It’s pretty hard to find anyone who seems to be loving their job at the moment.
A pandemic in its third year, a community desperate to move on and a virus that has no regard for the state of the world that existed before it started killing people.
Add to that the perilous state of the economy with prices up, interest rates up, workloads up, pretty much everything up — except for wages.
It’s perhaps unsurprising that the teaching workforce would be no different — tired, burnt out and feeling underpaid and undervalued.
It wasn’t all that long ago that parents across the country were getting firsthand experience of what it’s like to educate their children for seven hours a day.
Now everyone’s back in the classroom, teacher shortages are biting and something’s got to give.
Ministers in unison
The issues engulfing the sector aren’t new but have undoubtedly been exacerbated as the specter of coronavirus continues to loom.
An issues paper released ahead of yesterday’s meeting of education ministers pointed to perceptions of low pay, unfavorable working conditions and increasing workloads as responsible for an “unprecedented” staffing challenge that was the “single biggest issue” facing all school sectors.
On that, all state ministers were in unison on Friday.
Sarah Mitchell wants the federal government to consider fast-tracking the path to citizenship for teachers coming to Australia.(ABC News: Timothy Swanston)
“No matter which state minister would be speaking to you now, we’re all dealing with the same issues and challenges,” NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said after the meeting.
“We all know we’ve got fantastic teachers working in all of our schools day in, day out. We need to be working on ways to keep them there.”
But if the teachers at their wits’ end were looking to a meeting of the nation’s education ministers for a sign that all their issues would soon be resolved, they’d have been left wanting.
Their pain has been heard, smiling ministers reassured as they pledged to act. But what exactly they will do remains unclear.
three priorities
Labor frontbencher Tanya Plibersek spent six years in opposition honoring her party’s education policies.
Now in government, the job has been handed to Jason Clare, who agreed yesterday’s meeting in Canberra.
He’s faced the unenviable task of taking on a portfolio in the middle of a storm having had little experience in the policy area.
Tanya Plibersek was expected to retain the education portfolio in government.(ABC News: Matt Roberts)
That’s maybe why he’s often referred to his mother’s experiences working in schools and the power they have to transform lives.
But as for the policies that he’s keen to implement to make that happen — more time is needed.
Clare left yesterday’s meeting declaring three priorities: to encourage more people into teaching, to better prepare students for the workforce and to keep the teachers the sector already has.
Education department secretaries from across the country will now prepare a national action plan that will be presented to the ministers when they next meet in December.
Is it more than talk?
Clare was quick to dismiss any suggestion that the meeting had just been a talkfest.
“It’s not just talking,” he said.
“By listening to teachers, we got ideas we didn’t have before today.
“So today was about listening to teachers, harvesting those good ideas and now working on a plan that we can now implement to make a real difference.”
Teachers are reportedly often working in excess of 50 hours a week.(AAP: Mick Tsikas)
It would be baffling if yesterday was the first chance any of these ministers had to hear from teachers.
But after hearing from each of them, just having everyone at the table and working together sounded like progress.
“Today was a breath of fresh air,” WA’s Education Minister Sue Ellery said.
“These meetings have been really difficult over the last few years and I’ve been coming to them for the last five years.”
There’s little love lost in the Labor states over the removal of a federal Coalition education minister.
The NSW minister, herself a Coalition minister, didn’t seem particularly saddened either.
So, if they’re all now at the table and working together, it might well mean there’s a chance to save an education sector on the brink.
Frankly, they have no other option.
That’s the biggest bargaining chip teachers have — we need schools and they need to be staffed, preferably by teachers who want to be there and feel appreciated.
If COVID taught us anything, it’s that we can’t take that for granted.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has stressed the importance of acquiring nuclear-powered submarines as soon as possible after the Chinese Ambassador to Australia delivered his first National Press Club speech this week.
Xiao Qian – who became Beijing’s top diplomat in Canberra this year – had defended China’s actions when it responded with live military drills in Taiwan following the historic visit from United States House Speaker Nancy Pelosi last week.
He warned Australia to handle the messaging around Taiwan “with caution” and added there was “no room for compromise” as China sees the island as its own territory.
Mr Xiao also threatened Beijing would take Taipei with force and would be “ready to use all necessary measures” to restore the liberal democracy “to the motherland”.
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Mr Dutton said he was not “shocked” by the remarks from the ambassador as the messaging was similar to what was delivered by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
But he agreed it was alarming to hear the comments being made on Australian shores before he flagged it would be no “surprise” if China invaded the island.
“I don’t think anyone would be surprised if there was an incursion into Taiwan,” he told ABC’s 7:30 on Thursday.
The Opposition Leader then stressed the importance of having a “deterrence in place”, in the form of nuclear submarines, to ward off a potential future attack.
“China is clear that their center of humiliation doesn’t come to an end until there is a re-unification, in their words, so it is important for us to have deterrence in place because any adversary should know that a strike on Australia would ‘t be accepted,” he said.
“And there would be retaliation and also weed need to be close and fight with our allies, not just America, but India and Japan.”
While Australia’s national security would be secure under the AUKUS alliance with the US and United Kingdom for the next five to six decades, he warned the nation needed nuclear-powered submarines to plug the capability gap.
He also came to the support of Defense Minister Richard Marles who insisted this week it is the government’s “top priority” to fill the gap left by the Collins fleet of boats.
“Yes, I very strongly support Richard Marles,” he said.
“He is adopting similar language that I used not too long ago to say if we can get those submarines off the production line, then we should certainly strongly believe that that is possible and that’s the course of action that the government should be pursuing. “
Mr Dutton also welcomed the response from Mr Marles, Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese who have all called for a de-escalation of tensions in the Taiwan region but believes the messaging can be stronger.
“I believe very strongly that we are better to speak frankly about China’s intent – they’re clear about it themselves, as we have discussed, and it is important for Australians to hear that message,” he said.
Mr Marles is set to make a decision by March 2023 on whether Australia will go with acquiring eight US Virginia-class or British Astute-class built submarines.
The government is expected to decide then whether Australia will need interim, conventionally powered submarines before the AUKUS vessels are ready to hit the water, which may not be for another 20 years around the 2040s.
Mr Marles said this week he would like to see the new boats constructed in Australia as part of a beefing up of its domestic defense manufacturing ability.
South Sydney coach Jason Demetriou has implored the NSW government to allow the Rabbitohs to move to the new Sydney Football Stadium next season as the club waits in limbo without a home ground locked in for 2023.
As revealed in The Daily Telegraph, Souths chief executive Blake Solly said the club had “bucket loads of uncertainty” because a potential move to Moore Park hasn’t been approved by the state government.
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Blake Solly is unimpressed with the stadium standoff. Picture: Lyndon MechielsenSource: News Corp Australia
The Rabbitohs have called the Olympic precinct home since 2006 but are keen to return to Allianz Stadium, which is on the same light rail line as their juniors club in Kingsford.
But the government has yet to approve the move, which means the Rabbitohs can’t sell memberships or corporate packages for 2023 because their fans don’t know which ground they’d be committing to.
“We’re a big club that deserves to be playing in big stadiums,” Demetriou said, joking that they’d gladly play at Redfern Oval if they had to.
“They’ve just built an $800m stadium in our backyard, so I think it makes common sense to me that we’re playing there.
“It’s a stadium that’s built in the heartland of South Sydney.
“It’s down the road from our junior leagues club, so there’s a real opportunity for us to spend some time there and venture into the ground from there and for our members to meet the players post-game.
“All that sort of stuff makes everything easier and that’s why we’re really excited and hopeful of getting in there.
“It’s in our area, so it’d be great to have us playing there and I’m sure our fans and our members and our supporters would love to have a venue closer to home. I know the players would be excited as well.”
The Rabbitohs will officially open the stadium in round 25 when they take on the Roosters in a game that could decide eighth spot on the ladder.
The lack of certainty around their future has had no impact on the playing group yet, but Demetriou says it could if things are left to fester.
The new stadium would be much more convenient for Rabbitohs fans. Picture: Sam RuttynSource: News Corp Australia
“We’ve got that much going on in terms of playing footy,” he said.
“It’s a distraction if we’re getting too caught up in it, but we have no control over it. I don’t as a coach, and I know the players don’t as players.
“But they’re excited about playing there in round 25 and there’s a genuine excitement to play there. I think sharing it with the Roosters and having 20 games a year would be outstanding, not just for clubs, but for the NRL as well.”
It’s a distraction the Bunnies could do without as they prepare for a brutal four-week stretch leading into the finals.
The Rabbitohs play western Sydney heavyweights Parramatta and Penrith and then finish the regular season with games against the second-placed Cowboys and the Roosters in a grudge game to open Allianz Stadium.
It’s a tough stretch but at least they go into Friday’s game at CommBank Stadium knowing they have the wood on Parramatta after five-straight wins over the Eels.
“The last time we played them we were coming off an ordinary performance so we were pretty motivated for that game,” the coach said.
“That’s our challenge tomorrow night – to bring that same motivation off the back of some good performances.
“We’re going in the right direction but we’re playing some bigger teams now that can score points. Parramatta is as good as anyone at scoring points and they are dangerous right across the park, so it’ll be a good test for our defence.”
Urgent action needs to be taken to eliminate the “unacceptable” backlog of veterans’ compensation claims, with almost 42,000 awaiting processing at the end of May, a royal commission has warned, saying the situation may lead to suicides.
Key points:
Thirteen recommendations have been made in the interim report, with five of them focusing on the DVA’s claims process and staffing levels
The commissioners identified 50 previous reports and more than 750 recommendations on these issues in the past 22 years
More current and former ADF members have died by suicide than in combat in the Afghan and Iraq wars, the government says
The Royal Commission into Defense and Veteran Suicide handed down its interim report this morning, calling for an end to the backlog and for a simplification of the claims system to make it easier for veterans.
The commission made 13 recommendations, with five focused on the Department of Veterans’ Affairs’ claims processes and staffing levels.
Another eight are intended to make it easier for witnesses to appear before the commission and allow it to more easily access documents.
The commissioners also said they were “dismayed” at the “limited” ways the federal government had reacted to previous reports relevant to the topics of suicide and suicidality among serving and ex-serving defense force members.
“We have identified over 50 previous reports, and more than 750 recommendations [since the year 2000],” the report said.
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‘There’s nothing else left’: Jacqui Lambie makes emotional plea for veterans to speak to royal commission
‘Lives depend on’ clearing claims backlog
Commission chair Nick Kaldas said the Department of Veterans’ Affairs’ (DVA) claims backlog was “unacceptable” and could lead to suicide and suicidality in some cases.
“Behind each claim is a veteran who needs support, and it is seriously important that this assistance is provided as quickly as possible — lives and livelihoods depend on it,” he said.
The commission has recommended the department be given until March 2024 to eliminate the claims backlog, and called on the government to streamline processes and ensure DVA had the necessary resources to do so.
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Veteran Gavin Tunstall on lack of training to deal with traumatic scenes
The report found Australia’s veteran compensation and rehabilitation system was “so complicated that it adversely affects the mental health of some veterans” and it recommended the federal government introduce legislative reforms by the end of the year.
“Previous reports and inquiries … have called for legislative simplification and harmonization,” the report said.
“We recognize that making change will not be easy, but the difficulties of reform provide no justification to delay any further.”
Witness calls department ‘cruel and inhumane’
Widow Madonna Paul told the commission she struggled to access support after the death of her husband by suicide.(ABC News: Luke Bowden)
The commission has heard wide-ranging accounts of horrific abuse and trauma since public hearings began in November last year.
At the Tasmanian hearings, which wrapped up on Wednesday, the commission heard from Senator Jacqui Lambie, who said a back injury that resulted in her being medically discharged began a six-year battle with the Department of Veterans’ Affairs for compensation, as well as debilitating pain and depression.
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Jacqui Lambie says a department spied on her from a bush behind her house for weeks.
She said the department put her under surveillance after becoming suspicious she was faking her injuries, and representatives from the rehabilitation service spied on her from a bush near her back fence.
The widow of an ex-serviceman also spoke out about her struggles with the “cruel and inhumane” Department of Veterans’ Affairs.
She said she struggled to access support following her husband’s suicide.
And a former soldier spoke of his trauma after seeing the bodies of two boys killed in combat in Afghanistan.
Australia has lost more serving members to suicide than recent combat: Minister
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Veterans’ Affairs Minister Matt Keogh said the federal government was committed to a better future for Australia’s current and ex-service personnel and would look into implementing the report’s recommendations.
“Unfortunately, the rate of veterans’ suicide in Australia is a national tragedy,” he said.
“It’s devastating that Australia has lost more serving and former serving personnel to suicide than it has lost through operations over the last 20 years in Afghanistan and Iraq.”
Governor-General David Hurley receives the interim report from commissioner Nick Kaldas this morning.(AAP: Mick Tsikas)
Mr Keogh said it was important the recommendations were “addressed as a priority” and the government had already started hiring 500 additional staff to help the Department of Veterans’ Affairs clear its claims backlog.
He also said it had been made clear to the defense force and government departments that “the royal commission must be assisted in any way possible to ensure that it can make the most effective recommendations on how to address the scourge of suicide that has plagued our defense personnel, veterans and families.
Mr Keogh said he was “deeply sorry” if there had been failings in the way the defense force and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs had operated.
‘We’ve had silence for long enough’
Julie-Ann Finney called for the royal commission after the death of her son.(ABC News: Luke Bowden)
Julie-Ann Finney, the mother of a veteran who took his own life, said it was “uplifting” to know that people were finally talking about the high rates of suicidality among current and former defense force personnel.
Ms Finney became a high-profile campaigner for the commission to be established after her son, Petty Officer David Finney, took his own life in 2019.
She has attended hearings all over the country, carrying a photo of David with her each day.
Ms Finney said the hearings were confronting, but incredibly important.
“It’s frustration, anger and trauma associated with all this listening, but the alternative is silence, and we’ve had silence for long enough,” she said.
“Unfortunately, I was quite naive before my own son took his life but I don’t find myself naive anymore. I need to keep learning, keep listening to people.
Ms Finney called on the federal government to immediately act on the interim report’s recommendations, but she said she was more confident than ever that change would occur.
“I don’t want to speak to another mother who has recently lost her child, or a father or a partner,” she said.
“We need to look at why this is happening and find solutions, and I feel at the moment that that is coming out.
“We will just keep fighting. I’ve said it from the beginning that I didn’t bury my son to walk away — and there are hundreds like me.”
Ms Finney said she wanted to see the creation of an independent body where service personnel could report concerns about their mental health and unacceptable behaviour, and she also wanted the Department of Veterans’ Affairs to immediately clear its claims backlog.
Surge in compensation cases sees backlog grow six times in size
The commissioners said many people who had participated in the royal commission so far had spoken about their “frustration and disappointment” with the processing of compensation claims and “an unhelpful and negative attitude” from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs staff.
“Negative engagement with DVA staff regarding claims and entitlements was pervasive,” the report said.
“Long waiting times to action and pursue claims produced considerable frustration for ex-serving members.
“Many said that they dealt with simultaneous injuries, mental ill health and complex socioeconomic pressures.”
The report also found veterans were not given accurate information about claims processing and wait times, which it said could cause “considerable distress.”
The report found the backlog of undetermined claims — both allocated claims that had yet to be processed and those that had not yet been allocated — had multiplied by almost six times in the past five years.
It found the backlog was partly caused by “a significant surge” in the number of DVA claims received since 2016.
The department had expected the number of veterans receiving assistance to drop to just over 150,000 by June this year, but it had instead grown to 240,000.
Further hearings to come, full report in 2024
The report said the commission intended to make recommendations that resulted in “effective, long-lasting and compassionate change.”
“The prevalence of suicide and suicidality among serving and ex-serving Australian Defense Force members is something that should concern us all,” the report said.
“Each death by suicide, each life lost, has profound effects on family, friends, colleagues and the wider community.”
The commission has held six hearings around the country since it was established in July 2021.
It will hold further hearings in Darwin and Wagga Wagga this year, with a full report to be handed down in June 2024.
Mr Kaldas said the interim report did not touch on a number of issues, but he promised they would be examined in the final report.
The interim report is available for download on the Federal Parliament website.
Trawl fishers have ramped up calls for compensation following the federal government’s announcement that it will establish six offshore wind energy zones.
Key points:
Commercial fishers say they should be compensated if they are barred from fishing in parts of the ocean
They are particularly worried about the size of the areas that could become off-limits
Star of the South is encouraging concerned parties to participate in the consultation process
Waters off Gippsland, Portland, the Hunter Valley, Illawarra, northern Tasmania, Perth and Bunbury have been earmarked for development.
But fishers are concerned they will be excluded from the sections of the ocean where the turbines are built.
The most progressed wind farm proposal is the Star of the South project in Gippsland.
“I think it’s obvious that Australia is moving to a lower carbon future,” South East Trawl Fishing Industry Association executive officer Simon Boag said.
“The problem we have is that the federal government has already given out rights … to go commercial fishing.
“Then they appear to be giving out a second set of rights to put in wind farms.
“The two are obviously to some extent mutually exclusive.”
If built, the Star of the South wind farm may resemble Veja Mate in Germany.(Supplied: Star of South)
Bottom line for fishers
Mr Boag’s organization represents the interests of owners, fishers and sellers in the trawl fishery of south-eastern Australia.
He said fishing or quota rights sat “in the balance sheets of fishing businesses”.
“Fishing businesses borrow against them. They’re bought and sold between fishing businesses,” Mr Boag said.
Fishers already work around oil and gas platforms in Bass Strait.
Mr Boag said the exploration phase for new oil and gas developments was intrusive for the industry, but the longer-term exclusion zones were only a few hundred square meters.
“These wind farms are more or less a 500-square-kilometre exclusion,” he said.
“We’re assuming trawlers can’t go in there.
“What we need and want is that if we’re giving up our rights to go fishing and they’re going to build a wind farm and we’re all going to enjoy the electricity … that the fishing industry is adequately compensated.”
A 60-day consultation period was initiated alongside last week’s wind energy zone announcement.
Star of the South acting chief executive officer Erin Coldham encouraged people who used the waters to engage in the consultation process.
She said Star of the South’s turbines would be between seven and 25 kilometers from the coast of Woodside Beach, McLoughlins Beach and Port Albert.
“We’re aiming to get power into the grid by the end of this decade and we think that’s important, noting Yallourn [power station] is closing by 2028,” Ms Coldham said.
The federal government’s COVIDSafe app has been scrapped just over two years after its launch.
But the $21 million platform, designed to trace close contacts of people who tested positive for COVID, had problems from the start.
What was COVIDSafe?
When COVIDSafe launched in late April 2020, it was touted as a critical part of the government’s plan to reopen the economy.
The app relied on a bluetooth signal which transmitted at regular intervals to make contact with other users nearby.
If a person tested positive for COVID-19, state and territory authorities could request access to the phone log to work out who else may have been infected.
But the lower the number of people actively using it, the less effective it was – and it wasn’t guaranteed to work for those who did.
So, did COVIDSafe work?
When it was launched, Australians were told they didn’t have to do anything special to get COVIDSafe to work.
But the then-government’s own testing showed that when it went live, COVIDSafe only worked effectively about a quarter of the time or less on locked iPhones.
Communications between locked Androids and iPhones was also poor – although this later improved.
The app’s effectiveness was hampered by bugs which had the potential to limit its core function – particularly at big events, according to experts.
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It also took until late 2021 for COVIDSafe to be updated to track the more infectious Delta variant.
Months before, experts had warned the app’s 15-minute exposure window – the time frame used to define a close contact – was “very useless” in tracking the more transmissible variant.
In December 2021 Mark Butler — who was then the shadow health minister — called for it to be scrapped after it was revealed to have identified just two close contacts nationally in six months.
Mr Butler is now the Health Minister, and figures released by his office on Wednesday show just 17 close contacts that had not already been picked up by manual contact tracers were identified in more than two years.
In its lifetime, the app clocked just two unique COVID cases.
Did anybody use COVIDSafe?
At its launch, the government said it would need 40 per cent of Australians – 10 million people – to use COVIDSafe for it to be a success.
But that number has rarely been mentioned since.
By the time of its decommissioning, there were 7.9 million registrations, according to Mr Butler, who called it a “failed app”.
The vast majority of sign-ups – more than 6 million – were in the first few weeks.
But the app relied on active users, and people consenting to their positive test results being used, to work.
The app cost $21 million but detected only two unique COVID cases.(ABC News: Emma Machan)
Fewer than 800 users consented to their data to be collected, according to Mr Butler’s office.
In September 2021, as COVID cases spiked in New South Wales, Victoria and the ACT, the ABC revealed the app hadnot uncovered any close contacts in those outbreaks.
In fact, the ACT never used data from the app at all, instead opting to rely on its own contact tracers.
How much did taxpayers pay for COVIDSafe?
The previous federal government entered into contracts worth nearly $10 million for work on the app until the end of 2021.
It refused to join Apple and Google’s joint contract tracing system, which was adopted by more than 50 jurisdictions around the world.
The total cost of the Australian app, which had a monthly operating price tag of $100,000, now sits at $21 million.
Of that, $10 million went to develop the app, a further $7 million on advertising and marketing, $2.1 million on upkeep and more than $2 million on staff.
What happens now?
Users are now being asked to uninstall COVIDSafe.
Doing so will delete all their data, according to a message on the app.
The Health Department will no longer gather personal data, and the data gathered via the app so far will be deleted as soon as possible, Mr Butler said.
The app will be formally decommissioned on August 16.
Queensland’s Transport Minister has described Brisbane City Council’s latest vision for a new toll road to relieve congestion in the city’s north-west as a “feeble fantasy” and a “farce”.
Key points:
A study into solutions for Brisbane’s north-west transport corridor has drawn a fierce reaction from the Queensland government
Brisbane City Council conducted the study which recommends two tunnels
Transport Minister Mark Bailey says the state wasn’t consulted on the study
The six-lane tunnel, which would run between Bald Hills and connect with the Airport Link at Kedron, was part of the outcome of a $10 million federally-funded study undertaken over two years by the council.
It found northern Brisbane’s annual congestion and public transport crowding was costing $312 million per year.
That would rise to $538.5m by 2031 and $859m by 2041.
The study found significant community opposition towards any surface road or rail development through the North West Transport Corridor, which had been reserved by the state government since the 1980s.
Mr Bailey says the council had to cancel big projects yet released a study which recommended multi-billion-dollar road network infrastructure builds.(ABC News: Ashleigh Stevenson)
But Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said the major toll road had been costed with “no funding, no consultation with other levels of government, and no idea how to fix congestion.”
He also criticized the council’s decision to cut projects in its June budget, citing the cost of rebuilding from February’s floods, yet unveil billions of dollars in new road infrastructure via the north-west transport study.
“Only a month ago, Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner was saying the council was broke and had to cut a lot of projects citywide and now they have a plan to spend $25 billion on new tollways and motorways,” Mr Bailey said.
“It is very clear this tired 20-year-old council is out of touch and out of ideas.
Cr Schrinner has defended the study saying it offered solutions to a growing problem.(ABC News: Alicia Nally)
“Recently, Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner cut the North Brisbane Bikeway, cut upgrades to Mowbray Park, and refused to pay a fair share for the Cooper Plains level crossing removal because they are so broke, and yet here he is spending like a drunken sailor with his ridiculous $14 billion toll road plan.
“The state government had no input into the study that was funded by the former Morrison Government despite the state government owning the corridor which shows what a farce this announcement is.
“The immediate focus should be on upgrading services on Gympie Road, which we are already doing through the $72 million Northern Transitway project which we are fully funded.
“The study entirely ignores that project.
“Tell the Lord Mayor he is dreaming.”
‘Doing nothing not an option’
Yet, Cr Schrinner said the council had “done some planning work to assist” in reducing congestion in a burgeoning part of the city.
He also hit back at the state for setting aside land and not using it to improve transport networks.
An artist’s impression shows a Gympie Rd precinct as part of north-west transport corridor improvement.(Supplied: Brisbane City Council)
“We’re concerned about what we see as a black hole for investment for infrastructure from the state government for the north-west suburbs,” Cr Schrinner said.
“That land was intended to be a transport corridor yet it has disappeared from any infrastructure plans and residents are asking what is going to happen in the north-western suburbs. The area is growing and there are no plans from the state government coming out.
“Doing nothing is simply not an option.”
Cr Schrinner also defended suggestions tunnels could fix the area’s woes and said that option would preserve a large tract of bushland which was home to native flora and fauna.
“The corridor that was set aside years ago has really healthy depth of wildlife,” he said.
“And so our investigation identified that any solutions to transport challenges in that part of the world should be underground, not as surface, not using the surface corridor, not bulldozing bushland, not putting threatened species at risk but going underground
“Whether it is train tunnels, motorway tunnels, or a new bus rapid transport system, using the metro buses up Gympie Rd.”
Accusations of council’s ‘secret plan’
The Lord Mayor faced more criticism from the Labor Opposition and state government for allegedly going back on a promise not to build more toll roads in the city.
Both Mr Bailey and Brisbane City Council Labor leader Jared Cassidy said reports showed road options would be tolled.
“Before the 2020 election Adrian Schrinner ducked questions about a northside toll road but now his secret plan has been revealed,” Mr Bailey said.
Cr Cassidy said the LNP council had done a “backflip”.
“It is there in black and white – that the North West motorway will have tolled options considered,” he said.
“This plan is meant to be a missing link for the motorway network – but this council is missing the mark.”
The North West Transport Corridor runs from Everton Park to Carseldine and is owned by the Queensland Government.(Supplied: Brisbane City Council)
Describing the allegations as a “scare campaign”, Cr Schrinner said planning for the north-west had been left “too long”.
“We know there won’t be any roads or infrastructure if it’s left to the Labor party,” he said.
“We’re looking at real solutions. This report identifies multiple options to improve the transport infrastructure in the north west suburbs.”
The report would now go to the state and federal government and Infrastructure Australia for review.
The viability of a tunnel stretching nearly 12 kilometers from Bald Hills to Kedron and costing at least $9.5 billion is being investigated.
Key points:
A study has found congestion in the city’s north-west is costing $312 million per year
The $10 million study was funded by the federal government
Two tunnels and a bus network were costed as a part of the study
The six-lane tunnel, which would connect with the Airport Link, was part of the outcome of a $10 million federally-funded study undertaken over two years by Brisbane City Council.
It found northern Brisbane’s annual congestion and public transport crowding was costing $312 million per year.
That would rise to $538.5 million by 2031 and $859 million by 2041.
The study found significant community opposition towards any surface road or rail development through the North West Transport Corridor, which had been reserved by the state government since the 1980s.
The North West Transport Corridor runs from Everton Park to Carseldine and is owned by the Queensland Government.(Supplied: Brisbane City Council)
Stretching from Carseldine to Alderley and including the Chermside Hills Reserve, the land was a “significant biodiversity corridor” likely to contain a number of observed threatened species, the study.
The North West Transport Network study investigated several underground alternatives, including a motorway and heavy rail option, as well as complementary above-ground bus and active transport solutions.
Bus network, another tunnel costed
Brisbane Civic Cabinet Chair for Infrastructure Andrew Wines said all levels of government needed to work together on transport solutions for Brisbane’s north.
“This study demonstrates that doing nothing isn’t an option,” Mr Wines said.
“Brisbane is the fastest growing capital city in the country and our northern neighbors in Moreton Bay are also growing quickly.
The study also assessed building a complementary Bus Rapid Transport system along Gympie Road from the Northern Busway at Kedron to Aspley at a cost of between $758 million and $1.1 billion.
A longer-term option of extending the underground motorway with an 11 kilometer tunnel from McDowall to Toowong by 2041 was also considered.
That tunnel was cost at between $7.8 billion and $11.5 billion.
Brisbane City Council Labor leader Jared Cassidy said Brisbane’s LNP council had announced a multi-billion dollar proposal “without saying when it will be funded”.
“It’s a bit rich for [Brisbane Mayor] Adrian Schrinner to put forward a multi-billion dollar proposal when his administration can’t even complete their own projects,” Mr Cassidy said.
“If this LNP administration can’t finish the North Brisbane Bikeway – how can it propose a multi-billion dollar plan for this North West motorway?
He said it was a proposal for a tolled tunnel.
“This is a backflip from the LNP,” he said.
“It is there in black and white – that the North West motorway will have tolled options considered.
“This plan is meant to be a missing link for the motorway network – but this council is missing the mark.”
Call for government cooperation
Mr Wines said the study had been sent to the federal and state governments, as well as Infrastructure Australia, for consideration.
“Clearly what has been put forward in this study is far beyond the means of local government,” he said.
“We are eager to talk further with the state and federal government about these proposals and hear about any other ideas they might have to deal with northern Brisbane’s transport needs.”
He said the study showed the economic cost of north Brisbane’s congestion would be $1.5 million a day within a decade which was “totally unacceptable”.
The Queensland premier has flagged the cost of redeveloping the Gabba for the 2032 Games could increase beyond the proposed $1 billion price tag.
Key points:
The Queensland government had originally proposed a $1 billion redevelopment of the Gabba for the 2032 Olympics based on cost estimates at the time
The Premier has acknowledged there has been an increase of supply and material shortages
Ms Palaszczuk said the final costings would be made public
It comes after Annastacia Palaszczuk said she was comfortable with plans for both the Gabba and Brisbane Live after concerns were raised last week additional construction was needed to allow the venues to be built for the 2032 Olympics.
Speaking at a media conference yesterday Ms Palaszczuk said there would be a business case for the Gabba redevelopment, with the government “working through all those issues at the moment”.
When asked how the government had determined the redevelopment would cost $1 billion, Ms Palaszczuk said it was based on cost estimates at the time.
“Of course now we understand that there’s been a lot of increase in … shortages of supply and materials, they’re worldwide issues,” she said.
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Should the Gabba be demolished and rebuilt for the Olympics?
When the premier was asked if she anticipated the redevelopment would cost more than $1 billion, she said they do not have the final costs yet.
“But of course we’ll absolutely reveal those to the public,” she said.
Speculation about the size of the Gabba redevelopment has increased in recent weeks with concerns the planned upgrades will impact the local road network including Vulture and Stanley Streets, key thoroughfares through Woolloongabba.
Last week, it was reported a proposal to tunnel under the streets had been put forward but that would significantly increase the $1 billion cost of the Gabba redevelopment.
Meanwhile, the question of East Brisbane State School’s future remains unanswered. The heritage school tucked under the shadow of the Gabba stadium will have to be relocated to make way for the stadium expansion.
At parliamentary estimates hearings last week, ministers were grilled on plans for the school’s future.
Education Minister Grace Grace admitted there are still no concrete plans for the school, as the Gabba redevelopment is in such early stages of planning.
“We do not know the footprint. We do not know the design. We have a schematic sketch,” Ms Grace.
“We are still stabbing in the dark. It is still 10 years away, but I recognize that the stadium probably needs to build for the future,” she said.
Deputy Premier Steven Miles told estimates that the education department “has been undertaking long-term planning for the East Brisbane State School and the surrounding primary school network”.
The proposal also involves a 50-50 spending split with the Commonwealth and Queensland government.
“We’ve got an infrastructure spend from the Commonwealth and state but let me say very clearly that what we signed up to with the International Olympic Committee — we will be delivering,” Ms Palaszczuk said yesterday.
The Brisbane Times reported in July the Australian government was still considering the Queensland government’s proposed package for transport and infrastructure projects to support the Games.
On Monday Ms Palaszczuk said the Commonwealth and State have “agreed with the infrastructure spend”.
“A lot of our infrastructure spending, over $50 billion over four years is actually already factored in when you’re talking about transport, Cross River Rail, Road upgrades,” she said.
The Federal Government has promised to pick up the bill for any potential pay rise for aged care workers in a submission to the Fair Work Commission (FWC).
Key points:
The government has stopped short of nominating how much aged care wages should increase
It says existing rates do not reflect the modern skills and demands of the role
Aged Care Minister Anika Wells says gender pay equity is a priority
The independent wages umpire is considering a case brought forward by the unions, calling for a 25-per-cent pay increase for 200,000 residential and home care workers.
While stopping short of nominating how much wages should rise, the Commonwealth argued in its submission that the existing award rates do not reflect the value and skills of the sector.
Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations Tony Burke said the COVID pandemic had exacerbated pressures on the workforce and underlined the case for a pay increase.
“Right now, there is no doubt their work is undervalued. We need to change that,” he said.
“Our government is prioritizing these workers as we fight to get wages moving again.”
Unions celebrate commitment
The Health Services Union welcomed the government’s submission, arguing the aging population and changing expectations had made the roles more complex.
National president Gerard Hayes said the government’s submission was a shot in the arm for the sector.
“Older Australians will not get the care they deserve until we can attract and retain a workforce to look after them,” he said.
“The Government has understood this and taken action.
“We are hopeful the Fair Work Commission will make a decision that recognizes the work value of aged care.
“A decent pay rise is beyond overdue.”
Health Services Union president Gerard Hayes says Australia has allowed aged care workers to be exploited and overworked for too long.(ABC News: Laura Brierley Newton)
The Interim CEO of employer group Aged and Community Care Providers Association Paul Sadler said the case for a pay rise was strongest for registered and enrolled nurses and personal care workers.
“It would not surprise me to see that the increase for these key workers will be certainly up towards that 25 per cent level,” he said.
“The sooner this decision is made the better, but we do support a staged implementation of the increase.”
An election promise
Lifting the pay of aged care workers was a key recommendation of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety’s final report last year.
During the election campaign, Labor promised if it won the government it would make a submission to the FWC in support of a pay rise for the workforce.
The commitment was criticized by then-prime minister Scott Morrison, who questioned how Labor would fund any increase, instead opting to give aged care workers across the country two standalone payments of $400.
Workforce shortages
Unions and industry groups have argued pay increases are needed to attract and retain skilled workers for the sector.
Aged Care Minister Anika Wells said a pay rise was the first step to addressing workforce shortages.
“We need more staff in aged care and a pay rise is the start of ensuring workers are rewarded for the crucial roles they play,” she said.
“One of the main causes of the gender pay gap is low pay and poor conditions in care sectors like aged care, where the majority of workers are women.
“Increasing wages in aged care is essential to ensuring that men and women are paid equally.”
The Albanian government has committed to funding any proposed wage increase.(ABC News: Matt Roberts)
If the unions’ case is successful, the FWC would vary the aged care award, the document outlining minimum pay rates and conditions for the sector.
That change could see the minimum wage for aged care workers rise by at least $5 an hour.
The minimum wage of a qualified personal carer would be bumped up from $23.09 to $28.86 an hour, dependent on salaries when the application was lodged.
Under the union’s proposal a level 1 aged care worker could see their weekly pay increased from just over $800 to more than $1,000.
The case has been before the FWC since 2020.
It is due to hear from the government and unions when it holds hearings this month.
