Eat the rich

Show notes

News

• Australia, still on fire! Heavy rain is helping put out the fires though. At least our dams are full of water.
• Barnaby Joyce, outspoken former leader of the Nationals party, says they won’t support cuts to emissions because it will lose elections. Oh my god, he admit it!
• Prime Minister Scott Morrison repeatedly stated that “there were no ineligible projects” tied to the sports funding saga. It turns out that 43% of the projects were actually ineligible under the rules of the grant project itself.
• The LNP has been caught using the another funding grant system to funnel money to seats they wanted to win.
• Independent MP Andrew Wilkie complained to the International Criminal Court about Australia’s treatment of refugees. The ICC has agreed that Australia is in violation of the Rome Statute and yeah it’s a crime against humanity.
• Australia has a history of ignoring international bodies when it comes to our treatment of refugees. While Prime Minister, Tony Abbot complained about being lectured to by the United Nations.

George Calombaris, wage thief

• George Calombaris, celebrity chef and wage thief.
• The first complaint made about his restaurants underpaying workers was made in 2015. He was warned about his conduct in 2012.
• Calombaris has argued against increasing worker’s wages, saying his businesses couldn’t afford it.
• Wage theft is incredibly widespread in the restaurant and bar industry.
• Media coverage of the issue is often sympathetic to the owners, not workers who are having their wages stolen.
• Steven Mayne deleted the tweet praising Calombaris for “having a go”. Good Weekend magazine depicted Calombaris as a literal angel.

Robodebt, illegal and unworkable scheme

• Robodebt is a computer system created to enforce non-compliance with the rules of government unemployment benefits system. It didn’t work.
• Centerlink officers were required to meet targets for debt collection.
• This was while they were working under legal advice that the scheme was illegal.
• Stuart Robert, a notoriously, repeatedly corrupt government minister (he even set up his own parents as unknowing dummy directors of a company) is in charge of the department responsible for the Robodebt scheme.

Class war and climate change

• Wealth inequality is so much more dramatic than you think.
• This Oxfam study shows that the richest 10% of people are responsible for 49% of carbon emissions. The poorest 50% of people create 10% of the world’s carbon emissions.

Action items

• Don’t pay your robodebt. There are resources to help you fight it.
• Join a union. Contact the ACTU if you’re unsure how, or what union might cover your work.
• If you’re unemployed, there’s a union for you too!
• Listen to Red Flag Radio’s intro to capitalism and socialism. Solidaritus et podcastus ✊
• Read Wallace Shawn’s article “Why I Call Myself a Socialist”.