Health News at Your Fingertips

The Labor leader is up for his press conference after a morning campaigning in Chisholm which Labor hopes to win from the Liberals.

He is all about cost of living and Plans with a capital P. Labor Plans, that is. Not those other plans.

The combination of low-wage growth, rising inflation, and rising interest rates is putting real pressure on working families in the suburbs and the regional towns of Australia and Scott Morrison seems to think that people have got it easy in this country.

Scott Morrison has an excuse for everything and a plan for nothing. He wants to always take credit when things are going well, but never accept any responsibility when things aren’t.

Labor has a plan for growth, but growth in a way which doesn’t add to inflationary pressure. That’s why we’ve targeted areas such as education, whether it be early education through childcare that will used workforce participation, that will boost productivity, whether it be schools or right here at this TAFE with 465,000 fee free places in areas of skill shortage, or whether it be the 20,000 additional university places, one of the big chasms in Australian politics is on the area of education, whereby Labor understands that education is about opportunity and aspiration, but it helps not just individuals, it helps the entire country.

We need to compete in this globalised world based upon how smart we are, not trying to drive down wages. Anything about this government is that low-wage growth was a key feature of the economic architecture. They themselves say that.

They are oblivious to the pressure that working families are under.

Labor has a plan, whether it be for the cheaper childcare, cheaper electricity prices, investing in new industries, making sure that we have our National Reconstruction Fund, creating new industries and new jobs, new energy apprenticeships, of which we will have 10,000, feel free places in TAFE, additional university places, this is all about growing the economy in a way that doesn’t add to inflationary pressure and to all of our cost of living.

And Australians, when they cast their vote on 21 May, can think about this, is this as good as it gets, because a government that goes into its fourth term doesn’t get better, they just get more out of touch, more complacent, more arrogant, and that’s what we’ve seen from this government.

Qantas to ask high court to look at outsourcing decision

Elias Visontay

Earlier today we reported that Qantas lost its appeal over a ruling that it illegally outsourced the jobs of about 1,700 ground handlers in part to avoid enterprise bargaining and protected industrial action.

Qantas now plans to go to the high court to appeal the decision handed down by the full bench of the federal court.

In a statement, Qantas said it “has always said the decision to outsource our ground handling function was based on lawful commercial reasons in response to the unprecedented impact of the Covid crisis”.

Qantas is arguing that it was actively investing in ground handling equipment and that this is a sign it had no plans of outsourcing its internal operations. It has previously argued the outsourcing could save the airline $100m a year.

We’ve covered off on the complex legal saga that has followed the Transport Workers Union’s initial legal challenge of the outsourcing here.

Now, the matter turns to the judge presiding over ongoing remedy hearings, who will decide on what compensation for affected workers and financial penalties Qantas will have to comply with, after reinstating all workers was ruled out.

However, Qantas is now insisting “today’s judgment does not mean Qantas is required to pay compensation or penalties”.

We will be asking the Court to stay any further hearings on this issue until after the High Court process,” Qantas said.

18% interest rates were bad, but mortgages weren’t up to six times your income at the same time.

Tanya Plibersek, who has been leading Labor’s campaign in marginal seats, is at this press conference.

This is after questions had been raised by journalists on the campaign about why Plibersek wasn’t appearing with Anthony Albanese at campaign stops.

Josh Frydenberg and Jim Chalmers will be debating each other at the National Press Club in just over half an hour.

We’re not sure when Anthony Albanese will be stepping up for his press conference (he is currently baking apple pies at a Tafe).

Here are the latest coronavirus case numbers from around Australia on Wednesday, as the country records at least 42 deaths from Covid-19:

ACT

• Deaths: 1
• Cases: 1,080
• In hospital: 67 (with 4 people in ICU)

NSW

• Deaths: 21
• Cases: 11,939
• In hospital: 1,510 (with 68 people in ICU)

Queensland

• Deaths: 8
• Cases: 7,668
• In hospital: 504 (with 21 people in ICU)

Tasmania

• Deaths: 1
• Cases: 1,078
• In hospital: 50 (with 2 people in ICU)

Victoria

• Deaths: 11
• Cases: 10,779
• In hospital: 473 (with 25 people in ICU)

This is not the official Tasmania Health account, but the numbers match the state’s health reporting.

Scott Morrison would say this isn’t a photo op, it’s being shown the skills Australia’s apprentices are learning and then having a go himself.

We are slowly getting the other jurisdictions’ reports:

Auspol just continues to set insane posting standards.

Bob Katter has released an advertisement comparing himself to the major party leaders in what is, of course, the most Bob Katter way ever.

At least he isn’t shooting anyone this time round.