New Liberal leader Sussan Ley pays tribute to dying mother in first speech
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ABC News
6 hours ago
- ABC News
John Hewson says we should sack the NACC
Former Liberal leader John Hewson says after two years the National Anti-Corruption Commission has failed in its mission to properly investigate allegations of systemic corruption. Hewson takes issue with the lack of action over things like procurement contracts and political pork-barrelling. He says we need an integrity commission which is prepared to have public meetings and that without that it can't be effective. GUEST: John Hewson, professor at the ANU Crawford School of Public Policy and former Liberal opposition leader. John Hewson, professor at the ANU Crawford School of Public Policy and former Liberal opposition leader. PRODUCER: Catherine Zengerer
Sydney Morning Herald
9 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
A new book aims to fix housing affordability, but there's a better solution for Victoria
Melbourne's time in the property price doldrums could be over, ending a dream run for first home buyers in the Victorian capital. But it wasn't only the politics of Abundance, the economics book that's sitting on the nightstands of federal cabinet members, that got us there. The new book by US-based journalists Derek Thompson and Ezra Klein calls for deregulation to ease supply-side restrictions on housing and other vital industries to make houses (as well as healthcare and clean energy) more affordable, accessible and abundant. It doesn't deviate from conventional economic wisdom in this regard, and it's been widely read in Canberra. Its ideas are likely to be part of the discussion at next month's productivity summit. Australia's political system already has a neoliberal consensus; there is bipartisan support to grow the economy by making it easier for corporations to do business and for capital to flow. This same logic is already applied to the housing market, visible in our recent preference for supply-side solutions. One key area where Thompson and Klein hit the nail on the head, however, is the negative effect that restrictive zoning has on housing supply. Victoria has been building more new homes per person than NSW for years, but, like much of Australia, it still faces challenges from local councils to promote infill development and improve housing access in inner Melbourne. It's against this backdrop that the latest house price figures were released on Thursday. Victoria's affordability achievement was modest; house prices in Melbourne are 2.7 per cent below their December 2021 peak on Domain data, but remain unaffordable to most. Melbourne's median is $1,064,000, Sydney's is $1,722,000, and Brisbane's $1,060,000. However, lending data show first home buyers made use of the 3½-year window to purchase. Loading 'It was good, it has to be seen as good, prices did come down a bit,' AMP chief economist Dr Shane Oliver says. 'That would have provided some opportunities for first home buyers that they wouldn't have otherwise had. 'But affordability is still relatively poor in Victoria, it's just not as bad as some other places – Sydney, Brisbane and even Adelaide.'
News.com.au
9 hours ago
- News.com.au
NSW Premier Chris Minns warns trains a ‘massive' election issue after brutal report
NSW Premier Chris Minns has given a frank assessment of Sydney's train network, warning if they don't turn things around 'then voters will send a message' next election. Transport for NSW data released on Thursday revealed the bleak reality for commuters, with 16 per cent of city trains not running on time in the 2024-25 financial year. The result is the worst for Sydney's rail network in years and comes after months on instability wrought by protracted industrial action and major technical failures. Mr Minns on Thursday refused to blame industrial action as being the sole cause of the network's issues, admitting it was a 'huge challenge for the government'. 'If we don't rapidly improve performance on our railways in the coming months, then voters will send a message to us loud and clear at the next election,' he said. 'This is a massive issue for us. I'm not running away from it … I'm not putting it down to industrial disputes. 'The pressure and the responsibility is on us, the government, to increase reliability and on-time running in the public transport network. 'I can assure you, we're putting resources into it as we speak.' Mr Minns admitted solving the state's longstanding pay dispute with the Combined Rail Unions had been the government's 'focus'. With a deal reached, Mr Minns said the 'full resources' of senior leadership of Sydney Trains and TfNSW, and the Premier's office, would be on 'punctuality'. 'We're a big international city, (and) the only way big international cities work and people can get to work and from work is using public transport,' he said. 'There is no alternative, and we need to make sure that it's world class'. Mr Minns said the state government had invested $740m into backlog maintenance on the rail network. At the same time, TfNSW secretary Josh Murray announced in an email to staff on Wednesday plans to slash 950 senior positions at the transport authority. It comes after earlier jobs were cut as part of an election pledge by Mr Minns to slash senior echelons of the public service by 15 per cent. Public Service Association general secretary Stewart Little said the union was seeking details on the specific positions to be cut. Asked whether he could assure commuters the cuts would not affect the performance of the network, Mr Minns said: 'Yes, I can. 'I've looked and scrutinised these numbers very closely, and I'm not flippant about this. 'I realise that these are jobs, they're families, they're people's lives and … it's a difficult decision for the government to make. 'The simple truth, however, was that Transport for NSW grew by 48 per cent over four years – a massive, massive increase in the headcount of that department. 'We need more on-the-ground, frontline public servants doing the difficult but necessary job of providing that service, and that's where our focus is going.' Addressing the data later on Thursday, Opposition Leader Mark Speakman said it 'came as no surprise' to commuters. 'This is not just a set of statistics. This is a set of failure by the Minns Labour government,' he said. 'We have the worst on-time performance on the city network since data started to be collected in 2019. 'One in six Sydney trains last year were late, and around one in three regional trains were late. 'This is a government that has failed to handle Sydney Trains. The Premier provides an apology but no plans to fix the trains. There's no timeline to get things fixed.' Mr Speakman called on the government to explain which jobs would be cut and how that would impact the network. When asked what he would 'do differently', Mr Speakman said he had 'a plan to get the trains running on time'. 'We have a program with clear timelines and a clear set of performance criteria to get, pardon the pun, the trains running back on track. 'What we'd be doing is having a clear plan with clear performance criteria, so you could mark whether you're making satisfactory progress.' Opposition transport spokeswoman Natalie Ward floated removing Mr Murray as Transport secretary. The Rail, Tram, and Bus Union led the Combined Rail Unions through months of industrial action. Earlier this month, they voted to approve a deal with the state government. While the details of the pay agreement are not known, the opposition has accused Labor of providing the union with 'perks'.
