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SBS Australia
30 minutes ago
- SBS Australia
A 'really important initiative' or 'complete overreach': New WFH plan draws mixed reactions
With new Australian-first rules suggested, working from home might soon be a legal right for Victorians. Premier Jacinta Allan announced on Thursday that she would introduce legislation in 2026 legally enshrining the right to work from home for two days a week. Allan said she expected the plan to face some criticism but said many Victorians stood to benefit from the changes, which will cover all employees who can "reasonably" do their job from home. "Bosses who think being seen at a desk is more important than a parent getting home for dinner with their kids, if they want to look their workers in the eye and tell them their time with their families doesn't count, they know where my government stands," Allan said. "We won't stand by while workers — especially women, single mums, carers — get punished for needing balance in their lives." Details are yet to be worked through but Allan signalled the changes could come into effect under Victoria's Equal Opportunity Act, as private workplaces are regulated by federal laws. Issues such as the definition of remote work, who can do it, how it would affect part-time workers and the types of businesses to which the law would apply, will be figured out through a consultation process. 'Complete overreach' Peak business bodies have criticised the plan, with Committee for Melbourne CEO Scott Veenker calling it a "complete overreach". "It's another regulatory burden or requirement that just makes the cost of doing business too hard," he said, adding that his group "hadn't been consulted with prior to the announcement". "The reality is that we want to actually have an environment where businesses can thrive and flourish, and they don't need more regulation and more legislation to prevent them [from] doing that." Veenker said the state government's new plan will make "members both small and large" of the business advocacy group ask if they should "continue trading in Victoria". "We know that businesses will move their staff and their resources accordingly, and we don't want Victoria to be seen as a place that's too hard to do business," he said. "They should be arrangements that are really done in conjunction with staff and the employers, rather than the state government trying to put their nose into this. "We want the state government to be looking at how we should be focusing on economic growth and enabling businesses to prosper." The Committee for Melbourne, which merged with the Melbourne Chamber of Commerce in 2024, describes itself as being founded "to champion key initiatives to stimulate the economy and civic development, which put Melbourne on a pathway to become one of the world's most liveable cities". 'A really good initiative' However, several people SBS News talked to on the streets of Melbourne said they supported the proposal. One young woman said it was "a really good initiative". "I think working from home allows people to have a bit more of better work-lifestyle balance, therefore making them happy — happy to be at work when it is time to be at work, [and] happy to be at home," she said. Another woman SBS News spoke to said the ability to work from home "just makes life so much easier". Source: SBS News A middle-aged man said he currently had an arrangement to work one day a fortnight at home and would "certainly be keen for that to be made a legal thing to do more". A young man who works from home said: "going to [the] office necessarily doesn't mean full productivity, so that's something people have to consider," he said. Several experts recently told SBS News that working from home breaks down barriers to gender equality in the workplace and is necessary for modern families, especially those who face significant commutes to work. LISTEN TO More than one in three Australian employees typically work from home, but that figure rises to 60 per cent among managers and those in professional services, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The ABS also says 43 per cent of those who work from home do overtime, compared to one quarter of those who do not. State Opposition signals possible support Allan — whose announcement coincided with the Victorian Labor Party meeting for its annual conference — has promised to introduce the law in 2026, prior to the state election. Polls indicate Labor is on track to win a fourth term but the November 2026 poll will be the first as premier for Allan, who lags Opposition leader Brad Battin as preferred state leader. On Saturday, Battin indicated he might support the proposal. "We support measures that help Victorians enjoy a better work-life balance, and will review any legislation closely, to ensure it supports flexibility, productivity and personal choice," he said. The federal Opposition's proposal to eliminate remote work for public servants was partly blamed for its poor performance in the May federal election, even though it abandoned the policy before voting day. During the campaign, former Opposition leader Peter Dutton apologised after admitting that the proposal to end work-from-home arrangements for public servants was a "mistake". The plan was immediately framed by Labor and Greens parliamentarians as being a regressive move for women's working rights. — With additional reporting from the Australian Associated Press
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
‘Pure evil': Epstein survivors and their families horrified as co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell suddenly framed as a ‘victim'
Multiple victims of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell have expressed their disgust at suggestions she could receive 'preferential treatment' from the government, or perhaps even a presidential pardon. They are increasingly, palpably worried that Maxwell's monstrous crimes, particularly those committed against underage girls, are being forgotten. Maxwell, who has never admitted to her role in Epstein's sex trafficking scheme, was the person chiefly responsible for procuring minors for him to abuse. She enticed them into his orbit, groomed them, and used various methods to keep them trapped. The victims have long alleged that Maxwell also participated in the sexual abuse. Last month, as the Trump administration struggled to neutralise a public backlash against its handling of the Epstein files, the man Donald Trump had appointed Deputy Attorney-General – his own former defence lawyer, Todd Blanche – went to visit Maxwell. Mr Blanche spoke to Epstein's partner and chief co-conspirator for two days. Lawyers representing Maxwell, who are currently trying to get the Supreme Court to throw out her convictions on child sex trafficking charges, later said she had discussed about a hundred people connected to the Epstein case. Obvious fears arose among Maxwell's victims. Did the government intend to seek a shortening of her 20-year prison sentence in exchange for her co-operation? Was President Trump open to pardoning her, which would set her free immediately? And how would the obvious conflicts of interest be navigated? Mr Trump, who was friends with Epstein and Maxwell for about 15 years and whose name reportedly appears 'multiple times' in the Epstein files, wants to be absolved of any suggestion he was involved in their crimes (and, we should note, there is at the moment no evidence he was). Maxwell, obviously, wants to get out of jail, something she almost certainly cannot achieve without Mr Trump's grace. Every incentive compels her to be, ahem, helpful to the President. And this is someone with a long record of lying, including while under oath. Perhaps nothing is amiss, but the ingredients for a potentially corrupt quid pro quo are there. You can understand why Epstein's survivors are suspicious. Two other elements have fed into their building unease. First, on the fringes of America's right-wing media, some bloviaters have started to speak of Maxwell as a 'victim'. 'I think this is great,' Newsmax anchor Greg Kelly said last week, for example, referring to the government's overtures towards her. 'I do have a feeling that she just might be a victim. She just might be. There was a rush to judgment, there was a lot of chaos there for a while. 'Granted, she hung out with Jeffrey Epstein, and I know that's apparently not good.' Apparently! (Oh, and Maxwell did much more than merely 'hang out' with Epstein, as we shall explore in a moment. Apparently some folks need to be reminded.) Second, today we learned that the government had quietly moved Maxwell from her jail in Florida to a lower security one in Texas, which houses several female celebrity inmates. The fraudster Elizabeth Holmes is there, for example. Why move Maxwell? That has not been explained. Hence an angry statement released today, co-signed by Annie and Maria Farmer, both of whom were victims of Epstein and Maxwell, plus the family of Virginia Giuffre, who did so much to expose the pair's crimes before taking her own life earlier this year. 'It is with horror and outrage that we object to the preferential treatment convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell has received,' the statement reads. 'Ghislaine Maxwell is a sexual predator who physically assaulted minor children on multiple occasions, and she should never be shown any leniency. 'Yet, without any notification to the Maxwell victims, the government overnight has moved Maxwell to a minimum security prison. This is the justice system failing victims right before our eyes. 'The American public should be enraged by the preferential treatment being given to a pedophile and a criminally charged child sex offender. 'The Trump administration should not credit a word Maxwell says, as the government itself sought charges against her for being a serial liar. 'This move smacks of a cover-up. The victims deserve better.' Some other remarks worth mentioning, here. 'My little sister is one of her victims, and so am I,' Maria Farmer told MSNBC, slamming politicians who 'want to entertain Ghislaine Maxwell' and 'act like we victims should not be heard from'. Her sister Annie told The Daily Mail any deal between the government and Maxwell would 'be devastating' and 'feel like a slap in the face'. 'It doesn't sit well that this is all happening without any involvement from the people they asked to testify in her case, or other victims,' she said. 'It's hard not to be anxious.' Theresa Helm said any leniency shown towards Maxwell 'would mean the complete crumbling of this justice system'. 'We all deserve a pathway to justice. We don't deserve to have it, yet again, robbed from us,' she told MSNBC. 'It truly does seem like an upside down world.' During an interview about Maxwell's case in 2021, which feels relevant in this discussion, Sarah Ransome described Maxwell as 'the chief orchestrator' who had 'forced' her into the room where Epstein raped her. 'It actually makes me sick that she is claiming to be a victim, or have any form of innocence' said Ms Ransome. 'This is the same woman that grabbed my arm and forced me into a room to be raped by Jeffrey. It was brutal. 'And I remember limping from Jeffrey's bedroom. I remember looking at Ghislaine, and she had this evil smirk on her face. She knew I was there to be raped, and she enjoyed it.' Speaking to CNN this week Ms Giuffre's brother, Sky Roberts, said Maxwell 'deserves to rot in prison, where she belongs'. 'Because of what she's done to my sister, and so many other women. It's absolutely a pure sense of evil,' Mr Roberts said. 'She wasn't stolen. She was preyed upon,' he added, alluding to Mr Trump's complaint this week that Epstein 'stole' staff from his Mar-a-Lago resort, including Ms Giuffre. '(Maxwell) wasn't just a recruiter. She participated, and viciously participated, with these girls, abusing them.' He said his sister described Maxwell as a 'monster' from 'a nightmare'. Journalist Tara Palmeri, who has reported extensively on the Epstein case and knows multiple victims, described recent events as 'infuriating'. 'Because I know so much about her. I know the damage she did to these girls,' Ms Palmeri said on her YouTube channel. 'So many of them are more angry with her, for the abuse, than Epstein. She was the one that violated them. She was the one that called Annie Farmer's mother and said, 'Don't worry, I'll take care of her, you can let her go to the ranch.' That was where Ghislaine Maxwell was the first one to touch Annie, and then Epstein jumped in. 'She was involved in the actual molestation of these girls. She didn't just bring them to Jeffrey Epstein.' All these comments are worth remembering, going forward. Ghislaine Maxwell was not Epstein's sidekick, she was his partner, and is no less culpable. She wasn't pulled into the web of his sex trafficking scheme – if anything, she was chiefly responsible for weaving it. She should not be pitied. Or trusted.
SBS Australia
3 hours ago
- SBS Australia
Garma 2025: Minister for Indigenous Australians, Sentaor Malarndirri McCarthy
Minister for Indigenous Australians, Sentaor Malarndirri McCarthy sat down with NITV's John Paul Janke at 25th Garma Festival, following Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's keynote address.
