By Julian Bajkowski Federal public servants are steeling themselves for a wide-ranging Commission of Audit by an incoming Tony Abbott Coalition government as the Prime Minister Elect prepares to come good on his election promise to cut down on wasteful and inefficient expenditure. Having received the incoming government brief from the public service known as […]
10 September, 2013
By Julian Bajkowski Councils and local governments across Australia are digging in for a battle to try and keep $150 million of federal infrastructure funding promised under the Regional Development Australia Fund (RDAF) after the Coalition refused to guarantee the money if it wins government. The Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) on Friday upped the […]
6 September, 2013
By Julian Bajkowski Opposition leader Tony Abbott has sought hose down rising fears that between 20,000 and 30,000 federal public service jobs will ultimately be axed in a repeat of Howard-era mass public service sackings in Canberra, taking to national radio on the ABC to pledge that only 12,000 jobs will go. Mr Abbott told […]
5 September, 2013
By Paul Hemsley Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has made an ambitious bid to get Labor’s trailing electoral fortunes back on track on the East Coast by pitching the big-picture infrastructure vision of High Speed Rail against Tony Abbott’s smaller target Paid Parental Leave scheme as a better use of taxpayers money. Mr Rudd yesterday committed […]
27 August, 2013
By Julian Bajkowski The Australian Fleet Management Association (AFMA) has intensified its campaign against Canberra’s removal of longstanding concessions for new car buyers under the Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT) regime, warning the changes could undermine both fleet and road safety. The national group, which represents both fleet buyers and sellers, says surveys it conducted during […]
22 August, 2013
By Julian Bajkowski The saying goes that all politics is local and Queensland Minister for Local Government Community Recovery and Resilience, David Crisafulli is clearly a believer. The man put in charge of deconstructing the former Labor government's deeply unpopular policy of welding local governments together has wasted no time in reminding his state’s councils […]
8 August, 2013
By Julian Bajkowski The Queensland government has moved swiftly to punish multinational technology and services vendor IBM over the $1.2 billion software disaster that crippled the state’s health department payroll for months by immediately banning the company from securing any more deals. The move to ban IBM from further public sector work in Queensland represents […]
7 August, 2013
By Julian Bajkowski The Rudd government has announced that cornerstone research and development body National Information and Communications Technology Australia (NICTA) will get a further $42 million in funding over 2015 to 2016 as Labor moves quickly to press home its perceived electoral advantage on technology and skills development. Minister Assisting for the Digital Economy, […]
7 August, 2013
By Staff Writers The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) in New South Wales has found that former state Labor powerbroker Eddie Obeid and mining minister Ian MacDonald engaged in corrupt conduct in relation to the creation of the Mount Penny mining tenement in the Bylong Valley. At the conclusion of a marathon investigation that has […]
1 August, 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 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 Paul Hemsley The internet might deliver news and events in close to real time but it looks like Australia’s fast moving political landscapes can even outrun the world’s biggest search engine. After a tumultuous 12 hours that had Kevin Rudd topple Julia Gillard as Labor leader and reinstalled as Prime Minister, Google is apparently […]
27 June, 2013End of content
No more pages to load
Roger Buhlert on: Revenue NSW automated debt recovery ‘unlawful’, ombudsman finds
Ron. Ismay. on: New laws introduced to clean up local government
Helen Ciampa on: New laws introduced to clean up local government