O75 Public Administration

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence up slightly to 101.6 despite lockdown extensions in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 25-Aug-21

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence rose 0.5pts to 101.6 on August 21/22, although it is still well below the 2021 weekly average of 109.4. Consumer Confidence is now only 8.9 points higher than the same week a year ago (92.7). Consumer Confidence is now lowest in Victoria and NSW just below the neutral level of 100. Consumer Confidence in Queensland is just above 100 while it is significantly higher in both Western Australia and South Australia at over 110. Now 29% (up 4ppts) of Australians say their families are ‘better off’ financially than this time last year, while 26% (down 3ppts) say their families are ‘worse off’ financially. In addition, 35% (down 1ppt) of Australians expect their family to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year, and only 14% (unchanged) expect to be ‘worse off’ financially. Some 12% (unchanged) of Australians expect ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next 12 months, while 33% (up 5ppts) expect ‘bad times’. Meanwhile, 35% (up 1ppt) of Australians say now is a ‘good time to buy’ major household items, while 33% (unchanged) say now is a ‘bad time to buy’.

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

Commonwealth announces financial support for childcare centres

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Original article by Katina Curtis, Sumeyya Ilanbey
The Age – Page: Online : 24-Aug-21

The federal government has announced new support measures for childcare centres and after-school care operators. Childcare centres in areas where state premiers have directed parents to keep children at home or that have been under lockdown for more than four weeks will receive 25 per cent of pre-pandemic revenue, along with the fee subsidies they would usually get if all children were in attendance; after-school care operators will get 40 per cent of pre-pandemic revenue. The new measures have been welcomed by the Australian Childcare Alliance and the Outside School Hours Council of Australia.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN CHILDCARE ALLIANCE INCORPORATED, OUTSIDE SCHOOL HOURS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA

PM’s blast for slow-jab states

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Original article by Geoff Chambers, Richard Ferguson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 24-Aug-21

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has urged state leaders to support the federal government’s four-stage plan for reopening the economy. He has reiterated that restrictions must be eased when 70-80 per cent of the nation’s population has been fully vaccinated, while he has warned that Australians must live with COVID-19. However, there are concerns that some states are falling behind in meeting the vaccination threshold targets; based on current figures, Western Australia is unlikely to achieve a full vaccination rate of 80 per cent until late November, while Queensland will not do so until late December.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Doherty target risks death of 25,000 people

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Original article by Richard Ferguson
The Australian – Page: 4 : 24-Aug-21

The federal government’s plan to reopen the economy once 80 per cent of Australians aged 16+ have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 is based on advice from the Doherty Institute. However, a group of economists and medical researchers has warned that this threshold is too low; they contend that the government should instead aim to fully vaccinate 90 per cent of Australians, including children. Australian National University economics professor Quentin Grafton says that retaining the 80 per cent threshold could potentially result in 25,000 deaths from COVID-19 and some 270,000 cases of so-called ‘long Covid’.

CORPORATES
UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE. PETER DOHERTY INSTITUTE FOR INFECTION AND IMMUNITY, AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY

Australia to resettle thousands upon thousands of Afghans

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Original article by Rob Harris
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: Online : 24-Aug-21

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has indicated that the federal government will look to resettle "thousands upon thousands" of Afghans, in recognition of their efforts in standing with Australian forces in Afghanistan over the past 20 years. He said the national security committee of cabinet is meeting daily to discuss the issue in Afghanistan, and that the government’s priority is to get Australian citizens, permanent residents and visa holders safely out of the country.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Australian government urged to expand refugee intake as Afghans seek to flee Taliban rule

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Original article by Ben Doherty, Daniel Hurst
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 20-Aug-21

Australia has set a figure of 13,750 humanitarian visas for the current financial year, with 3,000 of that number to be set aside for Afghan nationals fleeing the Taliban regime. However, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has stated that the 3,000 figure is a "a floor, not a ceiling" and that "we can think we can achieve more". It is possible that the allocation of 13,750 humanitarian visas may not actually be met, as COVID-19 travel limitations are particularly restrictive on humanitarian visa holders.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

PM urges Berejiklian to keep up the fight

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Original article by James O’Doherty, Angira Bharadwaj
The Daily Telegraph – Page: 5 : 20-Aug-21

New South Wales has recorded 681 new locally-acquired COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, while the state’s death toll from the current outbreak has risen to 61. Premier Gladys Berejiklian has conceded that the Delta variant means that achieving zero new cases in the community is unrealistic, and the nation will have to "learn to live with Delta" when 80 per cent of the population is fully vaccinated and the economy reopens. However, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has emphasised the importance of a suppression strategy in Sydney, arguing that the lockdown must work. The state government has extended the lockdown in regional NSW until 28 August, in line with the Greater Sydney lockdown.

CORPORATES
NEW SOUTH WALES. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Jobless data hides the premiers’ recession

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Original article by Terry McCrann
Herald Sun – Page: 59 : 20-Aug-21

The latest ‘official’ unemployment data belies the fact that the Australian economy is already in a ‘second wave’ recession. The Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show that the unemployment rate fell to a 12-year low of just 4.6 per cent in July. The more accurate and more meaningful data released by Roy Morgan two weeks ago had already shown that the real jobless rate in July was 9.7 per cent. Likewise, the Roy Morgan figures show that the underemployment rate is 9.1 per cent, compared with the ABS estimate of 8.3 per cent. Unlike the Roy Morgan data, the ABS figures cover only the first half of July, so they include Victoria’s fifth lockdown but not the current and already much longer one.

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AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Movement in the Perth & Adelaide CBDs now at around two-thirds of pre-pandemic averages while Sydney & Melbourne CBDs locked down

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 20-Aug-21

A special analysis of movement data in Australia’s Capital City CBDs since the COVID-19 pandemic began shows movement in the Perth CBD and the Adelaide CBD increasing to around two-thirds of their pre-pandemic average in mid-August, even as extended lockdowns cause movement to remain well below pre-pandemic levels in both the Sydney CBD and Melbourne CBD. The average 7-day movement level in the Adelaide CBD was at 67% of pre-pandemic levels in mid-August, just ahead of the Perth CBD at 64%. This is the highest level of movement in both cities since late May. Both cities have had one short and sharp lockdown during the winter months and both have managed to snuff out their respective outbreaks of COVID-19. In contrast, movement levels in the Sydney CBD remain near record lows at only 14% of pre-pandemic levels – a slight increase since restrictions on the construction industry were relaxed somewhat in early August. The average movement levels in the Melbourne CBD were also at only 14% of pre-pandemic levels in mid-August as the city entered its sixth lockdown in early August. Since then the Melbourne lockdown has been extended until September and this week restrictions have been tightened with a curfew re-introduced and the banning of the use of children’s playground equipment. Just behind the two leaders in third place is the Hobart CBD with movement levels at 55% of pre-pandemic averages in mid-August. Movement in the Brisbane CBD was at 45% of pre-pandemic averages in mid-August and bouncing back quickly after the city’s fifth lockdown ended just over a week ago. Roy Morgan has partnered with leading technology innovator UberMedia to aggregate data from tens of thousands of mobile devices to assess the movements of Australians as we deal with the restrictions imposed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, UBERMEDIA

ALP (54%) increases lead over L-NP (46%) – as Melbourne and Sydney lockdowns continue

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 19-Aug-21

ALP support is at 54% (up 0.5% points since early August) cf. L-NP on 46% (down 0.5% points) on a two-party preferred basis after Melbourne’s sixth lockdown was extended, Sydney’s lockdown was extended to the whole State of NSW and the ACT entered lockdown for the first time in over a year. This is the largest two-party preferred lead for the ALP since the bushfires crisis of early 2020. If a Federal Election were held now the ALP would be elected with the largest share of the vote since the 1977 Federal Election won by Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser with 54.6% of the vote. Voting analysis by State shows the ALP leading on a two-party preferred basis in Australia’s two largest States of Victoria and NSW and also holding leads in WA, SA and Tasmania. The LNP leads only in Queensland. Interviewing for the Roy Morgan Poll was conducted over the weekends of August 7/8 & 14/15, with a nationally representative cross-section of 2,747 Australian electors using a combination of telephone and online interviews.

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