Sumeyya Ilanbey

4 days ago | afr.com | Paul Karp |Sumeyya Ilanbey |Jesinta Burton

The Victorian and West Australian premiers have rejected an attempt by the Queensland treasurer to use negotiations over funding for disability supports as leverage to reform the redistribution of the GST. Even the biggest proponent of GST reform, NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey, on Monday distanced himself from the remarks by Queensland Treasurer David Janetzki to The Australian Financial Review. Loading...

1 week ago | afr.com | Sumeyya Ilanbey |Ronald Mizen

Former Victorian premier Jeff Kennett has questioned opposition leader Brad Battin’s capacity to lead the moribund state Liberals to government and called for a wipe-out of the parliamentary team, opening a fresh battle within the division already reeling from the fallout between MPs John Pesutto and Moira Deeming.

1 week ago | afr.com | Sumeyya Ilanbey |Tom Rabe

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has challenged federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers to make solving the productivity crisis a mission for national cabinet, starting with including the states and territories at his ideas roundtable. Allan welcomed Chalmers’ pledge to overhaul Australia’s tax system as part of the Albanese government’s second-term productivity agenda, and called the roundtable he is organising for next month a once in a generation opportunity to drive change across the economy. Loading...

1 week ago | afr.com | Sumeyya Ilanbey

Victorian government departments, which spent $130 million on external consultants and contractors last year, sometimes hired them with no valid reason, failed to track their work or ignored the product or service they supplied. State auditor-general Andrew Greaves concluded in a report released on Thursday that public servants were too often unable to demonstrate that their use of third-party contractors delivered value for money for taxpayers. Loading...

1 week ago | afr.com | Sumeyya Ilanbey |Ryan Cropp

The boss of the country’s largest power and gas retailer says it spends up to $25 million a year dealing with compliance and regulation costs that inevitably are passed on in part to consumers. The comments from AGL Energy chief executive Damien Nicks signal emerging tensions between electricity suppliers and Federal Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen, who has committed to changing the household electricity pricing rules to give consumers a better deal. Loading...