MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM........... was the shonky Adam Toma who protected fraud part of this also?????
James Packer's Crown Resorts will be able to run its casino in Melbourne until 2050. Photo: Reuters
James Packer's Crown Resorts has squeezed a 17-year extension to its Melbourne casino licence out of the Victorian government after it increased poker machine taxes in December.
Treasurer Michael O'Brien announced a surprise $184 million levy on Crown's 2,500 pokies at the last budget, which sparked a nine-month consultation with the casino giant.
Crown confirmed Friday morning that it would receive an extension on its Melbourne casino licence to 2050, from its current 2033 expiry.
Crown will also receive approval to buy more poker machine licences for its main gaming floor in Melbourne. The number of poker machines across the state will not increase above the current level of 30,000 because Crown will buy entitlements from pub and club operators, many of whom have complained that the cost of servicing debt to buy the machines is oppressive.
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Although the concession will boost certainty around the company's licence, investors will also scour the deal to see if Crown was able to secure a lower tax rate charged on revenue from high rollers.
Crown has been pushing for a cut in its VIP tax rate, saying the progressive regime in Victoria hurts its ability to compete against casinos in other states.
The Victorian rate starts at 10 per cent and increases with revenue from VIP program players - those gamblers from overseas or interstate who commit to gambling tens of thousands of dollars up front.
At its full-year results last week Crown unveiled a net profit that soared 35.2 percentage points to $646 million.
The poker machine levy first outlined in December 2013 was to be an annual levy of $5550 per machine this financial year and then rise to $22,715 per machine in 2014. Crown would also potentially be allowed to drop its player return ratio from 87 per cent to 85 per cent.
Shadow Treasurer Tim Pallas said the deal was an embarrassment for the government.
"The government was forced into a backdown over their botched efforts to introduce an extra charge on Crown. 'They have negotiated under duress and it looks like Crown have taken the Victorian government to the cleaners," he said.
Greens Leader Greg Barber, whose party is likely to hold the balance of power in the Upper House after the election, said the move would require legislation before the November 29 election.
"There is just this little thing called Parliament they need to deal with," he said.
Peter Garret released this Royal Commission into the Home Insulation Program
I will be studying the report, in consultation with my lawyers, and then making a full statement in the very near future.Clearly Peter Garret is simply a useless fuck that was part of the Labor Government
Mark Arbib , the shonky Labor Senator who also refuses responsibility for this matter now works for James Packer.
And did shonky Adam Toma play a significant part in the casino licence of James Packers Casino?
A Royal Commission has concluded the former Labor government's Home Insulation Scheme was fundamentally flawed, and deaths associated with it could have been avoided.
A Royal Commission has concluded the former Labor government's Home Insulation Scheme was fundamentally flawed, and deaths associated with it could have been avoided.
Tabling the report in parliament, Prime Minister Tony Abbott has blamed what he calls the Rudd government's "dysfunctional culture".
Thea Cowie reports.
(Click on the audio tab above to hear the full report)
Fundamentally flawed, rushed and unregulated - they're just some of the criticisms levelled at the so-called "Pink Batts" program in the Royal Commission report.
The $2.8 billion scheme began in February 2009 and was designed to stimulate the economy during the global financial crisis.
It was terminated a year later following hundreds of house fires, and the deaths of four installers, three from electrocution and one from heat exhaustion.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott says some good should come out of the report into a bad scheme.
"I hope that this report brings some comfort to everyone affected. The report's findings are grave and its recommendations are detailed. It details a litany of failures arising from a dysfunctional culture."
Mr Abbott says the government will provide a preliminary response to the report by the end of the month, and a final response by the end of the year.
"The Government's response will focus on ensuring that such a catastrophic policy failure never happens again. I thank the Royal Commissioner, and his staff, for their work. I particularly thank the victims' families who shared their anguish with the Commission. (hear, hear)"
The Royal Commission's brief was to examine how the Labor government assessed workplace health and safety risks of the program, and whether warnings were dealt with adequately.
In the report, author Ian Hanger says the installers would not have died if the program had been properly designed and implemented.
"The reality is that the Australian government conceived of, devised, designed and implemented a program that enabled very large numbers of inexperienced workers - often engaged by unscrupulous and avaricious employers or head contractors, who were themselves inexperienced in insulation installation - to undertake potentially dangerous work."
The report finds the Rudd government failed to identify and manage the risk of injury or death for installers, and was too slow in making changes to the program after the death of the first installer.
Other conclusions are that the government relaxed the training requirements; planning was sacrificed for speed; and the environment department was ill-equipped to deal with such a large, complex program.
Labor's legal affairs spokesman Mark Dreyfus says there's nothing new in the costly, 361 page report.
"We've expressed concern at all times that that $20 million, or perhaps more, needed to produce an outcome - something of use. That's why I started today by saying we very much hope that the families of the four installers who died will take some comfort from this exercise, because at the moment it doesn't appear that the report, despite its length, has really advanced much beyond what was already known at the end of the eight previous inquiries."
The report calls for the establishment of a new law to penalise companies that defraud government programs.
The inquiry heard evidence that $24 million worth of fraudulent claims against the insulation program were written off by the then government.
Labor Leader Bill Shorten says it is not the time for a political fight.
"If there are lessons in this report which can improve safety so that other families never have to go through this again, then we will approach that appropriately. We're up for any improvements we can make to safety, and the lessons. We're not up for a political blame game."
In May, former prime minister Kevin Rudd told the commission he accepted ultimate responsibility for the program's failings.
But he did not accept that burden alone.
He said former Labor environment minister Peter Garrett, parliamentary secretary Mark Arbib and numerous public servants all had duties to monitor certain issues.
Ex-magistrate Peter Maley offered information for $10k political donation to CLP: NT Labor
The Northern Territory Opposition has used parliamentary privilege to raise allegations that former magistrate Peter Maley offered access to sensitive government documents in exchange for a $10,000 donation to the Country Liberal Party in 2008.
Shadow Attorney-General Michael Gunner tabled and read from emails sent by Norm McCleary, a West Australian mining explorer, to Chief Minister Adam Giles in May this year that allege the offer was made on behalf of former deputy chief minister Dave Tollner, the Member for Fong Lim.
Mr Maley issued a statement denying the allegations contained in the email and threatened legal action if they were repeated outside of parliamentary privilege.
Mr Gunner said Mr McCleary was the client at the heart of a series of 13 questions sent by the NT News to Mr Maley on Monday night that he would not answer.
He told Parliament Mr Maley resigned as a magistrate hours after receiving the questions.
The emails go over the history of a legal dispute Mr McCleary was involved in eight years ago concerning the pegging of mining claims south of Alice Springs over what is known as the Pamela and Angela Uranium prospects.
Mr Maley was his solicitor at the time.
The court ruled Mr McCleary could not assert ownership over the claim.
In the email read to Parliament, Mr McCleary asserted that officers in the Mines Department and the Labor administration at the time colluded to frustrate his efforts.
The miner made a Freedom of Information application for sensitive documents related to his case, but that application was rejected.
Mr Gunner quoted from an email Mr McCleary sent to Mr Giles in May, saying:
"In July 2008, I received a phone call from Peter Maley of Maley's Barristers and Solicitors.
"He stated he was ringing on behalf of the CLP and in particular Dave Tollner.
"He went on to state that he understood that the CLP was aware of what had occurred recently in regards to my pegging and application for mineral claims over the Pamela and Angela prospects.
"They were sympathetic in regards to what had occurred and that when they came to power I would be given the opportunity to review all files and documents relating to this matter.
"He also said that the CLP was in a bind, and was unable to raise enough funds for election advertising, and if I'd be prepared to contribute say $10,000 to help myself and the CLP.
"I agreed especially knowing that the CLP was sympathetic and intended to allow me access to the files so I would be able to understand what had occurred."
Mr McCleary's email said he made two payments to the CLP in July 2008: The first was for $5,174.40 and was paid to NT Broadcasters Pty Ltd; the second was for $4,825.60 and was made directly to the CLP.
Mr Gunner told Parliament the direct payment to the CLP was in the party's declaration of donations to the Australian and NT Electoral Commissions for that year.
The allegations made by the Shadow Attorney Shadow General, Michael Gunner, under parliamentary privilege are denied and untrue.
Former magistrate Peter Maley
"But what of the $5174.40 that's been paid to NT Broadcasters for CLP election advertising?" Mr Gunner asked.
"We've been unable to find any declaration of that amount and will be referring it to the NT and Australian Electoral Commissions for formal investigation."
After the CLP won the 2012 election, Mr McCleary made several attempts to contact Mr Tollner about the documents and said he wrote to Mr Maley in March 2013, after Mr Tollner became the deputy chief minister, and he assumed he was in a better position to deliver the documents.
He said he received this reply from Mr Maley:
"I agree, I'll give them a week to settle down, then I will contact Tollner."
Mr Gunner told Parliament Mr McCleary remained unsatisfied and wrote to Mr Giles in May.
"We know the Chief Minister is aware of this matter because he wrote back to Mr McCleary on the 25th of May after Mr McCleary had sent him a second email accusing the CLP of extorting the money from him," he said.
"That's three months ago. The Chief Minister responded to Mr McCleary yet in this house all week he's been playing dumb, telling us he had no knowledge of the issue that led to Mr Maley's resignation."
Mr Gunner read to Parliament what he said was the Chief Minister's reply:
"Thank you for your email Norm. I have flicked your email to Dave Tollner and he will get back to you. Please let me know if he doesn't make contact."
At that point Mr Gunner addressed Parliament directly.
"The complainant gave the money over on the promise of getting sensitive information from the new government that he had been hitherto been unable to get by normal channels," he said.
"The allegation by Mr McCleary is that the Member for Fong Lim [Mr Tollner] gave Mr Maley riding instructions to offer Mr McCleary a favour in return for a $10,000 donation."
Mr Gunner asked why Mr Giles had not taken the matter to police when they were first raised with him.
"The Chief Minister has known of this allegation since May and has done nothing about it. He should have immediately referred the matter to the Police Commissioner. His failure is even greater knowing he is also the Police Minister," he said.
"It is clear that the Chief Minister has failed to maintain the highest standards of probity that his office demands and the community expects."
No documents given to McCleary: Adam Giles
Mr Giles has since responded in a statement.
"The claims made by Mr McCleary refer to conversations he allegedly had with Mr Maley prior to the 2008 election, before I even entered Parliament," he said.
"Since becoming Chief Minister, no documents have ever been given to this man. Norm McCleary's main complaint in the correspondence tabled in Parliament is that, in fact, we refused to act illegally in handing over government files.
"We acted on advice from the Department of Mines and Energy who suggested that Mr McCleary was a serial complainer with no right to the documents and we should steer clear. That's exactly what we did.
"I have never met Norm McCleary [nor] spoken to him.
"I welcome the Electoral Commission looking into Mr McCleary's donation. What Peter Maley may have said to his client back in 2008 is a matter for him to explain."
Mr Maley has also issued a statement responding to the allegations made in Parliament:
"The allegations made by the Shadow Attorney-General, Michael Gunner, under Parliamentary Privilege are denied and untrue," he said.
"If Mr Gunner repeats these allegations outside of parliamentary privilege, I will take legal action against him."
