O75 Public Administration

Pundits expect rate cut despite jobs positivity

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Original article by Matthew Cranston
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 9-Jan-20

Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that there was 1.6 per cent growth in job vacancies in the November quarter, in seasonally adjusted terms. Private sector job vacancies increased by 1.5 per cent, after declining in the two previous quarters. The figures also show that the number of available jobs rose to 239,400 in the year to November, compared with 235,100 in August. However, economics still expect the Reserve Bank of Australia to reduce the cash rate in February.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, COMMONWEALTH SECURITIES LIMITED

Union pushes to overturn BHP’s Fair Work win on enterprise deals

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 9-Jan-20

The Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining & Energy Union is appealing the Fair Work Commission’s decision to approve two enterprise agreements covering employees of BHP’s Operations Services division. The bulk of these workers are employed at BHP’s coal mines in Queensland’s Bowen Basin, and the CFMEU contends that they should be covered by the enterprise agreement for the miner’s other workers in the basin. The CFMEU argues that these workers earn up to $40,000 a year more than the Operations Services employees.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION

No tax on disaster payments for fire-stricken Aussies

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Original article by David Crowe
The Age – Page: Online : 9-Jan-20

The federal government has advised that the one-off Disaster Recovery Allowance for bushfire victims will be exempt from income tax. The government will introduce legislation to this effect when Parliament resumes in early February, and it is expected to be supported by Labor. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Scott Morrison says accommodation operators in fire-affected areas have been hard hit by the disaster, and he has urged people to support them by not cancelling their bookings and seeking a refund.

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

Many, many billions of animals feared to have died in bushfires

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Original article by Liam Mannix
The Age – Page: Online : 9-Jan-20

More than six million hectares of land have been razed by the bushfires in Victoria and New South Wales, and scientists have warned that the disaster has taken an enormous toll on wildlife. Professor Chris Dickman from the University of Sydney believes that up to 800 million animals may have perished in the NSW fires, compared with his initial estimate of 480 million. Experts have also warned that some endangered species may now be extinct, including the long-footed potoroo, whose last remaining habitat was in the fire zone.

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UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY

Unions call for more government assistance for workers in fire-hit areas

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Original article by Dana McCauley
The Age – Page: Online : 8-Jan-20

The federal government’s Disaster Recovery Allowance provides people who have been directly affected by the bushfires to receive up to 13 weeks of income support. However, the United Workers Union’s Helen Gibbons contends that this will be insufficient for many bushfire victims, adding that casual workers in particular will be hard hit by loss of income due to the fires. Retail & Fast Food Workers Union secretary Josh Cullinan notes that many casual workers are reluctant to stay at home despite feeling sick from smoke haze and heat from the bushfires.

CORPORATES
UNITED WORKERS UNION, RETAIL AND FAST FOOD WORKERS UNION INCORPORATED, ACTU, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP

Colvin promises bureaucracy won’t get in way of bushfire recovery effort

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Original article by Rob Harris
The Australian – Page: Online : 8-Jan-20

Andrew Colvin, the head of the National Bushfire Recovery Agency, has stressed that its disaster relief strategy will be tailored to the unique needs of each community that has been affected by the fires. He adds that the NBRA will only be successful if it works closely with other agencies to ensure that affected communities receive the support they need. Colvin has also given assurances that the NBRA will seek to minimise bureaucratic hurdles for fire-affected communities.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. NATIONAL BUSHFIRE RECOVERY AGENCY

Just 2km separates inferno in making

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Original article by Rachel Baxendale, David Ross
The Australian – Page: 5 : 8-Jan-20

The national death toll from Australia’s bushfire season stands at 24, after New South Wales police confirmed that two men who had been reported missing have been located. Some 60 fires remain out of control in NSW, while 14 fires are still burning in Victoria. There is concern that separate fires near Corryong in Victoria and in southern New South Wales could merge to form a ‘mega-blaze’, particularly with hot weather forecast for later in the week. Meanwhile, 672 homes in NSW have been destroyed in bushfires so far in 2020, and 1,588 have been lost since the bushfire season began.

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VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence falters on bush fires

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

ANZ-Roy Morgan Australian Consumer Confidence fell 1.7% to 106.2 in the week ended 5 January, to its lowest level in more than four years. A drop in confidence at the start of the year is unusual and almost certainly reflects the impact of the catastrophic bush fires over the weekend. ‘Current economic conditions’ were down 12.9%, while ‘future economic conditions’ fell 8.1%; current economic conditions are at their lowest level since the global financial crisis, while sentiment toward the future economic outlook is at its lowest level since 1994. In contrast, ‘current finances’ rose 4%, while ‘future finances’ were up 0.3%. The ‘time to buy a household item’ sub-index gained 4.8%, recovering from a fall of 6.4% seen in the last reading of 2019. The four-week moving average of ‘inflation expectations’ was stable at 4.0%, though weekly readings saw a sharp fall, which should result in a weaker reading in the coming week.

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

New car sales plummet as families curb spending

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Original article by Patrick Commins
The Australian – Page: 2 : 7-Jan-20

Data from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries shows that new car sales totalled 1,062,867 in 2019, which is 7.8 per cent lower than previously. Sales fell by 3.8 per cent year-on-year in December, to 84,239. FCAI CEO Tony Weber says the 2019 sales figures reflect a challenging year for the Australian economy, noting that the new car market was affected by factors such as falling house prices, low wages growth and a weaker Australian dollar. The Toyota HiLux was the top-selling vehicle for the year.

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FEDERAL CHAMBER OF AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRIES, TOYOTA MOTOR CREDIT CORPORATION

Health impacts of bushfires won’t be known for years, experts say

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Original article by Dana McCauley
The Age – Page: Online : 7-Jan-20

The bushfire smoke that has shrouded major cities such as Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra has raised concerns about the long-term health impact of the disaster. Professor Bin Jalaludin from the University of New South Wales says research shows that all parts of the body are affected by air pollution, noting that it can trigger neurological conditions. He adds that people with pre-existing medical conditions such as heart disease and high blood pressure may be at greater risk of a heart attack due to exposure to air pollution.

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UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES