O75 Public Administration

Andrews targeted on red shirts rort

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Original article by Rachel Baxendale
The Australian – Page: 2 : 9-Feb-22

The Victorian Opposition will support Adem Somyurek’s motion to have Labor’s ‘Red Shirts’ scandal referred to the state’s Ombudsman for further investigation. The motion will also require the support of at least eight crossbenchers. Amongst other things, Somyurek wants the Ombudsman to investigate the role of Premier Daniel Andrews in "designing, propagating and facilitating" the misuse of taxpayers’ funds when he was opposition leader in 2014. Somyurek, who has admitted to being involved in the rort, was expelled by Labor in 2021 following a branch-stacking scandal.

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AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF VICTORIA, VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, VICTORIA. OFFICE OF THE OMBUDSMAN

Tourists may need to be triple-jabbed: Andrews

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Original article by Lucas Baird, Mark Ludlow
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 9-Feb-22

The Victorian government is at odds with its federal counterpart regarding the vaccination status of international tourists when Australia’s borders reopen on 21 February. The federal government has advised that inbound travellers will only be required to have two COVID-19 vaccine doses. However, Premier Daniel Andrews says the state will require tourists to have a booster shot if the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation recommends that people must have had three doses in order to enter the country. This could lead to international visitors being barred from hospitality, retail and entertainment venues in Victoria, in a new blow for the tourism industry.

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VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN TECHNICAL ADVISORY GROUP ON IMMUNISATION

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence decreases 1.9pts to 99.9 as Western Australia’s border remains closed

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 9-Feb-22

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence fell 1.9pts to 99.9 during the first week of February; it is 11.5pts below the same week a year ago (111.4), and just below the 2022 weekly average of 101.1. Consumer Confidence has decreased 9pts in Western Australia and 14pts in Perth, indicating dissatisfaction with the state’s continuing border closure. Now 23% (down 4ppts) of Australians say their families are ‘better off’ financially than this time last year, while 32% (up 4ppts) say their families are ‘worse off’ financially. In addition, 35% (down 2ppts) of Australians expect their family to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year, and 21% (up 3ppts) expect to be ‘worse off’ financially. However, just 14% (down 1ppt) of Australians now expect ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next 12 months, while 26% (down 1ppt) expect ‘bad times’. Meanwhile, 36% (unchanged) of Australians say now is a ‘good time to buy’ major household items, while 33% (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

ALP (56.5%) increases lead over the L-NP (43.5%) in late January as Australia continues to battle Omicron surge of COVID-19

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 3-Feb-22

ALP support is now at 56.5% (up 0.5% points since mid-January) cf. L-NP on 43.5% (down 0.5% points) on a two-party preferred basis, according to the latest Roy Morgan Poll on Federal voting intention conducted via telephone and online interviewing with 2,783 Australian electors aged 18+ over the two weeks from January 17-30, 2022. There were 7.5% of electors (up 0.5% points from mid-January) who can’t say who they support. The ALP holds two-party preferred leads in all six States including NSW (ALP 54% cf. L-NP 46%), Victoria (ALP 59% cf. L-NP 41%), Queensland (ALP 51.5% cf. L-NP 48.5%), Western Australia (ALP 55.5% cf. L-NP 44.5%), South Australia (ALP 64% cf. L-NP 36%) and Tasmania (ALP 61.5% cf. L-NP 38.5%). There is also a huge gender gap with the ALP enjoying a huge two-party preferred lead amongst women: ALP 60.5% cf. L-NP 39.5% while men are more evenly split between the two parties: ALP 52% cf. L-NP 48%. Roy Morgan Government Confidence is well into negative territory, below the neutral level of 100, at a rating of only 84.5 with a majority of 50.5% of electors saying Australia is ‘heading in the wrong direction’ compared to only 34.5% that say the country is ‘heading in the right direction’. Full results of this week’s Roy Morgan Poll on Federal Voting Intention will be released later today.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Morrison urged to take over NSW Liberal division after psycho texts

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Original article by David Crowe
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: Online : 3-Feb-22

Senior federal cabinet ministers have denied involvement in a series of text message exchanges with former NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian in which Prime Minister Scott Morrison was allegedly described as a ‘complete psycho’ and a ‘horrible’ person. Morrison says he is confident that the minister in question was not in cabinet and that there is no need for an investigation into the incident. However, some ministers believe that the leaking of the text messages is linked to a factional brawl within the Liberal Party’s NSW division, and have called for a federal intervention. A senior federal Liberal says the leaks were an "orchestrated hit" on Morrison, with the aim of ousting him before the election.

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LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, LIBERAL PARTY OF NEW SOUTH WALES

RBA opens door to 2022 rate rise

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Original article by Ronald Mizen
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 3-Feb-22

Reserve Bank of Australia governor Philip Lowe has signalled that official interest rates could potentially rise before the end of 2022 if the economy continues to perform well. However, he has downplayed suggestions that the cash rate may be increased four times in 2022, arguing that Australia’s inflation rate is still well below that of countries such as the US and the UK. Lowe also said that the unemployment rate could soon fall below four per cent. The Commonwealth Bank still expects the cash rate to be increased in August.

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RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA

Health authorities bracing for winter Omicron wave

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Original article by Jade Gailberger, Tom Minear
Herald Sun – Page: Online : 3-Feb-22

Australia’s chief medical officer Paul Kelly has told the Senate’s COVID-19 committee that the pandemic is far from over and another wave of Omicron is likely in winter. He added that the next wave will be "very different", due to factors such as the rollout of booster shots and the availability of COVID-19 treatments. Meanwhile, Therapeutic Goods Administration head John Skerritt has defended the regulator’s cautious approach to approving rapid antigen tests, arguing that many of the available kits return a high proportion of inaccurate results. NSW reported 11,807 new COVID-19 cases and 27 additional deaths on Wednesday; there were 14,553 new cases and 25 deaths in Victoria, while Queensland recorded 9,630 new cases and 16 deaths.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HEALTH, AUSTRALIA. THERAPEUTIC GOODS ADMINISTRATION

Gas companies made almost $1m in donations to Labor and Liberals

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Original article by Royce Kurmelovs
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 2-Feb-22

Analysis of the Australian Electoral Commission’s political donation records show that fossil fuel producers and their lobby groups donated a combined $959,115 to the nation’s three largest political parties in 2020-21. The analysis by 350.org shows that the Liberal Party received $506,810 in total, ahead of Labor ($392,354) and the National Party ($59,991). Woodside Petroleum topped the list of donors, contributing a combined $232,250 to the coffers of the Liberal and Labor parties; it was followed by the Minerals Council of Australia, which donated $193,943 in total to the three political parties. The Greens do not accept donations from fossil fuel companies.

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LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIAN ELECTORAL COMMISSION, 350.ORG

Morrison sees chance of a lifetime

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 2-Feb-22

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has conceded that the federal government has made some key mistakes in its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Amongst other things, Morrison has admitted that he underestimated the seriousness of the Omicron outbreak going into the summer months, while he should have put Lieutenant-General John Frewen in charge of the vaccine rollout from the outset. Morrison has also stated that Australia has a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" to reduce the unemployment rate to below four per cent. His target of a 3.75 per cent jobless rate in the second half of 2022 is more ambitious than that of the Reserve Bank, which expects it to reach this level by the end of 2023.

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

NSW to resume non-urgent elective surgery

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Original article by
abc.net.au – Page: Online : 2-Feb-22

New South Wales recorded 12,818 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, and an additional 30 deaths from the current outbreak. The latest fatalities include a man in his 30s who had received two vaccine doses and had no significant underlying health conditions; chief health officer Kerry Chant says this underlines the importance of getting a booster shot. Meanwhile, Health Minister Brad Hazzard has advised that hospitals will resume performing non-urgent elective surgery on 7 February. Victoria has reported 11,311 new cases and 34 deaths, while there have been 7,588 new infections and 10 deaths in Queensland.

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NEW SOUTH WALES. MINISTRY OF HEALTH