Date Time
Appointment of Acting Equal Opportunity Commissioner
A senior lawyer with experience in both the Crown Solicitors Office and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions has been appointed as interim Equal Opportunity Commissioner.
Attorney-General Vickie Chapman said Steph Halliday would begin in the role on March 1, while the Government considers its options for a longer-term appointment, taking over from the current Acting Commissioner Emily Strickland.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank Ms Strickland for her work – especially on the review into the workplace culture and mechanisms for reporting harassment in Parliament House,” Attorney-General Chapman said.
Date Time
Further cuts to electricity prices for South Australians
Proving that the Marshall Liberal Government’s energy policies are driving down the cost of electricity for South Australians, the Australia Energy Regulator (AER) has today announced a $117 cut to the draft Default Market Offer (DMO) for residential customers.
If the draft DMO is adopted, more than 60,000 South Australian households on legacy – or standing offers – will see their bills fall by 6.4% from July 1, taking their total savings to $397 since the last State Election.
This is a fall of nearly 19 per cent in electricity prices since the 2018 election – and is in stark contrast to the skyrocketing electricity costs that were seen under Labor.
Date Time
Stage set as Adelaide Festival Centre staff vote in favour of new wage deals
The curtain has come down on enterprise bargaining negotiations with Adelaide Festival Centre staff, who have voted in favour of the Government’s new enterprise agreement offers, which deliver annual wage increases of 1.2 and 1.5 per cent.
The Adelaide Festival Centre Performing Arts Centre Agreement 2020, which covers more than 220 employees from cleaners, gardeners and carpenters to painters, plumbers and duty operators, provides a 1.2 per cent wage increase in December 2020 and a further 1.5 per cent pay rise in September this year.
A separate enterprise agreement for 95 professional and administrative employees at the Centre, such as accountants, IT and marketing and communications staff, provides a 1.2 per cent pay rise in November 2020. They will receive a further 1.5 per cent wage increase in November this year. 100 per cent of the ballots returned voted in favour of the new agreement.
Date Time
New Suicide Prevention Program to Support State’s Most Vulnerable
South Australia’s most vulnerable now have better access to support services thanks to a new pilot program to help survivors of attempted suicide.
Minister for Health and Wellbeing Stephen Wade said The Way Back Support Service, a Beyondblue initiative delivered in collaboration between AnglicareSA and Central Adelaide Local Health Network (CALHN), provides one-on-one support to survivors after they leave hospital.
“We are committed to tackling our suicide rate through offering appropriate services to those who need support and ensuring that people at increased risk of suicide don’t fall through the gaps, Minister Wade said.
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Consultation begins on Royal Commission reforms
South Australians are being encouraged to have their say on changes to the state’s Royal Commission laws.
Attorney-General Vickie Chapman said the move would ensure South Australia had a modern, robust scheme to manage important, investigations and inquiries into the future.
“Royal Commissions are a vital part of our democracy – they help us identify serious, systemic issues as well as the steps we can take to fix them,” Attorney-General Chapman said.
“However, it’s clear we need more flexibility in how they operate.
“These proposed reforms act on the recommendations of former Supreme Court Justice and current Independent Commissioner Against Corruption the Honourable Ann Vanstone in her review of the Royal Commissions Act 1917 – delivering a system that is more flexible and can carry out more comprehensive investigations into matters of public interest.”