O75 Public Administration

Labor scraps pay secrecy clauses

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 19-Oct-22

Federal cabinet has approved the Secure Jobs Better Pay bill, which will be put before parliament on 27 October. Employment and Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke says that helping to close the gender pay gap is a key objective of the bill. Amongst other things, the legislation will ban the use of pay secrecy clauses in employment contracts, while gender equity will be become a central objective of the Fair Work Act. The bill will also broaden the scope of multi-employer bargaining, simplify the ‘better-off-overall test’ and abolish the Australian Building & Construction Commission. A second tranche of industrial reforms in 2023 will include increased workplace rights for gig economy workers and ‘same job, same pay’ rules for labour hire workers.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT AND WORKPLACE RELATIONS

Shorten: NDIS blows out to $50b

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Original article by Phillip Coorey, Michael Read
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 19-Oct-22

The federal government will bring forward a review of the National Disability Insurance Scheme, amid growing concern about the rising cost of the program. NDIS Minister Bill Shorten says the review will examine its operation, sustainability and responsiveness to participants’ needs. He has conceded that many people who use the NDIS do not have "complex needs". Shorten has revealed that the government’s first Budget on 25 October would show that the projected cost of the NDIS will rise by $8.8bn over the next four years, to $50bn a year. The former Coalition government had estimated that it would cost $44.6bn annually by 2025-26.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF SOCIAL SERVICES

ALP increases its large election-winning lead over the Liberal-National Coalition in Victoria in September: ALP 60% cf. L-NP 40%

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 19-Oct-22

A multi-mode Roy Morgan Poll shows that the ALP has increased its election-winning lead over the Liberal-National Coalition in Victoria. The ALP is now on 60% (up 2% points since August) on a two-party preferred basis, well ahead of the L-NP on 40% (down 2% points) less than two months before the State Election. If a State Election were held today the ALP would win easily. The ALP’s primary vote is now 42% (up 5.5% points since August) and has now moved even further ahead of the L-NP on 28% (down 1% point). Despite the increase in support for the ALP, support for both major parties has dropped since the 2018 State Election. Meanwhile, support for the minor parties is up significantly since 2018, mirroring the trend seen at the recent Federal Election when 34.1% of Victorians voted for a minor party. Overall, nearly a third of Victorians (30%) say they will vote for a minor party or independent in the State Election in November. The Greens attract the most support from these voters at 14.5% (up 0.5% points since August 2022) and a further 15.5% is spread between an array of minor parties and independents. This Roy Morgan Poll on State voting intention was conducted with a representative cross-section of 1,379 Victorian electors aged 18+ during the month of September.

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

No doubt interest rates will continue to climb: RBA

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Original article by Ronald Mizen
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 2 : 19-Oct-22

The Reserve Bank of Australia’s deputy governor Michele Bullock says inflation is still too high and further rises in the cash rate will be necessary in order to return it to the RBA’s target range of 2-3 per cent. Bullock has told the Australian Finance Industry Association’s annual conference that the RBA believes that it can reduce the inflation rate while avoiding a recession and preserving most of the jobs that have been created in recent times. Meanwhile, the minutes from the RBA’s latest meeting show that the board was of the view that slowing the pace of rate rises in October will give it time to assess incoming economic data.

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RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

Flood crisis: Serious challenges over coming days

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Original article by Rachel Baxendale
The Australian – Page: 3 : 19-Oct-22

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has stressed that the state’s flood crisis is far from over, with more rain forecast in coming days. Andrews announced additional disaster relief assistance on Tuesday, following a visit to the flood-hit town of Shepparton. Emergency warnings remain in place in Rochester, Shepparton and other towns in the region’s flood zone, while evacuation orders remain in place for residents of towns near the Goulburn River. Evacuation orders have also been issued for Barmah and Lower Moira, while flood-hit Echuca residents are building a massive levee amid expectations that the Murray River will peak within days.

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VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence drops 2.4pts to 82.2 after Australian Dollar drops to lowest since April 2020

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 19-Oct-22

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence fell 2.4pts to 82.2 in the week ended 16 October. It is now 24.8pts below the same week a year ago (107.0), and 8.1pts below the 2022 weekly average of 90.3. Consumer Confidence fell in most States: down in NSW, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia, but there was an improvement in Western Australia. Now 22% of Australians (down 1ppt) say their families are ‘better off’ financially than this time last year, while 45% (up 1ppt) 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 34% (up 4ppts) expect to be ‘worse off’ financially. Only 7% (up 1ppt) of Australians now expect ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next 12 months, while 38% (unchanged) expect ‘bad times’. Meanwhile, 22% (down 2ppts) of Australians say now is a ‘good time to buy’ major household items, while 48% (up 3ppts) say now is a ‘bad time to buy’.

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

Inflation Expectations down 0.2% points to 5.4% in September – before the petrol excise returned in full

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 18-Oct-22

In September 2022, Australians expected inflation of 5.4% annually over the next two years, down 0.2% points from August. Inflation Expectations in September are 0.9% points higher than a year ago, and 2.2% points above the record low of 3.2% reached in June 2020. Although Inflation Expectations have dropped for a second straight month, the return of the full petrol excise at the end of September is set to lead to higher inflation expectations going forward. A deeper look at Inflation Expectations by employment status shows that the largest increase has been for people who are unemployed, up 2.6% points to 6.4% since the measure reached a record low in June 2020. The second highest Inflation Expectations are for those people who are under-employed, employed part-time but wanting more work, up 2% points to 5.8% since June 2020. On a State-based level Inflation Expectations were highest in New South Wales at 5.8% and Tasmania at 5.6%. The data for the Inflation Expectations series is drawn from the Roy Morgan Single Source which has interviewed an average of 4,700 Australians aged 14+ per month over the last decade, and includes interviews with 6,069 Australians aged 14+ in September.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Greens warn attorney general could weaponise and release secret reports of anti-corruption body

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Original article by Paul Karp
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 18-Oct-22

The joint select committee examining the National Anti-Corruption Commission legislation will begin four days of hearings on 18 October, at which transparency advocates will call for a lower threshold for public hearings by the NACC than is currently outlined in the legislation. The Coalition has called for greater safeguards before public hearings are to be considered, while the Greens have warned that giving the attorney-general of the day the discretion to publish secret NACC reports could allow that person to discredit political opponents.

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AUSTRALIAN GREENS

Floods hit cost of living: Chalmers

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 18-Oct-22

The office of Treasurer Jim Chalmers has indicated that it is too soon to estimate the inflationary and budgetary impact of the floods in Victoria and NSW. However, Chalmers has conceded that the floods will increase the cost of living and may boost the inflation rate, given that some of the east coast’s major food production regions have been affected. He adds that the forecast Budget deficit for the current financial year is also likely to increase. Meanwhile, the Victorian government has announced a $351m flood recovery package. There are fears that the town of Echuca is facing a second flood peak, while Kerang is expected to be isolated by floodwaters for up to two weeks. Heavy rainfall that is forecast for later in the week also looms as a new threat for flood-affected towns.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

ALP razor gang eyeing veterans, bushfire funds

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Original article by Greg Brown
The Australian – Page: 4 : 18-Oct-22

Labor’s ‘razor gang’ is looking to make savings from the Community Development Grants Program, with one grant under scrutiny being one of $15 million to establish veteran wellbeing centres in three regional cities. Another grant potentially under scrutiny is one of almost $6 million to repair fire recovery centres in the Victorian towns of Ensay and Sarsfield, which were hit by the Black Summer bushfires. However, despite Labor’s review of the Community Development Grants Program, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says regional Australia will not get left behind in its upcoming budget.

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AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY