O75 Public Administration

Absolutely no political cover-up of Higgins’ alleged rape’

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Original article by Joanna Panagopoulos
The Australian – Page: 1 & 5 : 20-Dec-23

Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation case against the Ten Network and presenter Lisa Wilkinson continued in the Federal Court on Tuesday. Fiona Brown, the former chief of staff for senator Linda Reynolds, refuted suggestions that the alleged rape of Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins had been covered up. Brown also said Higgins had disclosed that she could remember Lehrmann being "on top of me" but had not made an allegation of rape. Wilkinson has previously told the court that she believed that Brown and Reynolds were "knowing participants in a systemic cover-up" of Higgins’ alleged rape. Lehrmann has consistently denied that he raped Higgins. The court will hear closing submissions in the case on Thursday.

CORPORATES
FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Inflation Expectations in mid-December are at 5.3% – slightly down from the month of November (5.4%)

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 20-Dec-23

The latest ANZ-Roy Morgan weekly Inflation Expectations are at 5.3% for the week of December 11-17, which is in line with the four-week average of 5.3% and 0.1% points lower than the month of November. A look at the monthly Inflation Expectations for November shows the measure at 5.4% for the month, an increase of 0.1% points on October (5.3%). Inflation Expectations are following a similar trend as the broader official ABS inflation measure. The lower-than-expected inflation reading for October prompted the RBA to leave interest rates unchanged at their final meeting for the year in early December. A leading factor driving the decrease in Inflation Expectations in recent weeks has been the decline in the retail petrol price. The data for the Inflation Expectations series is drawn from the Roy Morgan Single Source which has interviewed an average of around 5,000 Australians aged 14+ per month over the last decade and includes interviews with 5,982 Australians aged 14+ in November 2023.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS

Red Sea attacks risk imports, oil

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Original article by Jenny Wiggins, Jacob Greber, Sarah Jones, Mark Mulligan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 5 : 20-Dec-23

The price of crude oil briefly rose by four per cent on Tuesday, in response to ongoing attacks on Red Sea shipping by Houthi rebels. However, the oil price retreated after oil companies indicated that they will temporarily cease using the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden corridor. Acting Opposition Leader Sussan Ley says petrol prices may rise, given that the trade route through the Red Sea is critical to oil supplies. Meanwhile, US Studies Centre CEO Mike Green has warned that the loss of access to the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea will have a "very significant economic impact" on the entire Indo-Pacific region. The cost of importing goods into Australia is likely to rise, at a time when industrial action at DP World terminals is already causing delays in unloading container ships.

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LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES. UNITED STATES STUDIES CENTRE, DP WORLD AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Labor plan would give home affairs minister powers over critical infrastructure during cyber-attacks

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Original article by Josh Butler
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 20-Dec-23

The federal government has released a consultation paper on proposed changes to the Security of Critical Infrastructure Act. Amongst other things, Home Affairs and Cyber Security Minister Clare O’Neil could potentially be given the power to direct providers of criticial infrastructure – such as energy or transport companies – to take certain actions in the event of a cyber attack; this could include suspending their operations for the duration of the crisis. The minister may also be given the powers to direct companies that are hit by a cyber attack to replace customers’ personal documents that have been compromised, such as passports.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HOME AFFAIRS

Small business lashes senators over insulting haste on IR bill

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Original article by Sarah Ison
The Australian – Page: 2 : 19-Dec-23

The Council of Small Business Organisations Australia has criticised the Senate for passing the Closing Loopholes Bill on federal parliament’s last sitting day for the year. COSBOA’s CEO Luke Achterstraat and chairman Matthew Addison have written to senators expressing their concern that the bill was passed too quickly and without consulting employers; this includes amendments that were only announced on the day the legislation was passed. COSBOA also contends that provisions of the bill that were hived off and will be voted on separately in 2024 should be abandoned.

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COUNCIL OF SMALL BUSINESS ORGANISATIONS OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED

Troop boost but no ship to Red Sea

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Original article by Ben Packham, Cameron Stewart
The Australian – Page: 1 & 5 : 19-Dec-23

The US government will shortly reveal details of a new multi­national task force to combat Houthi rebels’ attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea. The US Navy had initially asked Australia to contribute to Operation Prosperity Guardian by deploying a warship to the Red Sea; however, the US is believed to have now requested the deployment of additional Australian soldiers to the region, after the federal government indicated that the Indo-Pacific is its priority. Five members of the Australian Defence Force are currently serving with the US-led Combined Maritime Force. Shipping lanes in the Red Sea carry about 10 per cent of the world’s cargo.

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AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE FORCE, UNITED STATES NAVY

Roy Morgan Federal voting intention poll shows two major parties dead-locked at Christmas: ALP 50% cf. L-NP 50%

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 19-Dec-23

The ALP on 50% (down 1%) is now ‘dead-locked’ with the Coalition on 50% (up 1%) on a two-party preferred basis, according to the final Roy Morgan survey on Federal voting intention for 2023. If an election were held now we would have a hung parliament with the minor parties and independents controlling the balance of power. The primary vote of both major parties improved this week with the Coalition now on 38%, up 1% from a week ago well ahead of the ALP on 32%, up 1.5%. The Greens are down 2.5% to 11.5% and One Nation is down 0.5% to 4.5%. Support for Independents increased 1.5% to 9%, but support was down 1% to 5% for Other Parties. The latest Roy Morgan survey is based on interviewing a representative cross-section of 1,720 Australian electors from December 11-17, 2023. Further details will be released in Roy Morgan’s weekly video update presented by Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine here: http://www.youtube.com/roymorganaus.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED, MORGAN POLL, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, ONE NATION PARTY

Queensland tourism takes estimated $60m hit as floods leave towns isolated

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Original article by Rafqa Touma
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 19-Dec-23

Tourism Tropical North Queensland CEO Mark Olsen estimates the region’s tourism sector has been hit with $60 million in cancellations as a result of the floods that have devastated the area and left towns isolated. Olsen said the Barron River had overflowed into the Cairns airport "for the first time in history", and that the airport will not be operating any flights until it has been given the all-clear. Angie Hewitt, who is a director of ecotourism company Daintree Rainforest, says that the toll of weather is "part and parcel of the landscape we live in; Daintree Rainforest has been closed since ferries were cancelled last Tuesday.

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TOURISM TROPICAL NORTH QUEENSLAND, DAINTREE RAINFOREST ENVIRONMENTAL CENTRE PTY LTD

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence jumps 4.4pts to 80.8 after the RBA leaves interest rates unchanged – the highest for over ten months since early February 2023

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 13-Dec-23

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence rose 4.4pts to 80.8 in the week to 10 December, after the RBA left interest rates unchanged at its final board meeting for the year. However, Consumer Confidence has now spent a record 45 straight weeks below the mark of 85. Consumer Confidence is now 2.1pts below the same week a year ago (82.9), but nearly 3 points above the 2023 weekly average of 77.8. Now 22% of Australians (up 3ppts) say their families are ‘better off’ financially than this time last year (the highest figure for this indicator since February 2023), while 51% (down 6ppts) say their families are ‘worse off’. Looking forward, 31% (down 1ppt) of Australians expect their family to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year, while 33% (down 3ppts) expect to be ‘worse off’ (the lowest figure for this indicator since January 2023). Only 9% (up 1ppt) of Australians now expect ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next 12 months (the highest figure for this indicator since May 2022, just after the RBA first raised interest rates), while 36% (down 3ppts) expect ‘bad times’. Meanwhile, 20% (unchanged) of Australians say now is a ‘good time to buy’ major household items, while 53% (down 1ppt) say now is a ‘bad time to buy’.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ

Last-ditch attempt to forge fresh COP28 deal after original rejected

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Original article by Fiona Harvey, Nina Lakhani
The Guardian – Page: Online : 13-Dec-23

The COP28 climate change summit’s president Sultan Al Jaber hopes to secure delegates’ support for a revised draft communique on fossil fuels. The initial draft was widely criticised for advocating a reduction in both the consumption and production of fossil fuels, while avoiding any move to phase out or phase-down oil and gas. The COP28 talks have been extended in a bid to end the impasse and reach an agreement. Analysis shows that 127 countries attending COP28 have supported phasing out fossil fuels, compared with just 80 at the previous summit in 2022.

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UNITED NATIONS