O75 Public Administration

Environmental issues seen as the biggest problem facing Australia – for the first time since February 2011

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 5-Nov-19

New in-depth research from Roy Morgan shows that a record 41% of Australians regard Environmental problems as the major concern facing Australia, up 17% points since June. A further 22% (down 12% points) cited Economic problems. This is the lowest level of concern for Economic issues since April 2006, prior to the Global Financial Crisis. Environmental problems are also clearly regarded as the biggest concern facing the World. An unchanged 46% of Australians mentioned some form of Environmental concern as the most important problem facing the World – nearly three times as many as the 16% who mentioned Economic problems. This is the first time Environmental problems have topped the list of concerns facing both Australia and the World since February 2011, when massive floods hit Queensland and its capital city Brisbane, as well as soon after the devastating Black Saturday bush fires in 2009 that killed over 170 Victorians. These are the key findings from a special Roy Morgan online survey of 1,054 Australians aged 14+.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Treasurer’s push to ease SME squeeze

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 9 : 1-Nov-19

The federal government will seek to make it easier for small and medium enterprises to access credit by urging banks to waive responsible lending standards for the sector. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg notes that the distinction between a small business loan and a personal loan is often a grey area, given that small business owners often use their family home as security when taking out a loan. Council of Small Business of Australia CEO Peter Strong says banks often advise small business owners to take out a personal loan instead, as they are cheaper and less complicated.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, COUNCIL OF SMALL BUSINESS ORGANISATIONS OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION

Back pay problems besiege big firms

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Original article by Damon Kitney
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 1-Nov-19

Many companies have opted to replace or upgrade their payroll systems in response to the introduction of the Australian Taxation Office’s digital Single Touch Payroll reporting system. This has in turn resulted in some companies discovering that they have been underpaying their employees, although Woolworths’ wages scandal is not believed to be linked to the transition to the STP system. Australian Retailers Association CEO Russell Zimmerman has called for an overhaul of the modern award system, contending that its complexity has contributed to the rising number of companies that have self-reported wage underpayments to the Fair Work Ombudsman.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, WOOLWORTHS GROUP LIMITED – ASX WOW, AUSTRALIAN RETAILERS ASSOCIATION, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK OMBUDSMAN, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE INSPECTOR-GENERAL OF TAXATION AND TAXATION OMBUDSMAN, SHOP, DISTRIBUTIVE AND ALLIED EMPLOYEES’ ASSOCIATION, SUPER RETAIL GROUP LIMITED – ASX SUL, QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN, THALES AUSTRALIA HOLDINGS PTY LTD, BUNNINGS GROUP LIMITED, KPMG AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, ERNST AND YOUNG, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, BAKER’S DELIGHT HOLDINGS LIMITED, CHEMIST WAREHOUSE

Aged care: the sorry truth

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Original article by Stephen Lunn
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 1-Nov-19

The interim report of the royal commission into aged care has described the aged care system as being in a state that "diminishes Australia as a nation". Federal Aged Care Minister Richard Colbeck says the report has put the government, the industry and the Australian community on notice. The report claims that Australia has developed an ageist mindset that has led to a failure to properly value and engage with older ­people, and this has translated into "apparent indifference" towards aged-care services. The report calls for urgent action on three issues: the use of chemical restraints in nursing homes; getting 6,000 young disabled people out of aged-care homes as soon as practicable; and an immediate boost to funding for high-need, in-home care recipients.

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AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO AGED CARE QUALITY AND SAFETY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HEALTH

Call to include clean coal in PM power push

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Original article by Olivia Caisley, Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 5 : 31-Oct-19

Shine Energy CEO Ashley Dodd says the Clean Energy Finance Corporation’s mandate should be expanded to include replacing Australia’s existing coal-fired power plants with high-efficiency, low-emissions plants. The federal government will inject an additional $1bn into the CEFC, but it has specifically ruled out using the extra funding to invest in new coal-fired plants or to upgrade existing plants. National Party MP Keith Pitt supports expanding the CEFC’s mandate to embrace all energy sources.

CORPORATES
SHINE ENERGY, AUSTRALIA. CLEAN ENERGY FINANCE CORPORATION, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN CONSERVATION FOUNDATION INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Hidden cost of mental illness

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Original article by Stephen Lunn
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 31-Oct-19

The Productivity Commission has released a report which calls for ‘generational changes’ to address the issue of mental illness. The report notes that Australia has a higher rate of mental illness than the OECD average, and it costs the nation about $500m per day. Amongst other things, the report examines the direct cost of mental illness in terms of lost productivity and the provision of health services. It also warns that many people with mental illness are not receiving the support and services they require.

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AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION

Court says backpacker tax is discriminatory

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Original article by Tom McIlroy
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 31-Oct-19

Arnold Bloch Leibler partner Clint Harding says some backpackers could be entitled to tax refunds after a landmark court ruling on the federal government’s tax on the earnings of working holidaymakers. The Federal Court’s Justice John Logan has ruled that the backpacker tax breaches non-discrimination clause in Australia’s tax treaties with eight countries, including the UK, the US, Germany and Japan. The Australian Taxation Office may appeal the ruling.

CORPORATES
FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, ARNOLD BLOCH LEIBLER, AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, TAXBACK.COM

CPI cools further rate cut chances

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Original article by Matthew Cranston
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 31-Oct-19

Official data shows that the consumer price index rose 0.5 per cent during the September quarter and 1.7 per cent year-on-year. Trimmed mean inflation was 0.4 per cent during the quarter and 1.6 per cent for the year to September. With the inflation rate remaining below the Reserve Bank’s target range of 2-3 per cent for a 15th consecutive quarter, the cash rate now seems likely to stay unchanged at 0.75 per cent for the rest of the year. Craig James of CommSec says the three interest rate cuts in 2019 have spooked consumers.

CORPORATES
RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, COMMONWEALTH SECURITIES LIMITED, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, ERNST AND YOUNG, BIS OXFORD ECONOMICS PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Figures show Australia’s wealth is growing but benefits are not spread evenly

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Original article by Charis Chang
News.com.au – Page: Online : 31-Oct-19

The Roy Morgan Wealth Report shows that Australia’s net wealth has increased by 90.5 per cent, or $4107bn, between 2007 and 2019. The nation’s wealth increased by 47.6 per cent when the CPI is taken into account. The net wealth of individual Australians has also increased since the global financial crisis, but this increase has not been spread evenly across the population. Median net wealth has increased by 26.3 per cent to $1.7m, although this has fallen by 2.2 per cent when adjusted for the CPI. However, the top decile of Australians have increased their wealth by 60 per cent since 2007, while the lowest decile remains in negative wealth, with their net wealth rising from -$20,000 to -$19,000. Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine says wealth inequality can breed distrust in society.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED

‘Admission is not absolution’: FWO warns Woolies after $300m wage theft revelations

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Original article by
The New Daily – Page: Online : 31-Oct-19

Woolworths CEO Brad Banducci has apologised after the retail giant became the latest company to be embroiled in the wage underpayment scandal. Woolworths has advised that it faces remediation costs of up to $300m after revealing that some 5,700 employees across its supermarkets and Metro stores have been underpaid, potentially since 2010. Woolworths will also review its non-grocery businesses, such as Big W and Dan Murphy’s. Fair Work Ombudsman Sandra Parker says the size of a company’s underpayment will be taken into consideration when the FWO considers penalties in the future.

CORPORATES
WOOLWORTHS GROUP LIMITED – ASX WOW, WOOLWORTHS SUPERMARKETS, BIG W DISCOUNT STORES, DAN MURPHY’S, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK OMBUDSMAN, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, SUPER RETAIL GROUP LIMITED – ASX SUL, QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN