”The Week on Wednesday” with Van Badham & Ben Davison
News:Politics
Ben looks at the big win for farm workers this week as up to 130,000 workers will see their wages rise from as low as $3/hr to a minimum of $25.14 an hour. Despite a second record harvest year in a row and as many as 16,000 jobs needing to be filled the usual corporate agri-business lobbyists are condemning the outcome and suggesting they will appeal. The Australian Workers Union has said "If you work on a farm and aren't being paid at least $25 an hour someone is stealing your wages."
The hospitality sector is claiming it needs 100,000 temporary migrant workers to meet demand even as it claims a $44Million program from the Victorian government designed to boost demand in hospitality. The sector is rife with wage theft, super theft, rostering abuses, sexual harassment and awful working conditions. None of which the Hotels Association is suggesting they will fix before the importation of more easily exploitable temporary migrant workers.
These "labour shortage" claims come as RBA and ABC reports show that 2.2M Australians who want to work do not have the work they need. More than 200,000 people who want to work can't due to caring responsibilities and a lack of access to appropriate alternative care for their child, elders or family member with a disability.
The systemic problems are low wages, poor working conditions, lack of support to enter the workforce through the provision of care facilities and services and a quick fix mentality among many in these sectors that have become hooked on easily exploitable temporary migrant workers.
There's also info on the launch of the new children's book by the Victorian Trades Hall Council "Sticking Together", a new track by mr?e & the 4.I.S crew, an update on FriendlyJordies' effective win over Barilaro and Van's in studio appearance on Marcus Paul to talk Alan Jones, Morrison's disgrace and Qanon and On.
Weekend Wrap 5th December 2021: Morrison ends 2021 in a shambles, Albo launches Powering Australia and skills training while transport workers win and teachers prepare for strike
Episode 66: Morrison‘s parliament and workplaces unsafe for women, living standards drop to 2018 levels, Albo tells a boofhead to sit down and jaguars!
Weekend Wrap 28 November 2021: Morrison‘s attempt to censor the internet and other intrusions into people‘s lives to distract from economic failure plus a new COVID variant
Episode 65: Morrison wants more migrant workers, Lambie takes on One Nation, Morrison chooses chaos over leadership and Washington turning waste into gold
Weekend Wrap 21 Nov 2021: Tim Paine resignation highlights Morrison‘s lack of leadership on Alan Tudge, Wages going backwards, final sitting fortnight, QAnon rallies coordinated across the globe
Episode 64: QAnon protests in Victoria, Morrison‘s 2022 election re-run of 2004, Strollout is the word of the year and good news
Weekend Wrap 14 November 2021: QAnon march in Melbourne, CoP26 ends, COVID surging in Europe, Morrison jobs policy failing
Episode 63: Morrison lies about his electric vehicle lies, ‘can do capitalism‘ leaving Australia in last place on climate plus good news on forests and Qanon and On
Episode 62: Liberal lies, cover ups and side hustles, Morrison selling gas at climate conference and ‘my name is Cleo‘ a little girl saved
Weekend Wrap 31 October 2021: Gladys explains her love circle at ICAC, Morrison to sell more gas at Glasgow, Tim Smith gets drunk and crashes his car
Episode 61: Morrison ”the weakest link” on climate action, Morrison gives Telstra billions to block China and the good news is solar powered steel
Weekend Wrap 24 October 21: Obied, Gladys, and Porter make the case for a federal ICAC, Tudge and Dutton distract from Morrison climate woes and strawberry hunger games vs truckie solidarity
Episode 60: Pru and Sally expose the divide in Australian politics, Morrison wants praise for doing half what others are doing on climate and the good news is travel between Sydney and Melbourne
Weekend Wrap 17 Oct 21: COVID updates as Vic and NSW head out of lockdown, Whats Josh Frydenberg‘s problem? And Morrison is finally off to Glasgow
Episode 59 Murdoch‘s greenwash and the fallacy of the Coalition, Insecure work and the pandemic, has Morrison learnt nothing? Good news about plastics!
Weekend Wrap 10 Oct 2021: NSW to reopen but concerns remain, Labor to buy Australian as Coalition suggests mortgage increases to pay for coal mines and removing social media anonymity
Episode 58: Right wing Perrottet picked as NSW Premier, Far right protests against Australia in USA and Poland and the good news is about forests!
Weekend Wrap 3 October: Gladys is gone, Dom is up, Constance is going federal, COVID is still kicking but maybe we‘ll get to see each other at Christmas
Episode 57: Morrison cuts payments amid COVID uncertainty, Coalition play acting on climate action and good news about land protection
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