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Coronavirus Australia live update: Victoria reports five deaths and 15 new Covid cases as NSW records six Coronavirus Australia live update: Victoria reports five deaths and 15 new Covid cases as NSW records six
(30 minutes later)
Premier Daniel Andrews hints restrictions will be eased in Melbourne on Sunday as NSW strives to boost testing. Follow all the day’s news livePremier Daniel Andrews hints restrictions will be eased in Melbourne on Sunday as NSW strives to boost testing. Follow all the day’s news live
Graham Readfearn has the latest on the stranded Tasmanian whale pods. It is not good news:
AAP has an update on what is happening with the iCare bonuses:
NSW Labor has introduced draft legislation to end executive bonuses at scandal-ridden insurance agency icare.
The opposition’s move follows claims that eight icare executives shared $8 million in salaries and bonuses over two years.
NSW opposition spokesman Daniel Mookhey said the State Insurance and Care Governance (Employees) Bill would strip icare of the power to pay its executives more bonuses and introduced it to the upper house on Wednesday morning.
“Icare should never have paid them millions in salaries and bonuses,” he said in a statement on Wednesday.
The agency is an employer-funded workers insurer, owned by the state and overseen by the NSW treasurer, but independent from government. It was one of three organisations that replaced WorkCover in 2015.
It provides workers compensation insurance to more than 326,000 businesses, insuring 3.6 million employees.
The insurance agency has been under scrutiny since July when NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet came under fire after reports of poor financial management and staffing issues with the agency.
There was further scrutiny when it was revealed two icare-paid ministerial staffers had been recruited to work on secondment in his office.
“Icare’s top executives ruined the NSW workers compensation scheme,” Mr Mookhey said.
“I expect Dominic Perrottet to vote for Labor’s legislation. If he doesn’t, he’s voting to pay icare’s top executives more bonuses.”
This rule is one of the reasons I am not allowed an office cat at parliament house.
And that’s that for Paul Fletcher.And that’s that for Paul Fletcher.
Daniel Hurst will have a story on that for you soon.Daniel Hurst will have a story on that for you soon.
Back to Paul Fletcher for one last question:Back to Paul Fletcher for one last question:
Q: Just on some of the laws that the Right to Know campaign want to change. One of them is around defamation which was touch on earlier. I wondered in your opinion, there’s a lot of people in the sector who say that it is no longer fit for purpose. Do you still think that the defamation laws in this country are still acting as they’re intended to?Q: Just on some of the laws that the Right to Know campaign want to change. One of them is around defamation which was touch on earlier. I wondered in your opinion, there’s a lot of people in the sector who say that it is no longer fit for purpose. Do you still think that the defamation laws in this country are still acting as they’re intended to?
Paul Fletcher:Paul Fletcher:
There have been, surprisingly, no arrests made yet at a protest against the federal government’s changes to higher education policy, held today at the University of Sydney.There have been, surprisingly, no arrests made yet at a protest against the federal government’s changes to higher education policy, held today at the University of Sydney.
Previously, dozens of students and staff have been arrested and fined at earlier protests held at the university, even as they stuck to groups smaller than 20.Previously, dozens of students and staff have been arrested and fined at earlier protests held at the university, even as they stuck to groups smaller than 20.
Yesterday, staff spoke out against “undemocratic” behaviour from NSW police, saying it was suppressing freedom of speech to arrest protestors under Covid regulations, while letting other students have lunch, or even attend classes of 30 to 40 people.Yesterday, staff spoke out against “undemocratic” behaviour from NSW police, saying it was suppressing freedom of speech to arrest protestors under Covid regulations, while letting other students have lunch, or even attend classes of 30 to 40 people.
Today, the protest has coincided with an outdoor teaching event, held by staff, who are delivering lectures on the importance of protest, the issues with university casualisation and other criticism of the higher ed changes.Today, the protest has coincided with an outdoor teaching event, held by staff, who are delivering lectures on the importance of protest, the issues with university casualisation and other criticism of the higher ed changes.
There are over a hundred students and attendees sitting outdoors listening currently.There are over a hundred students and attendees sitting outdoors listening currently.
The student newspaper, Honi Soit, report that the university asked the police not to break this event up today.The student newspaper, Honi Soit, report that the university asked the police not to break this event up today.
Friends and readers in the arts, feel free to respond.Friends and readers in the arts, feel free to respond.
Q: So ministerial responsibility – could you explain what it actually means?Q: So ministerial responsibility – could you explain what it actually means?
Paul Fletcher:Paul Fletcher:
Q: A simple yes, no and don’t know. Firstly in regard to a follow up from the question. Isn’t the doctrine of ministerial responsibility actually that you are responsible for what happens within your ministry? And haven’t you failed to actually follow that through by doing nothing about the auditor general’s report?Q: A simple yes, no and don’t know. Firstly in regard to a follow up from the question. Isn’t the doctrine of ministerial responsibility actually that you are responsible for what happens within your ministry? And haven’t you failed to actually follow that through by doing nothing about the auditor general’s report?
Secondly – in regard to Annika Smethurst’s issue – you have said how concerned you’ve been over the last 11 months about the raids on journalists, but the reality is that you have done absolutely nothing. Is that correct or not?Secondly – in regard to Annika Smethurst’s issue – you have said how concerned you’ve been over the last 11 months about the raids on journalists, but the reality is that you have done absolutely nothing. Is that correct or not?
And thirdly – in regard to your other portfolio, which is arts – we know for example that ushers in cinemas receiving jobkeeper – isn’t it true that there has been no special support for the arts ministry, for those people who are actually producing content and contributing to the arts in Australia? You asked for a simple answer.And thirdly – in regard to your other portfolio, which is arts – we know for example that ushers in cinemas receiving jobkeeper – isn’t it true that there has been no special support for the arts ministry, for those people who are actually producing content and contributing to the arts in Australia? You asked for a simple answer.
Paul Fletcher:Paul Fletcher:
Q: What are you doing about phone scammers who are terrorising people, pretending to be from the Tax Office, threatening people with arrest and what not, if they don’t hand over money. It is actually a thing at the moment?Q: What are you doing about phone scammers who are terrorising people, pretending to be from the Tax Office, threatening people with arrest and what not, if they don’t hand over money. It is actually a thing at the moment?
Paul Fletcher:Paul Fletcher:
Q: I have a question about the code to force Facebook and to pay for the value of the Australian journalism that they distribute. Labor and the Greens have both suggested that in the interests of getting cross party consensus that absolute and SBS should be included in the code. Are you open to that? And secondly as a way to resolve disputes are you open to anything other than final offer arbitration?
Paul Fletcher:
Q: I take your point the advice will come up the chain but would you say you’re open minded to those sorts of proposals?
Fletcher:
Q: Lastly, do you have some sort of ideological position against the ABC and SBS receiving the benefit of this code?
Fletcher:
Paul Fletcher will not say if anyone should lose their job over the Western Sydney airport land purchase.
That too, is a matter for the department.
Q: Finally on the NBN Australia is ranked 62nd in the world in terms of broadband speed, is the announcement on the upgrade today a concession that our system, our networks not up to scratch for 2020?
Paul Fletcher:
It is quite amazing how little ministers seem to be responsible for, these days.
This is not the only example and it won’t be the last.
Q: We are in a Westminster system, you’re the minister responsible. Wasn’t it a failure on your part not to be across that brief?
Paul Fletcher:
And yet the questions raised in the auditor general’s report into sports rorts still remain unanswered.
Q: In the brief that went to you, were there figures in that brief?
Paul Fletcher:
Q: You were the minister at the time. Do you concede that you might lose some skin over this, ‘cause it’s not a good look.
Fletcher:
Q: If you could answer the first question, you wouldn’t have allowed the acquisition to go ahead if you had been across all the facts.
Fletcher:
Then we get to the purchase of land for the western Sydney runway. (Which the auditor general found the government paid 10 times the $3m valuation. The owner was a Liberal party donor.)
Q: You say you were briefed on the acquisition but you didn’t have all the facts in front of you because of the department. If you did have all the facts in front of you, if you had known that the federal government was paying 22 times as much as the New South Wales government, they had requested a quote from one supplier, there was potential conflict of interest problems, that there were coffee shop meetings with the landowner without properly recorded records of those conversations, would you have allowed the acquisition to go ahead?
Paul Fletcher:
Q: I’m going to jump in there. You said this morning you talked about ethics and lack of due diligence. Could you - when you talk about ethics, what do you mean there? Do you worry that this is potentially corrupt?
Fletcher:
Q: At the National Press Club we are the home of free speech here. Do you worrying about the chilling implications of that?
Paul Fletcher:
Q:
(And again, a reminder that the story in question, written by Annika, was proven right, despite the repeated denials.)
Paul Fletcher:
Q: Dan Oaks (ABC) has this hovering over his head, Annika had this hovering over her head for such a long time. Do you understand the anxiety that they lived through?
Fletcher: