Don’t bank on it Crikey has long followed the issue of financial discrimination against sex workers — a seemingly arbitrary practice which puts individuals at serious risk. In response to criticism over the practice, a spokesperson for NAB has previously said the bank was meeting requirements under the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act.
That means they should have nothing to worry about with those recent FinCEN revelations, right? These reports showed banks across the globe effectively laundered trillions of dollars for criminal organisations. And, well, it turns out that NAB facilitated around $2.2 million in these money laundering payments.
Left right out of the argument The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) has confirmed what we’ve long suspected: far-right violence is one of the biggest and fastest growing threats in Australia.
On Tuesday, deputy director general of intelligence service delivery Heather Cook told a parliamentary inquiry that up to 40% of ASIO’s counter-terrorism cases involve far-right violent extremism. This is up from 10-15% before 2016. The increase follows similar recent findings from UK and US intelligence agencies.
Last time ASIO had the temerity to point this threat out, Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton sprouted from the ground to shut them down with a politically illiterate attack on “left-wing lunatics” (he counted Islamic terrorists under that banner, which probably tells you all you need to know).
Let’s see if Dutton, who’s been notably quiet this year and is rumoured to be getting a new gig in the next cabinet re-shuffle, makes a similar intervention this time.
A form of nonsense If the upcoming removal of increased JobSeeker support — which had been unchanged in real terms for 25 years pre-pandemic — wasn’t enough to convince you of the utter contempt the government shows welfare recipients, a glance at Centrelink’s relationship assessment form may do it.
The form features invasive questioning about whether people have a sexual relationship with their housemates and whether they share a bathroom:
Effing outrageous. How do these agencies get away with this sort of persecution? It is encouraged by the mean spirited and incompetent LNP politicians.
Easily,they are dealing with a small powerless group with noone to speak up for them.Shades of Nazi Germany and the treatment of the Jews.There too it was administered by faceless public servants just doing their job!
iMarx distinguished between the essence and the phenomena. You might consider doing the same Charlie.
As a hint I’d present a table of benefits to companies from tax cuts to extended allowances over the last decade. Then I’d do the same for Centerlink payments including the revisions (savings?) by Gillard.
THEN we will have a basis for comparison. As to the questions, there will (or ought to be) an audit trail back to the Minister responsible. You might begin there. As for the NAB – try to make the article a little less ambiguous. Yes – there was some rorting in respect to financial advisers on commission but as to the general teller?
Remember CFW proposing to ASIO not to call it right-wing, because that’s associating it with conservatives. How right she is…
I’m not sure that Centrelink has any right under the Sexual Discrimination Act to even ask these questions let alone act on them?
Frankly, these private things are none of their business – similar to if it was me asking the Crikey Editors if they shared a bathroom or wiped their bum a certain way.
I don’t think the Crikey Editors have applied for a government benefit, the rate of which is dependent on whether or not the person is single. All of the questions in the form are relevant to the issue to be determined under s4(3) of the SSA.
I don’t understand question #38 – surely it depends of the mysterious, unnamed or nominated “other persons”?