O75 Public Administration

Melbourne council backs injecting room

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Original article by John Masanauskas, Wes Hosking
Herald Sun – Page: 4 : 26-May-21

The Melbourne City Council has passed a motion in support of establishing a safe injecting room in the CBD. Four councillors voted against the motion; they include Roshena Campbell, who said that locating the facility near a prime tourism precinct is "nothing short of insanity". Greens councillor Olivia Ball said there is no evidence to suggest that the existing safe injecting room in North Richmond has adversely impacted local amenity. The Police Association has expressed concern that a safe injecting room would lead to an increase in crime and drug use in the CBD.

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MELBOURNE CITY COUNCIL, THE POLICE ASSOCIATION OF VICTORIA

NAB faces legal hit over pay shortfall

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Original article by Richard Gluyas
The Australian – Page: 13 & 19 : 26-May-21

National Australia Bank included a pre-tax provision of $128m for wage underpayments in its financial accounts for the second half of 2020. NAB’s remediation program has resulted in current and former part-time employees receiving a combined $55m in compensation to date. However, the Finance Sector Union believes that NAB’s wages underpayment bill may be much higher, given that many of the affected employees work full-time. The union is preparing to take Federal Court action on behalf of NAB’s full-time workers.

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NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, FINANCE SECTOR UNION, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

Wave of sex crime cases hits federal politics

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Original article by Rosie Lewis, Geoff Chambers
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 26-May-21

The Australian Federal Police has received 40 reports of sexual and other misconduct involving federal MPs and their staffers in the wake of Brittany Higgins’ rape allegation. AFP commissioner Reece Kershaw has told a Senate estimates hearing that this includes 19 allegations of sex crimes. The AFP has referred 15 cases to state and territory police for assessment, while the AFP is still investigating one complaint. Kershaw has also advised that the Australian Capital Territory’s Director of Public Prosecutions is expected to receive a brief of evidence in relation to Higgins’ case within weeks.

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AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE

Record $36b exports lift goods trade surplus

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Original article by Ronald Mizen
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 26-May-21

The ongoing trade tensions with China have not significantly affected Australia’s export trade. New figures show that the nation’s international goods trade surplus topped $10bn in April, after the total value of exports rose by $13m month-on-month to a record $36bn. Iron ore exports rose by one per cent overall, but the value of shipments to China increased by $234m to a record high of $10.5bn. There was also strong growth in export volumes for commodities such as coal and petroleum. Meanwhile, the total value of imports fell by seven per cent to $25.8bn.

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ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence increases to 114.2 and now at its highest since Sep. 2019 – pre-pandemic

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 26-May-21

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence rose 1.7pts to 114.2 on May 22/23. Consumer Confidence is now 3pts above the 2021 weekly average of 111.3, and it is 21.5pts higher than the same week a year ago (92.7). Now 31% (up 3ppts) of Australians say their families are ‘better off’ financially than this time last year, while 23% (down 2ppts) say their families are ‘worse off’ financially (the lowest figure for this indicator since February 2020). In addition, 41% (up 4ppts) of Australians expect their family to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year, and 14% (unchanged) expect to be ‘worse off’ financially. Some 20% (unchanged) of Australians expect ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next 12 months, while 15% (up 1ppt) expect ‘bad times’. Meanwhile, 44% (down 1ppt) of Australians say now is a ‘good time to buy’ major household items, while 23% (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

Melbourne Covid cluster forces return to restrictions

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Original article by Rachel Baxendale, Angelica Snowden
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 26-May-21

The Victorian government has reimposed COVID-19 restrictions across Greater Melbourne in response to the growing northern suburbs outbreak. The restrictions – which include requiring face masks to be worn indoors and caps on public and private gatherings – will remain in place until 4 June. The cluster has increased to nine cases after five people were diagnosed with the Indian variant on 25 May. Genomic sequencing has confirmed that the cluster is linked to a man who tested positive after returning to Melbourne following hotel quarantine in Adelaide. More than 20 exposure sites have been identified, including the MCG, while New Zealand has temporarily suspended quarantine-free travel to Victoria.

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Threat of major cyber attack on critical infrastructure real, national security boss warns

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Original article by Nour Haydar
abc.net au – Page: Online : 25-May-21

Home Affairs Department secretary Mike Pezzullo says he is deeply concerned about the threat that cyber attacks pose to Australia’s critical infrastructure. His comments to Senate estimates were made as the federal government is planning new legislation aimed at better protecting the nation’s critical infrastructure, while Prime Minister Scott Morrison has recently urged Australian organisations to protect themselves against cyber attacks. Pezzullo used his appearance before Senate estimates to defend a speech in which he warned the "drums of war" were beating.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HOME AFFAIRS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

‘Defies belief’: Brittany Higgins slams lack of action on Parliament complaints process

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Original article by Marion Rae
The New Daily – Page: Online : 25-May-21

The Australian Federal Police is continuing its investigation into the alleged rape of Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins in a ministerial office in March 2019. However, despite it being over two years since the alleged rape took place, there is still no action on a process to help Parliament House staff to respond to serious incidents. Higgins has tweeted that it "defies belief" that no changes have been made to security within Parliament House, while Prime Minister Scott Morrison says an independent complaints process will be put in place before the end of 2021.

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AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Thousands told to get tested, isolate after four new cases in Victoria

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Original article by Mitch Clarke, Kieran Rooney
Herald Sun – Page: Online : 25-May-21

Victoria’s run of 86 consecutive days with no locally-acquired COVID-19 cases has ended after four people in Melbourne’s northern suburbs tested positive. They are all said to be close relatives who live in several households. Genomic sequencing is being undertaken to determine if the cases are linked to a man who tested positive after returning to Melbourne following hotel quarantine in Adelaide. A Woolworths store in Epping North that the man had visited while infectious is among the exposure sites that have been identified in the current outbreak. People who have visited the store and other exposure sites will be required to self-isolate and get tested for COVID-19. Meanwhile, eight new COVID-19 cases have been reported in hotel quarantine nationwide in the last 24 hours.

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New Roy Morgan Cross-Platform Audience results show strong results for leading newspapers and magazines

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

The latest Roy Morgan Cross-Platform Audience results for the year to March 2021 show an estimated 19.9 million (94.4%) Australians aged 14+ read or accessed newspapers or newspaper content in some way – print editions, online via website, app or news platforms (including metropolitan, local and regional titles) in an average four weeks. The total cross-platform audiences for newspaper mastheads in the 12 months to March 2021 includes an estimated 16.8 million (79.4%) reading or accessing metropolitan titles. In addition some 15.6 million (72.8%) Australians aged 14+ read or accessed a magazine or magazine content. The standout newspaper mastheads are Nine Entertainment owned Sydney Morning Herald with a cross-platform audience of over 8.5 million ahead of its Melbourne stablemate The Age with a cross-platform audience of 6 million. News Corp’s national broadsheet The Australian is in third place with a cross-platform audience of nearly 5.1 million just ahead of city-based stablemates The Daily Telegraph in Sydney on 4.9 million and Melbourne counterpart the Herald Sun with a cross-platform audience of well over 4.5 million.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS