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Australia live: Pauline Hanson would make cost-of-living pressures worse, union leader warns; Labor shuts course over integrity concerns

From The Guardian · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire Named sources New plan
  • New ACTU secretary Melissa Donnelly said cost-of-living pressures and workplace artificial intelligence are priorities and warned that Pauline Hanson’s One Nation would worsen living costs.
  • Donnelly said workers should have a say in when and how employers use AI, while stopping short of giving them a veto.
  • The Labor government said it would close a graduate management course over concerns about nonattendance, noncompletion, and transfers, amid pressure to curb overseas migration.

Workers should have a say in when and how artificial intelligence is used at work, the new secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, Melissa Donnelly, said as she outlined the priorities of her new role.

absolutely deserve

· Melissa DonnellyThe ACTU secretary said workers should have a say in how artificial intelligence is introduced in their workplaces.

Donnelly told ABC’s 7.30 program that workers “absolutely deserve” a say on AI in their workplaces, although that would not give them a veto. Unions will first test existing laws that require consultation when new technology has significant effects on workers, she said, before deciding whether the rules need strengthening.

Donnelly said stronger safeguards should give workers a voice on “when it’s used and how it’s used”. She also called for a broader national discussion about AI regulation and protections for future jobs. “There’s a broader conversation that we should be having as a nation about what AI means and how we regulate it,” she said. “We need to make sure there are meaningful and quality jobs going forward.”

when it’s used and how it’s used

· Melissa DonnellyDonnelly described the workplace decisions on AI that workers should help shape.

Asked whether she saw her role as countering One Nation on the cost of living, Donnelly said Pauline Hanson’s party “says one thing and does another”. She pointed to the party’s votes against penalty rates and rights for casual and gig workers, its opposition to the minimum wage, and Hanson’s recent suggestion that it should be easier to dismiss workers. “And if you’re worried about cost of living, Pauline Hanson is going to make it worse,” Donnelly said.

says one thing and does another

· Melissa DonnellyShe criticized Pauline Hanson’s One Nation over its record on workplace rights and wages.

The government also said it would shut down a graduate diploma of management course registered at 452 institutions. Assistant minister Julian Hill said students were enrolling without starting, failing to complete, or transferring out of the course. Students already completing it will be allowed to finish. Hill blamed the Coalition for leaving behind what he called a “shocking mess” in 2022, with unsustainably high student-number growth in less reputable parts of the sector.

And if you’re worried about cost of living, Pauline Hanson is going to make it worse

· Melissa DonnellyDonnelly warned that One Nation’s policies would increase cost-of-living pressures.
About this summary

Originally published by The Guardian in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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