O75 Public Administration

NBN Co staff on salaries of $200,000 or more received average bonus of almost $50,000

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Original article by Josh Taylor
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 27-May-21

The issue of bonus payments for employees of government business enterprises is under renewed scrutiny following the release of data on the bonuses received by employees of NBN Co. A total of 3,819 employees shared the $77.5m worth of cash bonuses that NBN Co paid in 2020. Some 2,865 employees who earn between $100,000 and $200,000 received an average bonus of $13,000 each; in contrast, those on annual salaries of more than $200,000 received an average bonus of $49,743. Shadow communications minister Michelle Rowland says the ongoing problems with the national broadband network mean that the "excessive" bonuses are not justified.

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NBN CO LIMITED

ALP warms to $130bn tax cuts

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Original article by Geoff Chambers, Greg Brown, Patrick Commins
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 27-May-21

Labor is finalising the tax policy that it will take to the next election, and there are indications that it may support the federal government’s stage-three tax cuts. Labor’s caucus is divided over the issue of the tax cuts, which will benefit high-income earners in particular; however, there is growing support for the tax cuts among senior Labor MPs, who are concerned about a potential voter backlash at the next election over any changes to a tax package that has already been legislated. Labor is not expected to retain the government’s Low and Middle Income Tax Offset, which was intended to be temporary.

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AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Open door in Adelaide led to outbreak

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Original article by David Penberthy
The Australian – Page: 5 : 27-May-21

South Australian health authorities have concluded that aerosol transmission of COVID-19 in an Adelaide quarantine hotel is the most likely source of Melbourne’s new cluster. SA Health believes that the Melbourne man who was diagnosed with the virus several days after returning home may have contracted it when the doors of his hotel room and the adjacent room were opened within a short time of each other to receive deliveries, which may have resulted in the man being exposed to contaminated air. Procedures for delivering meals to people in hotel quarantine will be reviewed to minimise such risks in the future. Meanwhile, South Australia has closed its borders to residents of Greater Melbourne in response to the northern suburbs cluster.

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SOUTH AUSTRALIA. DEPT FOR HEALTH AND AGEING

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

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

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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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