”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.
Episode 149: Corporations fight secure work and better pay, Joyce leaves Qantas burning, economic growth and good news on solar glass
Weekend Wrap 3 September 2023: New rights for casuals, gig and labour hire workers, Qantas profiting from failure and you are the Voice
Episode 148: The referendum is October 14, misogyny tars football and infects young men, inflation slows and good news about wind
Weekend Wrap 27 August 2023: Insiders review, intergeneration report and Dutton attacks democracy
Episode 147: Naplan shows need for school funding, CPAC goes full racist, ACTU report a rip off wins government taskforce and good news about micro plastics
Episode 146: Matildas mania, Trumps troubles, new deal on housing as wages reset plus wind in Wollongong
Weekend Wrap 13 August 2023: Littleproud on Insiders exposes how much Coalition policy is driven by lobbyists
Episode 145: Matildas and billion dollar Barbie recasting the role of girls, ACTU price gauging inquiry, Dutton diverted community safety funds and good news about Quolls
SPECIAL Weekend Wrap: Dutton’s Garma dishonesty, parliament wrap , bosses bemoan worker rights, teachers and truck drivers take a stand
Van Badham in conversation with Miles Taylor, former Trump National Security Advisor and author of Blowback
Weekend Wrap 30 July 2023: Education, economic management, workplace reforms, housing, The Voice
Episode 144: Murdoch and the NO campaign, inflation falls as neo-liberalism fails, the end of forced casualisation and good news about trees
Episode 143: Dan says no to Commonwealth Games blow out, time to fund public schools, NO campaign avoids truth and good news about plastics
Episode 142: No campaign goes MAGA, Robodebt fallout for Fadden, Albo at NATO and good news about solar glass
Weekend Wrap July 9 2023: Robodebt Royal Commission exposes abuses of power, Health unions win better deal in NSW and teaching reforms but where’s the funding?
Episode 141: Faruqi vs Hanson as racism finds its voice, why a bigger surplus is good, NACC starts with a smorgasbord and good news about EV batteries
Weekend Wrap 2 July 2023: NAIDOC week kicks off YES campaign, Gladys is corrupt, NDIS turns 10 and the economy of Labor
Episode 140: Farm workers on strike, Greens housing fantasy, inflation falls, claytons mutiny in Russia and Victorias windy record
Weekend Wrap 25 June 2023: Putins Wagner moment, Labor housing policy on Insiders and why working people are not so sympathetic to the Zuckerberg, Musk, Oceangate sagas
Episode 139: The RBA demands more unemployment, Greens delay action on housing, the referendum is coming and so is the dirt machine but The Voice is winning!
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