The Labor Party will hold its national conference in Brisbane. Coincidentally, the venue is in the electorate of Griffith, which Labor lost to the Greens in 2022
A strong revenue flow, including from a pick-up in wages, appears to have made it possible for the government to do somewhat more on welfare payments than it originally intended
Robodebt should never again be framed as a technological glitch or a legal oversight. It was the active and direct exploitation of people’s vulnerability.
Alan Tudge will not return to his post as education minister, although an independent inquiry concluded there was “insufficient evidence” to find he bullied or harassed a former staffer.
Addressing urgent and complex problems such as climate change involves research across the full spectrum of society – and that includes Australia’s young people.
Basic research is best when it’s allowed to proceed on merit, rather than with political interference, says an open letter from 63 leading researchers protesting government interference in ARC grants.
Without careful planning and implementation, the government risks making many of the same mistakes ushered in by the hasty ‘datafication’ of society, which has been turbocharged by the pandemic.
E-government involves using the internet to streamline interaction between government agencies and the public.
SHUTTERSTOCK
The Minister for Government Services has announced a two-year roadmap to supposedly propel e-government. But the plans, part of a larger strategy, are considerably lacking substance.
The government seems not to have sought independent legal advice before demanding the repayment of debts it couldn’t prove were owned.
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The Commonwealth has conceded that its program of automatic debt collection was unlawful. It’ll probably have to pay the money back.
The present income averaging system will continue to be used in assessing debt. The key “refinement” will be the addition of “proof points”.
Mick Tsikas/AAP
The Department of Human Service’s customer compliance staff will now be required to seek “additional proof” rather than solely relying on income averaging when determining if there is a debt.
Minister for Indigenous Australians Ken Wyatt with Prime Minister Scott Morrison after the Coalition swearing in at Government House in Canberra.
Lukas Coch/AAP
Human Services Minister Stuart Robert has been forced to resign from the ministry after an investigation found he had “acted inconsistently” with the code of standards.
In the wake of a leadership change in the National Party, a question hangs over how Barnaby Joyce will handle the added responsibilities of being deputy prime minister.
Barnaby Joyce and Fiona Nash worked closely when he was a senator, and he has been a supporter of hers.
Mick Tsikas/AAP
In some circles they call Fiona Nash the “Barnaby whisperer”. It’s said she’s able to calm him down. In electing Nash their new deputy the Nationals have acted wisely.
Labor has accused Stuart Robert of breaching ministerial guidelines by misusing public office.
AAP/Mick Tsikas
The principle underlying the ministerial standards is that ministers should uphold the public’s trust as they wield a great deal of power deriving from their public office.
Warren Truss’ exit from the Nationals’ leadership will clear the way for Barnaby Joyce to take over as deputy prime minister.
Lukas Coch/AAP
A new dynamic is coming to the Turnbull government with Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss finally set to announce on Thursday that he will quit the Nationals leadership, ahead of retiring at the election…
Stuart Robert is a conservative within the Liberal Party and is close to Treasurer Scott Morrison.
Mick Tsikas/AAP
The ministerial future of Stuart Robert looks very precarious, raising the prospect that Malcolm Turnbull’s reshuffle may be wider than has been expected. In a painful Question Time performance, Robert…
Stuart Robert has come under scrutiny for a trip to China he undertook while assistant minister for defence.
China Minmetals Corporation
Malcolm Turnbull has sought advice on whether Human Services Minister Stuart Robert breached the code of ministerial standards during a private trip to China in 2014.