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The Australian Services Union has criticised the federal government over its handling of a Services Australia procurement process, which it says will leave more than 600 call centre employees out of work in a matter of weeks.
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Services Australia-contracted Serco employees were told today that the company’s contract would end on 30 June. Most are award workers, while some are casual, with little to no termination entitlements.
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ASU Victorian private sector branch secretary Imogen Sturni said the decision would see workers unemployed in a fortnight:
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Most of these workers do not have the safety net provided by generous termination benefits and, even for those who will receive a minimal termination payment, two weeks’ notice is a pretty shoddy thing to do to them. It is the responsibility of government to ensure that its procurement processes do not have unreasonable adverse effects on workers.
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Sturni said ASU delegates had been advised that the decision would impact around 610 workers at Essendon Fields and Mill Park sites.
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She said the union was hoping that Serco would be able to reassign some workers to other jobs internally, but it was likely that positions would be limited and only temporary.
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A Services Australia spokesperson said it had conducted a competitive procurement process for a new supplementary call centre contract to provide services from 1 July 2023, and Serco had not been selected:
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We thank Serco for their support. They’ve provided services to supplement day-to-day operations and to help fill short-term requirements – particularly during business peaks and in the coronavirus pandemic.
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Serco is responsible for the arrangements of its staff. Services Australia has been actively recruiting for APS staff and has ensured contracted staff were encouraged to apply for job opportunities as they became available.
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Triple America’s Cup skipper and dual Australian Olympian Sir James Hardy has died in Adelaide aged 90, AAP reports.
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The yachtsman, vintner and community leader died peacefully yesterday.
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A member of the America’s Cup Hall of Fame, Hardy helped set the tone for Australia’s momentous and nation-building victory in the famous race.
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He skippered Australia’s America Cup challenges in 1970, 1974 and 1980 and was a key adviser for the Australia II crew, led by John Bertrand, that in 1983 ended the 132-year US dominance of the race. In a 2021 interview he said:
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Basically I was back-up skipper for Bertrand, and he did pinch a nerve in his neck and he was off the boat. I believe it was nine or 10 races.
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Known as “Gentleman Jim”, Hardy was made an OBE in 1975 and knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1981 for services to yachting and the community.
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Australian Sailing president Alistair Murray said:
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There will never be another Sir James. His contribution to the sport cannot be overstated. He was beloved by everyone he met and could not have given more of himself to driving the success of sailing in Australia.
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Personally, he was my hero, and I was proud to call him my friend. On behalf of Australian Sailing, I would like to share our sadness at the news and pass our condolences to his family and the many sailing friends he made along the way.
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Hardy competed in consecutive Olympic Games, Tokyo in 1964 and Mexico City in 1968.
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Australian Olympic Committee president Ian Chesterman said Hardy was a giant of his sport:
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James Hardy’s name is inextricably bound with the sport he loved over so many decades. He ignited Australia’s obsession with claiming the America’s Cup trophy, eventually achieved in 1983, with Sir James advising winning skipper John Bertrand.
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He is survived by his wife Joan, brother David, sister Pamela, and sons David and Richard.
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A private funeral will be held in Adelaide, with a memorial service to follow at a later date.
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Good morning and welcome to our rolling news coverage. I’m Martin Farrer, here to get you up to speed on the main stories while my colleague Natasha May fires up the Mac.
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A second female politician has accused Liberal senator David Van of sexual harassment. This follows allegations by Lidia Thorpe on Wednesday, which he strenuously denied. He’s been dumped from the party room by leader Peter Dutton, who said the parliamentary workplace support services would now investigate the claims. We’ll have the latest as it happens.
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A cracked windscreen, oil leaks and seatbelts that didn’t work were among the defects found by police when they raided two depots of the bus company Linq Busline at the centre of the Hunter Valley crash tragedy last night.
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And the latest data shows Australia’s population grew 1.9% last year, the fastest for 13 years, thanks to returning foreign students and migrant workers after Covid. The population at 31 December 2022 was 26.3 million people, the ABS said. There were 619,600 overseas migration arrivals and 232,600 departures, resulting in Australia’s population growing by 387,000 people from overseas migration. It means a potential boost for growth but, with further rate hikes a possibility, we look at whether recession is likely or not.
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And in news out overnight, triple America’s Cup skipper and dual Australian Olympian Sir James Hardy has died in Adelaide. The yachtsman, vintner and community leader died peacefully yesterday.
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Key events
Filters BETA
Amy Remeikis
Activists are planning a weekend of protest at slaughterhouses across the country to draw attention to the use of carbon dioxide gassing to stun pigs.
Farm Transparency Project last month released vision showing the effects of gassing on pigs, which showed animals suffocating and thriving in agony in tightly cramped chambers.
The vision, first reported by the ABC, prompted calls for greater investigation into alternative stunning techniques. Gassing is currently considered industry best practice.
Activists, angry at a lack of action, have staged protests at Swickers slaughterhouse in Kingaroy, Queensland and in Hobart. They are planning further protests in Adelaide, Cairns, Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne in coming days.
Chris Delforce, founding director of Farm Transparency Project, said:
What happens to animals inside Australian slaughterhouses is an area of significant public interest, we are taking action to bring much needed attention to an issue that the government would much rather ignore and hide from.
Good morning! Thanks to Martin for kicking things off, I’ll be with you into the afternoon.
Kelly Burke
Show of support for Chinese-Australian artist
Australian consular officials in Poland will attend the opening of an exhibition in the country’s capital by Chinese-Australian artist Badiucao today, to send a message to Chinese authorities who have allegedly tried to stop the show going ahead.
On Wednesday Australia’s ambassador to Poland, Lloyd Brodrick, met the Shanghai-born Australian artist, as well as executives from the museum where the show is being held, Warsaw’s Ujazdowski Castle.
Both Badiucao and the museum allege that China’s ambassador to Poland, Yao Dongye, has visited the museum twice over the past two weeks, demanding the exhibition not go ahead.
Badiucao, who is based in Melbourne, uses art to explore censorship and human rights abuses in China, including the manipulation of historical memory about the Tiananmen Square massacre, the forced cultural assimilation of Uyghurs, pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, and China’s position on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
A spokesperson for Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed that Brodrick had met the artist and museum executives on Wednesday:
They discussed Badiucao’s work, his concerns in relation to personal safety and the support the Australian government was providing.
Full story here:
More than 600 workers to be axed from Services Australia after procurement bungle
Emily Wind
The Australian Services Union has criticised the federal government over its handling of a Services Australia procurement process, which it says will leave more than 600 call centre employees out of work in a matter of weeks.
Services Australia-contracted Serco employees were told today that the company’s contract would end on 30 June. Most are award workers, while some are casual, with little to no termination entitlements.
ASU Victorian private sector branch secretary Imogen Sturni said the decision would see workers unemployed in a fortnight:
Most of these workers do not have the safety net provided by generous termination benefits and, even for those who will receive a minimal termination payment, two weeks’ notice is a pretty shoddy thing to do to them. It is the responsibility of government to ensure that its procurement processes do not have unreasonable adverse effects on workers.
Sturni said ASU delegates had been advised that the decision would impact around 610 workers at Essendon Fields and Mill Park sites.
She said the union was hoping that Serco would be able to reassign some workers to other jobs internally, but it was likely that positions would be limited and only temporary.
A Services Australia spokesperson said it had conducted a competitive procurement process for a new supplementary call centre contract to provide services from 1 July 2023, and Serco had not been selected:
We thank Serco for their support. They’ve provided services to supplement day-to-day operations and to help fill short-term requirements – particularly during business peaks and in the coronavirus pandemic.
Serco is responsible for the arrangements of its staff. Services Australia has been actively recruiting for APS staff and has ensured contracted staff were encouraged to apply for job opportunities as they became available.
PM to announce community energy upgrades fund
Local councils will be able to apply for money to make swimming pools, sporting grounds and courts more energy efficient under a new $100m fund, AAP reports.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, will announce today in Canberra the community energy upgrades fund in a speech to the nation’s councils.
Under the scheme, councils can upgrade energy systems for pool heating systems, lighting for sports grounds and courts and fund new storage technology at community centres and libraries. The government plans to have the program up and running before the end of the year.
Albanese is expected to say he is pleased at the number of local governments to have made commitments to net-zero. The prime minister will also appeal to mayors to help improve housing affordability and unlock more supply.
Tributes flow for Olympian and winemaker Sir James Hardy
Triple America’s Cup skipper and dual Australian Olympian Sir James Hardy has died in Adelaide aged 90, AAP reports.
The yachtsman, vintner and community leader died peacefully yesterday.
A member of the America’s Cup Hall of Fame, Hardy helped set the tone for Australia’s momentous and nation-building victory in the famous race.
He skippered Australia’s America Cup challenges in 1970, 1974 and 1980 and was a key adviser for the Australia II crew, led by John Bertrand, that in 1983 ended the 132-year US dominance of the race. In a 2021 interview he said:
Basically I was back-up skipper for Bertrand, and he did pinch a nerve in his neck and he was off the boat. I believe it was nine or 10 races.
Known as “Gentleman Jim”, Hardy was made an OBE in 1975 and knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1981 for services to yachting and the community.
Australian Sailing president Alistair Murray said:
There will never be another Sir James. His contribution to the sport cannot be overstated. He was beloved by everyone he met and could not have given more of himself to driving the success of sailing in Australia.
Personally, he was my hero, and I was proud to call him my friend. On behalf of Australian Sailing, I would like to share our sadness at the news and pass our condolences to his family and the many sailing friends he made along the way.
Hardy competed in consecutive Olympic Games, Tokyo in 1964 and Mexico City in 1968.
Australian Olympic Committee president Ian Chesterman said Hardy was a giant of his sport:
James Hardy’s name is inextricably bound with the sport he loved over so many decades. He ignited Australia’s obsession with claiming the America’s Cup trophy, eventually achieved in 1983, with Sir James advising winning skipper John Bertrand.
He is survived by his wife Joan, brother David, sister Pamela, and sons David and Richard.
A private funeral will be held in Adelaide, with a memorial service to follow at a later date.
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our rolling news coverage. I’m Martin Farrer, here to get you up to speed on the main stories while my colleague Natasha May fires up the Mac.
A second female politician has accused Liberal senator David Van of sexual harassment. This follows allegations by Lidia Thorpe on Wednesday, which he strenuously denied. He’s been dumped from the party room by leader Peter Dutton, who said the parliamentary workplace support services would now investigate the claims. We’ll have the latest as it happens.
A cracked windscreen, oil leaks and seatbelts that didn’t work were among the defects found by police when they raided two depots of the bus company Linq Busline at the centre of the Hunter Valley crash tragedy last night.
And the latest data shows Australia’s population grew 1.9% last year, the fastest for 13 years, thanks to returning foreign students and migrant workers after Covid. The population at 31 December 2022 was 26.3 million people, the ABS said. There were 619,600 overseas migration arrivals and 232,600 departures, resulting in Australia’s population growing by 387,000 people from overseas migration. It means a potential boost for growth but, with further rate hikes a possibility, we look at whether recession is likely or not.
And in news out overnight, triple America’s Cup skipper and dual Australian Olympian Sir James Hardy has died in Adelaide. The yachtsman, vintner and community leader died peacefully yesterday.
