O75 Public Administration

I warned US of virus in 2019: Chinese defector

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Original article by Sharri Markson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 7 : 15-Sep-21

Human rights activist and former Chinese Communist Party insider Wei Jingsheng defected to the US in 1997. Wei has revealed that high-level contacts in Beijing alerted him to a new coronavirus in Wuhan in October 2019 and he warned US intelligence agencies and politicians about it the following month. Wei says he was concerned that the West was not prepared to deal with the coronavirus. The Chinese government did not advise the World Health Organization of the Wuhan outbreak until 31 December, and it did not reveal that the coronavirus could be transmitted between humans until late January 2020.

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COMMUNIST PARTY (CHINA)WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION

L-NP (47.5%) gains ground on the ALP (52.5%) after PM Morrison calls on States to stick to re-opening plans

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 15-Sep-21

The latest Roy Morgan Poll on Federal voting intention shows that ALP support has dropped to 52.5% (down 2% points since late August) cf. L-NP on 47.5% (up 2% points) on a two-party preferred basis. This was the first increase in support for the L-NP since mid-June, before the current Sydney lockdown began. The 2% points swing to the L-NP over the first two weeks of September is the largest this year and comes after Prime Minister Scott Morrison and other members of the Federal Government called on the States to stick to the re-opening plan agreed in National Cabinet. If a Federal Election were held now the ALP would be elected with a similar margin to that won by Kevin Rudd at the 2007 Federal Election (ALP 52.7% cf. L-NP 47.3%). Primary support for the L-NP was up 1% point to 39.5% in mid-September and is now ahead of the ALP on 35%, down 3.5% points. However, there was an increase in support for the Greens, up 1.5% points to 13%. Support for One Nation was unchanged at 3% while support for Independents/Others was up by 1% point to 10.5%. Interviewing for the latest Roy Morgan Poll was conducted over the weekends of September 4/5 and 11/12, 2021 with a nationally representative cross-section of 2,753 Australian electors using a combination of telephone and online interviews (multi-mode).

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ROY MORGAN LIMITEDMORGAN POLLAUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTYLIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIANATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIAAUSTRALIAN GREENSONE NATION PARTY

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence increases 3.1pts to 103.1 after NSW Government outlines re-opening plan for mid-October

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 15-Sep-21

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence rose 3.1pts to 103.1 on September 11/12, after the NSW Government outlined its plans for re-opening Sydney in mid-October, when over 70% of residents are set to be fully vaccinated. Consumer Confidence remains well below the 2021 weekly average of 108.7, but it is now 10.7 points higher than the same week a year ago (92.4). Consumer Confidence was up this week in both NSW and Victoria and into positive territory in both States. The biggest increase was in Sydney, which rose 10.3pts (+10.6%) to 107.1; Consumer Confidence also jumped in Melbourne, up 6.4pts (+6.6%) to 103.6. Now 27% (up 1ppt) of Australians say their families are ‘better off’ financially than this time last year, while 28% (down 1ppt) say their families are ‘worse off’ financially. In addition, 37% (up 3ppts) of Australians expect their family to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year, and only 14% (down 2ppts) expect to be ‘worse off’ financially. Some 14% (up 3ppts) of Australians expect ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next 12 months, while 26% (down 2ppts) expect ‘bad times’. Meanwhile, 35% (up 2ppts) of Australians say now is a ‘good time to buy’ major household items, while 32% (down 2ppts) say now is a ‘bad time to buy’.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITEDAUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ

RBA: Economy to bounce back

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Original article by John Kehoe
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 8-Sep-21

Reserve Bank of Australia governor Philip Lowe has warned that GDP is likely to decline "materially" in the September quarter due to COVID-19 lockdowns. However, he believes that the economy will rebound as vaccination rates increase and restrictions are eased, and growth in the December quarter will allow Australia to avoid a technical recession. The central bank left official interest rates on hold at 0.1 per cent at its September board meeting; it has also advised that its bond-buying program will be maintained at the current level until at least February 2022.

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RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

Australia on track to live with Covid from early 2022, leading epidemiologist says

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Original article by Melissa Davey
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 8-Sep-21

Deakin University epidemiologist Catherine Bennett believes that Australia will shortly move into a new phase of living with COVID-19. She expects the nation to have the coronavirus under control during the first quarter of 2022 as vaccination rates rise and the focus shifts to suppressing COVID-19. Professor Bennett expects the requirement to wear a face mask indoors and bans on large gatherings to be the last coronavirus restrictions to be scrapped in Australia.

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DEAKIN UNIVERSITY

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence falls 1.8pts to a neutral result of 100.0 with positive and negative sentiment now evenly balanced

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 8-Sep-21

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence fell 1.8pts to 100.0 on September 4/5, with sentiment now evenly balanced between positive and negative sentiment. Consumer Confidence is well below the 2021 weekly average of 108.9, but it is 8.9 points higher than the same week a year ago (91.1). Consumer Confidence fell in both Victoria and NSW and is now clearly below the neutral level of 100 in both States and both Sydney and Melbourne. However, Consumer Confidence in South Australia and Queensland is just above 100 while it is significantly higher in Western Australia at over 110. Now 26% (unchanged) of Australians say their families are ‘better off’ financially than this time last year, while 29% (up 3ppts) say their families are ‘worse off’ financially. In addition, 34% (down 3ppts) of Australians expect their family to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year, and only 16% (up 2ppts) expect to be ‘worse off’ financially. Some 11% (down 1ppt) of Australians expect ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next 12 months, while 28% (down 1ppt) expect ‘bad times’. Meanwhile, 33% (down 2ppts) of Australians say now is a ‘good time to buy’ major household items, while 34% (up 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

Tough restrictions, vaccination have saved thousands of lives in Sydney, modelling shows

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Original article by Lucy Cormack, Alexandra Smith
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: Online : 8-Sep-21

New South Wales has recorded 1,220 new locally-acquired COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours. The state has also reported an additional eight deaths from the current outbreak. Meanwhile, new modelling from the Burnet Institute suggests that the current lockdown of Greater Sydney and the vaccination program may have prevented nearly 5,000 deaths and almost 500,000 infections across the metropolitan area. The modelling also shows that these measures may have averted 5,808 deaths and 580,000 new infections in the 12 local government areas at the centre of the current outbreak.

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THE MACFARLANE BURNET INSTITUTE FOR MEDICAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH LIMITED

Free-trade deal with India a big step closer

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Original article by Ben Packham, Patrick Commins
The Australian – Page: 2 : 7-Sep-21

Australia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne and Defence Minister Peter Dutton will shortly travel to India for discussions with their counterparts, despite the COVID-19 pandemic. India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar views this as a positive sign that Australia is keen to secure a free-trade agreement with his nation, and he is optimistic that a deal will proceed. Negotiations for a free-trade deal have stalled for some years, but Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has signalled the importance of India as a trading partner as exporters seek to reduce their reliance on China.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF DEFENCE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, INDIA. MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

‘Make domestic violence leave a right’: Westacott

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Original article by Tom McIlroy
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 2 : 7-Sep-21

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has criticised how the courts deal with victims of domestic violence during a speech to the National Summit on Women’s Safety. Business Council of Australia CEO Jennifer Westacott used her address to call for paid domestic violence leave to become a universal employment right. Chief Executive Women Australia president Sam Mostyn told the summit that the majority of boards and CEOs are actively working on strategies to deal with violence against women and children. A 2016 report from PwC found that the total cost of violence against women and children is in excess of $22 billion.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, CHIEF EXECUTIVE WOMEN, PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS AUSTRALIA (INTERNATIONAL) PTY LTD

NSW hospitals prepare emergency plans for ICU operations to reach overwhelming status

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Original article by Alexandra Smith, Lucy Cormack, Mary Ward
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: Online : 7-Sep-21

New South Wales has recorded 1,281 new locally-acquired COVID-19 cases and six additional deaths in the last 24 hours. Meanwhile, modelling undertaken by the Burnet Institute on behalf of the state government suggest that case numbers in the 12 local government areas at the epicentre of the current outbreak could soon top 2,000 per day. The modelling also forecasts that the number of people in NSW in intensive care will rise to 947 in October, including 560 cases that are directly attributable to COVID-19. Premier Gladys Berejiklian has been criticised for only realising the modelling that relates to the LGAs of most concern. There are 177 people with COVID-19 in intensive care statewide, including four children under the age of 12.

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NEW SOUTH WALES. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, THE MACFARLANE BURNET INSTITUTE FOR MEDICAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH LIMITED