O75 Public Administration

Former CFMEU leaders set to plead guilty

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 2 : 16-Apr-25

The lawyer representing the CFMEU’s former NSW state secretary Darren Greenfield and his son Michael has indicated that the pair may plead guilty to some of the charges they face, while other charges may be withdrawn. However, the lawyer has declined to comment on whether the Greenfields will plead guilty to bribery charges. They were initially charged with accepting bribes from a construction firm in 2021. Meanwhile, nearly 92 per cent of the CFMEU’s manufacturing division have voted in favour of demerging and establishing the Timber, Furnishing & Textiles Union.

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CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY AND MARITIME EMPLOYEES UNION

Peter Dutton’s nuclear power plan could lead to major electricity shortages, analysis says

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Original article by Graham Readfearn
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 16-Apr-25

Modelling by Frontier Economics concluded that Australia’s remaining coal-fired power stations would need to keep operating until the Coalition’s proposed nuclear plants are built. However, the Institute for Energy Economics & Financial Analysis contends that Frontier Economics has not taken into account the growing unreliability of coal-fired power stations as they get older. The IEEFA argues that the modelling is based on the assumption that the coal-fired plants would be able to keep operating at 72-81 per cent of their generation capacity. The IEEFA notes that the 13 coal-fired plants that have closed down since 2000 operated at just 66 per cent of their capacity in the last 10 years of their operating life.

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FRONTIER ECONOMICS PTY LTD, INSTITUTE FOR ENERGY ECONOMICS AND FINANCIAL ANALYSIS

In March Australian unemployment dropped to 10.2% as both full-time and part-time employment grew

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 16-Apr-25

In March 2025, Australian ‘real’ unemployment fell 230,000 to 1,604,000 (down 1.3% to 10.2% of the workforce), with significantly fewer people looking for work. The decrease in unemployment was driven by full-time employment (up 29,000 to 9,385,000) and part-time employment (up 34,000 to 4,801,000). However, the Australian workforce dropped 167,000 to 15,790,000 as many of those unemployed decided to leave the workforce. In addition to the unemployed, a further 1.43 million Australians (9.1% of the workforce) were under-employed, i.e. working part-time but looking for more work, down 199,000 from February. In total, 3.03 million Australians (19.3% of the workforce) were either unemployed or under-employed in March. Roy Morgan’s unemployment figure of 10.2% is clearly more than double the ABS estimate of 4.1% for February, and is in line with the combined ABS unemployment and under-employment figure of 10.0%.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence drops 2.6pts to 84.2 as Australian Dollar and markets fall following Trump Tariffs

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 16-Apr-25

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence fell 2.6pts to 84.2 in the week to 13 April. Consumer Confidence is now 0.7 points above the same week a year ago (83.5), but 2.4pts below the 2025 weekly average of 86.4. Analysis by State shows that there were decreases in Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, and South Australia, but a modest increase in New South Wales against the overall trend. Now 20% of Australians (up 1ppt) say their families are ‘better off’ financially than this time last year, while 47% (up 2ppts) say their families are ‘worse off’. Looking forward, 28% (down 2ppts) of Australians expect their family to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year, while 30% (up 2ppts) expect to be ‘worse off’. Now 10% (down 2ppts) of Australians expect ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next 12 months, while 33% (up 5ppts) expect ‘bad times’. Meanwhile, 22% (up 2ppts) of Australians say now is a ‘good time to buy’ major household items, while 40% (up 1ppt) say now is a ‘bad time to buy’.

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

Doctors v PM: free for every GP visit a fantasy

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Original article by Natasha Robinson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 16-Apr-25

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has reiterated that the federal government’s proposed bulk-billing incentives will allow 90 per cent of Australians to see a doctor for free. However, the Australian Medical Association’s president Danielle McMullen cautions that people should not expect to see a GP for free, contending that not all medical practices will switch to bulk-billing; she adds that Labor’s policy will not address the structural reforms that the Medicare system requires. The Coalition has committed to matching the bulk-billing incentives policy.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION LIMITED

Russia’s base instinct: shadow of Putin hangs over election campaign

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Original article by Amanda Hodge
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 16-Apr-25

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says his government is seeking clarification from its Indonesian counterpart regarding a formal request from Russia to base military aircraft in the province of Papua. The government has stated that Indonesia’s Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin has dismissed reports in a defence publication that Russian aircraft may operate out of Indonesia, and just 1,300km from the Australian mainland. Opposition leader Peter Dutton has warned that a Russian military presence in the Indo-Pacific region would be "deeply destabilising" and says the federal government must disclose whether it had been aware of Russia’s request before it was made public.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, INDONESIA. MINISTRY OF DEFENCE, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Coalition scores just 1/100 points for environment and climate policies from conservation organisation

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Original article by Petra Stock
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 15-Apr-25

The Greens have performed best in the Australian Conservation Foundation’s pre-election scorecard, receiving a rating of 98 per cent for its environment and climate change policies. The federal government in turn has been given a rating of 54 per cent, with ACF CEO Kelly O’Shanassy praising policies such as its commitment to renewable energy and a continued ban on nuclear power; however, she says Labor was marked down over policies such as environmental protection laws and approvals for new coal and gas projects. Meanwhile, O’Shanassy says the Coalition has "failed every single test", resulting in a rating of just one per cent.

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AUSTRALIAN CONSERVATION FOUNDATION INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Roy Morgan Poll: ALP increases election-winning two-party preferred lead to 54.5% cf. 45.5% L-NP – as President Donald Trump sparks market upheaval and Coalition backflips on Federal Public Servants working from home

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 15-Apr-25

If a Federal Election were held now the ALP would be returned to Government with an increased majority with the ALP on 54.5% (up 1% point from a week ago) ahead of the L-NP Coalition on 45.5% (down 1%) on a two-party preferred basis, the latest Roy Morgan survey finds. In a good sign for the Albanese Government, Roy Morgan Government Confidence increased 5pts to 86 – its highest since September 2023. Primary support for the major parties was little changed with the Coalition up 0.5% to 33.5% and the ALP down 0.5% to 32%. Importantly for the Government, support for the Greens was up 1% to 14.5%, One Nation was at 6%, Other Parties down 2% to 4% and Independents up 1% to 10%.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED, MORGAN POLL, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, ONE NATION PARTY

SA businesses back Labor over climate summit

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Original article by Ryan Cropp
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 11 : 15-Apr-25

Australia and Turkey are competing to host the COP31 climate summit in 2026, with a decision set to be made in coming months. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has publicly backed the South Australian government’s push for Adelaide to be the host city. Premier Peter Malinauskas says COP31 would give his state a major economic boost, and the SA Business Chamber’s CEO Andrew Kay says its members support the government’s bid. However, the federal Coalition intends to withdraw Australia’s bid for COP31 if it wins the election on 3 May; Opposition Leader Peter Dutton recently contended that hosting the event is not appropriate during a cost-of-living crisis.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, SOUTH AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

China’s rare earths move highlights need for stockpile

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 16 : 15-Apr-25

Resources Minister Madeleine King says the federal government will reveal more details regarding its proposed strategic reserve of critical minerals prior to the election on 3 May. King adds that China’s decision to impose export controls on rare earths such as dysprosium and terbium has underlined the federal government’s decision to establish a strategic reserve. King says the export restrictions are concerning but not surprising, given that China has imposed similar bans in the past. The latest export restrictions were in response to the Trump administration’s reciprocal tariffs regime, but are not limited to the US.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, SCIENCE AND RESOURCES