O75 Public Administration

Labor’s election policies destined for the scrap heap

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 10-Sep-19

Labor leader Anthony Albanese has backed calls by Labor front bencher Mark Butler for a rigorous review of the policies that it took to the last election. Butler said on 9 September that the review should be "ruthless and unsparing", and that nothing should be considered sacrosanct. Although Labor’s review of its election defeat is not due to be finished until later in 2019, there are growing signs that it intends to abandon the ‘tax and spend’ agenda that it took to the election. Albanese says its new agenda would be based around job creation and economic growth.

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AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Greens win Senate backing for federal ICAC

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Original article by Andrew Tillett
The Australian Financial Review – Page: Online : 10-Sep-19

A private members bill sponsored by the Greens that calls for the introduction of a federal anti-corruption commission was passed by the Senate on 9 September. Labor, Centre Alliance and independent senator Jacqui Lambie supported the bill, which was passed 35-32. The federal government will likely use its numbers to ensure that the bill does not get put to a vote in the House of Representatives, while government senators claimed that the Greens’ proposed model for a federal anti-corruption commission was too broad.

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AUSTRALIAN GREENS AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY CENTRE ALLIANCE

Business Confidence post-election bounce continues

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 10-Sep-19

Roy Morgan Business Confidence was up 0.3pts (+0.3%) to 114.3 in August. Business Confidence has now averaged 114.4 over the last three months, which is up 1.7pts (+1.5%) since the same period a year ago. The small increase was driven by an increasing number of businesses saying the next year is a ‘good time to invest in growing the business’, up 4.4ppts to 53.1%, and an increasing majority of businesses, 54.1% (up 2.1ppts), expecting ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next five years. The improvement for Business Confidence over the last four months means the index is now virtually level with the latest weekly ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence, which was at 114.4 on August 31/September 1, 2019. Business Confidence in August 2019 is now 4.1pts above its level of a year ago in August 2018 but is still 1.3pts below its long-term average of 115.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Sydney’s lockout laws set to be wound back across CBD but Kings Cross still under curfew

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Original article by Paige Cockburn
abc.net au – Page: Online : 9-Sep-19

New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian says that Sydney’s lockout laws should be rolled back, in order to bolster Sydney’s night-time economy. A joint parliamentary committee is investigating Sydney’s night-time economy, and is due to release its report in coming weeks. It is expected that 1.30am lockouts would be lifted in Sydney’s CBD entertainment district, but would remain in place in Kings Cross. Venue operators have welcomed the prospect that the lockout laws will be eased, but St Vincent’s Hospital has expressed its disappointment; it notes it has not seen one alcohol-related assault death since the laws were introduced in 2014.

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NEW SOUTH WALES. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET

Bosses seek Fair Work’s EBA data to allay anxiety

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 2 : 9-Sep-19

The Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry has called on the Fair Work Commission to release comprehensive data about its approval of enterprise agreements. Employer groups have previously expressed concern about the time it takes to get agreements approved, with ACCI CEO James Pearson saying it hopes discussion on the issue of approval times could lead to changes that would see agreement approvals become quicker, simpler and more predictable. He says that this could help to reverse the ongoing decline in enterprise agreement coverage.

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AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION

Australia retain the Ashes after England fail to save fourth Test at Old Trafford

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Original article by Vic Marks
theguardian.com – Page: Online : 9-Sep-19

Australia has retained the Ashes, after defeating England by 185 runs in the fourth Test at Old Trafford to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series. England managed to hold out until 6.15pm on the last day, before Josh Hazelwood trapped Craig Overton LBW to win the game. Steve Smith and Pat Cummins played the major part in both the victory at Old Trafford and Australia’s retention of the Ashes, but captain Tim Paine should also take some of the credit. For its part, England seem to becoming overly reliant on miracles.

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Test for Labor as PM eyes victory

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Original article by Simon Benson, Rosie Lewis
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 9-Sep-19

The federal government looks set to get bills that would see drug testing for welfare recipients introduced and its cashless welfare card expanded passed, after independent senator Jacquie Lambie indicated she would support them. In return for her support, the federal government will waive the $157 million housing debt that Tasmania owes the commonwealth. Labor caucus is said to be divided over Labor leader Anthony Albanese’s decision to enforce a ‘no vote’ on both bills, while manager of opposition business Tony Burke claims the two bills will not create any more jobs but will just "humiliate" people.

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AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Our income recession is over

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Original article by Matthew Cranston
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 6-Sep-19

New data shows that real disposable income per capita increased by one per cent in the June quarter and by 2.7 per cent in the year to June. Real disposable income per capita has risen in four consecutive quarters and it is now $59,258, compared with the OECD average of $44,845. Chris Richardson of Deloitte Access Economics says the growth in income per capita may not be sustained, given that the iron ore price has retreated from its recent highs.

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DELOITTE ACCESS ECONOMICS PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, INDUSTRY SUPER AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, JP MORGAN AUSTRALIA LIMITED, UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE. INSTITUTE OF APPLIED ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RESEARCH, KPMG AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, KPMG AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Morrison spruiks infrastructure as key

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Original article by Richard Ferguson
The Australian – Page: 4 : 6-Sep-19

Prime Minister Scott Morrison hopes the federal government’s massive infrastructure investment program will help stimulate the economy. The government will spend some $100bn on infrastructure projects over the next decade, including $48.2bn over the next four years. However, shadow infrastructure minister Catherine King contends that the government failed to meet its infrastructure spending commitments in its first five Budgets.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Cyber threat to transport, power

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Original article by Ben Packham
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 6-Sep-19

Home Affairs­ Minister Peter Dutton will release a cyber security consultation paper on 6 September. It warns of the growing threat to Australia’s critical infrastructure, including energy, tele­communications and transport networks. The paper will note that industrial plants are also vulnerable to targeted attacks from state-sponsored hackers and cyber criminals. Dutton will also call for greater co-operation between governments and business, warning of the heightened risk since the Coalition released its cyber security strategy in 2016.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HOME AFFAIRS, AUSTRALIAN SECURITY INTELLIGENCE ORGANISATION, MAERSK, AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, AUSTRALIAN STRATEGIC POLICY INSTITUTE LIMITED