ATO’s $42m debt collector contracts; teacher shortages bite; inside the nitazenes threat
Want to get this in your inbox every weekday? Sign up for the Morning Mail here, and finish your day with our Afternoon Update newsletterGood morning. Today we reveal the scale of the contracts given by the Australian Taxation Office to Recoveriescorp, a measure of the ATO’s increasing reliance on the private debt collector.Meanwhile, staff shortages are cutting deep in schools across Australia: we take a look at where the need is being most keenly felt.‘Diabolical’ | An international report has found that Australia’s teacher shortages are among the worst in the world, and disadvantaged and remote schools are suffering the most.Debt collector costs | The ATO has awarded the private debt collector Recoveriescorp more than $42m in contracts as part of its hard-edged campaign to pursue some taxpayers, including welfare recipients.Analysis | Opposition faultlines have opened up over net zero and immigration but data suggests the Coalition has more to gain from targeting moderate electorates than One Nation supporters.Analysis | As the NSW parliament draws to a close at the end of November, expect it to be dominated by feral horses, feral pigs and feral politics amid a push to pass major pieces of legislation.‘What are they going to do?’ | Rock climbers are openly discussing flouting Victoria’s voluntary bans on routes near Mount Arapiles despite pleas to respect the area’s Indigenous heritage. Continue reading...
