Andrew Bogut makes Australian sporting history
Andrew Bogut is the first ever Australian and only the second non-American to
be picked number one in the NBA draft.
I congratulate 20 year old Bogut on this honour after a stand out college
basketball season and his Olympic debut in Athens.
This is a historic moment for Australian Basketball and tribute must be paid
to all those in the Australian sporting community who have assisted and
supported Bogut throughout his career so far.
Contact: Taryn Langdon 0147 148 059 or 02 6277 3334
Minister fails to deliver on WADA code
It is disappointing to learn that the Howard Government has been unable to
convince the Australian Football League to sign onto the World Anti-Doping
Association's (WADA) drugs in sport code.
The Government should hold firm in its stand to remove all Australian Sports
Commission (ASC) funding. We urge the Government to consider a whole of
Government approach for withholding funding.
This would create a more meaningful financial incentive for the AFL to sign
the code. Labor believes that every effort should be made by the Howard
Government and the AFL to ensure the highest moral and ethical standards are
upheld in sport and among Australia's sporting role models.
The Government made an assumption that the loss of ASC funding would act as a
deterrent for failing to sign the agreement. However the Minister would have
known that this loss of funding would be a drop in the ocean for the AFL and
therefore that he risked not being taken seriously.
Had there been a more concerted effort made to encourage the AFL to sign, we
may not have this embarrassing situation for Australians where one of our
wealthiest and most popular sports has refused to sign such an important global
agreement cracking down on drugs in sport.
The Howard Government has let Australia's credibility slip in tackling drugs
in sport and this is another example of this Government failing to deliver.
Contact: Taryn Langdon 0147 148 059 or 02 6277 3334
Soft approach to online
security exposes Australian consumers
At least
127,000 Australian credit card consumers and up to 40 million consumers
worldwide have been caught so far in a massive credit card security breach on
transactions in the United States, including online transactions with US
merchants.
It is
reported that the security breach involved not only the misuse of consumer's
private information but also the skimming of personal account details from
internet transactions.
Banks knew
of the problem as early as December last year yet the Howard Government has done
nothing to press the banks to inform consumers of the problem - consumers have
been left vulnerable and in the dark.
Currently
Australian legislation provides no onus for banks to inform consumers of the
potential security breaches and risks of using their credit cards in particular
parts of the world.
In Question Time today, the Minister waxed lyrical to the
Federal Government's so-called online security initiatives that they claim are
aimed at preventing credit card fraud, however it is obvious that the
government's light touch approach to online security is not protecting
Australian consumers. It appears that this security breach has been hidden
from consumers in an effort to cover up the weakness of the Howard Government's
approach to this issue.
Surely the
scale of the current security breaches highlight enough need for federal
provisions that ensure Australian consumers are informed of potential risks they
may be exposed to.
The Federal
Government's collaboration with Australian banks on online security is long
overdue. The Howard Government needs to show leadership to develop systems and
guidelines that will effectively provide for the highest level of online
consumer protection possible.
Contact: Taryn Langdon 0147 148 059 or 02 6277 3334
No more excuses for Manufacturing
The Howard Government continues to ignore the
precarious state of Australian manufacturing as the decline in manufacturing
performance continues.
Report after report, survey after survey
indicates that this vital section of the Australian economy continues to
decline.
Figures from the Australian Industry Group (AIG)
have shown that Australian manufacturing is experiencing record slow growth with
some sectors in serious decline.
Of great concern is the fact that the survey
results conclude that there is no relief in sight as it predicts activity to
weaken even further in the September quarter.
Further, the three month outlook for
manufactured exports is the weakest in the history of the AIG survey (since
September 1992).
Recent figures obtained from the Department of
Industry, Tourism and Resources have ETM export growth figures for the last
three financial years were as follows:
2001-02 – Minus 0.5%
2002-03 – Minus 7 %
2003-04 – Minus 4%
On top of this, as seen in Melbourne last week,
Australian factories are moving jobs offshore.
When confronted with these facts today in the Senate the Howard Government
put up all sorts of excuses for this parlous state: the dollar is too strong;
the domestic economy has grown so much that manufacturing necessarily has a
smaller share; our competitors are too cheap.
The Howard/Costello Government have ignored the warning signs on the health
of our manufacturing sector for far too long. The time for excuses is over - it
is time for the Howard Government to take some decisive action.
Contact: Taryn Langdon 0147 148 059 or 02 6277 3334
Telstra's padlock tactic locks
up Gungahlin broadband
Telstra have built a fence and padlocked the
gate around the new Gungahlin exchange to limit competition in broadband
services, the Senate Inquiry into the telecommunications regulatory regime heard
last night.
Local ACT company Transact gave evidence of the
tactics Telstra use to hamper their efforts to provide broadband (ADSL) service
access to long-suffering Gungahlin residents.
Along with padlocking the gate and playing
hard-to-get with the key, Telstra used a mysterious draft guideline on a
technical limitation of 'heat loading' in ADSL equipment to reject a Transact
proposal to provide ADSL services through the new Gungahlin exchange.
This disgraceful conduct is unacceptable from
any carrier and is unfortunately typical of some of the anti-competitive tactics
Telstra have used to soak up market share of broadband while keeping competitors
at bay in broadband-starved communities like Gungahlin.
The Howard Government is responsible for this
deplorable state of affairs. It is a weak regime that allows Telstra to thumb
it's nose at competition law: if they are not breaching the technical letter of
the law, they are certainly breaching the spirit of the telecommunications
competition laws.
If Telstra is fully privatised any hope of
fixing these problems will disappear.
By way of background, Gungahlin residents, home
based businesses and small businesses have long demanded affordable broadband as
Telstra's network infrastructure has previously prevented or inhibited
widespread penetration of ADSL broadband services.
Through community meetings I have convened over
the years with residents, Telstra was forced to build a new exchange to provide
better services. Their outrageous conduct adds insult to injury for Gungahlin
residents who are desperate for a choice of broadband service providers.
It is also important to note that many other
areas of Canberra and the region suffer from the same poor infrastructure that
prevent broadband services being delivered.
Contact: Taryn Langdon 0147 148 059 or 02 6277 3334
Now Humphries has a bob each way
on workers safety
The call for a Senate inquiry into silicosis in
the workplace is a welcome move that may benefit health and safety of workers.
In principle Labor supports an inquiry and will
try to ensure that it is not limited to the issue of sandblasting, but
encompasses other situations of exposure to silica in the workplace.
It is 'interesting' to note that Senator
Humphries' new-found enthusiasm for occupational health and safety (OH&S) comes
in the week when the Howard Government is under fire for their attack on
worker's rights and conditions.
Surely even Senator Humphries knows that it is
unionised workplaces that have the best Occupational Health and Safety
standards.
Does this signal Senator Humphries change of
heart on industrial relations?
In arguing for the rights of workers to be
protected from unsafe sandblasting practices, will he, for the sake of
consistency, now signal his intention to vote against the Liberal Party's
draconian industrial relations changes and support the role of unions upholding
workplace safety standards.
I call on Senator Humphries to make his stance clear and remind him that once
again: he can't have a bob each way on the right of workers to a safe workplace.
Contact: Taryn Langdon 0147 148 059 or 02 6277 3334
Manufactured exports weakest in history
The Howard Government continues to ignore the
precarious state of Australian manufacturing as the decline in manufacturing
performance continues, according to the Quarterly Survey of Australian
Manufacturing released today by the Australian Industry Group (AIG).
The survey results showed that Australian
manufacturing in the June quarter experienced the slowest growth for 4 years.
Production growth has slowed and growth has weakened in sales and new
orders.
Worryingly the survey results conclude that
there is no relief in sight as it predicts activity to weaken even further in
the September quarter.
AIG Chief Executive, Heather Ridout, has drawn
attention to the disastrous state of manufactured exports as the survey found
that eleven out of the twelve sectors are experiencing decline.
The three month outlook for manufactured exports
is the weakest in the history of the AIG survey (since September 1992).
Lack of investment by John Howard in skills,
innovation and export strategies for manufacturing has prevented the growth
stimulated by Labor’s economic reforms from continuing.
To survive in the modern economy, Australia must be internationally
competitive. It is essential that the Federal Government is committed to taking
the Australian economy to the next level of productivity improvement. And that
means building our nation’s capacity and our people’s capability.
The Howard/Costello Government have ignored the warning signs on the health
of our national economy for far too long. Today’s figures add further weight to
that fact.
How many bleak reports from industry bodies will
it take to get the Howard Government to take some decisive action to address the
decline of the manufacturing sector?
Contact: Taryn Langdon 0147 148 059 or 02 6277 3334
Manufacturing annual growth well below average
The Howard Government continues to oversee a
poor performance in Australian manufacturing according to the latest Australian
Industry Group (AIG)-Pricewaterhouse Coopers Australian Performance of
Manufacturing Index (PMI) report released today.
The report showed many manufacturing sectors are
experiencing serious decline including clothing and footwear; wood products and
furniture; paper printing and publishing; and construction materials.
The overall PMI figure was 50.5 a fall from the
April figure of 52.9 and perilously close to a sub 50 point figure which
indicates negative growth.
The Production PMI fell by 1.5 points to 49.4
points this follows on from a disastrous drop of 4.6 points in April. The
report also states that employment has also fallen in firms of all sizes,
particularly large firms.
At last manufactured exports has shown an
increase at 52.6 however after three consecutive months of decline. This can be
viewed as a catch-up rather than an advance.
The AIG report predicts an annual manufacturing
growth figure of below 2% for 2005. This is well below the Howard Government’s
already low average annual growth figure of 3.9% since taking office in 1996.
Heather Ridout of AIG has echoed Labor by
highlighting manufactured export underperformance as a major public policy issue
that the Howard Government needs to address as a matter of urgency.
Unfortunately, Prime Minister Howard continues
to turn a deaf ear to calls from Labor and industry groups to address this
pressing problem.
Contact: Taryn Langdon 0147 148 059 or 02 6277 3334
Humphries has a bob each way on
Georgiou bills
Senator Humphries needs to explain himself:
He says he supports the Georgiou Bill BUT NOT
the part that would release women and children from detention.
He says he supports the Georgiou Bill BUT if
he's required to actually vote to support it, he WON'T.
Senator Humphries can't have it both ways -
pretending to be compassionate but ultimately not delivering exposes his
hypocrisy on the plight facing children behind the razor wire.
Senator Humphries has never expressed support
for Labor's previously unsuccessful amendment that sought to remove children
from behind the razor wire. He has willingly defended the Prime Minister's hard
line on children in detention in spite of the evidence of the damage done to
these individuals.
Labor calls on the Prime Minister to allow these
bills to be debated. Only then will Labor have the opportunity to support and
improve them in accordance with Labor's long established policy to:
