O75 Public Administration

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence down a touch to 107.8

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 12-Feb-20

ANZ-Roy Morgan Australian Consumer Confidence fell 0.6% to 107.8 in the week ended 9 February. Current financial conditions fell 3%, while future financial conditions rose 3.8%. In a similar pattern, the 4.1% fall in current economic conditions did not quite offset the 5.3% rise in future economic conditions. The ‘Time to buy a major household item’ subindex fell 5%, to its lowest level since mid- December. The four-week moving average of inflation expectations was unchanged at 4.1%.

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

Coronavirus disease named Covid-19

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Original article by
bbc.com – Page: Online : 12-Feb-20

The death toll from the coronavirus on mainland China has risen to 1,017, and more than 42,000 people in China have been diagnosed with the respiratory illness. In its latest response to the coronavirus outbreak, the Chinese government has sacked two of the most senior officials at the Hubei Health Commission. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization has announced that the coronavirus has been officially designated Covid-2019. WHO’s Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has praised China’s efforts to contain the virus and expressed optimism that action to limit its spread globally will be effective.

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WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION

Tax cuts set to bolster economy

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Original article by Simon Benson
The Australian – Page: 6 : 11-Feb-20

Data from the Australian Taxation Office shows that taxpayers received an average tax refund of $967 for the 2018-19 financial year. In total, some $6.1bn was returned to working Australians in the form of tax cuts and refunds, largely to those with annual income of $37,000 to $90,000. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg say the income tax cuts are now flowing through to the economy, which is continuing to grow at a time when many other countries are experiencing negative growth.

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AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

No food, no fuel, no phones: Bushfires showed we’re only ever one step from system collapse

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Original article by Anthony Richardson
The New Daily – Page: Online : 11-Feb-20

Australia’s recent bushfires revealed the shortcomings of the ‘just in time’ model used for the distribution of food and fuel. When the Victorian town of Mallacoota was cut off by road and air because of the fires, food and fuel supplies quickly became so low that there were suggestions of a pending humanitarian crisis. Australia currently imports 90 per cent of its oil, most of which comes through the Strait of Hormuz. Australia is meant to keep 90 days of fuel supplies in reserve as part of its International Energy Agency obligations, but at one point in late 2019, it reportedly had only 23 days of jet fuel, 22 days of diesel and 18 days of petrol in reserve.

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INTERNATIONAL ENERGY AGENCY

Nat rebels humiliate leader

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Original article by Geoff Chambers, Greg Brown
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 11-Feb-20

Former National Party MP Llew O’Brien has been elected deputy speaker of the House of Representatives. O’Brien quit the party following Barnaby Joyce’s failed leadership challenge, although he remains a member of the Liberal-National Party of Queensland; he has also given assurances that he will support the government’s legislative agenda. Meanwhile, O’Brien has revealed that he opposed a plan by Nationals leader Michael McCormack to hold a partyroom meeting in regional Victoria during Melbourne’s 2019 spring racing carnival. Chief whip Damian Drum was McCormack’s choice as deputy speaker.

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NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, LIBERAL-NATIONAL PARTY OF QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Energy split as Lib says zero target too tough

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Original article by Greg Brown, Elias Visontay
The Australian – Page: 4 : 11-Feb-20

More than 80 countries have committed to a target of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, and some members of the Liberal Party’s moderate faction believe that Australia should also adopt this target. However, moderate Liberal Jason Falinski doubts that Australia could achieve this target, given that it is a major energy and agriculture exporter. Conservative Liberal senator Eric Abetz also questions the viability of a 2050 zero emissions target. There is also dissension within the Coalition’s ranks with regard to taxpayer funding for new coal-fired power stations.

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LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Australia prepares to extend China travel ban due to coronavirus

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Original article by Eryk Bagshaw
The Age – Page: Online : 11-Feb-20

The federal government’s 14-day travel ban on non-citizens entering Australia from the Chinese mainland will expire on 15 February, and sources have indicated that it is likely to be extended. The move will prevent about 56 per cent of the Chinese students at Australian universities from arriving in time for the start of the academic year. Meanwhile, more than 100 Australian citizens and permanent residents are still in Hubei province, but the government has no plans for a third evacuation flight.

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Australia will take new emissions reduction target to Glasgow climate summit

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Original article by Rob Harris
The Age – Page: Online : 10-Feb-20

Energy Minister Angus Taylor says the federal government will develop a new long-term carbon emissions reduction strategy ahead of the United Nations climate summit in November. He has stressed that the government is of the view that new technologies rather than taxes are the key to reducing carbon emissions. However, the government has declined to commit to a target of net zero emissions by 2050. Meanwhile, independent MP Zali Steggall plans to introduce a private member’s bill to establish an independent Climate Change Commission.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Jokowi deal to absorb shocks: PM

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Original article by Simon Benson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 5 : 10-Feb-20

Indonesian President Joko Widodo will address a joint sitting of federal parliament on 10 February, as part of his official visit to Australia. Joko and Prime Minister Scott Morrison will use the visit to announce a 100-day action plan to implement a free-trade agreement, which was recently ratified by the Indonesian parliament. Morrison says the coronavirus outbreak demonstrates the need for Australia to reduce its reliance on China for trade, adding that Indonesia will play a key role in Australia’s push into the Indo-Pacific region.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

New study an eye-opener on how coronavirus is spreading and how little we know

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Original article by Tom Frieden
CNN.com – Page: Online : 9-Feb-20

A study published in the medical journal ‘JAMA’ confirms that like coronaviruses in the past, the Wuhan coronavirus appears to be spreading in hospitals. The study reported that 41 per cent of the first 138 patients who were diagnosed with the latest coronavirus in one Wuhan hospital appeared to have been infected in that hospital. It reveals the need for better protection of health care workers and others who care for the sick, while more needs to be known about how widely the virus is circulating, the proportion of those infected who are seriously ill, and whether the epidemic has peaked.

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