A candid chat with Tanya Plibersek + They Sold Our Power Grid for Quick Cash + Who REALLY collects your tax?
A candid chat with Tanya Plibersek: Gas, grievance politics & why she still believes in Labor
WE DISCUSS: How Labor is tracking on tax cuts, wages, public school funding, and the new $5,000 domestic violence payment. Konrad pushed her on why, with the weakest opposition in memory, Labor won't get tougher on gas giants making billions. Also covered: money in politics, FOI transparency, and the new anti-corruption commission.
WE AGREE ON: Money needs to get out of politics – she supports 100 per cent publicly funded elections. The escaping violence payment is a genuine win. And the value of talking to frontline workers over lobbyists when shaping policy – she says she puts more stock in conversations at street stores than meetings with lobbyists.
WE DISAGREE ON: Whether "big change takes time" is a fair excuse. Konrad pointed to NSW passing firearm laws in under two weeks and asked why gas reform can't move that fast when the community is onboard. On transparency, the report card says this government is more secretive than Morrison's – she says the challenges are more complex than they look.
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They Sold Our Power Grid for Quick Cash. Now WE'RE Paying
THE SCAM: NSW sold the public Eraring Power Station for $50 million, despite it costing $1.2 billion to build. Origin Energy now controls this monopoly infrastructure and has prioritised shareholder profit, with earnings more than doubling to nearly $2 billion.
THE DAMAGE: Consumers are getting smashed with doubled bills while a private corporation rakes in record profits. Two hundred mine workers face the sack after Centennial's supply contract was cancelled, with 220 power station workers also hanging in the balance.
THE COVER-UP/OUTCOME: Origin threatened to shut down the plant unless the government stepped in, securing a potential $450 million taxpayer bailout. The NSW Premier has finally ruled out future privatisations, but only after workers were used as human shields for corporate profits.
Punter Citations:
Michael West - Major smelter’s future secured after taxpayer bailout
Who REALLY collects your tax?
THE SCAM: The ATO fired public servants to "save money" then hired US private equity-owned debt collector Recoveries Corp to chase unpaid taxes. This foreign firm was paid $42 million from your tax dollars but paid zero corporate tax itself.
THE DAMAGE: While multinationals dodge billions, the ATO deploys these tax-dodging contractors to garnish wages and empty bank accounts of everyday punters on Centrelink and small businesses struggling to pay their bills.
THE COVER-UP/OUTCOME: The ATO hides behind confidentiality laws when asked why a tax-dodging firm gets to collect your taxes. Assistant Treasurer Dr Andrew Leigh's social media is now copping comments from punters demanding a simple rule: no government contracts for companies that don't pay tax here.
PUNTER SIDE QUEST:Join Punters on instagram in letting the Assistant Treasurer know that a forgien tax collection company not paying tax on their earnings here is a rort!
Punter Citations:
The Guardian - Morrison government spent $20.8bn on consultants and outsourcing public service in final year, audit finds
