O75 Public Administration

LNP hopefuls jostle to be next leader

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Original article by Charlie Peel
The Australian – Page: Online : 3-Nov-20

Queensland Liberal National Party leader Deb Frecklington announced her resignation on 2 November, despite stating on the night of its big election loss on 31 October that she would be staying on as leader. Potential candidates for the position include current deputy Tim Mander, Dale Last and David Crisafulli, while Frecklington says she will remain MP for Nanango and is happy to serve on the LNP frontbench. Frecklington said she believed the COVID-19 pandemic had contributed to the LNP’s loss, while she said she will give her full support and loyalty to whoever is chosen as its new leader.

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LIBERAL-NATIONAL PARTY OF QUEENSLAND

No sense in Queensland’s Sydney bar, say experts

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Original article by Mark Ludlow, Hannah Wootton
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 3-Nov-20

Queensland will open its borders to all of regional New South Wales on 3 November, but its borders remain closed to people from Sydney. Prime Minister Scott Morrison and the national cabinet are aiming to have all state borders open by Christmas, and ABC health expert Dr Norman Swan says there is no justification for state borders to remain closed while national numbers of COVID-19 cases are so low. Meanwhile, federal Agriculture Minister David Littleproud accused Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk of playing on the fears of older Queenslanders in an attempt to win votes.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF AGRICULTURE, WATER AND THE ENVIRONMENT, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, QUEENSLAND. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET

Holgate resigns over Cartier row

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Original article by Jared Lynch
The Australian – Page: 3 : 3-Nov-20

Outgoing Virgin Australia CEO Paul Scurrah is being tipped as a possible replacement for Christine Holgate, after Holgate resigned as Australia Post CEO with immediate effect on 2 November. Holgate’s resignation followed ongoing controversy after she recently told a Senate estimates committee that she had spent almost $20,000 on Cartier watches to reward four Australia Post executives who had secured a $66 million per annum deal with three of the big four banks in 2018. Holgate said she "deeply regretted" the purchase of the watches, conceding that for many that it did not "pass the pub test". Scurrah was on the Australia Post board for almost two years from July 2017, and will step down from Virgin when its sale to Bain Capital is completed at the end of November.

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VIRGIN AUSTRALIA HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX VAH, AUSTRALIA POST, BAIN CAPITAL LLC

70% of working Australians’ employment impacted by COVID-19 – second lockdown hits Victoria hard

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 3-Nov-20

Seventy per cent of working Australians have now had ‘a change to their employment’ because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new research by Roy Morgan. Such changes include working from home, having their work hours reduced, or being made redundant. This is based on research conducted during September, and compares to a finding of 67 per cent in July. The biggest impact in September was found in Victoria, where 79 per cent of working Victorians reported that they had had a change to their employment, 10 per cent more than any other state; Victoria was going through its second lockdown at the time.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Australia Post paralysed

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Original article by Robert Gottliebsen
The Australian – Page: Online : 2-Nov-20

Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s actions against Australia Post CEO Christine Holgate have led to paralysis within its senior management at a time of year when it is at its most busiest. It is probably in the best interest of those retailers who are relying on Australia Post to fulfill orders at a time when they are trying to recover from the pandemic that Holgate step down from her job. This would enable the Australia Post board to put together a group of existing executives to activate the systems that Holgate has trained them in so as to fulfil those retail orders. Meanwhile, Morrison’s investigation into Australia Post should focus on its board, which represents its biggest weakness.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA POST

Big swing to the ALP in Queensland in the final two weeks secures re-election as One Nation support drops

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Original article by
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 2-Nov-20

The Queensland ALP Government was re-elected as a continuing swing to the ALP in the final two weeks increased ALP primary support 4.9% since the 2017 Election to 40.3%. LNP support was up 2% to 35.7%. The increases came at the expense of One Nation which dropped 6.7% to 7%. The ALP swing was cemented as Premier Palaszczuk announced on October 30 the Queensland border would re-open to regional NSW from November 3 but remain closed to Greater Sydney and Victoria. The Roy Morgan Poll conducted on October 12-15, 2020 predicted swings to the ALP and LNP and a swing away from One Nation and showed a majority of Queenslanders in favour of Premier Palaszczuk’s hard border policy with NSW. [Click to view full article here]

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AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ONE NATION PARTY, LIBERAL-NATIONAL PARTY OF QUEENSLAND, ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Crown role makes Coonan unfit to lead financial ombudsman: Labor

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Original article by John Kehoe
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 2-Nov-20

Opposition financial services spokesman Stephen Jones claims Helen Coonan’s role as chairman of the Australian Financial Complaints Authority is "untenable". Coonan is also the chairman of casino operator Crown Resorts, which is currently the subject of inquiry by the NSW Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority. Jones says Coonan should not be head of a body that determines whether financial entities have been acting with probity while at the same time trying to push off allegations that Crown’s casinos have been used for significant money laundering. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg says establishing the Authority is a "proud achievement" of the federal government, and that Coonan is a "widely respected" former MP.

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AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL COMPLAINTS AUTHORITY, CROWN RESORTS LIMITED – ASX CWN, NEW SOUTH WALES. INDEPENDENT LIQUOR AND GAMING AUTHORITY

Exodus from Australian cities as coronavirus pushes people to the regions

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Original article by Benedict Brook
News.com.au – Page: Online : 30-Oct-20

The pandemic is expected to see an increase in the trend of people moving away from the big cities, which could see a big fall in their populations. Nerida Conisbee from property website REA Group says people that have gone through lockdown are looking for somewhere to live with more space, while Griffith University urban planner Tony Matthews says that while previously people wanting to move away from capital cities were looking for somewhere with a train line, good broadband connection is now the most important piece of infrastructure. Research by Roy Morgan and Uber has found that no capital city CBD has returned to pre-COVID levels of movement, with Adelaide being the closest at 78 per cent.

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REA GROUP LIMITED – ASX REA, GRIFFITH UNIVERSITY, ROY MORGAN LIMITED, UBER AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Lack of climate action over 50 years will cost the economy $3.4tn and 880,000 jobs – report

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Original article by Adam Morton
The Guardian – Page: Online : 2-Nov-20

Deloitte Access Economics claims the Australian economy would receive a ‘hit’ comparable to COVID-19 every year by 2050 if the ‘climate crisis’ is not addressed. The consultancy firm contends the Australian economy will be six per cent smaller and there will be 880,000 less jobs if the crisis remains unchecked over the next 50 years, as well as there being $3.4 trillion in lost economic opportunities. Chris Richardson from Deloitte Access Economics says the experience of COVID-19 has shown the cost of ignoring "catastrophic risks".

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DELOITTE ACCESS ECONOMICS PTY LTD

‘Precious’: No new locally acquired cases in Australia

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Original article by Hannah Wootton
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 9 : 2-Nov-20

No new locally acquired COVID-19 cases were confirmed anywhere in Australia on 1 November, it being the first time in almost five months that this has happened. It has put pressure on the states to open their borders, with federal Health Minister Greg Hunt saying there was a good chance that interstate families could be reunited before Christmas. With England to shut down for four weeks from 5 November because of surging infections and France having shut down on 30 October, Victorians were reminded by Chief Health Officer Professor Brett Sutton to remain vigilant.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HEALTH