O75 Public Administration

No point building new dams: minister

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Original article by Ean Higgins
The Australian – Page: 2 : 19-Sep-19

Victorian Water Minister Lisa Neville has ruled out building any more dams for that state, citing a forecast that water in the state’s rivers will halve by 2065. Neville says Victoria’s existing dams are in the best locations for capturing water, although she notes the Thomson Dam, which was intended to ‘drought proof’ Melbourne, has only filled three times in its history, with the last time being in 1996. Neville says that rather than the federal government offering Victoria money for more dams, it should give it funds to expand its desalination plant.

CORPORATES
VICTORIA. DEPT OF ENVIRONMENT, LAND, WATER AND PLANNING

ALP poll review team: let’s air laundry in public

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Original article by Greg Brown
The Australian – Page: 5 : 19-Sep-19

Jay Weatherill and Craig Emerson’s review of Labor’s election campaign is expected to be handed to its national executive in early November. It is understood that Weatherill and Emerson have asked their full report be made public, although this could cause embarrassment to Bill Shorten and expose shortcomings regarding his campaign. It is likely that the report will be released, but that elements that might suggest future campaign strategies would be withheld. Meanwhile, Shorten said on 18 September that he had no regrets about his use of ‘class warfare’ language during the campaign.

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AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Push for tougher terror laws

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Original article by Simon Benson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 19-Sep-19

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton is due to table tougher national security legislation in the House of Representatives on 19 September, with the legislation giving him expanded powers to strip the citizenship of dual national terrorists. The Australian Citizenship Amendment (Citizenship Cessation) Bill 2019 includes a new threshold for terror-related conduct, as well as targeting terror offences committed as long ago as 2003. Fourteen dual national terrorists have had their citizenship revoked under existing laws, but that number is tipped to increase under the revised legislation.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HOME AFFAIRS

Inflation Expectations down to 3.9% in August

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

In August, Australians expected annual inflation of 3.9% over the next two years. This is down 0.2% on July and down 0.4% on a year ago in August 2018. Inflation Expectations decreased in August after the ABS reported Australia experienced its slowest GDP growth since the GFC in the year to June 2019 of only 1.4%. Analysing Inflation Expectations by gender and age compared to a year ago shows the biggest declines have been for women of all ages. Despite this, women continue to have higher Inflation Expectations than men across all age groups, while Analysis of Inflation Expectations by State shows decreases in Australia’s two largest states and a significant decline in Western Australia drove the index down in August. These are the latest findings from Roy Morgan’s Single Source Survey which is based on in-depth personal interviews conducted face-to-face with over 50,000 Australians per annum in their own homes. Inflation Expectations in August are based on personally interviewing a nationwide representative sample of 3,988 Australians aged 14+.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Another inquiry on family law mess

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Original article by Nicola Berkovic, Richard Ferguson
The Australian – Page: 4 : 18-Sep-19

Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced on 17 September that a joint select committee will conduct an inquiry into the family law system. The inquiry will be headed up by former social services minister Kevin Andrews and is expected to take a year to run. Morrison told the Coalition party room that the family law system is "an awful human mess’, while Law Council of Australia president Arthur Moses says the system is plagued by "systemic failures". Issues that the inquiry will look at include the system’s impact on children and the powers of judges to compel litigants to be truthful.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Albo to dump class war and try to charm business

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Original article by Geoff Chambers
The Australian – Page: 6 : 18-Sep-19

Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese will speak at the Business Council of Australia annual forum at Parliament House on 18 September. It will be his first major speech to big business since he replaced Bill Shorten as Labor leader. His speech will indicate a desire by Albanese to work with big business, and will see him dump Shorten’s anti-corporate rhetoric. Albanese will also defend the right of big business to speak out on social issues, despite recent calls by the federal government for corporate Australia to "stick to its knitting".

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BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Who gives a dam? Ask towns going dry

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Original article by Ean Higgins
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 18-Sep-19

Federal Water Resources Minister David Littleproud has accused the states of not building enough dams to keep up with Australia’s population growth. Federal government analysis released by Littleproud on 17 September contends that at current rates, water storage per person in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland will decline by over 30 per cent by 2030 as the population increases. The federal government has over $1 billion available to the states for new dam construction, but there seems little interest among the states to access that money.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF AGRICULTURE AND WATER RESOURCES

Embattled NSW Premier bans cash gifts

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Original article by Aaron Patrick
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 18-Sep-19

New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian will announce on 18 September that her government plans to ban cash donations of more than $100 to political parties. There are suggestions the donation ban is designed to draw attention away from the problems that Berejiklian is having with some Liberal MPs over abortion laws, as well as the decision by Sports, Multiculturalism, Seniors and Veterans Minister John Sidoti to stand down while he is being investigated by the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption over property investments near new rail lines.

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NEW SOUTH WALES. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, NEW SOUTH WALES. INDEPENDENT COMMISSION AGAINST CORRUPTION, LIBERAL PARTY OF NEW SOUTH WALES

Iran confirms detention of three Australian citizens, accuses one of spying

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Original article by Adam Harvey
abc.net au – Page: Online : 18-Sep-19

Iran has confirmed it is holding three Australians in detention. The semi-official Fars news agency has quoted judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili as saying that one of the three is facing charges of spying for a nation other than her native country, while the other two were arrested for taking pictures in military areas. Those two are most likely travel bloggers Mark Firkin and Jolie King, while the third person is likely Kylie Moore-Gilbert, who is a lecturer in Islamic studies at Melbourne University. It is understood Moore-Gilbert was arrested while attending a course in the Iranian city of Qorn in the second half of 2018. There had been reports she had been convicted and given a 10-year jail sentence, but it is understood that Iranian courts are yet to rule on her possible guilt.

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ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence down to a two year low at 109.3

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 18-Sep-19

ANZ-Roy Morgan Australian Consumer Confidence fell 3.5% to 109.3 in the week ending 15 September, its lowest level in more than two years. The financial conditions subcomponents dropped sharply, while the economic conditions subindices were also down. The four-week moving average for inflation expectations increased by 0.1ppt to 4.1%, while the ‘Time to buy a household item’ was the only subindex in the positive, eking out a 0.2% gain.

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