O75 Public Administration

New Zealand proposes taxing cow burps to reduce emissions

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Original article by George Wright
BBC News – Page: Online : 12-Oct-22

New Zealand’s agricultural sector accounts for about 50 per cent of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions. The NZ government has proposed the introduction of a tax on the methane emissions of cows as part of its strategy to counter climate change. However, Federated Farmers national president Andrew Hoggard has warned that the levy may prompt many farmers to sell up. Some critics also contend that the proposal could increase carbon emissions, as food production might shift to countries that have less efficient farming methods.

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FEDERATED FARMERS OF NEW ZEALAND INCORPORATED

Treasurer tipped for $114b revenue windfall

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Original article by Tom McIlroy, Ronald Mizen
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 12-Oct-22

Deloitte Access Economics has forecast that the federal government’s Budget on 25 October will include additional revenue of $114.4bn over four years. Deloitte also anticipates that government spending will be higher than expected, and the firm has forecast that cumulative underlying cash deficits will be $45.5bn lower over four years. Stephen Smith of Deloitte says the strength of the domestic economy is a key reason why Australia has emerged from the pandemic with a budget position that is far healthier than most of its peers.

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DELOITTE ACCESS ECONOMICS PTY LTD

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence drops 0.9pts to 84.6 after RBA raises interest rates to nine-year high of 2.6%

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 12-Oct-22

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence was virtually unchanged at 84.6 in the week ended 9 October. It is now 21pts below the same week a year ago (105.6), and 5.9pts below the 2022 weekly average of 90.5. The fall in Consumer Confidence was patchy, with three States down (NSW, Victoria and WA) and two States increasing slightly (Queensland and SA). Now 23% of Australians (down 1ppt) say their families are ‘better off’ financially than this time last year, while 44% (up 2ppts) say their families are ‘worse off’ financially. Some 32% (up 1ppt) of Australians expect their family to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year, while 30% (down 1ppt) expect to be ‘worse off’ financially. Only 6% (unchanged) of Australians now expect ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next 12 months, while 38% (up 2ppts) expect ‘bad times’. Meanwhile, 24% (down 1ppt) of Australians say now is a ‘good time to buy’ major household items, while 45% (up 2ppts) say now is a ‘bad time to buy’.

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

Almost 200,000 robodebt cases to be wiped as Albanese government condemns shameful scheme

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Original article by Josh Butler
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 12-Oct-22

The federal government has advised that it will not proceed with reviews of 197,000 welfare recipients who were alleged to have been overpaid via the Coalition’s "robodebt" scheme. The reviews of these people’s income and welfare payments were suspended in 2019 after concerns emerged about the ill-fated scheme. The government will announce on Wednesday that these cases will be officially ‘wiped’. The government announced a royal commission into the robodebt scheme in August.

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No lap of honour as Xi loses his hero status

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Original article by Robert Gottliebsen
The Australian – Page: 20 : 5-Oct-22

Chinese President Xi Jinping appears to have the numbers to be given a third term at the Communist Party’s upcoming 20th National Congress. However, nothing has gone right for Xi in the last year, and he no longer has hero status. Xi made a serious mistake in not making it very clear to Russian President Vladimir Putin immediately prior to the Beijing Winter Olympics that China would oppose an invasion of Ukraine; Putin delayed the invasion until after the Olympics. The invasion will also dash Xi’s grand vision to link the Pacific to the Atlantic via fast rail; the rail line would have to pass through both Russia and Ukraine, and Putin had almost certainly assured Xi that victory would come quickly. Meanwhile, China’s property industry is in crisis and COVID-19 lockdowns are hitting the economy.

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Freeze rents or we’ll block Labor housing bill: Greens

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Original article by Geoff Carmody
The Australian – Page: 4 : 5-Oct-22

Legislation to establish the federal government’s Housing Australia Future Fund will be put before parliament after the Budget is handed down on 25 October. Investment returns from the fund will be used to build 30,000 new social and affordable homes over the first five years. However, the Greens contend that this will not be sufficient to meet the nation’s housing needs, and will seek a number of concessions in return for their support. They include a commitment to building 275,000 new public and affordable homes over five years and imposing a nationwide rent freeze for two years.

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AUSTRALIAN GREENS

Don’t break tax promise: Labor MPs

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Original article by Greg Brown
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 5-Oct-22

Labor MPs Helen Polley, Mike Freelander and Meryl Swanson have stated that the federal government must not back down on its election commitment to proceed with the Coalition’s stage-three personal income cuts. Freelander says he is "uncomfortable" about the tax cuts – which will benefit high-income earners in particular – but he contends that governments must keep their promises. Treasurer Jim Chalmers has again refused to rule out making changes to the tax package, while Assistant Treasurer Andrew Leigh has also emphasised the need to abide by election commitments. Meanwhile, Chalmers has doubled down on his warning about the outlook for the global economy and the prospect of a further rise in Australia’s inflation rate.

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AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Miners say they’re pawns in IR inquiry

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 5-Oct-22

The Minerals Council of Australia has criticised a Senate committee’s decision to require industry representatives to appear before its inquiry into a bill on labour hire firms that has been put forward by One Nation’s Malcolm Roberts. MCA CEO Tanya Constable argues that it is not necessary as the industry is already consulting with the federal government regarding its own proposed ‘same job, same pay’ legislation. Labor’s 2022 federal election platform included a commitment to crack down on the use of labour hire workers in sectors such as mining.

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MINERALS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, ONE NATION PARTY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Almost three-quarters of dating app users subjected to online sexual violence, study finds

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Original article by Tobias Jurss-Lewis
abc.net.au – Page: Online : 5-Oct-22

Research undertaken by Roy Morgan on behalf of the Australian Institute of Criminology shows that 72.3 per cent of dating app users have been subjected to online sexual violence in the past five years. One in three users had been subjected to in-person sexual violence perpetrated by someone they had met on a dating app or website; this includes being physically or verbally pressured into performing unwanted sexual acts or having their drink spiked. The study, which surveyed 9,987 Australians aged 18+ who used dating apps, found that two-thirds reported being sexually harassed and almost half had been sent an unwanted explicit picture or video.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF CRIMINOLOGY

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence drops 2.3pts to 85.5 as AUD and ASX200 fall and the petrol excise is returned

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 5-Oct-22

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence fell 2.3pts to 85.5 in the week ended 2 October. It is now 19.1pts below the same week a year ago (104.6), and 5.1pts below the 2022 weekly average of 90.6. The fall in Consumer Confidence was broad-based, with the index falling in all five mainland States – the first time that has happened since early August. Now 24% of Australians (unchanged) say their families are ‘better off’ financially than this time last year, while 42% (also unchanged) say their families are ‘worse off’ financially. Some 31% (down 1ppt) of Australians expect their family to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year, while 31% (unchanged) expect to be ‘worse off’ financially. Only 6% (down 3ppts) of Australians now expect ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next 12 months, while 36% (up 3ppts) expect ‘bad times’. Meanwhile, 25% (up 1ppt) of Australians say now is a ‘good time to buy’ major household items, while 43% (down 2ppts) say now is a ‘bad time to buy’.

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