By Julian Bajkowski Canberra may well be celebrating its Centenary this year, but locals are weighing the prospect of the public service designer city being partly depopulated. As the election looms, the threat of bulk federal redundancies under a Coalition government has again increased in value as prime political currency among voters there. Senator for […]
30 July, 2013
By Julian Bajkowski Former Attorney General and Opposition Cabinet Secretary Philip Ruddock has accused the Labor Government of piling extra work onto intelligence and security agencies but not sufficiently resourcing them – while at the same time pursuing cosmetic exercises in rebranding. Speaking at the Digital Security Summit 2013 in Canberra on Thursday, Mr Ruddock […]
26 July, 2013
By Paul Hemsley Queensland Premier Campbell Newman has warmly welcomed a funding pledge from federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott worth up to $10 billion to flood-proof the state’s Bruce Highway should the Coalition win government at the next federal election. The flood-prone Bruce Highway is a major artery stretching 1,700km along the Queensland coast from […]
19 July, 2013
By Julian Bajkowski The chairman of the Coaltion’s deregulation taskforce, Senator Arthur Sinodinos, has outlined a raft of changes to how businesses sell into the federal government as part of a bid to lower the cost of doing business with Canberra. The Coalition is proposing to set up a central register of federal government suppliers […]
12 July, 2013
By Julian Bajkowski and Paul Hemsley Australian public sector fleet buyers are facing fresh uncertainty over the future of General Motors Holden’s domestic manufacturing operations Australia after the carmaker reportedly demanded another $265 million from the federal government in addition to the $275 million that Canberra has already committed to keep the Aussie icon’s factories […]
12 July, 2013
By Julian Bajkowski Coalition support for the ‘yes’ case in the referendum on Constitutional recognition for local government has edged one step closer to official collapse after Opposition leader Tony Abbott intensified his attack on the poll process amid growing internal pressure to withdraw bipartisan support. Speaking at a press conference in Whittlsea, Victoria, Mr […]
2 July, 2013
By Julian Bajkowski and Paul Hemsley Australia’s 565 councils and shires have been handed their third federal minister for Local Government in as many months on the back of an inevitable reshuffle following the second incarnation of Kevin Rudd as Prime Minister. Member for Ballarat, Catherine King has been elevated into Cabinet under a simplified […]
2 July, 2013
By Julian Bajkowski Legislation to make a local government referendum on 14th September has finally cleared the Senate amid a widening split in the Coalition that resulted in seven members of the Opposition cross the floor to vote against the bill and at least as many abstaining. The last minute bid to shoot down referendum […]
25 June, 2013
By Julian Bajkowski Opponents of Constitutional recognition for local government have accused the federal minister leading the multi-party push for a ‘yes’ vote of trying to buy the referendum result by giving $31.6 million to supporters and just $500,000 to opponents of direct funding for councils. Conservative dominated group ‘No Power Grab’ claims that the […]
18 June, 2013
Opinion: Nick Minchin For the third time in less than 40 years, the Federal Government is trying to persuade the Australian people that they should approve an amendment to the Australian Constitution relating to local government. The ALP, having failed in 1974 and 1988 to change the Constitution, is trying again at the 14 September […]
18 June, 2013
By Julian Bajkowski The electorally popular, multi-billion dollar Roads to Recovery program should be permanently funded and councils dealt into any new road-user charging schemes a pre-election list of demands issued by Australia’s peak body for local governments says. As the federal poll date draws closer, councils across the nation have put both sides of […]
18 June, 2013
By Paul Hemsley and Julian Bajkowski Local governments have come under direct pressure from Prime Minister Julia Gillard to use ratepayer’s money to buy Australian vehicles for their fleets to help keep the domestic car manufacturing alive – despite billions of dollars in government subsidies failing to keep factories at Ford and Mitsubishi operating. Ms […]
18 June, 2013
By Julian Bajkowski Opponents to a change in the Constitution that could give financial recognition to local government through a referendum at the 14th September federal poll have launched their official campaign with an attack by former Howard government minister Peter Reith on the Nationals leader in the Senate,. Barnaby Joyce. After months of sniping […]
3 June, 2013
By Julian Bajkowski Indefatigable Minister for Transport in New South Wales, Gladys Berejiklian, has again defied conservative critics of the state’s struggling public transport infrastructure and announced a big boost to Sydney’s revered but loss-making ferry services to finally make them more useful to commuters. The NSW government has finally unveiled its long-expected 20-year plan […]
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