O75 Public Administration

SA COVID-19 lockdown: Marshall says public exercise ban will be first to go

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Original article by Andrew Hough, Matt Smith, Claire Bickers
The Advertiser – Page: Online : 20-Nov-20

South Australia recorded no new COVID-19 cases on 10 November, and the number of cases in the Parafield cluster has fallen to 22 after a close contact of a hotel security guard tested negative. However, health authorities are investigating 17 suspected cases that are linked to the cluster, while another 3,200 close and secondary contacts are in quarantine. Premier Steven Marshall has signalled that the unpopular ban on exercising in public places may be the first restriction to be eased, potentially before the six-day lockdown ends. There are 34 active COVID-19 cases across the state.

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SOUTH AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET

ABS October unemployment estimate counts 134,000 Australians working zero hours in October for economic reasons as employed

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Original article by Gary Morgan, Michele Levine, Julian McCrann
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 20-Nov-20

The ABS unemployment estimate for October 2020 claims 960,900 Australians were unemployed (7.0% of the workforce), up 0.1% points on September 2020. However, the ABS claim the participation rate has dropped from 66% in March to 65.8% in October. If the ABS participation rate was steady at 66% there would be an extra 60,000 people in the workforce now and a total of 1.03 million unemployed. In addition, within the ABS employment release for hours worked it notes that 133,800 Australians the ABS count as employed worked zero hours in October for economic reasons. If these non-workers are added the adjusted ABS unemployment estimate is 1.16 million – an unemployment rate of 8.4%. Combined with the ABS under-employment estimate of 1.43 million that would be 2.59 million Australians unemployed or under-employed in October – 18.8% of the Australian workforce. This ‘adjusted’ ABS estimate is significantly closer to Roy Morgan’s unemployment & under-employment estimate of 22.2% for October released two weeks ago.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS

New report into Consumers and COVID-19: from crisis to recovery examines the impact of COVID-19 on rental housing, mortgage providers, energy, telco, insurance, credit markets and more

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Original article by CPRC – Consumer Policy Research Centre
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 20-Nov-20

The Consumer Policy Research Centre (CPRC) has partnered with Roy Morgan Research to conduct monthly surveys measuring the financial impacts and consumer experiences of COVID-19 across essential and important services markets, including housing, energy, telecommunications, credit and insurance. The September Report has just been released which examines consumer concerns about financial wellbeing and dealing with household expenses such as telcos and those of essential services providers. The report explores how renters and mortgagors have been impacted and the steps they’ve taken to manage household expenses across a range of consumer sub-groups who have had to deal with very different impacts from COVID-19. Click through to view a detail report in granular detail on the impact of COVID-19 on Australians.

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CONSUMER POLICY RESEARCH CENTRE, ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Campbell apologises for Afghanistan war crimes

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Original article by Andrew Tillett
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 20-Nov-20

The Brereton report into war crimes by Australian Defence Force personnel in Afghanistan has recommended that 19 serving and former soldiers be referred for prosecution. Paul Brereton, the Assistant Inspector-General of the ADF, found that there is evidence that 25 special forces soldiers were involved in the murder of 39 prisoners and civilians between 2009 and 2013. He also concluded that the elite solders had attempted to cover up their crimes by planting weapons on the victims. Defence Force Chief Angus Campbell has responded to the report by abolishing the SAS squadron at the centre of the allegations; he has also announced a review of all honours and awards received by Australian soldiers in Afghanistan.

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AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE FORCE, SPECIAL AIR SERVICE REGIMENT

Labor bans all MPs from sexual relationships with their staff

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Original article by Latika Bourke
The Age – Page: Online : 12-Nov-20

The conduct of federal MPs has come under renewed scrutiny in the wake of an ABC report on the extramarital activities of cabinet ministers Christian Porter and Alan Tudge. Labor leader Anthony Albanese has announced that all of his party’s MPs will be prohibited from having intimate relations with members of their staff. The federal government’s so-called ‘bonk ban’ applies only to ministers rather than backbenchers. It was introduced by former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull following a series of indiscretions by Coalition MPs.

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AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

ALP cries JobTaker as wage subsidy gets over the line

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Original article by Rosie Lewis
The Australian – Page: 1 & 5 : 12-Nov-20

The Senate has voted 30-28 to pass the federal government’s JobMaker bill without any amendments, after One Nation and Centre Alliance agreed to back the legislation. One Nation had previously indicated that it would support an amendment proposed by Labor that was designed to prevent employers from sacking existing staff and hiring younger workers in order to qualify for the subsidy. One Nation has rejected suggestions that it made a ‘side deal’ with the government.

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ONE NATION PARTY, CENTRE ALLIANCE, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

March target to vaccinate five million

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Original article by Natasha Robinson
The Australian – Page: 5 : 12-Nov-20

Health Minister Greg Hunt says the federal government aims to begin distributing COVID-19 vaccines in March. The government has agreed to purchase 10 million doses of Pfizer’s vaccine, which would enable five million Australians to be inoculated. The Therapeutic Goods Administration has granted a provisional determination for both the Pfizer vaccine candidate and one being developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University. The TGA hopes to approve the vaccines for use in Australia in January.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HEALTH, PFIZER INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIA. THERAPEUTIC GOODS ADMINISTRATION, ASTRAZENECA PLC, OXFORD UNIVERSITY

Union roasting for Labor: you are out of step

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Original article by Greg Brown
The Australian – Page: 4 : 12-Nov-20

The fallout from Joel Fitzgibbon’s resignation from federal Labor’s frontbench over the party’s stance on climate change is continuing. Labor MP Mark Dreyfus has accused Fitzgibbon of being "out of step" with regional Australians on environmental policy; however, former ACTU president Jennie George contends that the only people who are out of step are Labor MPs who have failed to note the outcome of the 2019 election, which saw voters reject Labor’s climate policies. Peter Jordan of the construction union says Fitzgibbon has merely been trying to get Labor back in touch with its traditional supporter base.

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AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ACTU, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA

Victorian ALP (58.5%) streaks ahead of L-NP (41.5%). Premier Daniel Andrews approval jumps 12% to 71%

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 12-Nov-20

A Roy Morgan Snap SMS survey on Victorian voting intention shows that the ALP’s two-party support has jumped 7% to 58.5% following the end of the state’s coronavirus lockdown, with the L-NP on 41.5%. Primary support for the ALP is now at 45%, up 5% points from four weeks ago and well ahead of the L-NP on 34.5%, down 5.5% points. Support for the Greens is up slightly to 11% (up 2% points) while support for Other Parties is down 0.5% to 5.5%. The survey also found that 71% of Victorian electors approve of the way Premier Daniel Andrews is handling his job (up 12% since mid-October), while 29% disapprove (down 12%). This special Roy Morgan Snap SMS survey was conducted with a Victoria-wide cross-section of 818 electors aged 18+ on November 9 and 10.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF VICTORIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN GREENS

Flu fatalities nosedive thanks to adherence to anti-virus measures

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Original article by Imogen Reid
The Australian – Page: 9 : 9-Nov-20

Australian Medical Association president Omar Khorshid says coronavirus-induced international border closures is probably the main reason why the nation’s 2020 flu season was much less severe than usual. He adds that reduced social interaction, better hygiene and higher levels of vaccination also helped curb the spread of flu. Data from the Department of Health shows that Australia has recorded just 21,215 confirmed cases in the flu in 2020, compared with more than 300,000 in 2019. Likewise, just 36 deaths have been linked to flu, down from 943 during the 2019 flu season.

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AUSTRALIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION LIMITED