O75 Public Administration

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.

CORPORATES
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’.

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

IR reform will avoid project blowouts

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 2 : 10-Jun-21

The federal government has received support from the resources sector for its plans to put greenfield workplace agreements back on the industrial relations agenda. The Australian Resources & Energy Group says protected and unprotected industrial action have contributed to significant cost blowouts at number of major resources projects in recent years. Greenfield agreements would cover the entire construction phase of a project. Such agreements were included in the omnibus industrial relations bill that was rejected by the Senate earlier in 2021.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN RESOURCES AND ENERGY GROUP

Australia to discuss travel bubble with Singapore as leaders meet ahead of G7

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Original article by Paul Karp, Daniel Hurst
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 10-Jun-21

Prime Minister Scott Morrison will meet with his Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong on 10 June. A proposed quarantine-free travel bubble between the two nations will be on the agenda, although the two leaders are expected to make a commitment to implementing such an arrangement rather than agreeing to a firm start date. The issue of China is also likely to be on the agenda, including China’s growing military presence in the South China Sea and the increasing strategic competition between the US and China. Morrison will then attend the Group of Seven leaders’ summit in the UK, where he will have guest status.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, SINGAPORE. PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE, GROUP OF SEVEN (G-7)

Two states on high alert after infected case fled Melbourne lockdown

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Original article by Lydia Lynch
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 10-Jun-21

Health authorities in New South Wales and Queensland are trying to identify all close contacts of a Melbourne couple who travelled interstate on 1 June, three days after Victoria’s latest COVID-19 lockdown began. The 44-year-old woman subsequently tested positive on 8 June, although her partner has tested negative so far. The couple stopped in four towns in regional NSW before arriving in Queensland on 5 June; they visited family members on the Sunshine Coast on the following day. Queensland’s chief health officer Jeannette Young says the woman may have been infectious while travelling through NSW; she adds that it is too soon to consider whether parts of southeast Queensland should go into lockdown.

CORPORATES
QUEENSLAND HEALTH

ALP (51%) leads L-NP (49%) on a two-party preferred basis on the back of big lead in Victoria

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 10-Jun-21

During the Victorian lockdown in early June, support for the Federal ALP is 51% on a two-party preferred basis, up 0.5% points since March 2021 and ahead of the L-NP on 49% (down 0.5% points) despite a relatively well received Federal Budget delivered in May, according to the latest Morgan Poll on Federal voting intention. Primary support for the L-NP is at 40% (down 1% point) compared to the ALP on 35.5% (up 1% point). Greens support has dropped by 1% point to 11.5% while support for One Nation is up 0.5% points to 3% and support for Independents/Others is up 0.5% points to 10%. Voting analysis by State shows the ALP’s national lead is built upon a strong two-party preferred result in Victoria, with the ALP 53.5% cf. L-NP 46.5% in the State enduring its fourth lockdown – although set to end this Friday after two weeks. The Roy Morgan Government Confidence Rating is down 5pts from March 2021 to 113 and now at its lowest since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Now 48.5% (down 3% points) of Australians say the country is ‘heading in the right direction’, while more than a third, 35.5% (up 2% points) say the country is ‘heading in the wrong direction’.

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MORGAN POLL, ROY MORGAN LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Labor, unions to fight Morrison on IR push

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 2 : 9-Jun-21

The Australian Workers’ Union will oppose any renewed attempt by the federal government to introduce greenfield workplace agreements. Such agreements were included in the omnibus industrial relations bill that was rejected by the Senate earlier in 2021. AWU national secretary Daniel Walton contends that major projects have been approved without greenfield agreements being in place, and the government’s proposal would merely put downward pressure on wages. Shadow industrial relations minister Tony Burke has also accused the government of pushing for wage growth restraint.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION-FEDERATION OF INDUSTRIAL, MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING EMPLOYEES, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Movement in the Melbourne CBD plunges to below 20% of pre-COVID averages as the city experiences a fourth lockdown

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 9-Jun-21

Special analysis of movement data in Australia’s Capital City CBDs since the COVID-19 pandemic began shows a plunge in movement in the Melbourne CBD in late May after the city entered a fourth lockdown on May 28. The average 7-day movement level in the Melbourne CBD was at only 19% of pre-COVID-19 averages at the end of May, around half the movement level in the Sydney CBD (38%). This is the first time average 7-day movement levels in the Melbourne CBD have plunged below 20% since the short five-day ‘circuit-breaker’ lockdown in Victoria from February 13-17. Movement levels have declined in other Capital City CBDs during May, despite no significant outbreaks or lockdowns in other cities since a three-day lockdown in Greater Perth in late April. Looking around Australia the Adelaide CBD is again the stand-out with movement levels sitting at 65% of pre-COVID averages in late May, ahead of the Perth CBD (59%). Movement levels in the Brisbane CBD (52%) and Hobart CBD (49%) are at around half of their pre-COVID-19 averages. 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

Melbourne lockdown set to end, but travel restricted

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Original article by Shannon Deery, Tom Minear, Mitch Clarke
Herald Sun – Page: 6 : 9-Jun-21

The COVID-19 lockdown in metropolitan Melbourne is expected to end as scheduled at 11:59pm on 10 June, although some restrictions will remain in place. The state government is finalising the details, but Melburnians will not be permitted to travel more than 25km from their homes, while cafes and restaurants will be limited to 50 customers at a time and outdoor public gatherings will be restricted to 10 people. Victoria has recorded two new locally-acquired COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, although both are linked to existing clusters; there are currently 92 active cases statewide.

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