O75 Public Administration

RBA ‘will do what’s necessary’, but end of rate rises in sight

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Original article by Patrick Commins
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 8-Mar-23

Reserve Bank of Australia governor Philip Lowe adopted a more dovish tone on Tuesday following the latest 25 basis point increase in the cash rate, to 3.6 per cent. He said the RBA board expects that further tightening of monetary policy will be needed to ensure that inflation returns to the target range of 2-3 per cent. He added that the board is of the view that the current period of high inflation will be temporary. Lowe had stated after the RBA’s February board meeting that "further increases in interest rates will be needed over the months ahead". Josh Williamson of Citigroup says this change in tone suggests that the end of rate rises is in sight, and there could potentially be just one more in the current monetary policy tightening cycle. The cash rate is now at its highest level since May 2012.

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RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, CITIGROUP PTY LTD

Wage war on pay gap

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Original article by Ellen Ransley
Herald Sun – Page: 7 : 8-Mar-23

The Australia Institute has released the findings of research which concludes that the gender pay gap means that on average, women on median earnings will be $1.01m worse off over their working lives. The research, which has been released to coincide with International Women’s Day, also shows that women retire with $136,000 less in superannuation than male workers. Eliza Littleton from the Australia Institute’s Centre of Future Work says the gender pay gap costs women more than $3bn across the economy every week. Official data shows that the gender pay gap is currently about 13.3 per cent.

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THE AUSTRALIA INSTITUTE LIMITED. CENTRE FOR FUTURE WORK

US subsidies shift global energy game

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Original article by Jennifer Hewett
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 2 : 8-Mar-23

BHP CEO Mike Henry says Australia is competing "head-to-head" with other countries in the global transition to renewable energy. He has told a business summit that initiatives such as the Inflation Reduction Act in the US and Canada’s critical minerals strategy are examples of policies that will attract large capital inflows, and Australia must have policies in place to ensure that the nation remains internationally competitive. Fortescue Metals Group founder Andrew Forrest agrees with the importance of the IRA, arguing that companies need to allocate capital where it is most competitive; he adds that this means allocating capital away from Australia into North America.

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BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG

China invasion forecasts unrealistic: Morrison

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Original article by Will Glasgow
The Australian – Page: 4 : 8-Mar-23

Former prime minister Scott Morrison has downplayed concerns that China may invade Taiwan in coming years. US military officials have warned that China could potentially attack Taiwan within three years, but Morrison contends that any such assessments should be taken with "a grain of salt". He added that Australia’s increased defence spending and alignment with other countries is part of an effort to create an "enduring balance" in the Asia-Pacific region. Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping has accused the US and its allies of implementing a policy of "all-round containment, encirclement and suppression" of China. Foreign Minister Qin Gang in turn has reiterated that China wants to take control of Taiwan by "peaceful means"; however, he adds that China reserves the right to
take "all necessary measures" to achieve this.

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NAB faces test case over unpaid overtime

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 8-Mar-23

The issue of ‘reasonable additional hours’ for white-collar workers will come under scrutiny in a test case launched by the Finance Sector Union. The case centres on four National Australia Bank managers who allege that they were required to work unreasonable unpaid hours over several years. The FSU’s national secretary Julia Angrisano says the NAB managers are nominally employed to work 38 hours a week, but their actual hours can range between 10 and 16 hours per day, every day of the week. Angrisano adds that the FSU will seek compensation for all of NAB’s managers if it wins the test case, while it would also pursue action against the nation’s other major banks.

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NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, FINANCE SECTOR UNION

Andrews’ secret Covid polling revealed

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Original article by Damon Johnston
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 8-Mar-23

Victoria’s Department of Premier & Cabinet has belatedly released nearly 200 pages of documents and emails pertaining to research on the public’s attitude to COVID-19 lockdowns. The polling was undertaken by QDOS Research, which is owned by Labor strategist John Armitage. The government had frequently reiterated that its pandemic response was shaped by health advice, but the documents also show that it asked QDOS to undertake intensive online surveys and focus groups to gauge Victorians’ reactions to pandemic restrictions, as well as the performance of Premier Daniel Andrews during the state’s marathon 112-day lockdown. The government had sought for two years to block requests for access to the documents via freedom of information laws.

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VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, QDOS RESEARCH

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence at 79.9 – virtually unchanged for second straight week in early March

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 8-Mar-23

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence was virtually unchanged at 79.9 in the week to 5 March. However, Consumer Confidence is 20.2pts below the same week a year ago (100.1), and 3.4pts below the 2023 weekly average of 83.3. Consumer Confidence had mixed results around the country; it was up in Queensland and South Australia, down in New South Wales and Western Australia and unchanged in Victoria. Now 21% of Australians (down 1ppt) say their families are ‘better off’ financially than this time last year, while 48% (unchanged) say their families are ‘worse off’ financially. Some 32% (unchanged) of Australians expect their family to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year, while 35% (also unchanged) expect to be ‘worse off’ financially. Only 6% (down 1ppt) of Australians now expect ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next 12 months, while 38% (unchanged) expect ‘bad times’. Meanwhile, 19% (down 2ppts) of Australians say now is a ‘good time to buy’ major household items, while 53% (up 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

Turnbull says cabinet was told robo-debt was legal

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Original article by Tom Burton
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 2 : 7-Mar-23

The royal commission into the robodebt scheme heard evidence from former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull on Monday. Cabinet agreed to the controversial scheme in 2015, prior to Turnbull becoming prime minister; he said cabinet was told that the scheme was lawful, and he was therefore focused on the accuracy and fairness of the scheme rather than its legality. Turnbull also revealed that he recommended in early 2017 that the Digital Transformation Agency should be tasked with improving the scheme, but said that this did not occur.

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AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO THE ROBODEBT SCHEME

A plan for unions, not nation

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Original article by Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 4 : 7-Mar-23

Australian Resources and Energy Employer Association CEO Steve Knott has backed claims by former Productivity Commission chair Gary Banks that Australia is going "backwards" on industrial relations. Knott contends that the federal government’s changes to industrial relations laws are all about trying to revive falling union membership numbers, rather than what is good for Australia. Industrial Relations Minister Tony Burke has dismissed Banks’ criticisms, suggesting that he is making the case for how "the nation can be better off if people have less secure jobs on lower wages", with Burke saying that was not just his view.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN RESOURCES AND ENERGY EMPLOYER ASSOCIATION, AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT AND WORKPLACE RELATIONS

Australia faces the threat of war with China within three years – and we’re not ready

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Original article by Peter Hartcher, Matthew Knott
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: Online : 7-Mar-23

The federal government’s review of Australia’s defence needs will soon be released, and it will have consulted a number of experts. They include some who have conducted their own review on behalf of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, with their review concluding that the overwhelming source of danger to Australia is from China. The experts suggest that Australia faces the prospect of war with China in as little as three years’ time, and that Australia is not prepared for such a conflict. China has long stated its desire to reclaim Taiwan, and has indicated that it is prepared to take military action to do so. US President Joe Biden has committed to coming to Taiwan’s help if it is invaded, and Australia would be expected to lend its support.

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