Your morning Briefing

Welcome to your morning roundup of what’s making news and the must-reads for today.

Hello readers. Here is your two-minute digest of what’s making news today.

Labor leader Bill Shorten addresses a meeting of CFMEU members

Shorten’s vow

Bill Shorten vowed to tear up the nation’s industrial laws, which he described as a “cancer”, during a rallying speech late last year to workers at a Queensland coalmine where CFMEU protesters were revealed to have allegedly threatened to rape the children of non-striking workers. In a secret recording of the ­Opposition Leader’s stump speech delivered at the Oaky North coalmine on October 6, Mr Shorten told striking CFMEU workers that he would rewrite ­labour laws if he won office.

“We now have a situation where the laws of this land are being distorted; where they are being mutated; where they’re being metastasised, like a cancer. We will change laws if we form a government or when we form a government.”

Bill Shorten

-

Deputy Liberal Leader Julie Bishop, PM Malcolm Turnbull with New Nationals Leader and Deputy PM Michael McCormack and Deputy Nationals Leader Bridget McKenzie after the Administrator of the Government of the Commonwealth of Australia, Her Excellency the Honourable Linda Dessau AC, conducting a swearing-in ceremony at Government House, Canberra. Picture Kym Smith

Olive branch

New Deputy PM Michael McCormack has extended an olive branch to his main Nationals rival David Littleproud. Meanwhile, a secret investigation ordered by the PM into potential breaches by Barnaby Joyce of the ministerial code of conduct has been called off. Dennis Shanahan writes that the rise of Michael McCormack is a symptom of a diminishing experience and talent in federal politics. Keep up with all the latest from parliament in our live rolling blog, PoliticsNow.

-

**FILE** A February 8 2016 file image of Australian Border Force Commissioner Roman Quaedvlieg at Senate Estimates at Parliament House in Canberra. The head of the Australian Border Force has gone on leave amid an external investigation. (AAP Image/Mick Tsikas) NO ARCHIVING

Roman holiday?

The fate of one of Australia’s highest-paid public servants hangs in the balance nine months after he took leave, with the government admitting yesterday a highly sensitive probe had still not been finalised despite two separate reports being completed. Home Affairs Department secretary Mike Pezzullo revealed that attempts to end the saga surrounding Border Force head Roman Quaedvlieg, who earns $619,905 a year, had ­shuffled through several sets of hands due to potential conflicts of interest. Attorney-General Christian Porter now has final responsibility for deciding whether Mr Quaedvlieg keeps his job.

-

Rod Clement margin call cartoon for 27-02-2018Version: Business Cartoon (Original)COPYRIGHT: The Australian's artists each have different copyright agreements in place regarding re-use of their work in other publications.Please seek advice from the artists themselves or the Managing Editor of The Australian regarding re-use.

Execs bow out

Finally, after more than a year, we can close the book on the messy and mysterious exit of ­insurance executive Colin Fagen from QBE amid the reign of the now-also departed boss ­John Neal, writes Margin Call. The just released annual ­report for the Aussie-listed international insurance giant reveals former boss Neal was paid nearly $9 million on his departure in September last year. Meanwhile, Fagen walked away from the group on February 9 last year with a final payout of $US1.735m ($2.21m), including a one-off termination benefit of $US776,000.

-

Soccer fans @Melbourne Victory v Western Sydney Wanderers .Wanderers fans walking towards AAMI Stadium in Melbourne .

Turf out soccer thugs

Let’s start by accepting that the crowds at AFL and NRL matches are not made up entirely of saints, writes Wally Mason. Abuse of players and rival fans is rife, some of it unnecessarily offensive. Violence, drunkenness, racism, stupidity ... they all raise their ugly heads occasionally. But A-League fans — or, to be more precise, a minority of A-League fans — take crowd misbehaviour to a whole new and completely unacceptable level. And it’s time to turf them out.

-

Clement’s view

Rod Clement letters page cartoon for 27-02-2018Version: Letters Cartoon (1280x720 - Stretched to Fit)COPYRIGHT: The Australian's artists each have different copyright agreements in place regarding re-use of their work in other publications.Please seek advice from the artists themselves or the Managing Editor of The Australian regarding re-use.