O75 Public Administration

Morrison blames international supply issues for slow Covid vaccine rollout

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Original article by Paul Karp
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 7-Apr-21

About 855,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered nationally since the federal government’s rollout began in late February. Prime Minister Scott Morrison says the rollout has fallen well behind schedule because the government has not received 3.1 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from Europe. It had contracted to buy 3.5 million doses from Europe in total, and a government source doubts that the remaining 400,000 doses will be delivered. Meanwhile, some 2.5 million doses that have been produced by CSL in Melbourne have yet to be distributed; Morrison says they must first undergo batch testing to ensure that they are safe.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, ASTRAZENECA PLC, CSL LIMITED – ASX CSL

NZ bubble sparks rush on holidays

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Original article by Robyn Ironside, Rosie Lewis
The Australian – Page: 1 & 5 : 7-Apr-21

Tourism operators and airlines have reported a surge in bookings following official confirmation that Australians will be able travel to New Zealand without quarantining from 19 April. The tourism industry has described the trans-Tasman travel bubble as a ‘game changer’, while Australian Federation of Travel Agents chair Tom Manwaring has urged the governments of both nations to ensure that the travel corridor remains open. NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern cautions that any new COVID-19 outbreaks could result in flights being suspended or travellers being required to quarantine.

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THE AUSTRALIAN FEDERATION OF TRAVEL AGENTS LIMITED, NEW ZEALAND. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

ANZ-Roy Morgan New Zealand Consumer Confidence down by 2.3pts to 110.8 in March

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 6-Apr-21

ANZ-Roy Morgan New Zealand Consumer Confidence fell 2.3pts to 110.8 in March, stopping slightly short of its historical average of 120. Consumers’ perceptions of their current financial situation rose 5 points to +3%, while a net 30% of consumers expect to be better off financially this time next year, up 3 points. Meanwhile, a net 14% of consumers think it is a good time to buy a major household item, down 6 points. Perceptions regarding the next year’s economic outlook fell 9 points to -7%; the five-year outlook fell 5 points to +15%. CPI inflation expectations eased 0.6%pts to 4.0%, still quite a high read but a significant step towards more normal levels than have been seen in recent months.

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

AFP investigating politician’s office over questionable travel claims

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Original article by Josh Butler
The New Daily – Page: Online : 6-Apr-21

It has been revealed in an Auditor-General’s report that the office of a federal politician is the subject of an Australian Federal Police investigation over potential misuse of travel allowance claims. The information regarding the investigation was contained in a report by the Auditor-General into the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority, with the report noting the IPEA uses a debt collector to recoup money from MPs and their staff who have claimed expenses and purchases that they should not have done. As of February, the IPEA had not received any information from the AFP regarding the outcome of its investigation.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE AUDITOR-GENERAL, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, AUSTRALIA. INDEPENDENT PARLIAMENTARY EXPENSES AUTHORITY

IMF spurs debate on JobKeeper extension

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Original article by Steve Jackson
The Australian – Page: 4 : 6-Apr-21

The International Monetary Fund’s latest economic outlook report highlights the role that job-retention schemes have played in supporting nations’ economies during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Washington DC-based agency has also cautioned against winding back such measures too soon. Grattan Institute CEO Danielle Wood contends that the federal government’s fiscal capacity is sufficient to have maintained the JobKeeper wage subsidy scheme, which ended on 28 March. She notes that some sectors are still struggling in the wake of the pandemic.

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INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND, GRATTAN INSTITUTE

ALP’s return to olden days of IR

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Weekend Australian – Page: 7 : 3-Apr-21

Master Builders Australia CEO Denita Wawn says Labor’s proposed industrial relations policy would "seriously undermine" the nation’s economic recovery. Amongst other things, Labor intends to abolish the Australian Building & Construction Commission and scrap the government’s building code if it wins the next federal election. Industrial Relations Minister Michaelia Cash notes that the ABCC has recovered more than $2.7m in wages and entitlements for some 4,200 employees since it was reinstated in 2016, while it has secured $12.7m in penalties for breaches of workplace laws.

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AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, MASTER BUILDERS AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EDUCATION, SKILLS AND EMPLOYMENT

AstraZeneca vaccine program unlikely to be shelved – Clot risk not high enough

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Original article by Tamsin Rose, Kieran Rooney
Herald Sun – Page: 11 : 6-Apr-21

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation will meet on 7 April to discuss the future rollout of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine. A 44-year-old Melbourne man was recently admitted to hospital with a rare blood clotting condition after receiving the vaccine. Acting Chief Medical Officer Michael Kidd says it is "likely" that the case is linked to the vaccine, but he adds that there is no evidence to suggest that the risk is sufficiently high to halt the rollout. Kidd stresses that the vaccination program is necessary as Australia will remain vulnerable to future outbreaks, particularly as its international borders re-open.

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AUSTRALIAN TECHNICAL ADVISORY GROUP ON IMMUNISATION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HEALTH, ASTRAZENECA PLC

Breaking silence on ATO

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Original article by Robert Gottliebsen
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 20 : 1-Apr-21

Businessman John Dahlsen has revealed the onerous demands that the Australian Taxation Office makes on the nation’s 500 largest private companies. The owner of Victoria-based building materials supplier Dahlsens estimates that complying with the ATO’s request for information about its operations would require the company to submit about 1,000 pages of documentation. The ATO also wants this information to be provided within 27 working days. Dahlsen says the ATO’s implied threat that it will subject companies to audits if they fail to supply all requested information is an abuse of power and process.

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AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, DAHLSENS BUILDING CENTRES

Gig workers, truckie safety, industrial deaths on Labor’s agenda

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 4 : 1-Apr-21

Delegates at Labor’s two-day national conference have backed key measures in the party’s industrial relations platform, including minimum entitlements for workers in the gig economy and the introduction of national industrial manslaughter laws. Labor will also abolish the Australian Building & Construction Commission and the Registered Organisations Commission if it wins the next federal election, and scrap the government’s building code and union demerge laws.

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AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. REGISTERED ORGANISATIONS COMMISSION

Bluesfest cancelled, restrictions for Byron Bay after man tests positive

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Original article by Mary Ward, Sarah McPhee
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: Online : 1-Apr-21

New South Wales has recorded its first locally-acquired COVID-19 case in 14 days, after a Byron Bay resident tested positive. The man had attended the same venue that hosted a bachelorette party which has been linked to one of the Brisbane clusters. The NSW government has responded by cancelling Byron Bay’s popular Bluesfest music festival and reimposing coronavirus restrictions across four shires in the region. Bluesfest organisers had hoped to attract over 16,000 music fans on each day of the event, which had also been cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic.

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