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Received yesterday — 17 June 2026 ⏭

‘Enraged’ union boss defends naming and shaming Victorian Labor MPs who had ‘zero conversations’ with voters

By: Benita Kolovos Victorian state correspondent

17 June 2026 at 04:09

Candidates must ‘work their ass off’ to stop One Nation or expect withdrawal of union support, Trades Hall Council secretary says

The head of Victoria’s powerful Trades Hall Council has defended naming and shaming 23 state Labor MPs and candidates for having “zero conversations” with their constituents in the past two weeks, saying they all need to “work their ass off” to stop One Nation’s rise.

Luke Hilakari wrote to MPs and candidates on Tuesday morning warning if they “don’t give a shit about winning”, they shouldn’t expect support from the union movement during the November election campaign.

Received — 16 June 2026 ⏭

The Guardian - World news
ATO outsource call centre workers paid 40% less than public service peers, Fair Work submission claims 16 June 2026 at 16:00

ATO outsource call centre workers paid 40% less than public service peers, Fair Work submission claims

The Guardian - World news

By: Jonathan Barrett Business editor

16 June 2026 at 16:00

In lead-up to ‘same job, same pay’ hearings, former call centre worker Nathan Brunne says pay gap is structural and widens at senior levels

Workers at the Australian Taxation Office’s outsource call centres are paid up to 40% less than their public service counterparts on the same phone lines, according to submissions lodged in the lead-up to landmark “same job, same pay” hearings.

The pay gap, detailed by Nathan Brunne, a former worker on the ATO phone lines employed by the private equity-backed Probe Operations, widens at more senior call centre roles, with team leaders at outsource operators paid about $31 an hour compared with more than $52 at the tax office.