Author: roymorgansocial

70% of working Australians’ employment impacted by COVID-19 – second lockdown hits Victoria hard

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 3-Nov-20

Seventy per cent of working Australians have now had ‘a change to their employment’ because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new research by Roy Morgan. Such changes include working from home, having their work hours reduced, or being made redundant. This is based on research conducted during September, and compares to a finding of 67 per cent in July. The biggest impact in September was found in Victoria, where 79 per cent of working Victorians reported that they had had a change to their employment, 10 per cent more than any other state; Victoria was going through its second lockdown at the time.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED

More pain for BP after decision to shut Kwinana refinery

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Original article by Perry Williams, Nick Evans
The Australian – Page: Online : 2-Nov-20

Energy Minister Angus Taylor will hold meetings with the operators of the three remaining oil refinery operators in the week beginning 2 November. This follows the announcement by BP on 30 October that it plans to close its Kwinana refinery in Western Australia, with Taylor’s meetings coming amid fears that Australia’s entire oil refining industry could be gone within 12 months. The three remaining refineries are located at Lytton in Brisbane, and at Geelong and Altona in Victoria, and are operated by Ampol, Viva Energy and ExxonMobil respectively. The closure of Kwinana will see 600 people lose their jobs, while BP is in the process of shedding around 200 additional jobs, most of which are office roles.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, SCIENCE, ENERGY AND RESOURCES, BP PLC, AMPOL LIMITED – ALD, VIVA ENERGY GROUP LIMITED – ASX VEA, EXXONMOBIL AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Australia Post paralysed

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Original article by Robert Gottliebsen
The Australian – Page: Online : 2-Nov-20

Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s actions against Australia Post CEO Christine Holgate have led to paralysis within its senior management at a time of year when it is at its most busiest. It is probably in the best interest of those retailers who are relying on Australia Post to fulfill orders at a time when they are trying to recover from the pandemic that Holgate step down from her job. This would enable the Australia Post board to put together a group of existing executives to activate the systems that Holgate has trained them in so as to fulfil those retail orders. Meanwhile, Morrison’s investigation into Australia Post should focus on its board, which represents its biggest weakness.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA POST

Auction clearance rates surge

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Original article by Michael Bleby
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 10 : 2-Nov-20

The national auction market recorded a preliminary clearance rate of 77 per cent for the week to 31 October, according to CoreLogic. The Melbourne market recorded a preliminary clearance rate of 75.8 per cent, while the Sydney market recorded a preliminary clearance rate of 79.6 per cent. Meanwhile, figures to be released by CoreLogic on 2 November will reveal that home values across the five Australian mainland capitals rose by 0.1 per cent, with Adelaide recording the biggest increase at 1.2 per cent.

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CORELOGIC AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Big swing to the ALP in Queensland in the final two weeks secures re-election as One Nation support drops

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Original article by
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 2-Nov-20

The Queensland ALP Government was re-elected as a continuing swing to the ALP in the final two weeks increased ALP primary support 4.9% since the 2017 Election to 40.3%. LNP support was up 2% to 35.7%. The increases came at the expense of One Nation which dropped 6.7% to 7%. The ALP swing was cemented as Premier Palaszczuk announced on October 30 the Queensland border would re-open to regional NSW from November 3 but remain closed to Greater Sydney and Victoria. The Roy Morgan Poll conducted on October 12-15, 2020 predicted swings to the ALP and LNP and a swing away from One Nation and showed a majority of Queenslanders in favour of Premier Palaszczuk’s hard border policy with NSW. [Click to view full article here]

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AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ONE NATION PARTY, LIBERAL-NATIONAL PARTY OF QUEENSLAND, ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Crown role makes Coonan unfit to lead financial ombudsman: Labor

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Original article by John Kehoe
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 2-Nov-20

Opposition financial services spokesman Stephen Jones claims Helen Coonan’s role as chairman of the Australian Financial Complaints Authority is "untenable". Coonan is also the chairman of casino operator Crown Resorts, which is currently the subject of inquiry by the NSW Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority. Jones says Coonan should not be head of a body that determines whether financial entities have been acting with probity while at the same time trying to push off allegations that Crown’s casinos have been used for significant money laundering. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg says establishing the Authority is a "proud achievement" of the federal government, and that Coonan is a "widely respected" former MP.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL COMPLAINTS AUTHORITY, CROWN RESORTS LIMITED – ASX CWN, NEW SOUTH WALES. INDEPENDENT LIQUOR AND GAMING AUTHORITY

Exodus from Australian cities as coronavirus pushes people to the regions

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Original article by Benedict Brook
News.com.au – Page: Online : 30-Oct-20

The pandemic is expected to see an increase in the trend of people moving away from the big cities, which could see a big fall in their populations. Nerida Conisbee from property website REA Group says people that have gone through lockdown are looking for somewhere to live with more space, while Griffith University urban planner Tony Matthews says that while previously people wanting to move away from capital cities were looking for somewhere with a train line, good broadband connection is now the most important piece of infrastructure. Research by Roy Morgan and Uber has found that no capital city CBD has returned to pre-COVID levels of movement, with Adelaide being the closest at 78 per cent.

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REA GROUP LIMITED – ASX REA, GRIFFITH UNIVERSITY, ROY MORGAN LIMITED, UBER AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Lack of climate action over 50 years will cost the economy $3.4tn and 880,000 jobs – report

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Original article by Adam Morton
The Guardian – Page: Online : 2-Nov-20

Deloitte Access Economics claims the Australian economy would receive a ‘hit’ comparable to COVID-19 every year by 2050 if the ‘climate crisis’ is not addressed. The consultancy firm contends the Australian economy will be six per cent smaller and there will be 880,000 less jobs if the crisis remains unchecked over the next 50 years, as well as there being $3.4 trillion in lost economic opportunities. Chris Richardson from Deloitte Access Economics says the experience of COVID-19 has shown the cost of ignoring "catastrophic risks".

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DELOITTE ACCESS ECONOMICS PTY LTD

‘Precious’: No new locally acquired cases in Australia

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Original article by Hannah Wootton
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 9 : 2-Nov-20

No new locally acquired COVID-19 cases were confirmed anywhere in Australia on 1 November, it being the first time in almost five months that this has happened. It has put pressure on the states to open their borders, with federal Health Minister Greg Hunt saying there was a good chance that interstate families could be reunited before Christmas. With England to shut down for four weeks from 5 November because of surging infections and France having shut down on 30 October, Victorians were reminded by Chief Health Officer Professor Brett Sutton to remain vigilant.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HEALTH

Peta Credlin documentary: Explosive new claim about Victoria’s second wave origin

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Original article by Ben Graham
News.com.au – Page: Online : 2-Nov-20

Sky News host Peta Credlin has claimed the inquiry into Victoria’s botched hotel quarantine program overlooked key evidence. Andrew McLean’s company Elite Protection Services was in charge of security at Rydges on Swanston, from where it is believed the vast majority of Victoria’s second wave COVID-19 infection cases emanated. McLean says he prepared an extensive submission that outlined breakdowns in command and breaches in protocol at the hotel, but his submission was not accepted as evidence and he was never asked to appear as a witness. McLean says infected workers from the Cedar Works meat plant were sent to stay at the hotel by the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services, but that it was a mistake to allow them to be at the same hotel as returned travellers, as they were quarantining voluntarily and could ignore directions given to them by security guards. For Credlin’s full report, follow the link provided.

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SKY NEWS, ELITE PROTECTION SERVICES PTY LTD, VICTORIA. DEPT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, CEDAR MEATS (AUST) PTY LTD