Peak body for working people welcomes Governments decision to ditch Superannuation Amnesty Bill

The peak body for working people is welcoming a Government decision to ditch the Superannuation Amnesty Bill.

 

The Bill would have allowed employers who have stolen superannuation from 2.4 million Australian working people to avoid punishment and instead gain tax advantage.

 

Australian Council of Trade Unions Assistant, Secretary Scott Connolly said, the bill would have seen the Morrison Government siding with dodgy bosses, rather than the people who have worked their entire careers towards a good retirement.

Queensland politician fights to reconsider nuclear power

A senior Queensland politician has fought a push by a handful of federal politicians to reconsider nuclear power.

 

State Development Minister, Cameron Dick, said a budget estimates hearing on Wednesday that energy and farming sectors will be gutted if Queensland built a nuclear power plant.

 

Nuclear power is currently banned under federal law.

$7.7m robotics manufacturing hub in Brisbane

The Queensland government has announced $7.7 million in funding over four years to establish Australia’s first robotics manufacturing hub in Brisbane. 

Minister for Manufacturing Cameron Dick says the Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing Hub would be developed in partnership with QUT and Urban Arts Projects, with a further $10 million in private investment. 

North Korean submarine to be deployed soon

North Korea’s state news released images on Tuesday of leader Kim Jong Un inspecting what appeared to be a submarine under construction, with Kim stating the sub would soon be deployed to North Korea’s territorial waters. 

Professor Kim Young-Joon of the Korea National Defence University says North Korea is attempting to build a viable nuclear-armed submarine to enhance its deterrence capabilities, as submarines are harder to track and destroy. 

British swimmer refuses to share podium with Chinese swimmer Sun Yang

British swimmer Duncan Scott refused to share the 200m freestyle podium with Chinese swimmer Sun Yang in the second protest at the World Aquatics Championships against the controversial gold medallist.

Last night’s protest comes after Australian swimmer Mack Horton accused Sun of drug abuse on Sunday, a move Scott said many within elite swimming supported. 

Governing body FINA has warned both Scott and Horton over the protest for inadequate behaviour, saying FINA events should not be used to make “personal statements”.
 

Legislation banning suspected terrorist banning from returning home enters senate

Legislation that could ban overseas Australian citizens with suspected terrorist links from returning home for up to two years is heading to the Senate.

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton says the bill will guard against potential terrorist attacks in Australia, adding that some Australians are being complacent about the risk.

Security expert John Coyne from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute says the legislation could perpetuate feelings of isolation among targeted Australians and worsen the issue.

Aboriginal children held 9 hours longer than non-indigenous children in maximum security facilities

Brisbane Times has obtained police documents detailing how Aboriginal children were held in maximum security facilities, on average, for nine hours longer than non-Indigenous children in 2018.

Although only comprising 5 per cent of Queensland’s total child population, nearly double the amount of Indigenous children were held in watchhouses compared to non-Indigenous children in the same period. 

Palaszczuk government replaces twice the public servants sacked by Campbell Newman

The Palaszczuk Labor government has replaced the number of public servants sacked under former premier Campbell Newman more than twice over.

The latest workforce figures show there are over 30,000 more full-time equivalent employees in the Queensland public sector than the Newman government had in December 2014.