O75 Public Administration

Coalition seeks to sidestep high court ruling that Aboriginal non-citizens can’t be deported

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Original article by Paul Karp, Calla Wahlquist
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 13-Feb-20

Attorney-General Christian Porter has indicated that the federal government may legislate to override the High Court’s majority decision that non-citizens of indigenous descent cannot be deported. Porter says the High Court ruling has implications for the government’s policy of deporting people who are convicted of serious crimes while in Australia on a visa. Legal experts have stated that it is too soon to determine the broader implications of the judgment.

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AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA

Age Pension for all beats hike in super

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Original article by Adam Creighton
The Australian – Page: 2 : 13-Feb-20

Mercer has used a submission to the federal government’s review of the retirement income system to call for the superannuation guarantee to remain at 9.5 per cent and to abolish means-testing for the age pension. The super guarantee is legislated to be progressively increase to 12 per cent by 2025, and some Coalition MPs have also called for the increase to be scrapped. Michael Littlewood, who helped design New Zealand’s retirement system, says there are major problems with Australia’s retirement system.

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MERCER INVESTMENTS PTY LTD

Travel bans set to knock $6bn from economy

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Original article by Richard Ferguson
The Australian – Page: 7 : 13-Feb-20

Investment bank UBS expects Australia to record negative GDP growth in the March quarter, due to the introduction of travel bans in response to the coronavirus. UBS economist George Tharenou warns that annual growth could fall by about 0.9 per cent, which equates to a $6bn economic hit. The federal government’s national security committee will shortly decide whether to extend the ban on people travelling to Australia from mainland China; the ban has affected sectors such as education, tourism and retailing.

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UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD

Virus may rank among worst

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Original article by Natasha Robinson
The Australian – Page: 7 : 13-Feb-20

The death toll from the coronavirus in mainland China has risen to 1,113, and more than 44,000 people across the nation have been diagnosed with the respiratory illness. Meanwhile, epidemiologists at the Imperial College London have estimated that the new virus will kill one per cent of people who contract it. In contrast, World Health Organization figures show that seasonal influenza kills about 0.13 per cent of sufferers. Professor Neil Ferguson of the Imperial College says the coronavirus may prove to be as bad as the major influenza pandemics of the 20th century

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IMPERIAL COLLEGE, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION

Housing boom to lift economy

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Original article by Patrick Commins
The Australian – Page: 1 & 7 : 12-Feb-20

Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that there was 4.4 per cent growth in new home loan approvals in December. This was the biggest monthly increase since September 2016, and well above economists’ expectations of 1.6 per cent growth. Mortgage approvals increased by 14 per cent year-on-year. Factors such as the three official interest rate cuts in 2019 and a relaxation of lending restrictions in April have contributed to increased demand for home loans, with owner-occupiers accounting for much of the growth.

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AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS

Court unplugs Crown casino probe powers

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Original article by Deborah Cornwall
The Australian – Page: 6 : 12-Feb-20

The New South Wales NSW Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority is slated to commence its inquiry into Crown Resorts’ casino operations on 24 February. However, the Supreme Court has ruled that the inquiry does not have the powers of a royal commission. Lawrence Ho’s Melco Resorts had argued that the ILGA lacked the power to order it to surrender nine documents, and that doing would constitute a breach of legal professional privilege.

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

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

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