O75 Public Administration

‘Ice thaws, but slowly’: Experts optimistic on China trade

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Original article by Gus McCubbing
The Australian Financial Review – Page: Online : 23-Dec-22

Warwick Smith believes that Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s meeting with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi will result in an easing of the $20 billion worth of trade sanctions that China imposed in Australia in 2020. Smith, who is the chairman of the Business Council of Australia’s global engagement committee, has described Wong as a "consummate diplomat". Taiwan-based Australian National University political analyst Wen-Ti Sung said he agrees with Wong’s comment that, in terms of trade, the "ice thaws, but slowly", while former Chinese diplomat Han Yang thinks Australia will have to make policy concessions to secure the release of Cheng Lei and Yang Hengjun, who are currently detained in China.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY

Liberal Party vows to adopt more sensitive language on China

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Original article by Matthew Knott, Eryk Bagshaw
The Age – Page: Online : 23-Dec-22

The review into the Liberal Party’s defeat in the May federal election found that the swing against it was significantly higher in electorates which have high concentrations of voters of Chinese ancestry. The review stated that party representatives need to be sensitive to the genuine concerns of the Chinese community and to ensure the language that they use cannot be misinterpreted as insensitive. The release of the review came as Foreign Minister Penny Wong returned from her quick visit to Beijing, with her visit being the first by an Australian foreign minister in four years.

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LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

NSW Voting Intention: ALP 52% cf. L-NP 48% with State Election approaching in March 2023

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 21-Dec-22

The latest Roy Morgan Poll on State voting intention in New South Wales shows that the ALP on 52% (up 4% points since the 2019 State Election) has a slight lead over the Liberal-National Coalition on 48% (down 4% points) on a two-party preferred basis. The primary vote support of the two major parties is below 40%, with the Liberal-National Coalition on 37% (down 4.6% points from the 2019 Election), just ahead of the ALP on 35% ( up 1.7% points). Support for the Greens is at 11.5% (up 1.9% points) while total support for ‘Other parties and independents’ is now at 16.5% (up 1% point). Among the minor parties support for One Nation is at 5%, the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party is on 1.5% and the Animal Justice Party, Liberal Democrats, Legalise Cannabis Party, Clive Palmer’s United Australia Party and ‘Teal Independents’ are all on 0.5% support; another 7.5% say they will support other minor parties and independents. Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine says Opposition Leader Chris Minns is on track to be the first Labor Premier of NSW since Kristina Keneally lost the 2011 State Election. This Roy Morgan Poll on State voting intention was conducted via telephone and online surveying with 1,234 New South Wales electors aged 18+ during the month of November.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED, MORGAN POLL, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF NEW SOUTH WALES, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, THE GREENS NSW INCORPORATED, ONE NATION PARTY, SHOOTERS, FISHERS AND FARMERS PARTY, ANIMAL JUSTICE PARTY, LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY, LEGALISE CANNABIS PARTY, UNITED AUSTRALIA PARTY

Bosses angry at big stick threat

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 21-Dec-22

The Australian Resources & Energy Employer Association alleges that unions are seeking to delay negotiating new workplace agreements until the multi-employer bargaining provisions of the Secure Jobs, Better Pay legislation take effect in mid-2023. AREEA CEO Steve Knott says union tactics such as stalling negotiations or encouraging employees to vote down proposed enterprise agreements are expected to become commonplace in many sectors of the economy in the first half of 2023. However, the Electrical Trades Union’s acting national secretary Michael Wright says AREEA should be working with unions on meeting the challenges that workers and employers currently face.

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AUSTRALIAN RESOURCES AND ENERGY EMPLOYER ASSOCIATION, ELECTRICAL TRADES UNION

Andrews denies sneaky document dump

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Original article by Rachel Baxendale
The Australian – Page: 6 : 21-Dec-22

The Victorian government has been criticised for tabling 265 reports during the first sitting of state parliament since the election on 26 November. Premier Daniel Andrews has defended the decision to release tens of thousands of pages of government documents just days before Christmas; he stresses that the reports are being tabled in accordance with the law, and notes that many reports had been tabled before his government went into caretaker mode. Opposition Leader John Pesutto has stressed the need for accountability, scrutiny and integrity in government.

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VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET

Wong warns of hard issues

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Original article by Andrew Tillett, Michael Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 21-Dec-22

Foreign Minister Penny Wong is the first federal government minister to visit China since 2019. Her meeting with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Wednesday will coincide with the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Wong has downplayed expectations that her visit to China will result in an improvement in the strained relations between the two nations, noting that many of the hard issues will take time to resolve in Australia’s interests. Wong has indicated that she will push for China to ease restrictions on Australian exports and to release two Australians who have been detained on national security charges.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE

Secret $8bn sweetheart energy deal

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Original article by Simon Benson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 21-Dec-22

The federal and NSW governments have struck a $7.8bn joint funding deal for eight electricity transmission and Renewable Energy Zone projects across the state. The deal has been negotiated to secure NSW’s support for the federal government’s coal price caps when state parliament is recalled on Wednesday. The federal government will contribute $4.7bn in funding for the projects via its Rewiring the Nation policy. The joint funding will be used to connect the Snowy Hydro 2.0 project and a number of renewable energy zones into the national grid.

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ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence virtually unchanged at 82.5 in the week before Christmas

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 21-Dec-22

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence was virtually unchanged at 82.5 in the week ended 18 December. However, it is 25.9pts below the same week a year ago (108.4) and 6.2pts below the 2022 weekly average of 88.7. Consumer confidence was up slightly in New South Wales and Victoria but down in Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia. Now 23% of Australians (up 2ppts) say their families are ‘better off’ financially than this time last year, while 46% (up 1ppt) say their families are ‘worse off’ financially. Some 30% (unchanged) of Australians expect their family to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year, while 33% (also unchanged) expect to be ‘worse off’ financially. Only 6% (down 2ppts) of Australians now expect ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next 12 months, while 35% (up 2ppts) expect ‘bad times’. Meanwhile, 22% (down 1ppt) of Australians say now is a ‘good time to buy’ major household items, while 48% (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

Robodebt question minister can’t answer

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Original article by Catie McLeod
The Australian – Page: 2 : 14-Dec-22

Former human services minister Marise Payne appeared before the royal commission into the robodebt scheme on Tuesday. The inquiry has been told that former social security minister Scott Morrison had been advised in late February 2015 that policy and legislative changes would be required in order to implement the scheme. However, Payne has told the inquiry that she was unable to explain how this advice had "disappeared" by the time the expenditure review committee met to discuss the robodebt scheme in late March of that year.

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AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO THE ROBODEBT SCHEME

Top economists urge government to rethink stage three tax cuts

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Original article by Shane Wright
The Age – Page: Online : 14-Dec-22

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has consistently stated that Labor will not back down on its election commitment to proceed with the Coalition’s stage-three personal income tax cuts. However, labour economist Jeff Borland and former Reserve Bank governor Bernie Fraser are among 100 financial experts who have sent an open letter to Albanese urging his government to reconsider the tax cuts. They contend that the tax cuts are unaffordable in their current form given the changes in the economic and budget outlook since the package was legislated in 2019.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA