Author: roymorgansocial

Sydney stevedores to block workers not yet vaccinated

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 24-Aug-21

Stevedoring firms Hutchison Ports and DP World Australia have told employees that they will not be able to work at their terminals at Port Botany in Sydney from 30 August if they have not had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. The directives have been introduced in response to New South Wales government rules that require authorised workers residing in 12 Sydney local government areas to be vaccinated if they work outside their LGA, unless their employer uses rapid antigen testing. The Port Botany terminals are located within one of the 12 hotspots.

CORPORATES
HUTCHISON PORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, DP WORLD AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Banks eye mandatory jabs for staff

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Original article by Joyce Moullakis
The Australian – Page: 15 & 19 : 24-Aug-21

An Australian Banking Association working group is believed to have discussed the issue of mandatory COVID-19 vaccination for branch-based bank employees. Some banks have adopted a policy of voluntary vaccination for frontline staff, while the major banks are also seeking legal advice about the issue of vaccinations and their requirement to provide a safe working environment. National Australia Bank recently began offering the AstraZeneca vaccine to its employees, with an initial focus on staff in local government areas that are at the centre of Sydney’s current outbreak.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BANKING ASSOCIATION, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB

The ABC’s big lie and the madness of Four Corners

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Original article by James Madden, Adam Creighton
The Australian – Page: 1 & 9 : 24-Aug-21

Fox News has attacked the ABC over a two-part ‘Four Corners’ program called "The Big Lie". The program has been accused of being "error-ridden" and "conspiracy-laden", implying that the Rupert Murdoch-owned broadcaster played a part in Donald Trump’s refusal to accept defeat in the 2020 US presidential election, ignoring the fact that Trump attacked Fox’s coverage of the election campaign in more than 400 tweets. It is believed that the second part of the program will try to link Fox News to the attack on the US Capitol by Trump supporters on 6 January.

CORPORATES
FOX NEWS, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION

Commonwealth announces financial support for childcare centres

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Original article by Katina Curtis, Sumeyya Ilanbey
The Age – Page: Online : 24-Aug-21

The federal government has announced new support measures for childcare centres and after-school care operators. Childcare centres in areas where state premiers have directed parents to keep children at home or that have been under lockdown for more than four weeks will receive 25 per cent of pre-pandemic revenue, along with the fee subsidies they would usually get if all children were in attendance; after-school care operators will get 40 per cent of pre-pandemic revenue. The new measures have been welcomed by the Australian Childcare Alliance and the Outside School Hours Council of Australia.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN CHILDCARE ALLIANCE INCORPORATED, OUTSIDE SCHOOL HOURS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA

Lockdowns need an exit plan: Ampol

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Original article by Perry Williams
The Australian – Page: 15 & 18 : 24-Aug-21

Fuel retailer Ampol has reported a 2021 interim net profit on a replacement cost basis of $205 million, up 71 per cent. Earnings for its fuels and infrastructure unit rose 85 per cent to $208 million, while Ampol declared an interim dividend of $0.52 per share. Ampol has also unveiled a $1.9 billion bid for New Zealand fuels retailer Z Energy, while CEO Matt Halliday has called for the states to start opening up once the 70 per cent vaccination target is met.

CORPORATES
AMPOL LIMITED – ALD

PM’s blast for slow-jab states

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Original article by Geoff Chambers, Richard Ferguson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 24-Aug-21

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has urged state leaders to support the federal government’s four-stage plan for reopening the economy. He has reiterated that restrictions must be eased when 70-80 per cent of the nation’s population has been fully vaccinated, while he has warned that Australians must live with COVID-19. However, there are concerns that some states are falling behind in meeting the vaccination threshold targets; based on current figures, Western Australia is unlikely to achieve a full vaccination rate of 80 per cent until late November, while Queensland will not do so until late December.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Doherty target risks death of 25,000 people

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Original article by Richard Ferguson
The Australian – Page: 4 : 24-Aug-21

The federal government’s plan to reopen the economy once 80 per cent of Australians aged 16+ have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 is based on advice from the Doherty Institute. However, a group of economists and medical researchers has warned that this threshold is too low; they contend that the government should instead aim to fully vaccinate 90 per cent of Australians, including children. Australian National University economics professor Quentin Grafton says that retaining the 80 per cent threshold could potentially result in 25,000 deaths from COVID-19 and some 270,000 cases of so-called ‘long Covid’.

CORPORATES
UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE. PETER DOHERTY INSTITUTE FOR INFECTION AND IMMUNITY, AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY

Australia to resettle thousands upon thousands of Afghans

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Original article by Rob Harris
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: Online : 24-Aug-21

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has indicated that the federal government will look to resettle "thousands upon thousands" of Afghans, in recognition of their efforts in standing with Australian forces in Afghanistan over the past 20 years. He said the national security committee of cabinet is meeting daily to discuss the issue in Afghanistan, and that the government’s priority is to get Australian citizens, permanent residents and visa holders safely out of the country.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

More than 20 million Australians continue to read news

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 24-Aug-21

The first release of Total News readership figures produced by Roy Morgan shows that 20.4 million Australians consume news in a four-week period, an increase of 1 per cent compared to the same period last year. The readership figures, produced for the first time by Roy Morgan for ThinkNewsBrands, refer to the 12 months to June 2021 and show that Total News reaches 97 per cent of the population aged 14+. Total News consists of all news brands (print and digital) and digital news websites. Digital news maintains its position of strength with readership of 19.1 million, 90 per cent of the population aged 14+. Print news has seen a 6 per cent increase compared to the same period last year, now reaching 14.1 million people, or 67 per cent of the population aged 14+. In April, ThinkNewsBrands announced the appointment of Roy Morgan to measure news readership and the retirement of emma (Enhanced Media Metrics Australia).

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, THINKNEWSBRANDS

PM urges Berejiklian to keep up the fight

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Original article by James O’Doherty, Angira Bharadwaj
The Daily Telegraph – Page: 5 : 20-Aug-21

New South Wales has recorded 681 new locally-acquired COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, while the state’s death toll from the current outbreak has risen to 61. Premier Gladys Berejiklian has conceded that the Delta variant means that achieving zero new cases in the community is unrealistic, and the nation will have to "learn to live with Delta" when 80 per cent of the population is fully vaccinated and the economy reopens. However, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has emphasised the importance of a suppression strategy in Sydney, arguing that the lockdown must work. The state government has extended the lockdown in regional NSW until 28 August, in line with the Greater Sydney lockdown.

CORPORATES
NEW SOUTH WALES. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET