O75 Public Administration

Sixth death linked to AstraZeneca clotting

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Original article by Rachel Clun, Mary Ward, Lucy Carroll
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: Online : 6-Aug-21

The Therapeutic Goods Administration has advised that a 34-year-old woman in New South Wales has died from a rare blood clotting disorder just over a week after receiving AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine. It is Australia’s sixth confirmed death from thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome, which has been linked to the AstraZeneca jab. There have now been 93 confirmed cases of TTS nationwide. One Australian has also died from immune thrombocytopenia after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine.

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AUSTRALIA. THERAPEUTIC GOODS ADMINISTRATION

Morrison refuses to say if he saw list of marginal seats to get car park funding

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Original article by Katina Curtis, Shane Wright
The Age – Page: Online : 6-Aug-21

The federal government’s $660 million commuter car park grants program has come under severe criticism from the Auditor-General. Only three of the 47 car parks promised in early 2019 have been built, and the Auditor-General has found that there was no criteria for assessing the merit of projects and that 77 per cent of those that were initially funded were in marginal Coalition seats. The Auditor-General has claimed that a list of "top 20 marginal seats" was used as the basis for deciding which projects to finance. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has refused to say if he saw such a list.

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AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE AUDITOR-GENERAL, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Gutted Andrews demands more vaccines, says snap lockdowns new normal

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Original article by Paul Sakkal
The Age – Page: Online : 6-Aug-21

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has defended the state’s seven-day state-wide COVID-19 lockdown, which began at 8pm on 5 August and comes just nine days after the last one ended. Andrews contends that without swift action the state would have been looking at a much longer lockdown, given that the vaccination target of 80 per cent of the population is unlikely to be reached until late in 2021. Victoria has recorded eight new locally-acquired cases in the last 24 hours, although two were reported late in the day and will be included in the case numbers for 6 August. There are now 82 COVID-19 cases in Victoria. Meanwhile, the state government will request additional doses of the Pfizer vaccine from its federal counterpart.

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VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET

Strike threat to parcel deliveries

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 7 : 6-Aug-21

Workers at parcel delivery firms StarTrack and FedEx may take strike action over stalled negotiations regarding a new enterprise agreement. The Transport Workers’ Union will apply to the Fair Work Commission to hold a ballot of its members at the two companies. Amongst other things, the TWU wants any pay rise in the new enterprise agreements to be backdated to 2020, in order to compensate workers for agreeing to forgo wage increases due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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STARTRACK COMMUNICATIONS (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, FEDERAL EXPRESS (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, TRANSPORT WORKERS’ UNION, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION

Australian government pays PR firm to copy existing Covid data into daily email to media

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Original article by Christopher Knaus
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 4-Aug-21

The federal government has attracted renewed scrutiny over questionable spending policies following revelations of a contract with Cox Inall Communications. The public relations firm is being paid to copy the daily COVID-19 vaccination data on the Department of Health’s website and email it to media outlets. The data is sent in the same PDF format in which it is displayed on the department’s website. The department has declined to comment on the cost of the contract, details of which have yet to be published on the government’s AusTender website. The department has an in-house media and communications team.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HEALTH, COX INALL COMMUNICATIONS

Roy Morgan Business Confidence plunges by 11.1pts (-8.7%) to 117.2 after Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide placed in lockdowns

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 4-Aug-21

In July 2021, Roy Morgan Business Confidence plunged 11.1pts (-8.7%) to 117.2. Despite the fall, Business Confidence is 32.9pts (+39%) higher than a year ago (84.3), and it is 3.3pts above the long-term average of 113.9. Business Confidence has now averaged 123.6 during the first seven months of 2021, the best ever start to a year for the Index. The reading of 117.2 for July is also the highest level of Business Confidence in the mid-Winter month since July 2014 (119.1). Some 59.9% of businesses now expect ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next 12 months, and 52.3% say the next 12 months is a ‘good time to invest in growing the business’. The latest Roy Morgan Business Confidence results for July are based on 1,341 detailed interviews with a cross-section of Australian businesses from each State and Territory.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Inflation Expectations increase to 4.1% in July, highest for nearly 2 years since Oct 2019

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 4-Aug-21

In July 2021, Australians expected inflation of 4.1% annually over the next two years, up 0.1% and the highest Inflation Expectations since October 2019. Inflation Expectations are now up 0.9% points since the pandemic low of 3.2% in August 2020. Inflation Expectations are still 0.6% points below their long-term average of 4.7%, but are now 0.6% points higher than the 2020 monthly average of 3.5% and 0.7% points higher than in July 2020 (3.4%). A look at Inflation Expectations by occupation and employment category compared to a year ago shows increases across the board. Inflation Expectations for employed Australians increased by 0.8% points to 4.0% but still trail those of Australians who are not employed at 4.3%, an increase of 0.6% points from July 2020. Self-employed Australians now have the highest Inflation Expectations of any employment category at 4.4% in July, up 0.9% points since July 202; there has been a similar increase for Australians employed in private industry, with Inflation Expectations of 4.1% (up 0.9% points). However, those in the public service have a different view and their Inflation Expectations have only increased 0.3% points to 3.5%. On a State-based level Inflation Expectations are slightly higher than the national average and are now highest in Queensland and Tasmania at 4.2%.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence increases slightly to 101.8 as Melbourne & Adelaide lockdowns end

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 4-Aug-21

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence rose 1.1pts to 101.8 on July 31/August 1, after lockdowns in Melbourne and Adelaide ended and Australians were advised of vaccination targets to achieve to avoid future lockdowns. Consumer Confidence is well below the 2021 weekly average of 110.3; however, it remains 13.2 points higher than the same week a year ago (88.6). There were mixed fortunes for Consumer Confidence around the country, with increases in Melbourne and Adelaide, while there was a decline in Sydney after the lockdown was extended for another month. Now 26% (up 1ppt) of Australians say their families are ‘better off’ financially than this time last year, while 27% (unchanged) 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 15% (unchanged) 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 29% (up 2ppts) expect ‘bad times’. Meanwhile, 36% (up 2ppts) of Australians say now is a ‘good time to buy’ major household items, while 32% (down 3ppts) say now is a ‘bad time to buy’.

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

Berejiklian says too soon for road map out of lockdown

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Original article by Luke Cormack, Alexandra Smith
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: Online : 4-Aug-21

New South Wales has recorded 199 new locally-acquired COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, including at least 50 people who were active in the community while they were infectious. Premier Gladys Berejiklian says that although case numbers have plateaued in the last week, it is too soon to know if the current outbreak will worsen. She has also advised of a further delay in releasing a post-lockdown ‘road map’; it was first flagged on 7 July, and the state government had intended to release it on 28 July, the day on which the lockdown of Greater Sydney was extended by four weeks. Meanwhile, Berejiklian will now aim for six million people in NSW to be vaccinated by the end of August. Some 3.9 million doses have been administered to date.

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NEW SOUTH WALES. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET

Updated national Covid plan suggests 80% of Australians could be fully vaccinated by end of 2021

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Original article by Sarah Martin
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 4-Aug-21

The federal government released an updated version of its National COVID Vaccine Campaign Plan on 3 August. Amongst other things, it outlines plans to ramp up the vaccine rollout by operating drive-through vaccination clinics in most states and territories by mid-October. Retail vaccinations hubs are also slated to commence in October, along with workplace vaccination programs. The rollout could also potentially be extended to schools by early December. The revised plan also indicates that 70 per cent of the eligible population could be fully vaccinated by November, potentially rising to 80 per cent by December.

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