Key events
The ACTU has released data claiming one in three Australian workers would be affected if the private sector followed Opposition Leader Peter Dutton’s work from home policy.
ACTU president, Michele O’Neil, says clamping down on remote work would be a “productivity killer” and would hurt women the most.
Employment Minister Murray Watt spoke to Sky News a little earlier and said he’s “not seen any evidence” working from home reduces productivity.
There are many people who can work productively from home. And in fact, it’s very likely that the increase in work from home is one of the reasons that we’ve seen such an increase in the number of women participating in the workforce.
We’re currently at record numbers of women participating in the workforce in Australia, I’d say there’s a fairly good chance that that’s partly due to the work from home increase.
Finance minister faces TV and radio interviews as budget looms tomorrow
The finance minister, Katy Gallagher, is in the hot seat this morning, facing the TV and radio interviews ahead of the budget release tomorrow.
She’s revealed that the government has found an extra $2bn in savings in this budget.
Gallagher tells ABC News Breakfast a chunk of that is from reducing the number of consultants being hired in the public service.
A big chunk of it comes through reducing the reliance on contractors and consultants, which is something that we’ve done in each budget … and that’s a big part of the $2.1 billion. But that is in addition to the savings we’ve found before. So across this Government, we’ve found $95 billion worth of savings, which has allowed us to repair the budget.
Labor is facing a long line of future deficits; asked when the budget will be returned to surplus, Gallagher says:
Well, that remains to be seen … but every budget that we have done, we have found savings. Our approach has been to look at this carefully and methodically and responsibly to find room to pay for things where we can and to find savings where we can, and over time, that will return the budget to balance.
Henry Belot
Three quarters of Australians support a total ban on gambling advertising to be phased over three years as recommended by a bipartisan parliamentary review, according to polling of 2000 people by The Australia Institute.
The survey, which has a 2.2% margin of error, found 87% of respondents supported banning gambling ads during prime time broadcasting hours for family and children.
The federal government is yet to respond to a June 2023 parliamentary inquiry’s recommendation to ban gambling ads due to high levels of community harm. It has faced significant lobbying from sporting codes and broadcasters.
Martin Thomas, the chief executive of the Alliance for Gambling reform, said the survey results should encourage politicians to take tougher policies to the election:
It is clear that the vast majority of Australian voters support a total gambling ad ban, and yet the government has sat on its own parliamentary report that recommends such an action for almost two years now…
With such a powerful move for change highlighted in this polling, it beggars belief that the two major parties are listening more to the gambling lobby and to other vested interests than they are to families across the country who are angry and demanding.
Welcome
Krishani Dhanji
Good morning, Krishani Dhanji here with you for this budget week that many people didn’t think we would get.
We’re about 30 seconds away from the election being called, and you can feel it in the air. The politicians are buzzing around parliament house, there’s $150 on offer for your energy bills (that is not an “election bribe”, says the government), and there are political fundraisers as far as the eye can see.
We’re talking about everything this morning from energy to work from home, and of course the economy, which is facing deficits over the next decade.
So buckle up, it’s going to be a big one!
