December 7 – 13, 2019
News
Comment
Comment
Josh Bornstein
Underpaid workers and wage theft
“The recent mea culpa by Woolworths of a decade-long underpayment of thousands of its employees came as an embarrassment to the workplace regulator, the Fair Work Ombudsman. The record-breaking underpayment of $300 million to some 5700 employees appears to have unfolded right in front of the regulator’s eyes. Then this week a class action was launched alleging the figure could be as high as $620 million.”
Comment
Paul Bongiorno
Playing hide and seek on medevac deal
“Gone in a cloud of bluff and bravado is the compassionate medevac law that gave doctors the major role in transferring sick refugees to Australia for treatment. The senate and the people of Australia were told by the Tasmanian independent Jacqui Lambie that she had put to the government a proposal ‘to work with me to secure my support’ for the medevac repeal. And then it got very strange.”
Letters, Cartoon & Editorial
Culture
Profile
Performance artist Tania Bruguera
A pioneer of the arte útil movement – in which art goes beyond aesthetics and is a tool for social change – Cuban performance artist Tania Bruguera aims to transform audiences through her politically charged work. “I have been fighting not only for my ideas but also to break this illusion that art to be art has to be useless, has to be apolitical.”
Theatre
Packer & Sons
Tommy Murphy’s Packer & Sons at Belvoir examines the inherited and inherent misbehaviour and barbarism of Australia’s best-known media dynasties.
Books
Life
Puzzles
Quotes
ACCURACY
“Dark Emu Exposed Team vs Adam Morton.”
The News Corp columnist publishes his rebuttal to The Saturday Paper’s fact-check of his reporting on Bruce Pascoe, written by senior reporter Rick Morton.
MEMORIES
“Angus Taylor recalls me in a fever dream at Oxford in 1991 among those warring on Xmas … I love Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa.”
The author disputes a claim made by the embattled Energy minister that they were at university together. Historical accuracy, it seems, is something they both struggle with.
RITUAL
“We’ve got to start enjoying and living in Western culture.”
The Young Liberal volunteer says Australia needs to stop “celebrating a culture that couldn’t invent the wheel” during an interview filmed at Schoolies, which is, of course, Western culture’s proudest and most sacred invention.
FAIR WORK
“Folau settlement numbers are confidential but numbers being speculated are wildly inaccurate.”
The Rugby Australia chief executive disputes reports Israel Folau was given an $8 million payout in his unfair dismissal case. Well, here’s hoping it is a wild overestimate.
CHRISTMAS SPIRIT
“It is entirely up to the US what Christmas gift it will select to get.”
The North Korean official hints the nuclear power may restart long-distance missile tests in late December after talks with Washington stalled. America has suggested “no gifts this year”.
MEDEVAC
“Like Senator Lambie, like everybody, I don’t want people, the prime minister does not want any of these people, on Manus or Nauru.”
The Home Affairs minister says the government has worked day and night to get people out of offshore detention, except for temporarily transferring them to Australia for desperately needed medical treatment.
