O75 Public Administration

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

$4.5b up in flames as visitors cancel

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Original article by Fiona Carruthers
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 17-Jan-20

The Australian Tourism Export Council has advised that 70 per cent of its members have received cancellations because of the bushfires, for trips ranging between $5,000 and $500,000. The decline in overseas visitors booking holidays to Australia is expected to cost the economy at least $4.5 billion by the end of 2020. Tourism Australia has withdrawn its $15 million ‘Matesong’ campaign from the UK market as a result of the bushfires, but ATEC MD Peter Shelley says the federal government needs to fund a new global campaign to promote Australia once the fires subside.

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AUSTRALIAN TOURISM EXPORT COUNCIL LIMITED,{SPAC}TOURISM AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Fears PM’s carbon credit projects gone to blazes

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Original article by Geoff Chambers
The Australian – Page: 1 & 5 : 17-Jan-20

The Department of the Environment & Energy has indicated that it is too soon to determine whether the bushfires crisis has had any impact on projects that have been backed by the federal government’s Emissions Reduction Fund. It also says most of the fires have been in regions that do not have ERF projects, although analysis shows that many such projects are either in or close to fire-affected areas. The Clean Energy Regulator is undertaking a review of the effects of the bushfires on ERF projects.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY,{SPAC}EMISSIONS REDUCTION FUND,{SPAC}AUSTRALIA. CLEAN ENERGY REGULATOR

NSW will follow ‘experts’, not Morrison: Premier

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Original article by John Kehoe
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 16-Jan-20

New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian has reiterated that the state will undertake its own review of the bushfire season. However, she adds that it will be open to participating in the federal government’s proposed royal commission. Berejiklian has also stressed that the state’s policy on hazard reduction burns is based on advice from experts rather than politicians. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has suggested that a federal inquiry could look at issues such as state governments’ preparedness for the bushfire season, including hazard reduction burns.

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NEW SOUTH WALES. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, UNITED FIREFIGHTERS’ UNION OF AUSTRALIA

$100m sport grants biased

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Original article by Ben Packham
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 16-Jan-20

Auditor-General Grant Hehir has released a report which shows that marginal seats held by the Coalition were among the biggest recipients of grants to ‘grassroots’ sporting groups ahead of the May 2019 federal election. Former sports minister Bridget McKenzie approved the grants, and Hehir found that she failed to take into consideration the recommendations of Sport Australia when allocating the money. The report notes that the grants also favoured seats that the Coalition believed that it could win at the election.

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AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE AUDITOR-GENERAL, AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL AUDIT OFFICE, SPORT AUSTRALIA

Morrison doubles family aid payments

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Original article by Olivia Caisley
The Australian – Page: 4 : 16-Jan-20

The federal government has announced changes to its family assistance payments for bushfire victims. Families have already received a disaster recovery payment of $400 per child; Prime Minister Scott Morrison has indicated that they will shortly receive an additional $400 for each child, at a cost of $7.9m. The government will also relax the paperwork requirements of volunteer firefighters who claim compensation for loss of income while serving on the bushfires frontline.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET