O75 Public Administration

Joyce’s backers query childcare funds boost

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Original article by Tom McIlroy
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 23-Jun-21

A combined meeting of Liberal and National MPs on 22 June is believed to have seen heated debate on the federal government’s proposed $1.7 billion funding boost for childcare services. National MPs George Christensen and Matt Canavan are said to have argued for bigger tax breaks and welfare payments for families, claiming this would encourage stay-at-home parenting; both Christensen and Joyce backed Barnaby Joyce in his leadership challenge against ousted leader Michael McCormack on 21 June. Christensen is said to have told the meeting that the package amounts to an "outsourcing" of parental responsibilities, while Liberal MPs Jane Hume and Katie Allen were among those to speak in favour of the funding boost.

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LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

School in fear as outbreak grows

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Original article by Kieran Gair, Lydia Lynch
The Australian – Page: 5 : 23-Jun-21

NSW reported 10 new local COVID-19 cases on 22 June, while the Bondi cluster has risen to 21. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said a student at a Waverley primary school was the one mystery infection among the new cases, while she announced that mask rules will be extended until 30 June. Victoria has banned people from seven Sydney local government areas from entering the state as from 1am on 23 June, while the trans-Tasman bubble between NSW and New Zealand has been paused for 72 hours. Queensland recorded one new local COVID-19 case, while it will open its border to people from Melbourne from 1am on 25 June.

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ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence up 1.4pts to 112.4 after Melbourne’s restrictions ease further

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: 3 : 23-Jun-21

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence rose 1.4pts to 112.4 on June 19/20, as Melbourne’s lockdown restrictions eased further. This week’s small increase was driven by more Australians saying they are ‘better off’ financially than this time a year ago and more Australians expecting ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next 12 months. Consumer Confidence is now above the 2021 weekly average of 111.3 and is 14.9pts higher than the same week a year ago. Looking at future conditions, over a fifth of Australians, 22% (up 1ppt), are expecting ‘good times’ for the economy over the next five years compared to only 13% (up 1ppt) expecting ‘bad times’. A decreasing plurality of Australians, 42% (down 3ppts), say now is a ‘good time to buy’ major household items while 24% (down 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

Vic Liberal leadership rumblings resurface as Coalition closes gap on Labor

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Original article by Annika Smethurst, Paul Sakkal, Michael Fowler
The Age – Page: Online : 17-Jun-21

Victoria’s Opposition Leader Michael O’Brien survived a leadership spill in March, but there is believed to be a renewed push to oust him. Sources have indicated that state and federal Liberal Party MPs had discussed seeking a leadership spill on 22 June, but there had been insufficient numbers to move against O’Brien. The Victorian Liberals’ partyroom is said to be divided, with some MPs supporting either O’Brien or former party leader Matthew Guy, while others do not support either of them. A number of Victorian federal MPs are also pushing for Guy to replace O’Brien ahead of the state election in 2022.

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LIBERAL PARTY OF VICTORIA, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Less than $20m for lockdown payments

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Original article by Patrick Commins
The Australian – Page: 5 : 17-Jun-21

Data from Services Australia shows that 42,784 in Victoria received the federal government’s Temporary COVID Disaster Payment during the second week of the state’s latest lockdown. The temporary scheme, which provides a grant of up $500 for people who lose income due to a lockdown of at least seven days, has cost $19,684,000 since Melbourne entered the second week of the lockdown that ended on 10 June. This is significantly less than Treasurer Josh Frydenberg had forecast when the scheme was announced. Melbourne residents must submit applications for the grant by 2 July.

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AUSTRALIA. SERVICES AUSTRALIA

Unions demand detail of Australia’s free trade deal with UK citing concerns for workers

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Original article by Katharine Murphy
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 17-Jun-21

ACTU president Michele O’Neil has urged the federal government to begin consultations with the union movement regarding the details of its ‘in-principle’ free-trade agreement with the UK. She says both governments have been secretive throughout the negotiations, and the proposed trade deal has not be subject to independent, union or public scrutiny. O’Neil is concerned that labour market testing rules will be watered down; she notes that a fact sheet released by the UK government suggests that Australian companies will no longer be required to prioritise hiring local workers.

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ACTU

‘Victoria is a powder keg’: Experts fear virus still circulating as testing rate drops

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Original article by Melissa Cunningham
The Age – Page: Online : 17-Jun-21

Victoria has reported five new locally-acquired COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, although two had previously been disclosed and they are all linked to existing clusters. Meanwhile, infectious diseases experts believe that there are undetected cases of COVID-19 in the community and the risk of such transmission will increase as COVID-19 restrictions are eased. The state government has confirmed that some restrictions will be relaxed from 11.59pm on 17 June. Amongst other things, Melburnians will be permitted to visit regional areas and face masks will no longer be compulsory outdoors unless social distancing is not possible.

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Australia’s minimum wage rises 2.5% but increase delayed for pandemic-hit industries

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Original article by Sarah Martin
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 17-Jun-21

The Fair Work Commission has rejected the ACTU’s push for the minimum wage to be increased by 3.5 per cent, or $26.38 per week. The nation’s lowest-paid workers will instead receive an extra $18.80 a week, lifting the minimum wage to $20.33 an hour or $772.60 a week. The minimum wage rose by 1.75 per cent ($13 a week) in 2020, and FWC president Iain Ross says the larger increase in 2021 is warranted given the economic rebound. The above-inflation wage rise will generally take effect on 1 July, but the FWC has again delayed the increase for workers in sectors that have been hard-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. The wage rise will be delayed until September for employees covered by the general retail award and November for workers in sectors such as aviation and tourism.

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AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, ACTU

Two Covid cases in Sydney, as authorities investigate possible hotel leak

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Original article by Mary Ward, Pallavi Singhal
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: Online : 17-Jun-21

New South Wales has recorded two locally-transmitted COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, ending a 40-day run with no cases outside of hotel quarantine. A man in his 60s has tested positive, as has a close contact who lives with him. The man works as a driver, and his passengers have included international flight crew. Health authorities are undertaking genomic sequencing and contact-tracing to determine the source of the infection, and have identified a number of exposure sites in Sydney’s east. NSW Health is also seeking to determine how a returned traveller in hotel quarantine contracted the Alpha strain; the person was on the same flight from Doha as a couple who stayed in the adjacent hotel room and subsequently were diagnosed with this strain.

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NEW SOUTH WALES. MINISTRY OF HEALTH

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence up 0.3pts to 111.0 after Melbourne’s two-week lockdown ends but restrictions remain

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 17-Jun-21

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence rose 0.3pts to 111.0 on June 12/13, after Melbourne’s two-week lockdown ended, although restrictions remain including a 25km travel limit. Consumer Confidence is just below the 2021 weekly average of 111.3, but it is 13.5pts higher than the same week a year ago (97.5). Now 27% (down 2ppts) of Australians say their families are ‘better off’ financially than this time last year, while 28% (up 2ppts) say their families are ‘worse off’ financially. In addition, 39% (down 1ppt) of Australians expect their family to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year, and 15% (up 1ppt) expect to be ‘worse off’ financially. Some 18% (down 2ppts) of Australians expect ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next 12 months, while 15% (down 3ppts) expect ‘bad times’. Meanwhile, 45% (up 4ppts) of Australians say now is a ‘good time to buy’ major household items, while 25% (unchanged) say now is a ‘bad time to buy’.

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