O75 Public Administration

US pursuit of Assange may damage alliance

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Original article by Adam Creighton
The Australian – Page: 5 : 22-Sep-23

Greens senators David Shoebridge and Peter Whish-Wilson are part of a group of Australian politicians in Washington trying to persuade the US government to drop its espionage charges against Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. Shoebridge claims that an "an overwhelming part of the Australian public" want Assange to be allowed to return to Australia from the UK, where he has been in prison since being removed from the Ecuadorean embassy in London in April 2019, with Shoebridge saying the alliance between Australia and the US will be "damaged" if the US does not drop the charges against Assange.

CORPORATES
WIKILEAKS, AUSTRALIAN GREENS

Tax bounty brings record $22b surplus

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Original article by John Kehoe
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 22-Sep-23

The federal government will confirm on Friday that the budget surplus for 2022-23 was $22.1bn. This represents a significant turnaround from the $77.9bn deficit that former treasurer Josh Frydenberg had forecast in March 2022. It will also be the first surplus since 2007-08 and the first under a Labor government since Paul Keating was treasurer more than three decades ago. Treasurer Jim Chalmers says Labor has delivered a surplus while providing cost-of-living relief and investing in the long-term growth of the economy. The budget bottom-line was boosted by factors such as high commodity prices and rising income tax revenue due to a strong labour market.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Voice verdict might not be clear on the night

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Original article by Tom McIlroy
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 22-Sep-23

The Australian Electoral Commission has so far received nearly 1.2 million applications for postal votes in the referendum on an Indigenous Voice to parliament. This includes voters who are registered to receive a postal vote automatically. AEC commissioner Tom Rogers says the high number of postal votes could mean that the nation may have to wait for several days after 14 October to know the outcome of the referendum. The AEC will also open more than 500 early voting centres nationwide from early October for people who cannot attend a polling place on referendum day.

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AUSTRALIAN ELECTORAL COMMISSION

Immunity for mates: PM’s Covid cop-out

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Original article by Geoff Chambers, Sarah Ison
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 22-Sep-23

The federal government has been widely criticised over the limited scope of its commission of inquiry into the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Human Rights Commissioner Lorraine Finlay has questioned why the actions of state and territory governments during the pandemic will be excluded from the inquiry. She argues that this will make it harder to prepare for future pandemics. Opposition leader Peter Dutton has accused Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of prioritising the interests of Labor premiers over those of the general public. Dutton wants the inquiry to be given the powers of a royal commission, including the ability to compel people to give evidence.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Rupert Murdoch steps down as chairman of Fox Corporation and News Corp

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Original article by Liana Walker
abc.net.au – Page: Online : 22-Sep-23

Media mogul Rupert Murdoch says the time is right for him to take on new roles at News Corp and Fox Corp. The 92-year-old has advised that he will formally step down as chairman of both companies at their AGMs in November. Murdoch will become Chairman Emeritus at both companies, and he emphasises that he will continue to take an active role in the "contest of ideas" at the media groups. His son Lachlan Murdoch will become the sole chairman of News Corp and continue in his role as executive chairman and CEO of Fox Corp. Rupert Murdoch says both himself and the companies he founded are in "robust health". However, he warns that the battle for freedom of speech and freedom of thought has never been more intense.

CORPORATES
NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, FOX CORPORATION

Inflation Expectations dropped to 5.4% for the month of August – and have now fallen to 4.9% in mid-September

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

In August 2023, Australians expected inflation of 5.4% annually over the next two years, down 0.2% points from July. This is also down 0.2% points from a year ago in August 2022 (5.6%) and in line with the monthly average so far this year of 5.4%. The latest weekly Inflation Expectations are now at 4.9% in mid-September – the lowest weekly Inflation Expectations for 18 months since early February 2022, before Russia invaded Ukraine. The softening in Inflation Expectations in recent weeks suggest that the RBA’s decision to leave interest rates unchanged at its last three board meetings may be the correct decision, but there are still significant pressures in the economy. 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 August.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS

Labor gets to work on jobs plan

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Original article by Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 4 : 20-Sep-23

Treasurer Jim Chalmers say the federal government’s employment white paper will outline Labor’s vision for a more "dynamic and inclusive labour market". The white paper to be released on Monday will outline five key objectives, including sustained full employment, productivity growth and sustainable wage growth. The ACTU used its submission to the white paper to call for a target of zero involuntary unemployment. The terms of reference for the employment white paper were released following the jobs and skills summit in 2022.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT AND WORKPLACE RELATIONS, ACTU

Yes campaign not separatism

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Original article by Paige Taylor, Rosie Lewis
The Australian – Page: 1 & 5 : 20-Sep-23

Indigenous leader Noel Pearson has rejected claims that the proposed Voice to parliament is about separatism. He argues that the ‘Yes’ campaign is about "bringing the country together" so that First Nations people can have their own identity, culture and languages while still taking their place in Australian society. Pearson added that Indigenous people will have a "special but not separate place in Australia" if the Voice referendum is passed, echoing the words of former prime minister John Howard in a speech on constitutional recognition in 2007. Pearson also emphasised that there will be no return to a policy of assimilation for Indigenous Australians.

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ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence up 2.2pts to 79.8 – highest since late April

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

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence rose 2.2pts to 79.8 in the week to 17 September; despite the increase, it has now spent a record 29 straight weeks below the mark of 80. Consumer Confidence is now 6.2pts below the same week a year ago (86.0), and 1.6 pts above the 2023 weekly average of 78.2. Consumer Confidence was up in New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia, but down slightly in Queensland and South Australia. Now 20% of Australians (down 1ppt) say their families are ‘better off’ financially than this time last year, while 52% (down 3ppts) say their families are ‘worse off’ financially. Only 8% (up 1ppt) of Australians now expect ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next 12 months, while 34% (down 2ppts) expect ‘bad times’. Meanwhile, 19% (unchanged) of Australians say now is a ‘good time to buy’ major household items, while 53% (also unchanged) say now is a ‘bad time to buy’.

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

Nation stuck on grow slow: OECD

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Original article by Tom Dusevic
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 20-Sep-23

The OECD still expects Australia to record GDP growth of 1.8 per cent in 2023, in line with its previous forecast. However, GDP growth is expected to be just 1.3 per cent in 2024. The OECD has also forecast that Australia’s headline inflation rate will fall to 3.2 per cent in 2024, down from 5.5 per cent in 2023. However, the Reserve Bank of Australia’s preferred measure of core inflation is forecast to rise to 5.9 per cent in 2023 before falling to 3.3 per cent next year. Meanwhile, the minutes from the RBA’s monthly board meeting shows that board members considered lifting the cash rate to 4.35 per cent in September, due to concerns about inflation

CORPORATES
ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA