O75 Public Administration

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.

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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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New Victorian hotel quarantine failure

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Original article by Mitch Clarke
Herald Sun – Page: 5 : 9-Jun-21

Genomic sequencing has confirmed that the outbreak of the Delta variant of COVID-19 in west Melbourne has been traced to a returned traveller who arrived from Sri Lanka on 8 May and tested positive for the virus on the same day. The man in his 40s was released from hotel quarantine on 23 May, and health authorities are trying to determine how the virus was passed on the west Melbourne family of four who subsequently holidayed in New South Wales. Acting Premier James Merlino says the latest breach of the state’s hotel quarantine program will not affect the schedule for ending Melbourne’s lockdown. There have now been eight hotel quarantine leaks in Victoria since the pandemic began.

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VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence drops 0.7pts to 110.7 after Melbourne’s lockdown is extended into a second week

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

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence fell 0.7pts to 110.7 on June 5/6,after Melbourne’s lockdown was extended into a second week. Consumer Confidence is now just below the 2021 weekly average of 111.3, but it is 13.7pts higher than the same week a year ago (97.0). Now 29% (down 2ppts) of Australians say their families are ‘better off’ financially than this time last year, while 26% (unchanged) say their families are ‘worse off’ financially. In addition, 40% (unchanged) of Australians expect their family to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year, and 14% (down 2ppts) expect to be ‘worse off’ financially. Some 20% (unchanged) of Australians expect ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next 12 months, while 18% (up 3ppts) expect ‘bad times’. Meanwhile, 41% (down 1ppt) of Australians say now is a ‘good time to buy’ major household items, while 25% (up 1ppt) say now is a ‘bad time to buy’.

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

PM calls for back-up over China

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 2 : 9-Jun-21

Prime Minister Scott Morrison will use a Perth USAsia Centre speech on 9 June to call for an overhaul of the World Trade Organisation amid the growing trade tensions with China. Amongst other things, he will urge the reinstatement of the WTO’s binding dispute settlement system, arguing that it is the most practical way to address "economic coercion". Morrison will shortly attend the Group of Seven leaders’ summit in the UK.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION, GROUP OF SEVEN (G-7)

Tech giants targeted by historic G7 deal

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Original article by David Milliken, Kate Holten
The Australian Financial Review – Page: Online : 7-Jun-21

The Group of Seven finance ministers have committed to a deal that would see a minimum global corporate tax rate of at least 15 per cent. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said it would mean an end to what she referred to as a "race to the bottom on global taxation", while Facebook has stated that it expects to pay more tax in more countries as a result of the deal. German finance minister Olaf Scholz claimed the deal was "bad news for tax havens around the world", but Irish finance minister Paschal Donohoe said any global deal needs to take small nations into account; Ireland has a corporate tax rate of just 12.5 per cent.

CORPORATES
GROUP OF SEVEN (G-7), UNITED STATES. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Bosses and unions unite to urge senator’s vote against seriously flawed super reform bill

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Original article by Patrick Commins
The Australian – Page: 7 : 7-Jun-21

The ACTU and the Australian Industry Group have joined forces to call for the ‘Your Super, Your Future’ legislation to be rejected by the Senate. They contend that the bill still has some major flaws; it recently passed the lower house following the removal of provisions which allow the federal government to veto investments made by superannuation funds that are not deemed to be in members’ best interests. Amongst other things, the ACTU and the Ai Group are concerned that the bill will result in people being stuck in underperforming super funds.

CORPORATES
ACTU, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP

Trump calls for $13 trillion in Covid reparations from China

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Original article by Alex Leary
The Australian – Page: 9 : 7-Jun-21

Former US president Donald Trump has used a campaign-style speech in North Carolina to argue that China should pay reparations of $US10 trillion ($12.9 trillion) for the global damage caused by COVID-19. He said the US and the world must demand reparations and accountability from the Communist Party of China for the pandemic, which is estimated to have killed more than 3.7 million people to date. Trump’s comments were made in the wake of growing speculation that the virus leaked from a Chinese lab. Trump also called for the US to impose a tariff of 100 per cent tariff on all Chinese-made goods.

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COMMUNIST PARTY (CHINA)

World facing a long-term Covid aftermath

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Original article by Max Maddison
The Australian – Page: 4 : 7-Jun-21

Research undertaken at Murdoch University’s Australian National Phenome Centre has added to the growing body of evidence that so-called ‘long-Covid’ may have more serious health consequences than COVID-19 itself. The research shows that people who have a strong immune response to the virus trigger a biochemical reaction that can result in long-term health problems, including heart disease and liver dysfunction. One of the researchers, Jeremy Nicholson, is still experiencing side-effects some 14 months after contracting COVID-19; he also developed type-2 diabetes after recovering from the virus.

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MURDOCH UNIVERSITY