Probe on V-C perks and parties
University vice-chancellors’ pay, lavish parties and office upgrades will be under scrutiny in a new Senate inquiry if parliament resumes next month.
Politics
Apprentices: $10,000 to help Albanese keep job
Anthony Albanese will pay Australians to take up and complete construction apprenticeships in a bid to salvage Labor’s promise to build 1.2 million homes by mid-2029.
Case for civility, unity and Aussie humour: Westacott intervention
Western Sydney University chancellor Jennifer Westacott says the nation is losing its ability to engage in a contest of ideas.
Bowen clinging to 1.5C dream despite Trump wake-up call
Chris Bowen says he remains hopeful that global warming can be limited to close to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels despite the world’s largest economy pulling out of the Paris agreement.
Red alert, but LNP baulks on ‘Labor debt’ fight
Queensland’s new Treasurer David Janetzki has warned the state will likely suffer a credit rating downgrade as a wave of red ink inundates the budget bottom line.
Why state budget is a fiscal horror show
The brutal truth is that successive Labor governments have failed to adequately control government spending or restrict the accumulation of debt for over two decades.
Independent schools call out Bandt’s ‘class war’
Independent schools will target Adam Bandt’s seat and three other electorates held by the Greens in retaliation for the ‘divisive rhetoric’ its MPs have directed at private schools.
Public service wage bill to balloon $8.61bn
Queensland’s public service wage bill has already blown out by $8.61bn in just six months as the state’s powerful union movement prepares to squeeze the new Crisafulli government for bigger pay rises.
More pain for unis amid cap doubt
See the worst and best placed universities to manage the uncertainty.
PM must define the aims of a second term
Voters see a nation more divided and less prosperous than the one Albanese inherited in 2022; this is the fundamental problem he must tackle in his address to the National Press Club.
Emergency diesel backstop to prop up grid
A rule change will see two diesel generators used to prop up the South Australia grid as the state struggles to reconcile renewables with ensuring grid security.
‘Power plays’: Indigenous activist accuses Greens of racism and bias
High-profile social justice campaigner Megan Krakouer hit out at the Greens for the party’s ‘unfair practices’ in blocking her candidacy for a federal seat.
Some questions of identity are less than welcome
Debate rages over the utility and purpose of welcome to country ceremonies, and increasingly Australians are required to ask who is conducting them.
Labor left state ‘worst deficits in its history’
The ousted Labor government’s pre-election promise of returning the budget to surplus within two years has been shattered, with the state to have its largest deficits in history.
In firm grip of a new world order, Wong races to make friends, influence people
Foreign Minister Penny Wong has used her first bilateral meeting with the US’s top diplomat, Marco Rubio, to build support for the AUKUS partnership and promote closer economic security.
Don’t ignore threat to Muslims just because mosques haven’t burned: envoy
The political furore over social cohesion has escalated, with Anthony Albanese’s hand-picked Islamophobia envoy weighing in.
Council scraps flag after two-sided treatment sparks outrage
The handing-out of a double-sided Australian and Aboriginal flag at citizenship ceremonies on the Gold Coast has been axed by the Gold Coast City Council after complaints by residents and its own elected officials.
Schoolkids shun the classroom
At least 1.6 million Australian children missed a month’s worth of lessons last year, as school attendance slipped back towards pandemic-level lows.
GPs want a political road map for health
In the coming election campaign, Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton will have to promise longer GP consults, train more doctors and prioritise women’s health to get doctors on side.
Industry demands freight scheme fix
Cabinet makers can claim the cost of timber but not hinges or handles; a new bottle shape requires multiple signed forms. No wonder industry wants the Tasmanian Freight Equalisation Scheme overhauled.
Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics