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Anthony Albanese: Driving Productivity Through Infrastructure

Mar 04, 2013 Leave a Comment

The Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Anthony Albanese, has outlined the federal government’s approach to infrastructure and productivity in an address to The Sydney Institute.

Albanese

  • Listen to Albanese’s speech (27m)

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  • Listen to the Question & Answer session (35m)

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Transcript of Infrastructure and Transport Minister Anthony Albanese’s speech to The Sydney Institute.

Infrastructure: Driving Productivity

INTRODUCTION

“Productivity isn’t everything, but in the long run it is almost everything.”

So said Paul Krugman in his “The Age of Diminished Expectations”.

It’s no secret that Australia’s overall productivity rate has fallen over the past decade.

There are some who argue that the solution lies totally in industrial relations.

This is ideologically driven.

The fact is that Australia’s labour productivity is in the top dozen of international performers.

As the Australian National University’s Dean Parham pointed out recently, in recent years labour productivity has increased by 3.3 per cent per year.

Whilst this has occurred, capital productivity has actually declined by 4.3 per cent.

So the truth is that addressing productivity requires more than the simplistic slogans of those who would seek to return to WorkChoices under another name. [Read more...]

Filed Under: A.L.P., Audio2013, Economy, Gillard, Infrastructure Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Full Text Of COAG Communique

Dec 07, 2012 Leave a Comment

This is the full text of the Council of Australian Governments Communique issued after today’s meeting of first ministers in Canberra.

COAG press conference

Full text of the COAG Communique released following today’s meeting of federal, state and territory first ministers.

Council of Australian Governments Meeting – Communiqué

Canberra, 7 December 2012

The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) held its 34th meeting in Canberra today, 20 years to the day since its first meeting in Perth in 1992. The Prime Minister, Premiers, Chief Ministers and the President of the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) participated in today’s meeting. The Leaders welcomed Northern Territory Chief Minister, the Hon Terry Mills MLA and President of ALGA, Felicity-ann Lewis to their first COAG meeting.

COAG also reiterated its commitment to focus its attention on policy reforms of national significance, and to keep its agenda as streamlined as possible.

National Disability Insurance Scheme

COAG reaffirmed its ongoing commitment to a National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) by signing an intergovernmental agreement for its first stage. The agreement provides the foundation for all governments to work together to develop and implement the initial phase of the NDIS. The lessons learned in implementing the first stage will inform governments about proceeding to a full scheme by:

  • setting out shared roles and responsibilities for working collaboratively on the policy for a full scheme;
  • establishing the new Standing Council on Disability Reform, with representation from all jurisdictions, which – from 1 January 2013 – will be responsible for making decisions and formulating advice on matters arising from the launch and related to the transition to a full scheme; and
  • setting in place arrangements for the review and evaluation of the first stage which will inform the transition to a full scheme.

COAG noted the historic agreement between the Commonwealth and New South Wales Governments to establish the full NDIS in New South Wales by 1 July 2018. The Commonwealth noted that it looks forward to concluding agreements on the same terms with all other governments.

In addition, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory signed bilateral agreements with the Commonwealth which confirm the operational and funding details for the roll-out of the NDIS in each launch site. From this time, under the launch arrangements, people with a disability, their families and carers will start to benefit from a fairer, more sustainable and equitable approach to supporting people with disability. Discussions on further launch sites are continuing. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Audio, Audio2012, Economy, Energy, Environment, Federalism, Gillard, GST, Health, Infrastructure, NDIS, States Tagged With: , ,

Gillard Claims Progress On NDIS And Power Prices Following COAG Meeting

Dec 07, 2012 Leave a Comment

The Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, has claimed progress on the National Disability Insurance Scheme and reform of the electricity market following today’s meeting of the Council of Australian Governments.

Julia Gillard

Gillard and the state and territory leaders reached agreement to establish a new Standing Council on Disability Reform. Gillard said: “The Agreement provides the foundation for all governments to work together to develop and implement the first stage of these important reforms.”

On electricity market reform, COAG agreed to: rule changes to ensure no over-investment in networks; giving consumers a voice in the electricity market; a strengthened independent regulator; more choice for consumers; actions to reduce electricity peaks; and to provide for greater demand-side participation to make it easier for consumers to reduce demand, particularly at peak periods.

  • Read and download the COAG Communique
  • Listen to the COAG leaders’ press conference (46m)

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Earlier in the day, state and territory leaders spoke to the media before attending the COAG meeting.

  • Listen to NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell (7m)

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  • Listen to Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu (5m)

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  • Listen to Queensland Premier Campbell Newman (3m)

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  • Listen to Northern Territory Chief Minister Terry Mills (2m)

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Text of media release from Prime Minister Julia Gillard.

COAG Progresses The National Disability Insurance Scheme

At the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) meeting in Canberra today, all governments took a major step towards giving people with disability the care and support they need over their lifetimes by signing an Intergovernmental Agreement for the first stage of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

The Agreement provides the foundation for all governments to work together to develop and implement the first stage of these important reforms.

The Agreement also sets out shared roles and responsibilities for working collaboratively on the policy for a full scheme and establishing arrangements for the review and evaluation of the first stage.

The Agreement will be overseen by a new Standing Council on Disability Reform, which will have representation from Ministers and Treasurers from all jurisdictions. The Standing Council will be responsible for making decisions and formulating advice on matters arising from the launch and the transition to a full scheme. [Read more...]

Filed Under: A.C.T., Audio, Audio2012, Energy, Federalism, Gillard, N.S.W., N.T., NDIS, QLD, S.A., TAS, VIC, W.A. Tagged With: , , , , , ,

John Brumby Appointed To Chair COAG Reform Council

Dec 07, 2012 Leave a Comment

The former Victorian Labor Premier, John Brumby, has been appointed to chair the COAG Reform Council for the next three years.

John BrumbyBrumby will replace businessman Paul McClintock when he takes up the position in January.

The seven-member council “assists the Council of Australian Governments with its reform agenda”.

It reports to COAG and provides reports on the performance of Australian governments in achieving benchmarks set out in national agreements and partnership arrangements.

A former teacher and teachers’ union official, Brumby, 59, held the federal seat of Bendigo for the ALP from 1983-90. He became Chief of Staff to federal minister Alan Griffiths before being elected to the Victorian Legislative Council in 1993. Later that year he was elected to the Legislative Assembly district of Broadmeadows, replacing the former Labor leader Jim Kennan.

As Opposition Leader, and with Julia Gillard as his Chief of Staff, Brumby lost the 1996 election and was replaced by Steve Bracks in 1999. After the ALP defeated Jeff Kennett’s coalition government later that year, Brumby became Finance Minister before taking over as Treasurer in May 2000. He held that position until Steve Bracks retired in July 2007. Brumby then served as Premier until November 2010 when he was narrowly defeated by Ted Baillieu.

Text of a media release from Prime Minister Julia Gillard.

New Chair Of COAG Reform Council

The Hon John Brumby has been appointed to chair the COAG Reform Council for the next three years.

The COAG Reform Council assists the Council of Australian Governments with its reform agenda. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Federalism, Gillard, VIC Tagged With: ,

Gillard Tackles Electricity Prices

Aug 07, 2012

The Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, has written to state premiers asking them to prepare for a new national agreement on energy prices by the end of the year.

Julia Gillard

Gillard said power prices have risen unsustainably because of over-investment that has driven up energy costs by 48% in the past four years. “And ordinary businesses and households have been entirely uncompensated for these significant cost increases.”

“Australia needed a carbon price,” Gillard said. “Australia did not need price increases of fifty per cent or more for households over the last four years.” She said the market for supplying energy services in Australia needs to be more efficient.”

The Prime Minister said her preference is to work co-operatively through the Council of Australian Governments (COAG). “We won’t lightly use the big stick of regulation, of stronger powers for the Energy Regulator and the ACCC. But it’s a stick we hold and which we’ll use if required. One way or another, we’re going to get this done.”

  • Listen to Gillard’s speech (25m)

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  • Listen to Julia Gillard & Martin Ferguson answer questions (33m)

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  • Download a copy of Gillard’s speech (PDF)

Text of Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s speech to the Energy Policy Institute of Australia.

ELECTRICITY PRICES: THE FACTS

Too often the cost of electricity is talked about in two completely separate public conversations.

One conversation is about power bills. There’s a very concrete discussion going on at the kitchen table, in the school carpark and in the front bar, about this.

Power bills have become the new petrol prices: not just an essential of life that always seems to be going up, but a vital commodity, where what we consume each day, or pay every quarter, seems beyond our control.

The other conversation is about energy markets. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Audio, Audio2012, Energy, Federalism, Gillard, States Tagged With: , , ,
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