Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
A Listener Production. Hi, Natasha Belling with you and welcome to the afternoon edition of The Briefing. Coming up in our deep dive, what caused the top boss of the National Anti-Corruption Commission to resign? We unpack Paul Brereton's controversial tenure at NAC and ask who may be next to take on the top job. Those details in just a moment.
But first, let's check the afternoon headlines this Wednesday, the 27th of May.
Chapter 2: What are the latest headlines affecting the economy?
A glimmer of hope for millions of mortgage holders with the latest data showing inflation has dropped to 4.2% for April. Treasurer Jim Chalmers says the temporary fuel excise cut helped pull the headline rate down to 4.2%, but the underlying figure, the RBA Watchers, was slightly up. Mr Chalmers says while there are some encouraging signs, the Middle East war is still hitting our economy.
We think that the impacts of the conflict in the Middle East will linger for longer in the global economy. We're not immune from that here in Australia and you can see that in the forecast that we released a couple of weeks ago in the budget.
The federal government is proposing one of the biggest shake-ups to the employment system in decades. Under the scheme, Australian job seekers will be placed into three support tiers. The incentive scheme for job agencies would also change. Employment Minister Amanda Rishworth says the overhaul would also affect how third-party providers are paid.
Suitable employment must be the goal for every participant. But the timeframe and pathway for getting there will be different for each individual based on their barriers to employment and their distance from the labour market.
Westpac has been hit with a $26 million penalty after a judge found it was grossly negligent towards customers asking for hardship help. The federal court heard more than 200 online requests went unanswered over six years, including from people dealing with abuse, illness, disasters and job losses.
A Westpac spokesperson says the bank apologises to affected customers and was deeply sorry it let them down. A record heatwave is sweeping across Europe with an early burst of hot weather smashing records. While it's still only spring, London hit 35.1 degrees, breaking a May record that has stood since 1922.
And France has also pushed into the mid-30s with a number of heat-related deaths reported.
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And it's been almost 50 years since humans walked on the moon and now NASA is preparing to return, but this time for good. The US Space Agency has revealed its plans for a permanent lunar outpost, including robotic landers, moon buggies and hopping drones. A NASA spokesperson says the moon base will be America's and humanity's first outpost on another celestial world.
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Chapter 3: How is the employment system being overhauled in Australia?
And of course, all of the victims of the Robodebt scandal waiting for those findings. So there certainly was a focus on Commissioner Brereton and how he handled himself, as opposed to a focus on the work of the commission doing those investigations, resolving those issues for the people involved.
So I guess the question is now, Gabrielle, who steps into those really important or who steps into that really important role right now?
It's a hugely important question, Natasha. The Attorney General has indicated that she will undertake a merit-based process to try to find that person, but it's just going to be so important that both the right person is found, but also that there's a process that we can all see transparently is genuinely independent and merit-based.
The current commissioner, Paul Brereton, was appointed by government largely behind closed doors. The parliamentary joint committee that oversees the NAC did have a veto power over his appointment, but there was no independent selection panel. There was no clear selection criteria, what you'd expect for a really important public appointment.
So it's going to be really important, I think, the government does a good job at showing the public it is doing its absolute best to find the right candidate, to assess the candidates against objective criteria, not tap a mate on the shoulder for such an important job, because the job ahead of them for leadership of the NAC is a really big one.
It's a big one at any point, but given the controversy under Brereton's leadership, it's an even bigger task ahead.
And in regards to the top contenders, are there any standouts at the moment, Gabrielle, that you can think of?
Well, that's an interesting question. The legislation itself says that a candidate must either be a former judicial officer, so a former judge, or someone who's eligible for judicial appointment, so someone with legal standing, which limits the field. It raises questions as to is a retired judge who perhaps doesn't have
experience in leading an organisation, the right person, given concerns about the organisational culture under Brereton, maybe a former commissioner of a state anti-corruption commission that had a particularly good reputation would be the type of candidate that you're looking for. Because I think what is needed at this moment is someone who has both the
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