O75 Public Administration

Push for national integrity commission to restart after Somyurek fall

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Original article by David Crowe
The Age – Page: Online : 17-Jun-20

Federal crossbench MPs say the branch-stacking scandal in Victoria has highlighted the need for a national anti-corruption commission. The federal government revealed plans to establish the Commonwealth Integrity Commission in 2018, although progress on the issue has since stalled amid claims that its powers would not be sufficient. Attorney-General Christian Porter has indicated that he will seek to resume negotiations with crossbenchers to establish the CIC.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT

Movement at Melbourne’s Botanic Gardens back to normal levels – led by Metrotechs

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 17-Jun-20

A special analysis of movement data at Melbourne’s Botanic Gardens shows a steady pick-up in visitation in the number of devices seen at the inner-city park over the last month, since reaching a low point in late April. Roy Morgan has partnered with leading technological innovator UberMedia to aggregate data from tens of thousands of mobile devices to assess the movements of Australians as we emerge from the restrictions imposed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of devices – a good proxy for visitors – seen at the Botanic Gardens hit low-points during the lockdown in early April, around Easter, and also at the end of April as the focus turned towards a gradual lifting of restrictions. Since late April there has been a steady increase in movement at the Botanic Gardens. During the summer months early in 2020 three-quarters of the movement data for the Botanic Gardens was drawn from the big spending Leading Lifestyles and Metrotechs Helix Personas communities, and this majority has increased to 83% in the most recent week available. This increase has been entirely driven by Metrotechs who now comprise 50% of the movement data, up from 40% during summer. Movement data for Leading Lifestyles is virtually unchanged at 33%.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED, UBERMEDIA

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence up 0.5pts to 97.5

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 17-Jun-20

ANZ-Roy Morgan Australian Consumer Confidence rose 0.5% to 97.5 in the week to 14 June, after pausing the week before. Now 24% (up 2ppts) of Australians say their families are ‘better off’ financially than this time last year, while 35% (up 1ppt) say their families are ‘worse off’ financially. Meanwhile, 38% (up 1ppt) of Australians expect their family to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year, and 17% (unchanged) expect to be ‘worse off’ financially. Just 9% (unchanged) expect ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next 12 months, while 38% (down 2ppts) expect ‘bad times’. In addition, 37% (unchanged) of Australians say now is a ‘good time to buy’ major household items, while 34% (down 1ppt) say now is a ‘bad time to buy’. The four-week moving average for ‘inflation expectations’ remained unchanged at 3.2%. The weekly reading increased 0.2pts to 3.3%.

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

Inflation Expectations reach an all-time low in May

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 17-Jun-20

In May, Australians expected inflation of 3.3% annually over the next two years, down 0.3% points on April and 0.7% points on the pre-COVID period of February 2020. Analysing the different Inflation Expectations by home ownership status shows declines across the board over the last few months. The sharpest decreases in Inflation Expectations were for renters, down 1.0% point from February to 3.6% in May. However, renters still recorded the highest expectations for inflation compared to people who own their homes outright and those who are paying off their homes. Individuals who own their homes outright reported an Inflation Expectation of 3.3% in May, down 0.5% points on February; and mortgagors paying off their homes reported Inflation Expectations of only 2.9%, down 0.8% points on pre-pandemic February. Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine says with Australia entering a recession, it is not surprising to see marked declines in Inflation Expectations over the last few months.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED

JobKeeper cash needed for schools and hospitals

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Original article by Rosie Lewis
The Australian – Page: 2 : 16-Jun-20

Restaurant & Catering Australia CEO Wes Lambert has urged the federal government to retain the JobKeeper wage subsidy scheme until at least the end of 2020. However, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has argued that retaining coronavirus stimulus measures beyond the scheduled expiration date of late September would result in less funding for essential services such as health and education. The government may introduce stimulus measures that target sectors which have been hardest hit by the economic downturn.

CORPORATES
RESTAURANT AND CATERING INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

NAB latest company to investigate underpayments to staff

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Original article by
The New Daily – Page: Online : 16-Jun-20

National Australia Bank has admitted that about 1,500 employees have been underpaid, although Wendy Streets of the Finance Sector Union believes that the figure may be much higher. She says the issue of underpayments at NAB has been a concern for the union for some time. Affected staff will collectively receive about $1.3m in backpay, superannuation and interest, while the bank has commissioned King & Wood Mallesons and PwC to undertake a review of its payroll system.

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NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, FINANCE SECTOR UNION, KING AND WOOD MALLESONS, PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS AUSTRALIA (INTERNATIONAL) PTY LTD

Victorian Labor MP Adem Somyurek sacked, second minister quits amid explosive allegations

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Original article by Samantha Maiden, Sarah McPhee
News.com.au – Page: Online : 16-Jun-20

The Victorian government has referred former minister Adem Somyurek to the state’s Independent Broad-based Anti-Corruption Commission. Somyurek has denied the allegations of branch-stacking that prompted Premier Daniel Andrews to dismiss him from the ministry, and says he will seek a police investigation into recordings that were aired on ’60 Minutes’. Somyurek has also resigned as a member of Labor’s Victorian branch, pre-empting a move by Andrews to have him expelled. Robin Scott, a factional ally of Somyurek, has resigned as the state’s Assistant Treasurer over the scandal; there is speculation that consumer affairs minister Marlene Kairouz may also resign. It has been alleged that staff members of Scott and Kairouz were involved in the branch-stacking.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, VICTORIA. INDEPENDENT BROAD-BASED ANTI-CORRUPTION COMMISSION

COVID-19 restrictions spark a record fall in workers’ pay

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Original article by Patrick Commins
The Australian – Page: 4 : 12-Jun-20

Wages growth fell by 0.7 per cent in the year to June, according to the Melbourne Institute’s latest monthly survey of workers. It is the first time there has been negative growth in pay since the early 2000s. Sam Tsiaplias of the Melbourne Institute notes that wages growth has been subdued for some years, and the economic impact of the pandemic is likely to put more downward pressure on wages. The latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, which predates the coronavirus lockdown, shows that its wage price index rose by 2.1 per cent in the year to March.

CORPORATES
UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE. INSTITUTE OF APPLIED ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RESEARCH, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS

Porter cuts fast-track rule on new work deals

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 9 : 12-Jun-20

Industrial Relations Minister Christian Porter has advised that a temporary change to workplace laws in response to the coronavirus has been repealed. The notice period for changes to enterprise agreements was reduced from seven days to just 24 hours in April, prompting unions to warn that it could be open to abuse. Porter says a review found no evidence that the regulation had been misused, and he stresses that the change was always intended to be temporary and is no longer needed. The Federal Court was scheduled to rule on the regulation’s validity on 12 June, following a legal challenge by the construction union.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, SKILLS, SMALL AND FAMILY BUSINESS, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

Rip up the China deal

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Original article by Tom Minear, Clare Armstrong
Herald Sun – Page: 15 : 12-Jun-20

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has weighed into the controversy over the Victorian Government’s decision to sign up for China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Morrison has urged Premier Daniel Andrews to withdraw the state’s support for the infrastructure plan; he says the federal government does not believe that it is in Australia’s national interests, adding that the states and territories should not take actions that are inconsistent with the federal government’s foreign policy. Andrews says his government is fully committed to the Belt and Road Initiative.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET