Anthony Albanese - How long?

[Rotayjay]

They would be fine as they would be priorities within our immigration program, we would slash unskilled migration and do monthly reviews of the job categories to ensure they are actually gaps that we can't fill with our own training.

Won't fix housing alone but would have an immediate impact unlike crackdowns on airbnb etc

On SM-A125F using BigFooty.com mobile app

Well said. What purpose does unskilled migration (except a good humanitarian program) serve for a country with scarce housing and creaking infrastructure? It's clear that the Albanese government wants to make up for the lost years of immigration during the pandemic, and use it as a tool to drive unemployment up by replacing previously-unemployed Australians with cheap imported labour.

Ironic for the Labor Party.

 

[Sun Ra]

Well said. What purpose does unskilled migration (except a good humanitarian program) serve for a country with scarce housing and creaking infrastructure? It's clear that the Albanese government wants to make up for the lost years of immigration during the pandemic, and use it as a tool to drive unemployment up by replacing previously-unemployed Australians with cheap imported labour.

Ironic for the Labor Party.

Yeah / Nah ...... International students will compete for casual jobs, gig economy stuff, etc. A lot will be nursing home staff, etc. Jobs that
a lot of Australians don't want to do.

 

[TheEscapeClub]

training is a throwaway line in this context.

.....during COVID would have been the perfect time for all the resource companies in WA to kick their training up a gear or three instead of doing nothing then crying poor when they're cancelling 100s of millions of dollars of shutdown work due to lack of bodies. Instead, some used the time to ramp up their own inhouse version of a labour hire company to cut out the middle man and pocket the savings and rewriting how apprenticeships are done to try and stop the opposition from poaching their tradies and to drive down wages.

 

[Kwality]

.....during COVID would have been the perfect time for all the resource companies in WA to kick their training up a gear or three instead of doing nothing then crying poor when they're cancelling 100s of millions of dollars of shutdown work due to lack of bodies. Instead, some used the time to ramp up their own inhouse version of a labour hire company to cut out the middle man and pocket the savings and rewriting how apprenticeships are done to try and stop the opposition from poaching their tradies and to drive down wages.

lots of claims .... WA did well from mining during covid ?

'The mining boom and post-pandemic debt hangovers have created a major financial split between governments in resource-rich Western Australia and Queensland, and south-eastern states battling spending blowouts and mounting debts.'

.... Queensland Treasurer Cameron Dick this week unveiled a coal royalty bonanza to deliver a record state budget surplus of $12 billion, following Western Australia’s string of surpluses built on booming iron ore royalties, a GST bonus from Canberra and disciplined cost control.

'While Victoria projects accumulated operating deficits of $13 billion over the next four years, Western Australia is forecasting a total of $15 billion of surpluses.'

The post-COVID-19 mining boom creates two Australias

The mining boom and post-pandemic debt hangovers have created a major financial split between the states, with implications for services, infrastructure and cost-of-living handouts.

www.afr.com

 

[SaintsSeptember]

lots of claims .... WA did well from mining during covid ?

'The mining boom and post-pandemic debt hangovers have created a major financial split between governments in resource-rich Western Australia and Queensland, and south-eastern states battling spending blowouts and mounting debts.'

.... Queensland Treasurer Cameron Dick this week unveiled a coal royalty bonanza to deliver a record state budget surplus of $12 billion, following Western Australia’s string of surpluses built on booming iron ore royalties, a GST bonus from Canberra and disciplined cost control.

'While Victoria projects accumulated operating deficits of $13 billion over the next four years, Western Australia is forecasting a total of $15 billion of surpluses.'

The post-COVID-19 mining boom creates two Australias

The mining boom and post-pandemic debt hangovers have created a major financial split between the states, with implications for services, infrastructure and cost-of-living handouts.

www.afr.com

The mining boom was probably the real cause of the closure of the car making industry.
The AUD was close to parity with the USD when Holden made the decision to pull the pin.
So if they were making marginal profit at the time , they'd be looking pretty rosy now.

 

[Kwality]

The mining boom was probably the real cause of the closure of the car making industry.
The AUD was close to parity with the USD when Holden made the decision to pull the pin.
So if they were making marginal profit at the time , they'd be looking pretty rosy now.

lots of probably in that post.

 

[SaintsSeptember]

lots of probably in that post.

Not at all. Lots off bullshit in the narrative at the time, the yanks weren't worried about crapping on decades of history due to a momentary profit loss.
"the future is in china" they were taught it, they published it" They siphoned massive amounts of cash from Holden to the USA during the GFC.
( Engineering fee's because , suddenly Holden couldn't develop a car without huge amounts of USA consultation. Wasn't impressed by the Canadian guy i was involved with ).

The ( temporary) mining boom was the cause for the AUD being close to the USD don't you agree?

 

[peetoo]

Will Albo go to the third place playoff? Or jump straight off the bandwagon?

Maybe they can do something real for female sport and reinvest in all those female change room projects they cancelled as soon as they took office!

The ahem decision process about where they might be located could have been flawed. No one’s talking about the Rudd govt ‘waste’ any more just quietly

 

[Kwality]

Not at all. Lots off bullshit in the narrative at the time, the yanks weren't worried about crapping on decades of history due to a momentary profit loss.
"the future is in china" they were taught it, they published it" They siphoned massive amounts of cash from Holden to the USA during the GFC.
( Engineering fee's because , suddenly Holden couldn't develop a car without huge amounts of USA consultation. Wasn't impressed by the Canadian guy i was involved with ).

The ( temporary) mining boom was the cause for the AUD being close to the USD don't you agree?

There was the mining construction boom ... the construction bit often unseen on the east coast.

Australian Dollar - Quote - Chart - Historical Data - News

The AUDUSD increased 0.0006 or 0.10% to 0.6521 on Friday March 29 from 0.6515 in the previous trading session. Australian Dollar - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on March of 2024.

tradingeconomics.com

 

[SBD Gonzalez]

Well that didn’t take long.

Albanese government to pledge $200m for women’s sport after Matildas inspire Australia

In the wake of the Matildas’ World Cup performance, the government will unveil new funding and changes to TV bidding rights for sporting fixtures

www.theguardian.com

 

[Gough]

Well that didn’t take long.

Albanese government to pledge $200m for women’s sport after Matildas inspire Australia

In the wake of the Matildas’ World Cup performance, the government will unveil new funding and changes to TV bidding rights for sporting fixtures

www.theguardian.com

He was at pains to explain how this would be distributed, really he'd have been better off having a banner behind him proclaiming "this is not sport's rorts" and we could have halved the length of the press conference.

 

[Kwality]

He was at pains to explain how this would be distributed, really he'd have been better off having a banner behind him proclaiming "this is not sport's rorts" and we could have halved the length of the press conference.

Minister for Women Katy Gallagher said women's athleticism should be celebrated.

"Gender equality doesn't happen overnight, but it's clear something has changed in Australia, and it feels like we're getting closer," Senator Gallagher said.

Seizing the Matildas moment, PM promises $200 million for women's sport

Saying the Matildas' performance at the Women's World Cup has changed Australian sport forever, the prime minister promises $200 million for women's sports gear and facilities, plus new broadcasting rules, saying he wants the moment to ripple through generations.

www.abc.net.au

The problem is the local comp will never attract the sponsors dollars, or a bidding war for TV rights, when any of the best players in the world choose not to play here.
Its not just soccer, not just womens sport .... its true of any international sport.

Another day, another $200mil on the slate for my grandkids to pay off, plus interest .....

 

[adogsfan5]

Well that didn’t take long.

Albanese government to pledge $200m for women’s sport after Matildas inspire Australia

In the wake of the Matildas’ World Cup performance, the government will unveil new funding and changes to TV bidding rights for sporting fixtures

www.theguardian.com

Great result. Better than a public holiday too.

 

[greyhound punter]

Mate, it is dog whistling. That's the problem.

Next time someone blames immigration for something, dig a little deeper into their understanding of labour economics. 99% of them have no understanding of how immigration contributes to the economy. The same people who complain about immigration are the first to whinge about high prices and a lack of services. It's one thing to query why immigration levels are as they are, which is what I think you are doing. But the overwhelming majority of people who query immigration levels are not actually querying immigration levels at all, if you get my drift.

Such people should be summarily dismissed and ridiculed for their ignorance.

My understanding is on point, thank you for your concern.

Immigration levels are too high relative to the infrastructure and our ability to offer dignified housing to all that need it - whether that is in the private market or via public housing. I stand by that fact. Nothing to do with "labour economics" - i note that Australia's GDP per capita surged during 2020-21.

Our universities and Tafe sectors have never pumped out more nursing graduates - the aged care sector is crying out for RN's - many of whom refuse to work in that sector due to the poor pay and the horrific conditions nurses are expected to work under - enormous workloads, no breaks etc.

If the aged care sector offered more pay, and better staffing ratios, then of course, many RNs and AINs would move into the sector.

The majority of the population, the vast majority, do not want the current level of immigration because the middle and lower class are the ones who deal with the downside of rampant population growth: congested roads, ridiculous commute times, rampant rent rises, lower real wages etc.

So, you can rationalize this as "the savages not understanding labour economics", i simply put it down to the real world having to live with the decisions made by the elites, who of course, are once again not exposed to the negatives of their decisions.

 

[Rotayjay]

My understanding is on point, thank you for your concern.

Immigration levels are too high relative to the infrastructure and our ability to offer dignified housing to all that need it - whether that is in the private market or via public housing. I stand by that fact. Nothing to do with "labour economics" - i note that Australia's GDP per capita surged during 2020-21.

Our universities and Tafe sectors have never pumped out more nursing graduates - the aged care sector is crying out for RN's - many of whom refuse to work in that sector due to the poor pay and the horrific conditions nurses are expected to work under - enormous workloads, no breaks etc.

If the aged care sector offered more pay, and better staffing ratios, then of course, many RNs and AINs would move into the sector.

The majority of the population, the vast majority, do not want the current level of immigration because the middle and lower class are the ones who deal with the downside of rampant population growth: congested roads, ridiculous commute times, rampant rent rises, lower real wages etc.

So, you can rationalize this as "the savages not understanding labour economics", i simply put it down to the real world having to live with the decisions made by the elites, who of course, are once again not exposed to the negatives of their decisions.

Precisely. Politicians don't commute on overcrowded public transport or on congested roads (for long, as they tend to live closer to work), go to overcrowded public hospitals or send their kids to overcrowded public schools.

The latest Intergenerational Report is being released today. It will identify a giant structural hole in the budget in the long term. What to do about that? It's almost as if a big hole will be created by a tax cut for people on $150,000+ .......

 

[Gralin]

I heard Albo couldn't answer the question, how much does petrol cost. Thanks again Australian media for asking the hard hitting questions we all need the answer too.

There is no easier question to answer right now than that. Proof that Albo is out of touch and unfit to lead the nation.

 

[undefined]

Anthony Albanese’s son in PwC internship

Spoiler: Article

It’s coming up on three weeks since this column published the revelation that Anthony Albanese had procured a membership of the Qantas Chairman’s Lounge for his adult son Nathan and never declared it on the parliamentary register of interests.

This cannot be brushed aside as normal. Yes, all federal MPs and their spouses are given Chairman’s Lounge membership. But in the 15 years Alan Joyce has been chief executive of Qantas, no other serving prime minister – and no other politician, full stop – has prevailed upon the airline to also provide Chairman’s Lounge membership to their progeny.


Anthony Albanese should exercise better judgment, and proper disclosure. Alex Ellinghausen

To this day, Albanese still has not been required to answer a single question about this. Not in multiple television and radio interviews. Not in question time by the Liberal and National parties, nor by the teal independents – all elected on a platform of restoring integrity to the parliament and all of whom, upon their election, accepted membership of the Chairman’s Lounge. Albanese refused to take questions at a major Qantas media event he headlined with Joyce last week.

At this point, we have another revelation. In the first half of 2021, while he was still opposition leader, Albanese had a conversation with PwC’s then government relations boss Sean Gregory, who was pushed out of the firm in June in the scattergun purge over the tax leaks scandal.

According to multiple sources within PwC, Albanese and Gregory discussed an internship at PwC for Albanese’s son Nathan. Gregory then passed on Nathan’s information to the firm’s HR department and in June 2021, Nathan completed a two-week, unpaid placement in PwC’s Economics & Policy Unit in Sydney under PwC’s chief economist Jeremy Thorpe.

At a function months later, the Labor leader thanked PwC chief executive Tom Seymour for organising the internship, which was the first Seymour even knew about it.

PwC declined to comment. In an email, a spokesman for the prime minister said, “What you have suggested is incorrect” but then declined to clarify what was incorrect. The Prime Minister’s Office also declined to return multiple phone calls.

Bear in mind, there is no unpaid two-week internship program at PwC. There is no application process open to the public. There is no twice-yearly intake. This is an opportunity provided on an individual, ad hoc basis almost exclusively to the relatives of influential people.

It’s an opportunity provided reluctantly. No undergraduate student is qualified to do any productive client work, so menial tasks must be invented to occupy them. What’s more, their access to information at PwC is highly restricted because of – wait for it – rules around confidentiality! Major LOLs.

So, then, why would PwC do it? For one reason. The same reason you make a political donation – it’s a variation of the same theme: to earn the firm a place in the trust and good favour of that influential parent.

This is how corporate Australia operates, of course. It is how the world works. Any parent would – and does – use their connections to gain an advantage for their children. More broadly, gratuities, winks, nods and fast-tracks are all part of the game of mates in the private sector.

The game of mates, however, must end where public officialdom begins. You can’t have the family of government ministers receiving undisclosed patronage from companies the government regulates or that do business with the government.

Does that make it harder for the sons and daughters of elected leaders to get ahead without their parents playing the role of advancer? Harder than the offspring of CEOs, maybe, but certainly not harder than the offspring of truck drivers or aged care nurses. Having the surname Albanese (or Howard or Keating) and the forwarding address “Kirribilli House” on your CV is a decent professional head start without Dad needing to pick up the phone.

Serious issue
Nathan, who graduated from university in October last year, now works full-time at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. It’s safe to say he’s the only junior burger in the institutional bank with Chairman’s Lounge privileges. Imagine the next trip to Melbourne. “Sorry lads, I’ll see you all on the plane – unless you’d care to join me for a grass-fed eye fillet and a half-bottle of Ruinart blanc de blancs before take-off?”

His father’s first job out of uni was also at CommBank, his first and only job in the “real world” – a bloated public service organisation – before sliding irreparably into the Canberra bubble where reaching into your own wallet is almost never the done thing. Albo said last week he would never have privatised the CBA. If only. Nathan would’ve been CEO by now – or at least a member of the executive leadership team.

The staff directory of every investment bank and advisory firm in South-East Asia is loaded with the extended family of the region’s despots. Even poor princeling Alex Turnbull – an established liar under oath – toiled at Goldman Sachs in Singapore while his father was communications minister.

This is a serious issue because we should expect that our politicians aren’t influenced in any way by favours given to them or to members of their family. And how do we ever verify these favours if they are not declared on the parliamentary register of interests?

Perhaps emboldened by the lack of any scrutiny on the matter outside of this column, Albanese shows zero interest in coming clean on Nathan’s Chairman’s Lounge membership. This only leaves the public to wonder what else we don’t know about.

Take, in contrast, Penny Wong’s most recent updates to her register of interests. “Qatar Airways upgrade to First Class on flight QR908 from Doha to Sydney on September 25, 2022 … Hotel upgrade in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from a standard room to a Park Suite… Hotel upgrade in Paris, France from a standard room to a junior suite.” That is a woman with nothing to hide.

We are not suggesting this is the crime of the century. Nathan Albanese received no financial benefit here (although his Chairman’s Lounge membership has a monetary value). This is nevertheless a matter of legitimate public interest. The Australian media has long reported on the perquisites of the dependent adult children of prime ministers – most notably the scholarship Tony Abbott’s daughter Frances received to attend a college whose chairman, a Liberal donor, had even bought clothes for the Liberal leader.

None of this should be construed as an attack on the Prime Minister’s son, who has done nothing wrong. We would be very happy to leave Nathan Albanese out of our coverage. However, that would require his father to exercise better judgment, and proper disclosure.

 

[peetoo]

Anthony Albanese’s son in PwC internship

Spoiler: Article

It’s coming up on three weeks since this column published the revelation that Anthony Albanese had procured a membership of the Qantas Chairman’s Lounge for his adult son Nathan and never declared it on the parliamentary register of interests.

This cannot be brushed aside as normal. Yes, all federal MPs and their spouses are given Chairman’s Lounge membership. But in the 15 years Alan Joyce has been chief executive of Qantas, no other serving prime minister – and no other politician, full stop – has prevailed upon the airline to also provide Chairman’s Lounge membership to their progeny.


Anthony Albanese should exercise better judgment, and proper disclosure. Alex Ellinghausen

To this day, Albanese still has not been required to answer a single question about this. Not in multiple television and radio interviews. Not in question time by the Liberal and National parties, nor by the teal independents – all elected on a platform of restoring integrity to the parliament and all of whom, upon their election, accepted membership of the Chairman’s Lounge. Albanese refused to take questions at a major Qantas media event he headlined with Joyce last week.

At this point, we have another revelation. In the first half of 2021, while he was still opposition leader, Albanese had a conversation with PwC’s then government relations boss Sean Gregory, who was pushed out of the firm in June in the scattergun purge over the tax leaks scandal.

According to multiple sources within PwC, Albanese and Gregory discussed an internship at PwC for Albanese’s son Nathan. Gregory then passed on Nathan’s information to the firm’s HR department and in June 2021, Nathan completed a two-week, unpaid placement in PwC’s Economics & Policy Unit in Sydney under PwC’s chief economist Jeremy Thorpe.

At a function months later, the Labor leader thanked PwC chief executive Tom Seymour for organising the internship, which was the first Seymour even knew about it.

PwC declined to comment. In an email, a spokesman for the prime minister said, “What you have suggested is incorrect” but then declined to clarify what was incorrect. The Prime Minister’s Office also declined to return multiple phone calls.

Bear in mind, there is no unpaid two-week internship program at PwC. There is no application process open to the public. There is no twice-yearly intake. This is an opportunity provided on an individual, ad hoc basis almost exclusively to the relatives of influential people.

It’s an opportunity provided reluctantly. No undergraduate student is qualified to do any productive client work, so menial tasks must be invented to occupy them. What’s more, their access to information at PwC is highly restricted because of – wait for it – rules around confidentiality! Major LOLs.

So, then, why would PwC do it? For one reason. The same reason you make a political donation – it’s a variation of the same theme: to earn the firm a place in the trust and good favour of that influential parent.

This is how corporate Australia operates, of course. It is how the world works. Any parent would – and does – use their connections to gain an advantage for their children. More broadly, gratuities, winks, nods and fast-tracks are all part of the game of mates in the private sector.

The game of mates, however, must end where public officialdom begins. You can’t have the family of government ministers receiving undisclosed patronage from companies the government regulates or that do business with the government.

Does that make it harder for the sons and daughters of elected leaders to get ahead without their parents playing the role of advancer? Harder than the offspring of CEOs, maybe, but certainly not harder than the offspring of truck drivers or aged care nurses. Having the surname Albanese (or Howard or Keating) and the forwarding address “Kirribilli House” on your CV is a decent professional head start without Dad needing to pick up the phone.

Serious issue
Nathan, who graduated from university in October last year, now works full-time at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. It’s safe to say he’s the only junior burger in the institutional bank with Chairman’s Lounge privileges. Imagine the next trip to Melbourne. “Sorry lads, I’ll see you all on the plane – unless you’d care to join me for a grass-fed eye fillet and a half-bottle of Ruinart blanc de blancs before take-off?”

His father’s first job out of uni was also at CommBank, his first and only job in the “real world” – a bloated public service organisation – before sliding irreparably into the Canberra bubble where reaching into your own wallet is almost never the done thing. Albo said last week he would never have privatised the CBA. If only. Nathan would’ve been CEO by now – or at least a member of the executive leadership team.

The staff directory of every investment bank and advisory firm in South-East Asia is loaded with the extended family of the region’s despots. Even poor princeling Alex Turnbull – an established liar under oath – toiled at Goldman Sachs in Singapore while his father was communications minister.

This is a serious issue because we should expect that our politicians aren’t influenced in any way by favours given to them or to members of their family. And how do we ever verify these favours if they are not declared on the parliamentary register of interests?

Perhaps emboldened by the lack of any scrutiny on the matter outside of this column, Albanese shows zero interest in coming clean on Nathan’s Chairman’s Lounge membership. This only leaves the public to wonder what else we don’t know about.

Take, in contrast, Penny Wong’s most recent updates to her register of interests. “Qatar Airways upgrade to First Class on flight QR908 from Doha to Sydney on September 25, 2022 … Hotel upgrade in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from a standard room to a Park Suite… Hotel upgrade in Paris, France from a standard room to a junior suite.” That is a woman with nothing to hide.

We are not suggesting this is the crime of the century. Nathan Albanese received no financial benefit here (although his Chairman’s Lounge membership has a monetary value). This is nevertheless a matter of legitimate public interest. The Australian media has long reported on the perquisites of the dependent adult children of prime ministers – most notably the scholarship Tony Abbott’s daughter Frances received to attend a college whose chairman, a Liberal donor, had even bought clothes for the Liberal leader.

None of this should be construed as an attack on the Prime Minister’s son, who has done nothing wrong. We would be very happy to leave Nathan Albanese out of our coverage. However, that would require his father to exercise better judgment, and proper disclosure.

Does he hate his son?

 

[undefined]

Does he hate his son?

Was two years ago. Though I'd contend those Qantas lounges are bloody ugly.

 

[Ghost Patrol]

You wouldn't put PwC on your resume at the moment.

He must be devastated.

 

[Chief]

Albos attempt to make sure his son isn't privileged.

 

[Festerz]

While the AFR article does raise a legitimate public interest question about how and why the Qantas Chairmans Lounge was given to Albanese's son and whether appropriate disclosure protocols were followed, the rest of the article is a bit grubby imho.

Key quotes from the follow-up article is here:

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his son Nathan is “not a public figure” after being questioned about the 23-year-old’s membership to the Qantas Chairman’s Lounge and a two-week unpaid internship with PwC.

Interesting to note that National Party leader David Littleproud has urged the media not to get into “personal attacks of family members”. Mr Littleproud earlier told Sky News that he knew Nathan Albanese personally and that “he’ll make a great contribution to wherever he goes”.

When asked in Melbourne about Nathan’s PwC internship and membership to the invite-only Chairman’s Lounge, the prime minister said: “I completely comply with all the requirements of the register”.

AFR has crossed the line a couple of times the past week when it comes to click bait political gossip - the since deleted false story attacking Bridget McKenzie in relation to her academic record is an example - that is dragging them down as a financial paper. I wonder who is pushing them in this direction?

 

[Festerz]

Was two years ago. Though I'd contend those Qantas lounges are bloody ugly.

We are talking about the invitation only Chairmans Lounge for business leaders, top public servants, Ministers and Opposition leaders.

Not your bog standard Qantas Club where low life's like you and I fight over the serving trays when the spring rolls come out and line up for crappy cappuccinos.

 

[Carn The Berries]

Anthony Albanese’s son in PwC internship

Spoiler: Article

It’s coming up on three weeks since this column published the revelation that Anthony Albanese had procured a membership of the Qantas Chairman’s Lounge for his adult son Nathan and never declared it on the parliamentary register of interests.

This cannot be brushed aside as normal. Yes, all federal MPs and their spouses are given Chairman’s Lounge membership. But in the 15 years Alan Joyce has been chief executive of Qantas, no other serving prime minister – and no other politician, full stop – has prevailed upon the airline to also provide Chairman’s Lounge membership to their progeny.


Anthony Albanese should exercise better judgment, and proper disclosure. Alex Ellinghausen

To this day, Albanese still has not been required to answer a single question about this. Not in multiple television and radio interviews. Not in question time by the Liberal and National parties, nor by the teal independents – all elected on a platform of restoring integrity to the parliament and all of whom, upon their election, accepted membership of the Chairman’s Lounge. Albanese refused to take questions at a major Qantas media event he headlined with Joyce last week.

At this point, we have another revelation. In the first half of 2021, while he was still opposition leader, Albanese had a conversation with PwC’s then government relations boss Sean Gregory, who was pushed out of the firm in June in the scattergun purge over the tax leaks scandal.

According to multiple sources within PwC, Albanese and Gregory discussed an internship at PwC for Albanese’s son Nathan. Gregory then passed on Nathan’s information to the firm’s HR department and in June 2021, Nathan completed a two-week, unpaid placement in PwC’s Economics & Policy Unit in Sydney under PwC’s chief economist Jeremy Thorpe.

At a function months later, the Labor leader thanked PwC chief executive Tom Seymour for organising the internship, which was the first Seymour even knew about it.

PwC declined to comment. In an email, a spokesman for the prime minister said, “What you have suggested is incorrect” but then declined to clarify what was incorrect. The Prime Minister’s Office also declined to return multiple phone calls.

Bear in mind, there is no unpaid two-week internship program at PwC. There is no application process open to the public. There is no twice-yearly intake. This is an opportunity provided on an individual, ad hoc basis almost exclusively to the relatives of influential people.

It’s an opportunity provided reluctantly. No undergraduate student is qualified to do any productive client work, so menial tasks must be invented to occupy them. What’s more, their access to information at PwC is highly restricted because of – wait for it – rules around confidentiality! Major LOLs.

So, then, why would PwC do it? For one reason. The same reason you make a political donation – it’s a variation of the same theme: to earn the firm a place in the trust and good favour of that influential parent.

This is how corporate Australia operates, of course. It is how the world works. Any parent would – and does – use their connections to gain an advantage for their children. More broadly, gratuities, winks, nods and fast-tracks are all part of the game of mates in the private sector.

The game of mates, however, must end where public officialdom begins. You can’t have the family of government ministers receiving undisclosed patronage from companies the government regulates or that do business with the government.

Does that make it harder for the sons and daughters of elected leaders to get ahead without their parents playing the role of advancer? Harder than the offspring of CEOs, maybe, but certainly not harder than the offspring of truck drivers or aged care nurses. Having the surname Albanese (or Howard or Keating) and the forwarding address “Kirribilli House” on your CV is a decent professional head start without Dad needing to pick up the phone.

Serious issue
Nathan, who graduated from university in October last year, now works full-time at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. It’s safe to say he’s the only junior burger in the institutional bank with Chairman’s Lounge privileges. Imagine the next trip to Melbourne. “Sorry lads, I’ll see you all on the plane – unless you’d care to join me for a grass-fed eye fillet and a half-bottle of Ruinart blanc de blancs before take-off?”

His father’s first job out of uni was also at CommBank, his first and only job in the “real world” – a bloated public service organisation – before sliding irreparably into the Canberra bubble where reaching into your own wallet is almost never the done thing. Albo said last week he would never have privatised the CBA. If only. Nathan would’ve been CEO by now – or at least a member of the executive leadership team.

The staff directory of every investment bank and advisory firm in South-East Asia is loaded with the extended family of the region’s despots. Even poor princeling Alex Turnbull – an established liar under oath – toiled at Goldman Sachs in Singapore while his father was communications minister.

This is a serious issue because we should expect that our politicians aren’t influenced in any way by favours given to them or to members of their family. And how do we ever verify these favours if they are not declared on the parliamentary register of interests?

Perhaps emboldened by the lack of any scrutiny on the matter outside of this column, Albanese shows zero interest in coming clean on Nathan’s Chairman’s Lounge membership. This only leaves the public to wonder what else we don’t know about.

Take, in contrast, Penny Wong’s most recent updates to her register of interests. “Qatar Airways upgrade to First Class on flight QR908 from Doha to Sydney on September 25, 2022 … Hotel upgrade in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from a standard room to a Park Suite… Hotel upgrade in Paris, France from a standard room to a junior suite.” That is a woman with nothing to hide.

We are not suggesting this is the crime of the century. Nathan Albanese received no financial benefit here (although his Chairman’s Lounge membership has a monetary value). This is nevertheless a matter of legitimate public interest. The Australian media has long reported on the perquisites of the dependent adult children of prime ministers – most notably the scholarship Tony Abbott’s daughter Frances received to attend a college whose chairman, a Liberal donor, had even bought clothes for the Liberal leader.

None of this should be construed as an attack on the Prime Minister’s son, who has done nothing wrong. We would be very happy to leave Nathan Albanese out of our coverage. However, that would require his father to exercise better judgment, and proper disclosure.

Yawn.... My old man pulled some strings for me to get work experience at a patent attorney practice while I was at school. I went in thinking I was going to have 2 weeks of intense courtroom stoushes over copyright and trademark infringements... I spent 2 weeks in the mail room

If we were talking about an actual paid job then maybe there is a conversation to be had... Maybe...

What a a non-event.

 

[spinynorman]

While the AFR article does raise a legitimate public interest question about how and why the Qantas Chairmans Lounge was given to Albanese's son and whether appropriate disclosure protocols were followed, the rest of the article is a bit grubby imho.

Key quotes from the follow-up article is here:

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his son Nathan is “not a public figure” after being questioned about the 23-year-old’s membership to the Qantas Chairman’s Lounge and a two-week unpaid internship with PwC.

Interesting to note that National Party leader David Littleproud has urged the media not to get into “personal attacks of family members”. Mr Littleproud earlier told Sky News that he knew Nathan Albanese personally and that “he’ll make a great contribution to wherever he goes”.

When asked in Melbourne about Nathan’s PwC internship and membership to the invite-only Chairman’s Lounge, the prime minister said: “I completely comply with all the requirements of the register”.

AFR has crossed the line a couple of times the past week when it comes to click bait political gossip - the since deleted false story attacking Bridget McKenzie in relation to her academic record is an example - that is dragging them down as a financial paper. I wonder who is pushing them in this direction?

Littleproud’s defence of the situation makes sense when you consider there’s no doubt Nathan Albanese isn’t the only family member of a senior MP getting these cushy privileges.

Albo’s attempts to deflect of course ignore the actual point, which isn’t a reflection of his son’s character, but about how companies use their power to enact favours for politicians with the understanding that it’s leverage for the politicians to enact favours for them. It is, in short, corruption.