Episode 156: Wages rise, Duttons dangerous disinformation, why school funding is a targeted use of the surplus and good news for stone workers

Van Badham and Ben Davison dig into the best wage rise numbers in
more than 20 years, discuss why many people will still be going
backwards and, as the ACTU Price Gouging Inquiry wraps up, what
we can do to help stop the profiteering. 


The union movement wins on minimum wage, awards, for aged care
workers and improved collective agreements are lifting wages so
if you want to see your pay get above the cost of living join
your union at australianunions.org.au/wow 


Peter Dutton is back on the disinformation train, this time using
a High Court decision to score political points at the expense of
at least 74 innocent people.  Indefinite detention has been
ruled unconstitutional and the rules that Dutton put in place
during his time in government have been exposed as not just
morally without basis but also without legal standing.  As
Labor moves to fix these issues Dutton has ramped up mis
vitriolic disinformation.  Could it be a handy distraction
from his party voting against returning $9 billion in unpaid
workers wages? Or the loss of another of his moderate MPs to the
cross bench? Or is it just that he bought the Trump/Bannon
franchise and is determined to play it out?


There's talk of another surplus budget and the ideas are already
flowing.  Ben and Van discuss why Albo's targeted cost of
living relief is, in general, the right approach and also why
supporting the 98% of public schools that are currently not
funded to the MINIMUM level needed for every child is both
targetted cost of living support and an investment in the
future.  Show your support for properly resourcing every
school at https://www.foreverychild.au/postcard 


The good news is that the CFMEU and the broader union movement is
winning the campaign to ban engineered stone.  Ikea has
joined Bunnings in announcing they won't stock the killer
products in the future. A national policy is on the horizon and
the campaign to prevent workers dying for bench-tops continues.


Van acknowledges our Cadre and Extend the Reach supporters who
have signed up at www.buymeacoffee.com/weekonwednesday to help us
get this podcast into even more ears each and every week.