Day 16 of the election campaign and the mass media has paid scant regard to the big announcement of the day by the opposition for an extra $332 million for early intervention, frontline services, emergency accommodation, and legal support, for domestic violence victims. You would think that that would be a matter of some importance, but I guess there was some interesting footage elsewhere.
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/labor-vows-to-double-coalition-funding-for-d...
The Labor-aligned McKell Institute has crunched some numbers and has concluded that Australian workers would receive $2.88 billion less in penalty rate remuneration under a re-elected Coalition than if the ALP won office and reversed Sunday penalty rate cuts. The findings are based on the Coalition being re-elected and not changing the Fair Work Commission decision to phase in cuts to penalty rates paid to workers in the retail, hospitality, fast food, and pharmacy sectors.
It has been widely reported that the decision to cut penalty rights has led to no gains in employment, contrary to what some poorly-versed economists were expecting. They should read "The Economics of Imperfect Competition" by Joan Robinson.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/penalty-rate-cut-to-lea...
Meanwhile, the preference deal between Clive Palmer's UAP and the LNP is not going too smoothly. Former WA Liberal premier Colin Barnett has slammed the movie suggesting that it will damage the LNP electorally and that it will damage relations with China as Palmer has a history of being less than diplomatic with previous projects with the superpower. Kind of important when you're an export-orientated country. For his own part, Barnett knows how unpalatable deals can cost seats rather than save them..
As a reminder, the corporate regulator, ASIC is currently pursuing criminal charges against Mr Palmer and the Commonwealth is also taking him to court to recoup millions of dollars related to the collapse of his Queensland Nickel Refinery in Townsville.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-04-26/federal-election-liberals-palmer-...
In more scandal-prone and mining-related news, the Morrison government approved a controversial uranium mine one day before calling the federal election and has only just announced it. The Yeelirrie Uranium mine required both state and federal government approval, and the former Liberal state government signed off its part a few weeks before their own election. The mine proposal was rejected by the WA EPA on the grounds that it posed an extinction risk to native animals. But of course, animals don't vote.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-04-26/government-approved-uranium-mine-...
Finally, continuing the apparent run of rubbish LNP candidates, the Liberal candidate for Scullin, Gurpal Singh, has been spotted for previous comments linking same-sex marriage with pedophilia, describing it as "against nature". After being contacted by The Age about these remarks, he has withdrawn them, which I am sure is completely sincere.
https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/liberal-candidate-linked-same...