Saturday, June 29, 2013 12:27:17 AM
Rudd in .. Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd's Labor leadership showdown
Kevin Rudd has returned to the Labor leadership after deposing Julia Gillard three years and two days after being ousted by his former deputy.
The reinstatement of Mr Rudd is a last-ditch effort to avoid a catastrophic defeat at the upcoming federal election, scheduled for September 14.
After days of speculation about yet another challenge, Mr Rudd's supporters began circulating a petition to MPs to force a special Caucus meeting to hold a ballot aimed to remove Ms Gillard from the Lodge.
Ms Gillard responded by calling a ballot of the Labor Party leadership at 7.00pm AEST.
Look back at what Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd had to say throughout a dramatic day in Labor history.
The result
Kevin Rudd and Anthony Albanese Photo: Triumphant: Kevin Rudd and Anthony Albanese (AAP: Alan Porritt)
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-06-26/julia-gillard-in-quotes/4783170
~~~~~~~~
457 visa laws squeak through
Daniel Hurst Federal political reporter Date June 27, 2013
Rudd blasts turn-back-boats plan .. video inside ..
Kevin Rudd says military and intelligence advice is that asylum boats can't be turned back to Indonesia.
Laws cracking down on the skilled foreign worker visa program have passed the lower house, despite signs new Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was heading towards a major policy shift.
The opposition tried to delay the vote and claimed Mr Rudd’s decision to push ahead with the changes as evidence the new leader had ‘‘failed the first test of decency’’.
The bill – requiring businesses to prove they have tried to look for local workers before turning to the 457 visa scheme – passed by the narrowest of margins, 73 votes to 72.
Former prime minister Julia Gillard had made the crackdown on 457 visas a key element of her election-year agenda in a bid to boost Labor’s connection with Australia’s working class and unions. The bill includes extra powers for Fair Work inspectors to investigate alleged rorts.
But business groups and the Coalition accused Ms Gillard of using inflammatory language as she campaigned in western Sydney earlier this year with a vow to ensure foreign workers did not push Australians to the back of the jobs queue.
Labor MPs won support for the measures from Greens deputy leader Adam Bandt and crossbench MPs Bob Katter, Craig Thomson, Andrew Wilkie and Tony Windsor.
Rob Oakeshott and Peter Slipper voted with the Coalition against the bill.
To secure support from crossbench MPs, the government agreed to amendments making clear employers must advertise in a newspaper for local workers up to four months before applying to hire people under the 457 scheme. The changes also reduce exemptions to the new rule.
Unions welcomed the passage of the laws, which also extend the time a 457 visa holder has to find another job if they are sacked.
‘‘It’s an important step forward in protecting the job security of Australian workers,’’ said Dave Noonan, construction division national secretary for the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union.
‘‘It also provides some more protection for workers who are here on 457 visas.’’
The key changes to the existing laws mean that:
* Employers must now prove they have advertised in a newspaper before hiring from overseas.
* Employers who want to use a 457 visa must have advertised in Australia within four months prior to a sponsoring an overseas worker.
* Only in the agricultural sector can an existing employer hire existing staff who are already working for them.
* Where there is a retrenchment or a redundancy, a position must be advertised for the four-month period before it can be filled.
* A worker on a 457 visa who loses their job will now have 90 days to find a new sponsor, instead of the current 28
Mr Rudd had fuelled expectations of a possible policy shift by declaring in a speech on Wednesday that he would avoid ‘‘things that drive business and Labor apart’’.
Crossbench MPs feared a backflip when debate on the bill was omitted from the daily program for Thursday’s sitting of the House of Representatives – the final session before the expected election.
It had been a priority in a draft list distributed on Wednesday night.
The updated notice paper relegated the debate to the 11th order of government business.
But the government later scrambled to make the 457 visa bill the main priority for Thursday’s sitting.
After Mr Rudd made an opening statement to Parliament at noon, new Deputy Prime Minister Anthony Albanese moved to delay other bills so the migration laws could be debated first.
Opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison complained the union-driven bill would ''choke the 457 system'' and Mr Rudd’s first priority was to ‘‘attack’’ skilled migration.
Mr Morrison said the new Treasurer, Chris Bowen, had declared in his previous role as immigration minister that government had already struck the right balance on the visa scheme.
''The unions were running the Labor party yesterday and the unions are still running the Labor party today,'' Mr Morrison said.
''This is a government that’s not only lost its way; it’s lost the plot.''
Mr Albanese said it was a standard procedural motion. At one stage Mr Morrison unsuccesfully tried to delay a vote by calling for independent MP Rob Oakeshott to give his valedictory speech.
Earlier, Greens deputy leader Adam Bandt said he was concerned about the 457 bill’s removal from the daily program of business, but the government had advised him it would in fact be debated.
Former Labor MP Craig Thomson, who is now an independent, also said reports the bill had been shelved were concerning.
''I think the legislation’s important to make sure Aussie workers get the benefit of the doubt in relation to jobs,'' Mr Thomson told ABC TV earlier.
''It'd be a shame if it falls over because of this leadership change.''
The legal changes had prompted an outcry from business groups, which claimed the government was demonising foreign workers.
Mr Rudd used a speech upon his return to the leadership on Wednesday night to pledge to heal Labor’s strained ties with the business community.
Mr Rudd said the government would work ''very closely'' with business.
''What I want to see here in Canberra is for business and Labor to work together. I don’t want to see things that drive business and Labor apart,'' Mr Rudd said.
Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Peter Anderson said Mr Rudd should back up his comments by dumping ''the legislation that makes our successful skilled migration program a political football''.
Immigration Minister Brendan O'Connor, a key backer of Ms Gillard, had been campaigning for months on the visa scheme crackdown and spent the past few weeks negotiating with crossbench MPs to secure a compromise.
Mr O'Connor has not announced his resignation.
Key votes to advance the visa bill and reject opposition amendments passed the lower house on Wednesday, just ahead of the leadership drama.
The bill now needs to be passed by the Senate to become law. The Senate is sitting until Friday.
with Clay Lucas
http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/457-visa-laws-squeak-through-20130627-2oyri.html
-----
457 visa changes pass Senate despite business lobby anger
Published 28 June 2013 07:57, Updated 28 June 2013 16:08
Chris Jenkins and Michael Bleby
Industry groups have called on newly reappointed Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to dump the Migration Amendment Bill to back his claims he would improve Labor’s relationship with the business community. Photo: Getty Images
UPDATED | Legislation to tighten rules around 457 visas for skilled migrants has passed through the Senate despite a raft of business lobby groups calling for the changes to be dumped by new Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.
http://www.brw.com.au/p/business/visa_changes_pass_senate_despite_ZbAw2w0LaK5aa1py13fZzL
~~~~~~~~~
Rudd says he stands by claim that turning back boats risks conflict
From: AAP June 29, 2013 12:00AM
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/rudd-says-he-stands-by-claim-that-turning-back-boats-risks-conflict/story-fn59niix-1226671805268
~~~~~~~~
Coalition prepares for tight battle against Rudd in Sydney, Melbourne
Heath Aston Date June 26, 2013 Comments 69
Liberal Party strategists concede Mr Rudd is hugely popular in ethnically-diverse seats, particularly among Chinese and Arab voters, as evidenced by his hero's welcome recently in the southern and south western Sydney Labor seats of Reid, Barton and and McMahon.
All three seats, on margins of 2.7 per cent, 6.9 per cent and 7.8 per cent respectively were in danger of being lost under a Gillard-led Labor but would likely be held under Mr Rudd, polling suggests.
http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/coalition-prepares-for-tight-battle-against-rudd-in-sydney-melbourne-20130626-2oxit.html
~~~~~~
Rudd poll bounce boosts Labor
Date June 28, 2013 - 11:39PM 140 reading now
.. video .. Rudd says he has learned from his previous stint at PM that "decisions are much better when done collegiality" http://www.theage.com.au/national/rudd-poll-bounce-boosts-labor-20130628-2p366.html
.. Kevin's autocratic decision making style was one of the
beefs leading to his ouster by Julia Gillard some 3 years ago ..
See also:
Australia’s PM Julia Gillard Rips Misogynist a New One in Epic Speech
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihd7ofrwQX0
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=80369189
great speech Julia .. as leader? .. excellent job under difficult circumstance .. good luck ..
so Julia's out? and Rudd back in?
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=89391827
Kevin Rudd has returned to the Labor leadership after deposing Julia Gillard three years and two days after being ousted by his former deputy.
The reinstatement of Mr Rudd is a last-ditch effort to avoid a catastrophic defeat at the upcoming federal election, scheduled for September 14.
After days of speculation about yet another challenge, Mr Rudd's supporters began circulating a petition to MPs to force a special Caucus meeting to hold a ballot aimed to remove Ms Gillard from the Lodge.
Ms Gillard responded by calling a ballot of the Labor Party leadership at 7.00pm AEST.
Look back at what Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd had to say throughout a dramatic day in Labor history.
The result
Kevin Rudd and Anthony Albanese Photo: Triumphant: Kevin Rudd and Anthony Albanese (AAP: Alan Porritt)
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-06-26/julia-gillard-in-quotes/4783170
~~~~~~~~
457 visa laws squeak through
Daniel Hurst Federal political reporter Date June 27, 2013
Rudd blasts turn-back-boats plan .. video inside ..
Kevin Rudd says military and intelligence advice is that asylum boats can't be turned back to Indonesia.
Laws cracking down on the skilled foreign worker visa program have passed the lower house, despite signs new Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was heading towards a major policy shift.
The opposition tried to delay the vote and claimed Mr Rudd’s decision to push ahead with the changes as evidence the new leader had ‘‘failed the first test of decency’’.
The bill – requiring businesses to prove they have tried to look for local workers before turning to the 457 visa scheme – passed by the narrowest of margins, 73 votes to 72.
Former prime minister Julia Gillard had made the crackdown on 457 visas a key element of her election-year agenda in a bid to boost Labor’s connection with Australia’s working class and unions. The bill includes extra powers for Fair Work inspectors to investigate alleged rorts.
But business groups and the Coalition accused Ms Gillard of using inflammatory language as she campaigned in western Sydney earlier this year with a vow to ensure foreign workers did not push Australians to the back of the jobs queue.
Labor MPs won support for the measures from Greens deputy leader Adam Bandt and crossbench MPs Bob Katter, Craig Thomson, Andrew Wilkie and Tony Windsor.
Rob Oakeshott and Peter Slipper voted with the Coalition against the bill.
To secure support from crossbench MPs, the government agreed to amendments making clear employers must advertise in a newspaper for local workers up to four months before applying to hire people under the 457 scheme. The changes also reduce exemptions to the new rule.
Unions welcomed the passage of the laws, which also extend the time a 457 visa holder has to find another job if they are sacked.
‘‘It’s an important step forward in protecting the job security of Australian workers,’’ said Dave Noonan, construction division national secretary for the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union.
‘‘It also provides some more protection for workers who are here on 457 visas.’’
The key changes to the existing laws mean that:
* Employers must now prove they have advertised in a newspaper before hiring from overseas.
* Employers who want to use a 457 visa must have advertised in Australia within four months prior to a sponsoring an overseas worker.
* Only in the agricultural sector can an existing employer hire existing staff who are already working for them.
* Where there is a retrenchment or a redundancy, a position must be advertised for the four-month period before it can be filled.
* A worker on a 457 visa who loses their job will now have 90 days to find a new sponsor, instead of the current 28
Mr Rudd had fuelled expectations of a possible policy shift by declaring in a speech on Wednesday that he would avoid ‘‘things that drive business and Labor apart’’.
Crossbench MPs feared a backflip when debate on the bill was omitted from the daily program for Thursday’s sitting of the House of Representatives – the final session before the expected election.
It had been a priority in a draft list distributed on Wednesday night.
The updated notice paper relegated the debate to the 11th order of government business.
But the government later scrambled to make the 457 visa bill the main priority for Thursday’s sitting.
After Mr Rudd made an opening statement to Parliament at noon, new Deputy Prime Minister Anthony Albanese moved to delay other bills so the migration laws could be debated first.
Opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison complained the union-driven bill would ''choke the 457 system'' and Mr Rudd’s first priority was to ‘‘attack’’ skilled migration.
Mr Morrison said the new Treasurer, Chris Bowen, had declared in his previous role as immigration minister that government had already struck the right balance on the visa scheme.
''The unions were running the Labor party yesterday and the unions are still running the Labor party today,'' Mr Morrison said.
''This is a government that’s not only lost its way; it’s lost the plot.''
Mr Albanese said it was a standard procedural motion. At one stage Mr Morrison unsuccesfully tried to delay a vote by calling for independent MP Rob Oakeshott to give his valedictory speech.
Earlier, Greens deputy leader Adam Bandt said he was concerned about the 457 bill’s removal from the daily program of business, but the government had advised him it would in fact be debated.
Former Labor MP Craig Thomson, who is now an independent, also said reports the bill had been shelved were concerning.
''I think the legislation’s important to make sure Aussie workers get the benefit of the doubt in relation to jobs,'' Mr Thomson told ABC TV earlier.
''It'd be a shame if it falls over because of this leadership change.''
The legal changes had prompted an outcry from business groups, which claimed the government was demonising foreign workers.
Mr Rudd used a speech upon his return to the leadership on Wednesday night to pledge to heal Labor’s strained ties with the business community.
Mr Rudd said the government would work ''very closely'' with business.
''What I want to see here in Canberra is for business and Labor to work together. I don’t want to see things that drive business and Labor apart,'' Mr Rudd said.
Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Peter Anderson said Mr Rudd should back up his comments by dumping ''the legislation that makes our successful skilled migration program a political football''.
Immigration Minister Brendan O'Connor, a key backer of Ms Gillard, had been campaigning for months on the visa scheme crackdown and spent the past few weeks negotiating with crossbench MPs to secure a compromise.
Mr O'Connor has not announced his resignation.
Key votes to advance the visa bill and reject opposition amendments passed the lower house on Wednesday, just ahead of the leadership drama.
The bill now needs to be passed by the Senate to become law. The Senate is sitting until Friday.
with Clay Lucas
http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/457-visa-laws-squeak-through-20130627-2oyri.html
-----
457 visa changes pass Senate despite business lobby anger
Published 28 June 2013 07:57, Updated 28 June 2013 16:08
Chris Jenkins and Michael Bleby
Industry groups have called on newly reappointed Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to dump the Migration Amendment Bill to back his claims he would improve Labor’s relationship with the business community. Photo: Getty Images
UPDATED | Legislation to tighten rules around 457 visas for skilled migrants has passed through the Senate despite a raft of business lobby groups calling for the changes to be dumped by new Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.
http://www.brw.com.au/p/business/visa_changes_pass_senate_despite_ZbAw2w0LaK5aa1py13fZzL
~~~~~~~~~
Rudd says he stands by claim that turning back boats risks conflict
From: AAP June 29, 2013 12:00AM
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/rudd-says-he-stands-by-claim-that-turning-back-boats-risks-conflict/story-fn59niix-1226671805268
~~~~~~~~
Coalition prepares for tight battle against Rudd in Sydney, Melbourne
Heath Aston Date June 26, 2013 Comments 69
Liberal Party strategists concede Mr Rudd is hugely popular in ethnically-diverse seats, particularly among Chinese and Arab voters, as evidenced by his hero's welcome recently in the southern and south western Sydney Labor seats of Reid, Barton and and McMahon.
All three seats, on margins of 2.7 per cent, 6.9 per cent and 7.8 per cent respectively were in danger of being lost under a Gillard-led Labor but would likely be held under Mr Rudd, polling suggests.
http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/coalition-prepares-for-tight-battle-against-rudd-in-sydney-melbourne-20130626-2oxit.html
~~~~~~
Rudd poll bounce boosts Labor
Date June 28, 2013 - 11:39PM 140 reading now
.. video .. Rudd says he has learned from his previous stint at PM that "decisions are much better when done collegiality" http://www.theage.com.au/national/rudd-poll-bounce-boosts-labor-20130628-2p366.html
.. Kevin's autocratic decision making style was one of the
beefs leading to his ouster by Julia Gillard some 3 years ago ..
See also:
Australia’s PM Julia Gillard Rips Misogynist a New One in Epic Speech
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihd7ofrwQX0
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=80369189
great speech Julia .. as leader? .. excellent job under difficult circumstance .. good luck ..
so Julia's out? and Rudd back in?
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=89391827
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