SA Unions secretary Dale Beasley expected up to 10,000 workers to take part.
“Workers are taking action because Scott Morrison has delivered nothing but huge steps backwards for working people,” Beasley said.
“We expect Scott Morrison will use the federal budget as a last chance to spin his way out of trouble before the federal election, and South Australian workers have had enough of it.
“Scott Morrison’s record for South Aussie workers is appalling. We have skyrocketing rates of underemployment and insecure work. We’re experiencing the highest ever rate of workers requiring more than one job to make ends meet. Most working people do not take multiple jobs by choice. This is a clear illustration of the toll that insecure work is taking on South Australian workers.”
Cost of living central to tonight’s federal budget
Josh Frydenberg will hand down his fourth budget as treasurer tonight, with the government hoping to use it as a political springboard for the upcoming federal election.
The federal budget is set to focus on the rising cost of living, driven by increases in petrol and grocery prices, with relief measures such as a temporary cut in the fuel excise being touted.
While delivering immediate relief, Frydenberg is also pitching the budget as a long-term economic plan providing skills, building more roads, funding national security, driving down the cost of energy and rolling out essential services.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison is expected to trigger a May election after letting the dust settle on the coalition’s post-budget pitch.
The 2022/23 budget is expected to show the unemployment rate dropping to 3.75 per cent by the September quarter this year, its lowest level in almost 50 years.
“All Australians have contributed to our economic recovery from the pandemic, which has been faster and stronger than the US, UK, France, Canada, Italy and Germany,” Frydenberg said.
“This hasn’t been luck, it has been the result of a clear fiscal strategy to save jobs and drive the unemployment rate to historically low levels.”
As petrol prices pass $2 a litre, the fuel excise is largely expected to be cut temporarily by 10 to 20 cents per litre for six months.
The government has hinted at “targeted and proportionate” cost of living relief, particularly helping low and middle-income earners.
The budget will include $49.5 million to be spent over the next two years for additional subsidised vocational education training places.
The new places can be accessed by those working in the aged care sector or those interested in working in the area.
Frydenberg has aimed to emphasise the “fiscal dividend of a stronger economy” ahead of the budget, with the budget deficit expected to be lower than the $98.9 billion estimated for 2022/23 in last year’s mid-year budget review.
Swathes of money have already been set aside for infrastructure projects, with more than $120 billion to be spent over the next decade.
Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese will deliver his budget reply speech on Thursday night.
“This is a desperate government fighting for itself, not fighting for the interests of Australians,” he said.
“After almost a decade in office, they want to convince people that they’re now concerned about standard of living.”
Bullying claims substantiated against Labor MP
An independent investigator has partially substantiated claims a Labor MP bullied a former trainee working in his electorate office.
Bradley Johnson, 22, accused Labor MP for Light Tony Piccolo of “inappropriate comments and general belittlement” during his 12-month traineeship in 2018.
Johnson also claimed Piccolo wanted to replace him with another trainee and forced him to resign.
Former Treasurer Rob Lucas had referred the matter to an independent investigator, who returned their findings shortly before this month’s state election.
In a letter to Johnson dated March 18, Lucas said the investigator, Dentons Lawyers partner Nicholas Linke, had upheld some of the complaints.
“Whilst you are not entitled to a copy of Mr Linke’s report due to confidentiality reasons, I write to advise that based on the evidence recorded in Mr Linke’s report, I have made findings that some of the complaints you made were substantiated,” Lucas wrote.
“The report has recommended that additional measures be put in place to ensure greater scrutiny of any future apparently voluntary decisions by a trainee to resign before the conclusion of their traineeship.
“This will be referred to the Department of Treasury and Finance for implementation.”
Rex Patrick confirms Senate run
South Australian senator Rex Patrick in Parliament House. Picture: Mick Tsikas/AAP.
Independent Senator Rex Patrick has reaffirmed he’ll run for a South Australian Senate seat at this year’s federal election, facing off against his old boss Nick Xenophon.
Patrick had considered running for the Federal electorate of Grey after Xenophon announced his Senate bid this month.
“I’ve been serving as a strong independent representative for SA for four and a half years and I’m determined to continue to represent SA in Canberra to the best of my abilities,” Patrick told last night.
“I made a commitment early this year to run for the Senate. Nick’s late decision txjmtzywo run in the Senate does change the landscape.
“I’m not convinced Nick will get a quota, considering his name will be below the line, and there is a real danger a sixth seat could go to a Queensland headquartered party.”
Xenophon said it was a late decision but “it’s never too late in democracy”.
“My job is to get those who are prepared to support me, to get the message across that I’m running. I wish Rex well, but my contest is not with him,” Xenophon said.
“My contest is with the major parties, and it shouldn’t be about cannibalising each other’s votes. It should be about making it clear that it’s important to vote differently in the Senate.”
Film academy condemns Will Smith slap
Will Smith confronts Chris Rock as he presents the award for best documentary feature during the 94th Academy Awards. Picture: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY/Sipa USA /AAP.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the group that hands out the Oscars, has condemned Will Smith’s slap of presenter Chris Rock and has started a formal review of the incident.
About 15.36 million people watched the live broadcast on Walt Disney Co’s ABC network in the United States, a major jump from last year but the second-lowest audience ever, according to preliminary ratings data.
The most talked-about moment of the night occurred when Smith slapped presenter Rock’s face on stage shortly before Smith was named best actor.
The incident came moments after the comedian made a joke about Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s hairstyle.
The audio from the show, broadcast on a time delay of a few seconds in the United States, appeared to have been cut from the live transmission for many viewers because of the language Smith used in a verbal outburst after returning to his seat.
But it was audible in some broadcasts, for example in Japan and Australia.
Minutes later, when accepting his first Oscar on Sunday night for best actor for his role in King Richard, Smith apologised to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and his fellow nominees in a tear-filled acceptance speech, but not to Rock
The ratings figure for the film industry’s highest awards rose 56 per cent from last year’s record-low ratings, ABC said on Monday.
Early estimates for the 2021 show, which was scaled down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, came in at 9.85 million viewers.
An updated tally that will include viewership via live stream and at out-of-home locations such as bars and restaurants will be released on Tuesday.
TV viewership of many awards ceremonies has dropped in recent years.
Oscars producers tried a new format this year with three hosts and less time allotted to awards for sound mixing and other film craft categories.
Abramovich, Ukraine negotiators ‘poisoned’
Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich and Ukrainian peace negotiators suffered symptoms of suspected poisoning earlier this month after a meeting in Kyiv, the and investigative website Bellingcat report, citing people familiar with the matter.
Abramovich, who accepted a Ukrainian request to help negotiate an end to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and at least two senior members of the Ukrainian team, were affected, the WSJ report said.
Ukrainian officials poured cold water on the report.
Asked about the suspected poisoning, Ukrainian negotiator Mykhailo Podolyak said “there is a lot of speculation, various conspiracy theories”.
Rustem Umerov, another member of the negotiating team, urged people not to trust “unverified information”.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba later took a similar line, saying in a television interview that “everyone is thirsty for news and sensations”.
However, he also added wryly: “I advise anyone going for negotiations with Russia not to eat or drink anything (and) preferably avoid touching surfaces”.
A US official said intelligence suggested an “environmental” reason for the sickening of Abramovich and the negotiators, “E.g., not poisoning”.
