LYNDAL CURTIS: One of the central planks of the Government’s latest policy on asylum seekers is what’s called the ‘no disadvantage’ test for the time it takes to process asylum claims but it’s still a test without a firm definition. The President of the Human Rights Commission has told a Senate Estimates hearing in…
So little justification exists in support of a $20 million heritage grant that departmental officials still refuse to confirm even whether there was any application, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment Simon Birmingham said today. The absence of any documented rationale or request for the $20 million, provided to Museum Victoria for protection…
The Coalition congratulates Senator Conroy and the Labor Government on the remarkable progress being made in the rollout of construction maps for the National Broadband Network (NBN). Appearing before a Senate Estimates Committee last night, Senator Conroy last night confirmed his determination to ensure construction maps covering 758,000 premises across Australia are released…
LUKE GRANT: … more details about the botched Home Insulation Program have emerged in Senate Estimates hearings, showing just how poorly run the Federal Government’s scheme was. We can’t forget the money wasted here. We can’t forget that people died here, either. I mean, we really cannot. The failed program has cost Australian taxpayers…
TREVOR SCOTT: … we’re going to catch up with Senator Simon Birmingham. Basin modelling… the MDBA [Murray-Darling Basin Authority] have put out yet some more modelling on the flows in the River and ‘what could be achieved if’. Let’s find out what this is really trying to tell us with Simon Birmingham. Good morning,…
LEON BYNER: … now comes the news that, as predicted, the desal plant is far too big and far too expensive. In fact, it’s going to be put on standby as it completes a two-year warranty running period and then it’s going to be shut down because we’ve got more than enough water coming…
SIMON BIRMINGHAM: Today I understand that the Water Minister, Tony Burke, will release some updated modelling in relation to the Murray-Darling Basin Plan. I welcome this and I hope that, in releasing it, it will take us one step closer to ending what has been 120 years of argument between the states and what…
DAVID LIPSON: Well, it’s been a while since we’ve seen Labor MP Craig Thomson on the doors of Parliament House arguing the Government’s case but today he felt that he was on a winner after a letter was sent to him this week from the Opposition, courting his vote on the matter of superannuation.…
Boosting public service productivity is apparently as simple as installing expensive coffee machines, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment Simon Birmingham said today. It follows confirmation from the Clean Energy Regulator in Senate Estimates today, under questioning from Senator Birmingham, that the installation of eight ‘Nespresso’ coffee machines at a cost of $20,175…
Climate Change bureaucrats have today confirmed that Europe will effectively set the rate of the carbon tax adding to Australians’ electricity bills, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment Simon Birmingham said today. It follows carbon tax redesign and linkage with the European Union announced by the Gillard Government in August. The announced…