Henry Belot is a political reporter in the ABC's Parliament House bureau in Canberra. He has previously worked for The Canberra Times covering the federal public service. Henry has a masters degree from the University of Melbourne and has studied international security. He was a finalist in the 2016 Walkley Young Journalist of the Year Awards.
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| UpdatedAustralia Post director Ahmed Fahour resigns just weeks after his $5.6 million was revealed by a Senate committee, which dismissed calls for it to be concealed from the public.
Topics: public-sector, government-and-politics, australia
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| UpdatedWith the Fair Work Commission's long-awaited decision on weekend penalty rates handed down, a fierce political fight is reignited between Labor and the Coalition.
Topics: industrial-relations, work, unemployment, hospitality, government-and-politics, australia
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| UpdatedThe United States are not calling on Australia to increase its military presence in Iraq and Syria, Julie Bishop says after meeting with Vice-President Mike Pence.
Topics: foreign-affairs, donald-trump, government-and-politics, world-politics, united-states
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| UpdatedLeading economists criticise the logic behind a failed push to extend working hours at the Australian Tax Office by nine minutes a day, saying productivity is increased by working smarter rather than longer.
Topics: public-sector, government-and-politics, tax, australia
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| UpdatedThe Australian Taxation Office admits its working hours do not meet community expectations, but staff respond with a backlash when asked to work an extra nine minutes a day to boost productivity.
Topics: public-sector, tax, government-and-politics, australia
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| UpdatedWest Australian Liberal Senator Dean Smith says politicians could reach a consensus on same-sex marriage if a free vote was held.
Topics: marriage, gays-and-lesbians, government-and-politics, liberals, wa, australia
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| UpdatedSenior Coalition Minister Christopher Pyne says the Government has no "absolutely no desire or intention" to increase taxes to help pay for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
Topics: government-and-politics, disabilities, community-and-society, federal-parliament, canberra-2600
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Federal Liberal Party director Tony Nutt supports a ban on foreign donations provided it does not exclude dual citizens or companies with established business interests in Australia from the political process.
Topics: government-and-politics, federal-government, political-parties, australia
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| UpdatedThe Federal Government warns they may have to raise taxes to help pay for the National Disability Insurance Scheme if the Senate continues to block its omnibus saving bill.
Topics: government-and-politics, federal-government, tax, australia
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| UpdatedPrime Minister Malcolm Turnbull accuses Labor of threatening crossbench senator Derryn Hinch after he supported the Government's key industrial relations bill.
Topics: government-and-politics, political-parties, federal-government, parliament, federal-parliament, australia
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| UpdatedFive-time Paralympian and disability advocate Kurt Fearnley criticises the Federal Government's decision to cut funding to other social services to fund the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
Topics: disabilities, health, government-and-politics, federal-government, australia
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| UpdatedAttorney-General George Brandis accuses Labor senator Penny Wong of having an "unhealthy obsession" with Pauline Hanson after she launched a fiery attack on One Nation.
Topics: one-nation, government-and-politics, political-parties, pauline-hanson, wa, australia
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| UpdatedTreasurer Scott Morrison says he will discuss the establishment of a special savings account to quarantine money for the NDIS with the Senate.
Topics: disabilities, health, government-and-politics, federal-government, australia
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| UpdatedProposed strikes in relation to working conditions at Centrelink are off after the Government lodges an official complaint with the Fair Work Commission.
Topics: welfare, federal-government, australia
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| UpdatedAustralia Post chairman John Stanhope will be called before the Senate to justify the $5.6 million salary for his chief executive Ahmed Fahour, who earns 10 times as much as the Prime Minister.
Topics: public-sector, federal-government, business-economics-and-finance, australia
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| UpdatedCentrelink's controversial debt-recovery program will be investigated by a Senate committee to determine why thousands of Australians were incorrectly told they needed to repay money.
Topics: welfare, government-and-politics, federal-parliament, australia
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| UpdatedPrime Minister Malcolm Turnbull unleashes a blistering attack on Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, slamming him as a "simpering sycophant" and a "parasite" who yearns for his own harbourside mansion.
Topics: government-and-politics, federal-government, political-parties, australia
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| UpdatedThe Federal Government says it has secured an agreement with the Senate crossbench to toughen its building and construction laws.
Topics: federal-government, government-and-politics, building-and-construction, community-and-society, australia
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| UpdatedPrime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will call on Australia Post's board to reconsider the $4.4 million salary and $1.2 million bonus awarded to managing director Ahmed Fahour, saying it is "too high".
Topics: public-sector, federal-government, australia
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| UpdatedSenior executives at Australia Post are earning more than $1 million a year, a Senate committee reveals, with the managing director's total package worth $5.6 million.
Topics: government-and-politics, federal-government, community-and-society, corporate-governance, business-economics-and-finance, australia
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| UpdatedThe lifetime gold-pass travel perk for politicians, which entitles them to 10 free return airfares within Australia each year, will be abolished immediately in a bid to restore public confidence and save close to $5 million.
Topics: government-and-politics, federal-government, australia
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| UpdatedCory Bernardi criticises his colleagues for "failing the people of Australia" in a scathing speech after officially quitting the Coalition to establish his own party — a move which Education Minister Simon Birmingham has described as a "dog act".
Topics: liberals, political-parties, government-and-politics, federal-government, community-and-society, australia
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| UpdatedCory Bernardi tells the Senate his decision to quit the Liberal Party and strike out on his own was a difficult one, but he is "relieved" to be able to pursue a more conservative branch of politics.
Topics: government-and-politics, political-parties, parliament, federal-parliament, australia
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| UpdatedCentrelink staff will launch two weeks of rolling industrial action from February 13 in response to the Government's debt-recovery scheme.
Topics: welfare, government-and-politics, unions, australia
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| UpdatedAmbassador Joe Hockey heads to the White House for talks with senior Trump advisers Steve Bannon and Reince Priebus amid ongoing discussions over the agreement to resettle refugees from Manus Island and Nauru.
Topics: donald-trump, refugees, world-politics, turnbull-malcolm, foreign-affairs, australia, united-states