Bloody teen relives Bali holiday horror
ABC media staff are being ordered to set aside a quota of all credit card purchases for Aboriginal companies, under a policy criticised by free market policy makers as “offensive”.
Under a Federal Government edict that government amanda.robbemond@news.com.au departments must now spend 3 per cent of all procurement contracts on indigenous businesses, the taxpayer-funded media giant sent out an email last week telling workers to find indigenous companies when paying for items on their corporate cards.
The email headed “How you can easily identify an indigenous business for your ABC supply needs”, from a finance procurement manager, instructs “ABC credit card holders” that the organisation has committed to the 3 per cent quota by 2020.
“Where an indigenous business can demonstrate best initially refused to pay the full $2000. They said the irate taxi driver threatened them and said police would throw them in jail if they did not pay up.
While Mr Weir wasn’t initially fazed by the threats, the possibility of having to go to jail in a foreign country was so concerning he burst into tears.
When a Balinese police officer finally did become involved the next morning, they were told to pay the taxi driver $1900 in a “handshake agreement”.
“I couldn’t understand (Balinese),” Mr Weir said of the conversation between the police office and taxi driver.
“(The taxi driver) was throwing accusations everywhere. I’ve never been so scared.”
After the driver received $1900, Mr Weir said he demanded an extra $600 to cover lost earnings for the previous night. The boys paid.
Mr Weir’s mother, Jodee, in Australia at the time, said she just wanted to get the boys home so transferred the money and contacted the Australian embassy and their insurance company to get McKenzie into surgery.
“They’ll never go back Bali,” Ms Weir said.
McKenzie agreed: “I’ll never go back ... police are so corrupt over there. It’s a beautiful country, but be careful ... be very careful.” to value for money for the ABC, sourcing goods and services from them supports the ABC’s commitments in its Reconciliation Action Plan and also benefits the indigenous community,” staff were told.
The policy, introduced under the Gillard government, was strengthened by former prime minister Tony Abbott in July 2015 and mandates government departments use indigenous companies that are owned by more than 50 per cent Aboriginal staff.
Simon Breheny, policy director at free market think-tank the Institute of Public Affairs, said the only reason for advocating a procurement quota was “if you think the business case doesn’t stack up without it”.
Liberal Democratic Party senator David Leyonhjelm described it as “demeaning” to Aborigines and part of a push for positive discrimination. “It’s politically correct bull****,” he said.