Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has urged the Federal Opposition to meet him in the "sensible centre" to fix the budget deficit and avoid angering the Australian public.

• Turnbull to address LNP's conference in Brisbane
• Will promise "negotiation and compromise"
• PM to urge colleagues to focus on jobs, health and education, amid debate on gay marriage and Racial Discrimination Act

He also called on his party to focus on "bread and butter" issues, amid debate about same-sex marriage and the Racial Discrimination Act.

Mr Turnbull addressed the LNP's conference in Brisbane, three days before the resumption of Federal Parliament.

In his speech, he promised there would be "negotiation and compromise".

"I urge Bill Shorten, Labor and all the parties to do the same — meet us in the sensible centre," he said.

"To act otherwise would badly misread the mood of the vast majority of Australians who want us to work together to secure their future."

The Coalition will introduce an omnibus bill, which is set to have $6.5 billion of budget savings Labor included in its costings in the lead-up to the July 2 election. [What the ABC does not mention was the 6.5 billions in Labor's budget was to go to the EDUCATION Gonski scheme while the $6.5 billion Liberal (CONservative) budget saving are made to provide tax cuts to "businesses", as a trickle down which, for all intent and purposes, NEVER WORKED.]

It follows a renewed focus by the Federal Government on budget repair, with Treasurer Scott Morrison warning of a divide between the "taxed and the taxed-nots" in a speech in Sydney on Thursday.

Mr Turnbull also defended the decision to hold a double dissolution election on the reintroduction of the Australian Building and Construction Commission.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-27/turnbull-urges-labor-to-meet-in-se...

The enterprise agreement that sparked an ongoing industrial dispute at the Carlton and United Breweries' (CUB) Abbotsford plant in inner Melbourne was voted on by just three casual workers in Perth, two years ago.

• The controversial enterprise agreement that sparked the CUB industrial dispute was voted on by just three casual workers
• Workers and union members continue to picket CUB's Abbotsford plant
• Some bars and pubs in Melbourne and beyond are boycotting CUB products

The secretary of the ACTU, Dave Oliver, said this approach to enterprise agreements — which are supposed to be negotiated by the relevant workforce — was "gaming the system".

The EA was brought in by the brewery's new maintenance labour contractor, Programmed Skilled, which is based in Western Australia. It was struck under the name of a subsidiary, Catalyst Recruitment.

It is signed by an employer representative and an employee representative. The employee's name is not given — just an illegible signature.

Background Briefing found that employee in Perth. Ethan* was a 23-year-old student who'd been asked to do some casual work by a friend's father.

"I needed the money, so I basically just did random jobs like sorting out storage and going to deliver things to a golf course for a corporate event," he said. "Just random little jobs like that."

Ethan said he worked for the company, then known as Skilled, for six days all up, over three weeks.

During that time he was asked to sign the enterprise agreement.

He said he did not even know what the company did and knew nothing about the agreement he signed.

"It's pretty blurry; I didn't really know much about it. I just sort of signed it because they asked me to do it."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-26/carlton-united-breweries-worker-dispute-exclusive-details/7785170

first visit: 

seriously cooking glum...

THEN:

Recriminations have begun after the Federal Government lost three consecutive votes in the Lower House on Thursday, which almost saw the endorsement of a banking royal commission.

• The Coalition holds a majority of 76 seats, while Labor has 69
• Labor surprised the Government by voting against Parliament adjourning at its usual time of 4:30pm
• Opposition then won three votes, bringing forward the royal commission motion

Labor outmanoeuvred the Government and won a procedural vote in the House of Representatives, which former prime minister Tony Abbott said would be a learning curve for many people, including Malcolm Turnbull.

"All of us are learning lessons all the time, whether you're a journalist, a member of parliament, a whip or even a Prime Minister," Mr Abbott said.

Three senior ministers, Peter Dutton, Michael Keenan and Christian Porter, were not in the House when the Opposition surprised the Government with its tactics, by voting against Parliament adjourning at its usual time of 4:30pm.

Mr Porter arrived for the second vote, but Mr Dutton did not return until the fourth, when the Government regained control of the House.

A spokeswoman for Justice Minister Michael Keenan said he was on a plane to Melbourne for an event and was asked to fly back to Canberra last night to meet with the Prime Minister.

It is the first time a majority government has lost a vote in the House in decades, demonstrating how difficult managing the 45th parliament will be.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-09-01/labor-outmanoeuvres-government-in-vote-upset/7806816

Malcolm, have a Royal Commission into the bank industry and save yourself the heartache of having to fiddle with various ridiculous ways to avoid it. It looks you're doing your darnest to protect your crooked mates... The fiddles of the Banking system is 100 times worse than the unions "supposed" intimidation, in which the star witness and protegé of the right wing (Mrs Pyne, Abbott, possibly Brandis), Ms Jackson, is being charged with 70 counts of ripping off the unions. Ugly...

Ah yes, I know... The banking system is the only "profitable" industry left in this country which has been left bereft of manufacturing enterprises... and the mining has tanked... Hey why not help the renewable sector... Yes I know, your mob, on the right, hates windmills like Don Quixote... Idiots...