O75 Public Administration

Covid waves here for a decade or so

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Rhiannon Down
The Australian – Page: 5 : 14-Nov-22

More than 54,000 new cases of COVID-19 were reported across Australia in the last week; some 975 people are currently in hospital with the respiratory illness, including 32 in intensive care. Infectious diseases expert Peter Collignon has downplayed concerns about the new wave of cases, arguing that the key metrics of hospitalisations and deaths are much lower than in previous waves. He adds that new variants of COVID-19 are likely to emerge for the next 5-10 years. Meanwhile, epidemiologists say the arrival of the Majestic Princess cruise ship in Sydney with 800 Covid-positive passengers is unlikely to have much impact on Australia’s fourth wave of cases.

CORPORATES

PM breaks ice with China

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Ben Packham, Amanda Hodge
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 14-Nov-22

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese briefly spoke with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang at the East Asia Summit’s gala dinner on Saturday night. It was the first face-to-face meeting between leaders of the two nations in three years, and Albanese says the four-minute conversation focused on the upcoming 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Australia and China. Albanese also had an unscheduled 40-minute meeting with US President Joe Biden on the final day of the summit on Sunday; they discussed issues such as the AUKUS alliance and climate change, and Albanese invited Biden to address a joint sitting of parliament in 2023 when he visits Australia for a meeting of Quadrilateral Security Dialogue nations. Albanese hopes to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G20 leaders’ summit in Bali.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, EAST ASIA SUMMIT, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, GROUP OF TWENTY (G-20)

Call for energy ministers to agree to gas price cap at 30% of current market offers

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Peter Hannam
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 28-Oct-22

Federal and state energy minister will meet in Melbourne on Friday, in the wake of the budget forecast of big increases in electricity and gas prices. Energy Users Association of Australia CEO Andrew Richards has called for gas prices to be capped in response to the energy crisis that has been driven by the invasion of Ukraine. He notes that some industrial users are being offered contracts for gas at about $35 per gigajoule. This compares with about $10 per gigajoule just over a year ago, and Richards contends that capping prices at around this level would be "pretty fair and reasonable" for manufacturers and gas producers alike.

CORPORATES
ENERGY USERS ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA

Melbourne Institute & Roy Morgan – Taking The Pulse of the Nation: Long COVID linked to mental distress, unemployment and is affecting more women than men

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 28-Oct-22

Several large-scale studies are attempting to measure the prevalence of long COVID in the population and its long-term impact. In this TTPN report, we examine the association between long COVID and mental distress and employment. The proportion of the Australian population who have ever tested positive for COVID-19 increased dramatically from 15.1% in March 2022 to 48.9% in September 2022, following the winter peak in COVID cases. Of those who tested positive, 15.5% reported that their symptoms lasted for more than one month; 6% of those testing positive reported symptoms lasting for 3 months or more. Long COVID affects a large proportion of the population who can have severe symptoms not usually associated with having a cold or the flu. These symptoms are associated with high levels of mental distress and unemployment, affect women more than men, and across all age groups, especially those aged between 50 to 69. Having a booster is the best long-term defence against the effects of COVID, yet rates of booster vaccinations remain dangerously low and immunity is waning. The Australian government needs to significantly increase booster shots using the best evidence on how to do this successfully. This report is based on a total of 1,013 respondents from data collected in September 2022. Visit the Melbourne Institute Taking the Pulse of the Nation web portal for further information and to access interactive charts and other findings: https://melbourneinstitute.unimelb.edu.au/data/ttpn.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE. INSTITUTE OF APPLIED ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RESEARCH

Right to strike law risks jobs

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by David Marin-Guzman, Phillip Coorey, Carrie LaFrenz
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 28-Oct-22

The federal government tabled its Secure Jobs, Better Pay bill in parliament on Thursday. A Senate inquiry into the proposed legislation will report on 17 November, after a push by independent senator David Pocock to delay it until February was rejected. Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke has indicated that he is open to making changes to the multi-­employer bargaining provisions of the bill, which will allow unions to undertake industry-wide industrial action for the first time. Business leaders have expressed concern about the proposed reforms; Australian Industry Group CEO Innes Willox says they will result in more strikes and fewer jobs, while Minerals Council of Australia CEO Tania Constable warns that expanding multi-employer bargaining will "unleash industrial chaos" on the mining sector.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT AND WORKPLACE RELATIONS, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, MINERALS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA

Higgins lashes justice system stacked against victims

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Kristin Shorten, Remy Varga, Sarah Ison
The Australian – Page: 1 & 5 : 28-Oct-22

Alleged rape victim Brittany Higgins could potentially face a contempt of court charge over comments she made after the trial of Bruce Lehrmann was aborted. Higgins addressed the media after the jury had been discharged, stating that she felt that she had been the person on trial as her life had been publicly scrutinised while Lehrmann was not required to give evidence during his trial. Lehrmann’s lawyers have referred Higgins to both the Australian Federal Police and the ACT Supreme Court over the comments. The jury was discharged after it emerged that one of them had an academic paper on sexual assault. Justice Lucy McCullum said she had warned the jurors on multiple occasions that they must not undertake any research of their own on matters relating to the case. Lehrmann will face a new trial in February.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, SUPREME COURT OF THE AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY

Future dark under ALP: Dutton

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Geoff Chambers
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 28-Oct-22

Opposition leader Peter Dutton has used his budget-reply speech to criticise the federal government’s stance on a range of issues, including industrial relations, energy policy, housing and taxation. Dutton described Labor’s push for multi-employer bargaining as a "throwback to the 1980s" that will reduce productivity and result in strike action across the country. Dutton also contended that the government’s first budget will leave the average family about $2,000 worse off by Christmas, given that it will result in a rise in power prices, the cost of living, taxes, interest rates, unemployment and the deficit. Dutton said the government has already broken its election promise to reduce energy bills by $275 within three years, and he claimed that Labor is "laying the groundwork to break" its promise on the stage-three tax cuts. He also backed the Coalition’s proposal to allow people to use superannuation savings to buy their first home, contending that Labor’s budget plan to encourage super funds and other institutional investors to fund one million new homes is unrealistic.

CORPORATES
LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Labor scraps pay secrecy clauses

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

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

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

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.

CORPORATES
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%

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

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.

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