to know when growing their businesses, such as: exporting, innovation, obtaining finance, franchising, grants and assistance, legal help, recruiting staff and environmental management.
The Checklist, developed by the Office of Small Business in close consultation with small business owners, is free and downloadable at www.business.gov.au.
“Small business is booming in Australia. The number of employing small businesses has grown by more than 31 per cent since June 2003. The next step is to help these businesses grow to become even more successful,” Fran Bailey told small businesses at the Australian Car Wash Convention.
“Through this Checklist, the Australian Government is providing the most up-to-date information for small business owners to grow their business. By helping small business to grow, we can create more jobs and earn Australia more export dollars.
“This handy tool is yet another example of the Australian Government’s strong commitment to helping small business to grow and prosper.”
Co-owner of the Hand Wash Café, Chris Johns, congratulated the Australian Government on developing the Growing your Business Checklist, saying “this fantastic product will assist owners who are looking to improve their operations or take the steps towards growth,” Mr Johns said.
Australian Car Wash Association president, Greg Boston, said the “the Growing your Business Checklist is a clear demonstration of the Federal Government’s commitment to small business.”
Further information, please visit www.business.gov.au/checklist.
July 31st, 2007
Figures released today by the Hon Dr Sharman Stone MP, Minister for Workforce Participation, show that the number of people receiving unemployment benefits nationally fell by 28,906 people (5.3 per cent) between June 2006 and June 2007.
“There are 17,186 fewer long-term unemployed welfare recipients, a fall of 5.3 per cent. These are people who have been receiving income support payments for 12 months or more,” Minister Stone said.
Dr Stone said the drop in unemployment benefit recipients reflected the strong performance of providers of Australian Government employment services, which help people to move from welfare into work.
Between June 2006 and June 2007, the number of job seekers in New South Wales fell by 8.0 per cent (10,414), Victoria recorded a fall of 10.0 per cent (9,023), South Australia fell by 7.8 per cent (2,453), Queensland fell by 16.5 per cent (11,198), Tasmania recorded a fall of 9.2 per cent (1,224), in the Australian Capital Territory the number fell by 31.3 per cent (1,077), Northern Territory fell by 3.8 per cent (193) and Western Australia recorded a fall of 22.2 per cent (5,797).
“The Howard Coalition Government’s strong economic management has resulted in the generation of over 2.1 million (2 130 500) new jobs since March 1996, over half (1 230 000) of which have been full-time positions,” Dr Stone said.
The Job Network has helped over 645,500 people find a job in the twelve months to end June alone. Of these jobs, over 124,400 have been for young Australians, aged 20 years or less, 131 100 have been for mature aged job seekers (aged 45+ years) and 84,200 jobs have been found for Australians of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
As part of the $3.7 billion Welfare to Work package, the Howard Government is investing $1.9 billion to deliver greater employment services and other assistance, including rehabilitation, long- and short-term wage subsidies, funds to modify workplaces to meet the needs of people with disability, upskilling and training of job seekers, and additional child care places.
“These new figures reflect the success of the Howard Government’s approach to helping unemployed Australians to find a job and we are dedicated to ensuring this continues,” Minister Stone said.
July 26th, 2007
The Australian Government will contribute $2 million to the North Melbourne Football Club’s new club and recreation facilities, the Minister for the Arts and Sport, Senator George Brandis, announced today.
“The Australian Government’s contribution will hasten development of the Arden Street North Melbourne Recreation Reserve, resulting in improvements for the Kangaroos and their fans and the creation of a community sports hub,” Senator Brandis said.
Senator Brandis said the North Melbourne Football Club will give local users access to the new gymnasium, weight training facilities, as well as the new function and meeting rooms.
“The planned indoor basketball court may also suit the training needs of local football, netball and badminton teams and provide a venue for yoga and callisthenics classes,” Senator Brandis said.
“Linking these with the existing facilities at the North Melbourne Swimming Pool will maximise the range of sport and recreation activities available to the local community.”
The Australian Government will provide the funding in 2007–08 to allow completion of the building program ahead of the 2008–09 pre-season campaign.
The Australian Government’s contribution is subject to the AFL, City of Melbourne, Victorian Government and NMFC maintaining their respective commitments to the project.
July 9th, 2007
