O75 Public Administration

Massive clean-up bill set to top $320m

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Original article by Richard Ferguson
The Australian – Page: 4 : 22-Jan-20

Insurers are facing another hit in the wake of the bushfires crisis, with storms wreaking havoc in several states on 20 January. Some 29,000 claims for storm damage have been received to date, including more than 16,000 arising from a hailstorm in Canberra. A hailstorm in New South Wales has also resulted in about 2,900 insurance claims, while storms and flash flooding in Victoria have prompted more than 9,800 claims.

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INSURANCE COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED

Packer, Ho told to front Crown inquiry

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Original article by Deborah Cornwall
The Australian – Page: 3 : 22-Jan-20

Businessman James Packer has been ordered to appear before the New South Wales Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority’s inquiry into Crown Resorts’ casino operations. Macau-based gambling tycoon Lawrence Ho has also been asked to appear before the inquiry, which was prompted by Packer’s decision to sell a 19.9 per cent stake in Crown to Ho’s Melco Resorts. This deal will be scrutinised by two of the inquiry’s five separate hearings, amid concern that the transaction could potentially breach Crown’s NSW gambling licence. Other hearings will examine issues such as allegations of money-laundering.

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CROWN RESORTS LIMITED – ASX CWN, MELCO RESORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT LIMITED, NEW SOUTH WALES. INDEPENDENT LIQUOR AND GAMING AUTHORITY

PM: cut fire fuel, not just emissions

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Original article by Rosie Lewis
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 22-Jan-20

Prime Minister Scott Morrison argues that undertaking bushfire hazard-reduction burns is just as important as reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, he notes that unlike carbon emissions, there is no national system for reporting progress on reducing fuel loads in national parks and forests. The issue of prescribed burning has come under scrutiny in the wake of the bushfires crisis, which has claimed 29 lives to date. Labor leader Anthony Albanese claims that climate change has contributed to the intensity of the bushfires and the length of the bushfire season.

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

Bushfire loans, grants should be easier to get, small businesses say

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Original article by Nick Bonyhady
The Age – Page: Online : 22-Jan-20

Small business owners in bushfire-affected areas have criticised the excessive amount of paperwork required to apply for the federal government’s concessional loans and grants. Shadow small business minister Brendan O’Connor says the government needs to provide greater clarity as to eligibility for the grants and loans, and when businesses will begin to receive financial assistance. The government will also make 10 financial counsellors available, but O’Connor says this is clearly inadequate given that the bushfires have affected about 200,000 small businesses.

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AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Big business, blazes put heat on surplus

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Original article by Geoff Chambers
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 21-Jan-20

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has stressed that it is too soon to estimate the likely impact of the bushfires crisis on the economy and the federal government’s projected Budget surplus for 2019-20. He is believed to be considering whether to include new tax incentives for the business sector in the May Budget. However, Australian Industry Group CEO Innes Willox says the government should introduce an investment allowance immediately in order to stimulate the economy. The Business Council of Australia also recently called for a new investment allowance.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA

Bushfires affect habitat of more than 100 threatened species, department estimates

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Original article by Mike Foley
The Age – Page: Online : 21-Jan-20

The federal Department of the Environment has released an initial analysis of the impact of the bushfires on the habitat of threatened species. It shows that more than 80 per cent of the known habitat of 49 listed species was within bushfire zones, as well as at least 50 per cent of the habitat of another 65 listed species. Professor Glenda Wardle from the University of Sydney warns that some threatened species will be even more at risk due to the bushfires, while the status of some species is likely to be upgraded to threatened. She adds that the majority of threated species that were hit by bushfires are plants rather than wildlife.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY

Bushfire experts say it’s time to revisit Black Saturday recommendations and stop people rebuilding in highly dangerous areas

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Original article by Loretta Florance, Norman Hermant
abc.net au – Page: Online : 21-Jan-20

The Royal Commission into Victoria’s 2009 Black Saturday bushfires recommended a voluntary buy-back of properties in high-risk areas. However, then-premier John Brumby did not accept the recommendation, although the buyback idea was adopted with significant modifications by new premier Ted Baillieu after the Coalition was voted into government in 2010. Melbourne University fire ecologist Kevin Tolhurst says there are some parts of the Australian bush where houses should never have been constructed – or rebuilt.

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UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE

Under-employment up in December

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 21-Jan-20

The latest data for the Roy Morgan employment series shows that 12,691,000 Australians were employed in December 2019, up 617,000 over the last year. The rise was driven by a significant increase in full-time employment of 367,000 over the last year (to 8,326,000); part-time employment increased by 250,000 (to 4,365,000). The figures also show that 1,205,000 Australians (8.7% of the workforce) were unemployed in December, down 97,000 on a year ago, and the unemployment rate was down 1%. An additional 1,383,000 Australians (9.9% of the workforce) were under-employed, working part-time and looking for more work, up 205,000 in a year (up 1.1%). In total, 2,588,000 Australians (18.6% of the workforce) were either unemployed or under-employed in December, up 108,000 on a year ago. Roy Morgan’s real unemployment figure of 8.7% is higher than the current ABS estimate for November of 5.2%. Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine says we have seen consistently during recent years that strong growth in employment has not resulted in sustained drops in unemployment and under-employment. This trend continued throughout 2019.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS

Business Confidence ended 2019 at an eight-month low of 104.5

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 21-Jan-20

In Australia, Business Confidence fell 3.9pts (-3.6%) to an eight-month low of 104.5 in December 2019, according to the latest Roy Morgan Business Single Source survey. Business Confidence is now 7.7pts lower than a year ago, and 10.8pts below the long-term average of 115.3. Only 40.3% (down 4.5ppts) of business leaders expect the Australian economy will have ‘good times’ in 2020, and just 42.2% (down 4.3ppts) expect ‘good times’ for the economy over the next five years. Meanwhile, Business Confidence was at 106.3 in the December quarter, down 6.8pts on a year ago but virtually unchanged from the March quarter (106.1). The boost given to Business Confidence following the Federal Election in May has well and truly worn off. Business Confidence was up on a year ago in only two States, WA and Tasmania, which now have the highest ratings among the States. The latest Roy Morgan Business Confidence results for December are based on 979 detailed interviews with a cross-section of Australian businesses from each State and Territory.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Unions seek pay guarantees

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 17-Jan-20

Unions are proposing a new workplace condition that would see the pay of workers guaranteed if their employer has to shut down because of a bushfire or some other natural disaster. Council of Small Business Organisations of Australia CEO Peter Strong has attacked the idea as being "political and completely unworkable", although COSBOA has lent its support to a push by the ACTU to increase the federal government’s disaster recovery allowance for fire-impacted workers to the minimum wage.

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COUNCIL OF SMALL BUSINESS ORGANISATIONS OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED,{SPAC}ACTU