O75 Public Administration

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

Australian unemployment drops to 9.5% in August – as lockdowns force contractions in key workforce estimates

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 7-Sep-21

The latest Roy Morgan employment series data shows that 1.36 million Australians were unemployed in August, down 60,000 on July, for an unemployment rate of 9.5%. Driving the fall was far fewer more people looking for full-time work (down 127,000 to 492,000) while there was an increase in people looking for part-time work (up 67,000 to 870,000). Some 1.18 million Australians (8.2% of the workforce) were under-employed – working part-time but looking for more work, a drop of 159,000 (down 0.9% points) from July. In total, 2.54 million Australians (17.7% of the workforce) were either unemployed or under-employed in August, a drop of 220,000 on July. The drop was driven by the contracting workforce during lockdowns as both unemployment and under-employment fell from a month ago. Meanwhile, employment was down by 157,000 to 13,041,000 in August, including 8,654,000 workers employed full-time, a drop of 111,000 from July. There was also a decrease in part-time employment, down by 46,000 to 4,387,000. Roy Morgan’s unemployment figure of 9.5% for August is nearly 5% points higher than the current ABS estimate for July 2021 of 4.6%.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS

NSW Covid hospital numbers surge 42 per cent in a week, but worst to come in October

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Original article by Lucy Carroll, Lucy Cormack, Mary Ward
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: Online : 2-Sep-21

New South Wales has recorded 1,116 new locally-acquired COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, while the state’s toll from the current outbreak has risen to 100 after another four deaths; none of them were vaccinated and they all had underlying health conditions. Some 917 people are in hospital with COVID-19 across NSW, including 150 in intensive care. The hospitalisation rate has surged in the last week, but Premier Gladys Berejiklian has warned that this is likely to peak in October. However, she has reiterated that lockdown restrictions will be eased when 70 per cent of the state’s eligible population is fully vaccinated; this target is expected to be reached in mid-October.

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NEW SOUTH WALES. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET

Angus Taylor and Keith Pitt asked by Senate inquiry chair to explain dealings with firm awarded Beetaloo gas grants

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Original article by Christopher Knaus
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 2-Sep-21

Two federal government ministers are under scrutiny over the decision to award $21m in grants for gas exploration in the Beetaloo Basin to Empire Energy, which has close links with the Liberal Party. It has been revealed that the company enquired about the eligibility criteria and application process for the grants some time before the guidelines for the program were released in March. Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young says Energy Minister Angus Taylor and Resources Minister Keith Pitt must disclose whether they had any communications with Empire Energy prior to this date.

CORPORATES
EMPIRE ENERGY GROUP LIMITED – ASX EEG, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF AGRICULTURE, WATER AND THE ENVIRONMENT, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, SCIENCE, ENERGY AND RESOURCES, AUSTRALIAN GREENS