O75 Public Administration

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

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

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

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

Tax breaks to fast-track big projects

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Original article by Simon Benson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 14-Nov-19

The federal government will provide a concessional tax rate of 15 per cent for foreign investments in qualifying infrastructure projects that are worth more than $500m. This will include ­energy, transport, water and communications projects. Meanwhile, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg will use the Sir John Downer Oration in Adelaide on 14 November to urge greater co-operation between the federal and state governments to address inefficiencies in the economy. He will also stress the need for responsible fiscal management.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Union integrity bill in doubt as senators waver

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 13-Nov-19

Industrial Relations Minister Christian Porter is confident that the federal government can reach a "sensible compromise" with Senate crossbenchers regarding the Ensuring Integrity Bill. The government had hoped to put the bill to a vote on 13 November, but independent senator Jacqui Lambie has reservations about the proposed demerit points system for unions. She is concerned that the bill would make it harder to deregister "union thugs" than officials who make minor administrative errors. One Nation leader Pauline Hanson also has concerns about the proposed system.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, SKILLS, SMALL AND FAMILY BUSINESS, ONE NATION PARTY, CENTRE ALLIANCE, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA

Australia’s top 10 most trusted brands in 2019

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Original article by Isabelle Lane
The New Daily – Page: Online : 13-Nov-19

Five of the 10 most-trusted brands in Australia, as measured by Roy Morgan, have been embroiled in wage underpayment scandals in recent years. They include the nation’s most trusted brand, Bunnings, as well as Woolworths, Coles, Qantas and the ABC. RMIT University’s Professor Anthony Forsyth rejects suggestions that the wage theft scandals can be attributed to Australia’s complex industrial awards system; instead, he contends that businesses are simply not giving sufficient priority to ensuring that their employees are being paid properly.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED, BUNNINGS GROUP LIMITED, WOOLWORTHS SUPERMARKETS, COLES SUPERMARKETS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, RMIT UNIVERSITY

The million-hectare fire

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Original article by Ean Higgins, Emily Ritchie
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 13-Nov-19

New South Wales Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons has warned that the state’s bushfire situation remains critical, after the ‘catastrophic’ fire danger alert on 12 November. More than 130 fires are still burning across NSW and Queensland, with a number of homes having been damaged or destroyed, while the fires have burnt more than a million hectares of land. Fitzsimmons says the fire risk will remain high during the coming summer due to factors such as the drought and high temperatures.

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NEW SOUTH WALES RURAL FIRE SERVICE