Latest news with #BarbaraPocock
The Advertiser
23-06-2025
- Politics
- The Advertiser
The controversial changes the Greens will push on housing reform
When South Australian Greens senator Barbara Pocock walks through the stately Adelaide Park Lands that circle the CBD, she sees the human impacts of Australia's housing crisis. "The evidence is in front of our eyes," the newly appointed housing spokesperson for the Greens said of the rough sleepers and those who have pitched tents in the city. Once accessible, Adelaide is now second to Sydney as the most unaffordable city in Australia, and the sixth least affordable in the world, according to the Demographia International Housing Affordability report. But for Senator Pocock, the city of churches and her home state also has the model for housing abundance for the rest of Australia and how to get out of this crisis. In an interview with The Canberra Times, the first since the election, the former academic economist pointed to the model of housing development seen in Whyalla and north of Adelaide, providing worker housing to the steelworks and the homes for those who built Commodores and Monaros at the Holden factory in Elizabeth. In doing so, Senator Pocock acknowledges the collaboration of two former premiers at the opposing ends of the political spectrum. "I think Thomas Playford and Don Dunstan would be rolling in their collective graves at what we are seeing here now; the crisis in South Australia, where we are as a country, a city and a state that led on public investment in housing, and we are now right at the back of the pack with unaffordable housing." Citing two politicians working across the aisle on housing highlights where the federal housing agenda has become most challenging. There was no love lost between the Greens' former housing spokesperson, Max Chandler-Mather and the Prime Minister, with the first-term MP decrying Parliament after the election as a "sick place", while Anthony Albanese said the Queensland MP's conduct was "offensive". There is a different dynamic in the Senate, and Senator Pocock and Labor senator Deborah O'Neill worked together during the inquiries into PricewaterhouseCoopers, the duo a fearsome pair for corporate executives who wilted under parliamentary scrutiny. But it has also been clear when the pair disagreed, with Senator Pocock submitting additional comments that went beyond the committee's recommendations of the first PwC inquiry. Taking this approach into the contested waters of housing, Senator Pocock highlights working with former Employment and Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke on the right to disconnect, which she said was an evidence-based reform that depended upon cross-party agreement. "I'm hoping that evidence will be relevant as we look at change in the housing sector, and I expect to be in vigorous discussion with Labor on that front." Senator Pocock says the Greens have three priorities on housing. First, a cap on rent and increased security for tenants. Second, removing tax incentives for investors, including negative gearing and capital gains tax. Third, investing in public housing, but with a focus on quality, as well as quantity. These could put the parties on a collision course, with Labor previously ruling out changes to rent caps, as well as negative gearing and capital gains tax. Labor Housing Minister Clare O'Neil identified cutting red tape in the housing and construction sector, as a way for Labor to meet its ambitious 1.2 million homes target. Senator Pocock acknowledges that regulatory reform is part of the solution, but said this does not address the core of the issue. "I'm concerned that the regulation conversation is used as a smoke screen and distraction from the fundamentals which we need to change in relation to housing, and that is building more public housing, fixing the tax breaks and dealing with rent with rent caps," Senator Pocock said. In a post-election interview, Mr Chandler-Mather explained how the Greens and Labor came to an agreement on housing, despite their parties being intractably opposed publicly. "We made it very clear to Labor's Housing Minister in the negotiating room that we were willing to make concessions, and that we would settle for additional public housing funds." Senator Pocock said she was open to negotiation with Minister O'Neil. "[Minister O'Neil] said last week that she was keen to work with states and local government, with all the powers of persuasion and the many tools and levers available to the federal government in relation to housing, and she wanted to use those tools around regulation. "Well if we can do it on relegation, we can do it in relation to a public discussion and federal leadership on rent caps." As well as the housing portfolio, Senator Pocock retains her public service and employment roles. After the 2022 election, Labor came to power with ambitious reform programs in both areas: rebuilding the APS and introducing a raft of industrial relations changes after the Jobs and Skills Summit. This time around, Labor has been quieter on both fronts, signalling it believes the size of the public service is "about right" and mainly extending existing savings measures in consultancy spending and non-wage expenses. While in industrial relations, Labor has initially focused on protecting existing penalty rates. But Senator Pocock said she would be pushing for Labor to increase its ambition in both areas. In the public service, Senator Pocock said there was still work to do to respond to the revelations of the robodebt royal commission, including instituting merit-based appointments at the highest levels in the public sector to tackle issues of culture and leadership. Another challenge the public service is yet to fully grapple with, Senator Pocock says, is the adoption of artificial intelligence. Senator Pocock said there were positives from the technology, but questions about risks. "We did a small inquiry in relation to the federal public sector and AI late last year, and it just surfaced that we aren't governing it. We don't know its reach." On workplace reform, Senator Pocock said the Treasurer's productivity agenda shouldn't stop at tax and regulatory reform, but also look at whether workers were receiving the benefit of productivity gains. "I think the election saw Australians vote for a more flexible workplace. It saw Australians vote for work from home, not for everybody, not all the time, but it certainly was a vote to say our workplaces have changed. Our lives have changed, and workplace relations law needs to reflect that better." When South Australian Greens senator Barbara Pocock walks through the stately Adelaide Park Lands that circle the CBD, she sees the human impacts of Australia's housing crisis. "The evidence is in front of our eyes," the newly appointed housing spokesperson for the Greens said of the rough sleepers and those who have pitched tents in the city. Once accessible, Adelaide is now second to Sydney as the most unaffordable city in Australia, and the sixth least affordable in the world, according to the Demographia International Housing Affordability report. But for Senator Pocock, the city of churches and her home state also has the model for housing abundance for the rest of Australia and how to get out of this crisis. In an interview with The Canberra Times, the first since the election, the former academic economist pointed to the model of housing development seen in Whyalla and north of Adelaide, providing worker housing to the steelworks and the homes for those who built Commodores and Monaros at the Holden factory in Elizabeth. In doing so, Senator Pocock acknowledges the collaboration of two former premiers at the opposing ends of the political spectrum. "I think Thomas Playford and Don Dunstan would be rolling in their collective graves at what we are seeing here now; the crisis in South Australia, where we are as a country, a city and a state that led on public investment in housing, and we are now right at the back of the pack with unaffordable housing." Citing two politicians working across the aisle on housing highlights where the federal housing agenda has become most challenging. There was no love lost between the Greens' former housing spokesperson, Max Chandler-Mather and the Prime Minister, with the first-term MP decrying Parliament after the election as a "sick place", while Anthony Albanese said the Queensland MP's conduct was "offensive". There is a different dynamic in the Senate, and Senator Pocock and Labor senator Deborah O'Neill worked together during the inquiries into PricewaterhouseCoopers, the duo a fearsome pair for corporate executives who wilted under parliamentary scrutiny. But it has also been clear when the pair disagreed, with Senator Pocock submitting additional comments that went beyond the committee's recommendations of the first PwC inquiry. Taking this approach into the contested waters of housing, Senator Pocock highlights working with former Employment and Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke on the right to disconnect, which she said was an evidence-based reform that depended upon cross-party agreement. "I'm hoping that evidence will be relevant as we look at change in the housing sector, and I expect to be in vigorous discussion with Labor on that front." Senator Pocock says the Greens have three priorities on housing. First, a cap on rent and increased security for tenants. Second, removing tax incentives for investors, including negative gearing and capital gains tax. Third, investing in public housing, but with a focus on quality, as well as quantity. These could put the parties on a collision course, with Labor previously ruling out changes to rent caps, as well as negative gearing and capital gains tax. Labor Housing Minister Clare O'Neil identified cutting red tape in the housing and construction sector, as a way for Labor to meet its ambitious 1.2 million homes target. Senator Pocock acknowledges that regulatory reform is part of the solution, but said this does not address the core of the issue. "I'm concerned that the regulation conversation is used as a smoke screen and distraction from the fundamentals which we need to change in relation to housing, and that is building more public housing, fixing the tax breaks and dealing with rent with rent caps," Senator Pocock said. In a post-election interview, Mr Chandler-Mather explained how the Greens and Labor came to an agreement on housing, despite their parties being intractably opposed publicly. "We made it very clear to Labor's Housing Minister in the negotiating room that we were willing to make concessions, and that we would settle for additional public housing funds." Senator Pocock said she was open to negotiation with Minister O'Neil. "[Minister O'Neil] said last week that she was keen to work with states and local government, with all the powers of persuasion and the many tools and levers available to the federal government in relation to housing, and she wanted to use those tools around regulation. "Well if we can do it on relegation, we can do it in relation to a public discussion and federal leadership on rent caps." As well as the housing portfolio, Senator Pocock retains her public service and employment roles. After the 2022 election, Labor came to power with ambitious reform programs in both areas: rebuilding the APS and introducing a raft of industrial relations changes after the Jobs and Skills Summit. This time around, Labor has been quieter on both fronts, signalling it believes the size of the public service is "about right" and mainly extending existing savings measures in consultancy spending and non-wage expenses. While in industrial relations, Labor has initially focused on protecting existing penalty rates. But Senator Pocock said she would be pushing for Labor to increase its ambition in both areas. In the public service, Senator Pocock said there was still work to do to respond to the revelations of the robodebt royal commission, including instituting merit-based appointments at the highest levels in the public sector to tackle issues of culture and leadership. Another challenge the public service is yet to fully grapple with, Senator Pocock says, is the adoption of artificial intelligence. Senator Pocock said there were positives from the technology, but questions about risks. "We did a small inquiry in relation to the federal public sector and AI late last year, and it just surfaced that we aren't governing it. We don't know its reach." On workplace reform, Senator Pocock said the Treasurer's productivity agenda shouldn't stop at tax and regulatory reform, but also look at whether workers were receiving the benefit of productivity gains. "I think the election saw Australians vote for a more flexible workplace. It saw Australians vote for work from home, not for everybody, not all the time, but it certainly was a vote to say our workplaces have changed. Our lives have changed, and workplace relations law needs to reflect that better." When South Australian Greens senator Barbara Pocock walks through the stately Adelaide Park Lands that circle the CBD, she sees the human impacts of Australia's housing crisis. "The evidence is in front of our eyes," the newly appointed housing spokesperson for the Greens said of the rough sleepers and those who have pitched tents in the city. Once accessible, Adelaide is now second to Sydney as the most unaffordable city in Australia, and the sixth least affordable in the world, according to the Demographia International Housing Affordability report. But for Senator Pocock, the city of churches and her home state also has the model for housing abundance for the rest of Australia and how to get out of this crisis. In an interview with The Canberra Times, the first since the election, the former academic economist pointed to the model of housing development seen in Whyalla and north of Adelaide, providing worker housing to the steelworks and the homes for those who built Commodores and Monaros at the Holden factory in Elizabeth. In doing so, Senator Pocock acknowledges the collaboration of two former premiers at the opposing ends of the political spectrum. "I think Thomas Playford and Don Dunstan would be rolling in their collective graves at what we are seeing here now; the crisis in South Australia, where we are as a country, a city and a state that led on public investment in housing, and we are now right at the back of the pack with unaffordable housing." Citing two politicians working across the aisle on housing highlights where the federal housing agenda has become most challenging. There was no love lost between the Greens' former housing spokesperson, Max Chandler-Mather and the Prime Minister, with the first-term MP decrying Parliament after the election as a "sick place", while Anthony Albanese said the Queensland MP's conduct was "offensive". There is a different dynamic in the Senate, and Senator Pocock and Labor senator Deborah O'Neill worked together during the inquiries into PricewaterhouseCoopers, the duo a fearsome pair for corporate executives who wilted under parliamentary scrutiny. But it has also been clear when the pair disagreed, with Senator Pocock submitting additional comments that went beyond the committee's recommendations of the first PwC inquiry. Taking this approach into the contested waters of housing, Senator Pocock highlights working with former Employment and Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke on the right to disconnect, which she said was an evidence-based reform that depended upon cross-party agreement. "I'm hoping that evidence will be relevant as we look at change in the housing sector, and I expect to be in vigorous discussion with Labor on that front." Senator Pocock says the Greens have three priorities on housing. First, a cap on rent and increased security for tenants. Second, removing tax incentives for investors, including negative gearing and capital gains tax. Third, investing in public housing, but with a focus on quality, as well as quantity. These could put the parties on a collision course, with Labor previously ruling out changes to rent caps, as well as negative gearing and capital gains tax. Labor Housing Minister Clare O'Neil identified cutting red tape in the housing and construction sector, as a way for Labor to meet its ambitious 1.2 million homes target. Senator Pocock acknowledges that regulatory reform is part of the solution, but said this does not address the core of the issue. "I'm concerned that the regulation conversation is used as a smoke screen and distraction from the fundamentals which we need to change in relation to housing, and that is building more public housing, fixing the tax breaks and dealing with rent with rent caps," Senator Pocock said. In a post-election interview, Mr Chandler-Mather explained how the Greens and Labor came to an agreement on housing, despite their parties being intractably opposed publicly. "We made it very clear to Labor's Housing Minister in the negotiating room that we were willing to make concessions, and that we would settle for additional public housing funds." Senator Pocock said she was open to negotiation with Minister O'Neil. "[Minister O'Neil] said last week that she was keen to work with states and local government, with all the powers of persuasion and the many tools and levers available to the federal government in relation to housing, and she wanted to use those tools around regulation. "Well if we can do it on relegation, we can do it in relation to a public discussion and federal leadership on rent caps." As well as the housing portfolio, Senator Pocock retains her public service and employment roles. After the 2022 election, Labor came to power with ambitious reform programs in both areas: rebuilding the APS and introducing a raft of industrial relations changes after the Jobs and Skills Summit. This time around, Labor has been quieter on both fronts, signalling it believes the size of the public service is "about right" and mainly extending existing savings measures in consultancy spending and non-wage expenses. While in industrial relations, Labor has initially focused on protecting existing penalty rates. But Senator Pocock said she would be pushing for Labor to increase its ambition in both areas. In the public service, Senator Pocock said there was still work to do to respond to the revelations of the robodebt royal commission, including instituting merit-based appointments at the highest levels in the public sector to tackle issues of culture and leadership. Another challenge the public service is yet to fully grapple with, Senator Pocock says, is the adoption of artificial intelligence. Senator Pocock said there were positives from the technology, but questions about risks. "We did a small inquiry in relation to the federal public sector and AI late last year, and it just surfaced that we aren't governing it. We don't know its reach." On workplace reform, Senator Pocock said the Treasurer's productivity agenda shouldn't stop at tax and regulatory reform, but also look at whether workers were receiving the benefit of productivity gains. "I think the election saw Australians vote for a more flexible workplace. It saw Australians vote for work from home, not for everybody, not all the time, but it certainly was a vote to say our workplaces have changed. Our lives have changed, and workplace relations law needs to reflect that better." When South Australian Greens senator Barbara Pocock walks through the stately Adelaide Park Lands that circle the CBD, she sees the human impacts of Australia's housing crisis. "The evidence is in front of our eyes," the newly appointed housing spokesperson for the Greens said of the rough sleepers and those who have pitched tents in the city. Once accessible, Adelaide is now second to Sydney as the most unaffordable city in Australia, and the sixth least affordable in the world, according to the Demographia International Housing Affordability report. But for Senator Pocock, the city of churches and her home state also has the model for housing abundance for the rest of Australia and how to get out of this crisis. In an interview with The Canberra Times, the first since the election, the former academic economist pointed to the model of housing development seen in Whyalla and north of Adelaide, providing worker housing to the steelworks and the homes for those who built Commodores and Monaros at the Holden factory in Elizabeth. In doing so, Senator Pocock acknowledges the collaboration of two former premiers at the opposing ends of the political spectrum. "I think Thomas Playford and Don Dunstan would be rolling in their collective graves at what we are seeing here now; the crisis in South Australia, where we are as a country, a city and a state that led on public investment in housing, and we are now right at the back of the pack with unaffordable housing." Citing two politicians working across the aisle on housing highlights where the federal housing agenda has become most challenging. There was no love lost between the Greens' former housing spokesperson, Max Chandler-Mather and the Prime Minister, with the first-term MP decrying Parliament after the election as a "sick place", while Anthony Albanese said the Queensland MP's conduct was "offensive". There is a different dynamic in the Senate, and Senator Pocock and Labor senator Deborah O'Neill worked together during the inquiries into PricewaterhouseCoopers, the duo a fearsome pair for corporate executives who wilted under parliamentary scrutiny. But it has also been clear when the pair disagreed, with Senator Pocock submitting additional comments that went beyond the committee's recommendations of the first PwC inquiry. Taking this approach into the contested waters of housing, Senator Pocock highlights working with former Employment and Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke on the right to disconnect, which she said was an evidence-based reform that depended upon cross-party agreement. "I'm hoping that evidence will be relevant as we look at change in the housing sector, and I expect to be in vigorous discussion with Labor on that front." Senator Pocock says the Greens have three priorities on housing. First, a cap on rent and increased security for tenants. Second, removing tax incentives for investors, including negative gearing and capital gains tax. Third, investing in public housing, but with a focus on quality, as well as quantity. These could put the parties on a collision course, with Labor previously ruling out changes to rent caps, as well as negative gearing and capital gains tax. Labor Housing Minister Clare O'Neil identified cutting red tape in the housing and construction sector, as a way for Labor to meet its ambitious 1.2 million homes target. Senator Pocock acknowledges that regulatory reform is part of the solution, but said this does not address the core of the issue. "I'm concerned that the regulation conversation is used as a smoke screen and distraction from the fundamentals which we need to change in relation to housing, and that is building more public housing, fixing the tax breaks and dealing with rent with rent caps," Senator Pocock said. In a post-election interview, Mr Chandler-Mather explained how the Greens and Labor came to an agreement on housing, despite their parties being intractably opposed publicly. "We made it very clear to Labor's Housing Minister in the negotiating room that we were willing to make concessions, and that we would settle for additional public housing funds." Senator Pocock said she was open to negotiation with Minister O'Neil. "[Minister O'Neil] said last week that she was keen to work with states and local government, with all the powers of persuasion and the many tools and levers available to the federal government in relation to housing, and she wanted to use those tools around regulation. "Well if we can do it on relegation, we can do it in relation to a public discussion and federal leadership on rent caps." As well as the housing portfolio, Senator Pocock retains her public service and employment roles. After the 2022 election, Labor came to power with ambitious reform programs in both areas: rebuilding the APS and introducing a raft of industrial relations changes after the Jobs and Skills Summit. This time around, Labor has been quieter on both fronts, signalling it believes the size of the public service is "about right" and mainly extending existing savings measures in consultancy spending and non-wage expenses. While in industrial relations, Labor has initially focused on protecting existing penalty rates. But Senator Pocock said she would be pushing for Labor to increase its ambition in both areas. In the public service, Senator Pocock said there was still work to do to respond to the revelations of the robodebt royal commission, including instituting merit-based appointments at the highest levels in the public sector to tackle issues of culture and leadership. Another challenge the public service is yet to fully grapple with, Senator Pocock says, is the adoption of artificial intelligence. Senator Pocock said there were positives from the technology, but questions about risks. "We did a small inquiry in relation to the federal public sector and AI late last year, and it just surfaced that we aren't governing it. We don't know its reach." On workplace reform, Senator Pocock said the Treasurer's productivity agenda shouldn't stop at tax and regulatory reform, but also look at whether workers were receiving the benefit of productivity gains. "I think the election saw Australians vote for a more flexible workplace. It saw Australians vote for work from home, not for everybody, not all the time, but it certainly was a vote to say our workplaces have changed. Our lives have changed, and workplace relations law needs to reflect that better."
AU Financial Review
11-06-2025
- Business
- AU Financial Review
Calls for tougher rules amid KWM drama
King & Wood Mallesons' international troubles highlight serious flaws in the governance of top Australian law firms, say the two senators who led parliamentary inquiries into the professional services sector. Major legal partnerships have largely been spared the scrutiny faced by consulting firms since the PwC tax leaks scandal, but senators Deborah O'Neill and Barbara Pocock say they are vulnerable to the same governance failings and have failed to incorporate the reforms adopted by the big four consulting firms.
Yahoo
16-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Election pitch for four-day Aussie work week
The Greens have begun a push to introduce a four-day work week for Australians, saying wages have not kept pace with productivity gains. With an election announcement looming, the Greens unveiled a policy costing which would create a national test case through the Fair Work Commission and establish a National Institute for the Four Day Work Week. The Greens have long called for a four-day work week while maintaining full pay for workers, citing burnout and work/life balance 'Ordinary Australians have been working hard for decades and not seeing a fair share of the results,' Greens senator Barbara Pocock said. 'A four-day week will share more fairly the products of their labour. 'Productivity gains over the past two decades have fed into higher profits while real wages have stagnated. 'A shorter working week alleviates the burden of stress and burnout. International trials have repeatedly shown productivity increases and a healthier happier workforce result from shorter working hours.' Under the Greens policy, workers would work 80 per cent of their hours at 100 per cent pay. The party is proposing to create a national Test case through the Fair Work Commission. As well, it wants to establish a National Institute for the Four Day Work Week - at a cost of $10m per year - and implement a four-day work week trial. 'The Greens will support a four-day work week test case through the Fair Work Commission aiming to reduce working hours with no loss of pay,' Senator Pocock said. 'Our society is changing, more women and carers are at work, yet we are constrained by archaic labour laws that see the fruits of our efforts swallowed up in profits for bosses and shareholders. 'This is about justice for working people. We work to live, not live to work.' In 2023, a Senate committee, chaired by senator Pocock, backed a four-day work week trial in some locations and sectors. The Greens cited large-scale trials in the UK, Germany, Spain and Canada. 'In the UK 92 per cent of employers participating have reported they will continue the four-day week after the trial ends,' Senator Pocock said. 'It's time for Australia to move its workplaces into the 21st century and create a pathway for shorter hours.' Sign in to access your portfolio
