O75 Public Administration

Keating’s blast on China policy

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Original article by Andrew White, Greg Brown
The Australian – Page: 1 & 7 : 19-Nov-19

Former prime minister Paul Keating has used a speech in Sydney to criticise the federal government’s handling of Australia’s relationship with China. He said it is in the national interest to not ignore the "biggest shift in economic power in world history". Meanwhile, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg told the conference that a collective effort will be needed to restore the rules-based global trading system. He also expressed optimism that the US and China can reach agreement on resolving their trade war.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, CHINA CONSTRUCTION BANK, COMMUNIST PARTY (CHINA)

Treasurer warns of ageing bill

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 19-Nov-19

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg will use a speech on 19 November to defend the federal government’s commitment to keeping the Budget in surplus. He will tell the Committee for Economic Development of Australia that a balanced Budget will enable the government to begin paying down debt, respond to disasters and address the long-term needs of an ageing nation. Frydenberg will emphasise the importance of population, participation and productivity in addressing the latter issue, noting that action is needed to boost productivity in particular.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, COMMITTEE FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

IR class action costs ruling appealed

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 10 : 18-Nov-19

UK-based litigation funder Augusta Ventures will appeal a court ruling that it must pay security of costs up-front in a wage theft class action. The case centres on allegations that BHP and labour hire firms underpaid casual workers at the Mount Arthur coal mine. Australian Industry Group CEO Innes Willox warns that there is the potential for workers to receive nothing from a class action payout once a litigation funder has received its share. He has called for the sector to be subject to the same regulation as financial services providers.

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AUGUSTA VENTURES, BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, ADERO LAW

Energy fix could isolate Victoria

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Original article by Mark Ludlow, Angela Macdonald-Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 18-Nov-19

Federal Energy Minister Angus Taylor will shortly meet with his state and territory counterparts at the Council of Australian Governments energy council meeting. He will use a speech in Sydney on 18 November to outline his plans to negotiate a bilateral energy and climate policy agreement with each state, based on its unique circumstances. However, Taylor has warned that he will only strike deals with states that are ‘collaborative’. Energy Security Board chair Kerry Schott is supportive of state-based deals, provided they do not undermine existing national electricity rules.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENTS, AUSTRALIA. ENERGY SECURITY BOARD, AUSTRALIAN ENERGY MARKET OPERATOR LIMITED

Turnbull told he was losing quiet Australians

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Original article by Aaron Patrick
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 15-Nov-19

Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull was advised to change his political strategy by Angus Taylor after the Coalition almost lost the 2016 election. Taylor sent Turnbull a confidential memo in the wake of the election, but Turnbull never acknowledged it. Taylor eventually became so frustrated with Turnbull that he became one of the ministers who quit on him, with their actions leading to Turnbull being replaced by Scott Morrison. Taylor’s revelations are contained in a new book ‘The Surprise Party, How the Coalition Went from Chaos to Comeback’; his underlying message to Turnbull in his memo was that Turnbull was losing the ‘quiet Australians’.

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

Albanese to dodge unions’ walkout

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Original article by Ewin Hannan, John Ferguson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 8 : 15-Nov-19

Labor leader Anthony Albanese has refuted claims that he will not attend the party’s Victorian state conference on 16-17 November because unions planned to stage a mass walkout when he gave the keynote speech. Albanese says the decision was made several months ago, while Deputy Leader Richard Marles will be at the conference but has declined to deliver the keynote speech. The proposed walkout by unions that are aligned with Labor’s Left faction is primarily in response to the party’s support for free-trade agreements with Indonesia, Hong Kong and Peru.

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AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, ACTU, VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET

Union-buster bill faces delay

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 6 : 14-Nov-19

The federal government is likely to put the Ensuring Integrity Bill on hold until the Senate resumes later in the month unless it secures a deal with crossbenchers on 14 November. Independent senator Jacqui Lambie and One Nation leader Pauline Hanson have reservations about the proposed demerit points system. Meanwhile, the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining & Energy Union has been fined $38,000 for unlawful industrial action at a building site in Melbourne in April 2015. Two CFMMEU officials have in turn been fined $12,500 in total.

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ONE NATION PARTY, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, CENTRE ALLIANCE, ACTU, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION

Soft growth in wages points to sluggish economy

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Original article by
The Australian – Page: 27 : 14-Nov-19

Official data shows that wages grew by 0.5 per cent in seasonally adjusted terms in the September quarter, and by 2.2 per cent year-on-year. This compares with growth of 0.6 per cent in the June quarter and 2.3 per cent in the year to June. Wages in the public sector increased by 2.5 per cent in the year to September, while private sector wages increased by 2.2 per cent. Sarah Hunter of BIS Oxford Economics says that given the state of the economy, a significant uptick in wages is unlikely in the near-term.

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AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, BIS OXFORD ECONOMICS PTY LTD, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, INDEED INCORPORATED

‘We won’t be shy’: Company bosses could face Senate probe into wage theft

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Original article by David Crowe, Rob Harris
The Age – Page: Online : 14-Nov-19

The Senate’s economics references committee will undertake an inquiry into the issue of wage and superannuation theft. Labor put forward the motion to hold an inquiry in response to recent wage underpayment scandals, although the federal government opposed it. Liberal senator Jonathon Duniam says the Coalition is taking action on the issue, and another ‘talkfest’ is not necessary. Shadow industrial relations minister Tony Burke has described the inquiry as a "win" for Australian workers.

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AUSTRALIA. SENATE STANDING COMMITTEE ON ECONOMICS, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, WOOLWORTHS GROUP LIMITED – ASX WOW, 7-ELEVEN STORES PTY LTD, CENTRE ALLIANCE, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK OMBUDSMAN

Real unemployment & under-employment above 2.3 million

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 14-Nov-19

The latest data for the Roy Morgan employment series shows that 12,714,000 Australians were employed in October 2019, up 520,000 over the past year. The rise in employment was driven by a significant increase in full-time employment of 695,000 over the last year (to 8,582,000); however, part-time employment has declined by 175,000 over the past year (to 4,132,000). The figures also show that 1,075,000 Australians (7.8% of the workforce) were unemployed in October, down 190,000 on a year ago, and the unemployment rate was down 1.6%. An additional 1,232,000 Australians (8.9% of the workforce) were under-employed, working part-time and looking for more work, a decrease of 10,000 in a year (down 0.3%). In total, 2,307,000 Australians (16.7% of the workforce) were either unemployed or under-employed in October, down 200,000 on a year ago. Roy Morgan’s real unemployment figure of 7.8% is higher than the current ABS estimate for September 2019 of 5.2%, although the gap between the two measures is the closest it has been since September 2015. Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine says the best way to reduce the high level of labour under-utilisation, now stuck at over 2 million for over four years, is to provide a healthy and strong economy that encourages businesses to invest in growing their human capital by hiring new workers.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS