O75 Public Administration

Victorian ALP Government support now 51.5% would win a close election with L-NP on 48.5%

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 18-Sep-20

Since the 2018 Victorian State Election Two-party ALP support has dropped 5.8% while L-NP support is up 5.8% according to a special Roy Morgan SMS survey on Victorian voting intention with a cross-section of 1,147 Victorian electors aged 18+ over the last few days. Clear splits have emerged by gender and region in Victoria with women favouring the ALP (57%) cf. L-NP (43%) and Melburnians favouring the ALP (53.5%) cf. L-NP (46.5%) while men favour the L-NP (53.5%) cf. ALP (46.5%) and Country Victorians favour the L-NP (55%) cf. ALP (45%).

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

Time to get back to work: PM

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Original article by Geoff Chambers
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 18-Sep-20

The federal government will introduce stricter mutual obligation rules for JobSeeker recipients as part of its push to get more people into the workforce. The unemployed will have to apply for up to eight jobs a month from 28 September; this had been reduced to just four jobs per month in August, compared with 20 prior to the coronavirus pandemic. However, mutual obligation requirements will remain suspended in Victoria for the time being. The government will also require JobSeeker recipients to accept any offer of ‘suitable work’, while the ‘work-for-the-dole’ program will resume.

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Roy Morgan Business Confidence down 1.2pts to 83.1 in August – Confidence lowest in Victoria (76.1) and Queensland (77.0)

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 8-Sep-20

In August 2020 Roy Morgan Business Confidence was down 1.2pts (-1.4%) to 83.1. Public Administration & Defence and Transport, Postal & Warehousing are the only industries with Business Confidence in positive territory above 100 over the last two months – Public Administration & Defence (123.4) and Transport, Postal & Warehousing (114.4). Industries with above average confidence included Property & Business Services (92.2), Education & Training (91.6), Wholesale (89.4), Agriculture (88.9), Manufacturing (87.1) and Construction (86.0). Industries with confidence below average included Community Services (73.8), Recreation & Personal (68.0), Retail (63.5), Mining (62.8) and Finance & Insurance (57.5).

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Australian exports to China fall 26pc, fastest drop among trade partners

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Original article by Glenda Korporaal
The Australian – Page: 20 : 8-Sep-20

Data from China’s General Administration of Customs suggests that the value of the nation’s imports of goods from Australia fell by 26.2 per cent year-on-year in August, to $US8.81bn. This follows a 7.2 per cent fall in July. Australia’s overall exports to China have fallen by 7.5 per cent to $US75.7bn over the year, according to the Chinese data. The Australian Bureau of Statistics has previously reported that the nation exported a record $150bn worth of goods to China in the year to 30 June. Australia’s relations with China have become increasingly strained in recent months.

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CHINA. GENERAL ADMINISTRATION OF CUSTOMS, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS

Australia’s jobless benefits will be among worst in OECD after Covid supplement cut

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Original article by Luke Henriques-Gomes
The Guardian – Page: Online : 8-Sep-20

The federal government will reduce the COVID-19 supplement by $300 a fortnight on 25 September. Analysis conducted by Professor Peter Whitford from the Australian National University contends a low-paid worker who has lost their job during the pandemic will receive the third lowest unemployment benefit in the OECD when the supplement is reduced. Whitford uses what is known as the ‘replacement rate’ in his analysis; it compares unemployment and housing benefits with the wage a person was earning in their last job.

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AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT

CSL signs deal to make two Covid vaccines

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Original article by Jared Lynch
The Australian – Page: 15 : 8-Sep-20

Biopharmaceutical giant CSL has secured a $1.7bn deal with the federal government to produce 80 million doses of two coronavirus vaccine candidates. This comprises 30 million doses of the vaccine that is being developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca, and 50 million doses of the vaccine that CSL is developing with the University of Queensland. Phase three clinical trials have commenced on the Oxford vaccine, while the home-grown vaccine is in phase one trials. The government will contribute $300m to the cost of upgrading CSL’s advanced manufacturing facility in Melbourne to produce the vaccines.

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CSL LIMITED – ASX CSL, OXFORD UNIVERSITY, ASTRAZENECA PLC

Low blow: Andrews’ Covid goal too hard

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Original article by Stephen Lunn, Jamie Walker
The Australian – Page: 1 & 5 : 8-Sep-20

World Health Organisation adviser Professor Dale Fisher has questioned the COVID-19 case number targets in the Victorian government’s ‘roadmap’ for easing lockdown restrictions. He says the trigger of having fewer than five new cases per day over two weeks before most of the restrictions are eased may be too low, and a higher daily target may be appropriate. Infectious diseases expert Peter Collignon says the state government has clearly adopted a strategy of elimination rather than suppression, even though it has not admitted this. Victoria recorded just 41 new coronavirus cases on 7 September, its lowest daily total in more than 10 weeks. The state’s death toll from COVID-19 rose by nine to 675, lifting the national toll to 762.

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WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION

Stimulus sparks 15pc surge in company profits

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Original article by Patrick Commins
The Australian – Page: 4 : 1-Sep-20

Government stimulus measures such as the JobKeeper wage subsidy scheme contributed to a sharp rise in gross operating profits in the corporate sector during the June quarter. Seasonally adjusted figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show that operating profits rose by 15 per cent overall. However, sectors whose sales have been hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic recorded much bigger growth in profits; these include hospitality (86 per cent higher than the March quarter), arts and recreation (up 84 per cent) and retailing (up 31 per cent). Economists had expected a six per cent fall in profits.

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AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS

Beijing’s bully diplomacy mushrooming

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Original article by Ben Packham
The Australian – Page: 2 : 1-Sep-20

The Australian Strategic Policy Institute has identified 152 examples of non-military coercion by the Chinese Communist Party in the last 10 years, of which 17 were directed at Australia. The ASPI found that state-issued threats were the most common form of coercion, with trade and tourism restrictions being the second most common. The ASPI notes that the federal government’s call in April for an investigation into the origins and handling of COVID-19 was the ‘trigger’ for a number of coercive actions by the CCP, including a state-based threat of economic retaliation by Chinese ambassador Cheng Jingye, and trade restrictions on barley and beef.

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AUSTRALIAN STRATEGIC POLICY INSTITUTE LIMITED, COMMUNIST PARTY (CHINA)

Claimants face tough hurdles in virus class action

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Original article by Ronald Mizen
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 1-Sep-20

Law firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan is leading a class action against the Victorian government on behalf of businesses that have been affected by the state’s new coronavirus lockdown. The lawsuit will allege that the government was negligent in its handling of the hotel quarantine program. Evidence from the inquiry into the botched program will be crucial in the class action, as will the results of genomic sequencing to trace the initial source of the second wave of infections. However, prominent lawyer Julian Burnside warns that establishing causation may be difficult.

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QUINN EMANUEL URQUHART AND SULLIVAN LP