O75 Public Administration

Queen played no role in Whitlam dismissal

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Original article by Paul McIntyre, Troy Bramston
The Australian – Page: 1 & 7 : 15-Jul-20

Labor maintains that Queen Elizabeth was involved in the dismissal of the Whitlam government, despite the release of correspondence between former governor-general Sir John Kerr and Buckingham Palace. The letters show that although Sir John kept the palace informed of the unfolding constitutional crisis in November 1975, the Queens was not told in advance that he intended to dismiss the government. Buckingham Palace has released a statement confirming this, and stating that the Queen respects the independence and primacy of the Australian Constitution.

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AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL

China issues upgraded travel warning for Australia

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Original article by Matthew Doran
The New Daily – Page: Online : 14-Jul-20

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has ramped up its travel warnings for Chinese citizens planning to travel to Australia. It claims that Australian law agencies have been "arbitrarily" searching Chinese travellers and seizing their property. The Ministry states that there have been increased levels of racial discrimination and violence in Australia, and the nation’s media has been inciting anti-China sentiment. The warning is a further sign of China’s increased hostility towards Australia.

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CHINA. MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Victoria coronavirus cases climb by 177 as Daniel Andrews warns lockdown will last as long as it needs to

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Original article by
abc.net.au – Page: Online : 14-Jul-20

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has not ruled out reinstating stage-four coronavirus lockdown restrictions if necessary. He has stressed that people should comply with the lockdown rules if they want the current restrictions to be lifted. Victoria recorded 177 new coronavirus cases on 13 July; a total of 72 people are being treated in hospital, with 17 in intensive care, and there are 1,612 active cases in the state. Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton has welcomed the fall in the number of new cases, but he cautions that the state’s second wave of infections may not have peaked.

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VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, VICTORIA. DEPT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

JobKeeper could send firms broke

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 14-Jul-20

The federal government will announce details of its revised JobKeeper wage subsidy scheme on 23 July, when it will also release an economic update. Council of Small Business Organisations Australia CEO Peter Strong says JobKeeper has enabled employers to retain staff. However, he warns that many businesses will need to think carefully about signing up for the revised scheme, as employees on JobKeeper are accruing entitlements such as annual leave that will have to be paid out if they are laid off. These will have to be paid from cash reserves if the company is not making a profit.

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COUNCIL OF SMALL BUSINESS ORGANISATIONS OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED

Crossroads cluster spreads

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 5 : 14-Jul-20

The New South Wales government has advised that 21 cases of COVID-19 are now linked to the Crossroads Hotel in the Sydney suburb of Casula. This comprises 10 people who were at the hotel and 11 of their close contacts. Health authorities have revealed that some hotel patrons who tested positive had visited other venues in Sydney, including The Star casino. The source of the Crossroads Hotel infection is not yet know, and NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant says the government will aim to determine whether it is linked to travellers from Melbourne. The hotel is widely used by truck drivers delivering freight from Victoria to NSW.

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NEW SOUTH WALES. MINISTRY OF HEALTH, CROSSROADS HOTEL

HomeBuilder package most effective stimulus in a decade

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Original article by Simon Benson, Mackenzie Scott
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 14-Jul-20

Nearly 40,000 people are believed to have registered for the federal government’s HomeBuilder grants since the scheme was launched on 4 June. Data from the Housing Industry Association shows that sales of new homes increased by 77 per cent in June; however, chief economist Tim Reardon says the data for July and August will indicate whether the surge in June was a one-off. Assistant Treasurer Michael Sukkar says HomeBuilder is working as intended, by stimulating construction and renovation activity and generating work for tradespeople.

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HOUSING INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Aussie scientists fast-track human trials on Covid vaccine

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Original article by Jamie Walker
The Australian – Page: 5 : 13-Jul-20

The University of Queensland will commence a phase one clinical trial of a potential coronavirus vaccine on 13 July. Professor Paul Young, one of the lead researchers, says preclinical testing of the S-Spike vaccine showed that it is effective in neutralising the virus and is safe to administer to humans. More than 4,000 people volunteered to take part in the clinical trial, although the university had sought just 120. Project leader Trent Munro says a working vaccine could be available by September, although he notes that it may take longer to receive final approval and commence mass production.

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UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND

Fair Work flags reprieve on underpayment

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 13-Jul-20

Restaurants, cafes and horticulture are among the sectors that the Fair Work Ombudsman tends to focus upon regarding wage underpayments. However, the FWO notes that businesses in these sectors are likely to be under severe financial stress because of COVID-19. As a result, it is prepared to take no legal action against businesses in these circumstances as well as considering the reduction of ‘contrition payments’, provided that their non-compliance was not "egregious or deliberate". The FWO will make large companies its 2020-21 focus so far as underpayments are concerned.

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AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK OMBUDSMAN, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB

Labor demands coronavirus supports remain as figures show 13 jobseekers per vacancy

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Original article by Paul Karp
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 13-Jul-20

Prime Minister Scott Morrison claimed on 10 July that Labor was scaremongering over the future of the $70 billion JobKeeper program. He said he had made it clear that there would be a further stage of income support, and that it was "disgraceful" and "blatantly untrue" for Labor to claim the government was going to end the program in September. Federal Labor leader Anthony Albanese responded to Morrison’s comments on 12 July by stating that businesses still had no certainty about whether the program will continue, while Labor says figures that reveal there are 13 jobseekers per job vacancy show that the government must keep COVID-19 income support programs in place beyond September.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Covid strategy clarion call

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Original article by Greg Brown, Rachel Baxendale
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 13-Jul-20

Business Council of Australia CEO Jennifer Westacott says the nation cannot afford to maintain a ‘stop-start’ approach to re-opening the economy. She stresses that Australia needs to learn to live with the coronavirus, as it may be two years before a vaccine is available. Australian Industry Group CEO Innes Willox has expressed similar sentiments, arguing that the nation’s response to the pandemic must be "proportionate and logical", rather than "hysterical and irrational". Flight Centre CEO Graham Turner has called for a nationally consistent strategy in dealing with the pandemic.

CORPORATES
BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, FLIGHT CENTRE TRAVEL GROUP LIMITED – ASX FLT