O75 Public Administration

Nation weaning itself off benefits

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Original article by Stephen Lunn
The Australian – Page: 8 : 11-Sep-19

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2019 welfare report states that the nation’s welfare bill has levelled at $130 billion over the past three years. The report, which will be released on 11 September, also states the proportion of working-age Australians receiving income support declined from 22 per cent in 1999 to 15 per cent in 2018. The AIHW report serves as a picture of Australia’s well-being, with AIHW spokesman Dinesh Indrahara noting Australia is in the top third of OECD countries on a range of measures, including social connectedness and life satisfaction.

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AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF HEALTH AND WELFARE, ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT

Basin crisis: no water to flush rivers

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Original article by Ean Higgins, Andrew Clennell
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 11-Sep-19

The Murray-Darling river system is facing a possible environmental catastrophe over the 2019-20 summer, due to a lack of water in dams in the system’s Northern Basin. Federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley says this lack of water means that authorities will not be able to replenish the northern river system, as they have done in the past two years. Ley says the possible impacts of not being able to do so include parts of the system drying up, native vegetation dying, and mass fish deaths.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence falls to 113.3

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 11-Sep-19

ANZ-Roy Morgan Australian Consumer Confidence fell 1% to 113.3 in the week ending 8 September. The fall was accentuated by a sharp decline of 7.1% in the ‘Time to buy a major household item’ sub-index. Current finances fell by 1.2%, the second decline in a row, while future finances gained 1.7%. Both the indices are well above their long term averages. Australians are still wary of the economic outlook, considering both the subindices are below their long terms averages. Inflation expectations were stable at 4% on the four-week moving average.

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

Promised $800 pensioner bonus delivered to less than 1 per cent of seniors

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Original article by Samantha Maiden
The New Daily – Page: Online : 10-Sep-19

Newspaper reports in June suggested that one million pensioners would receive a $800 cash bonus under the federal government’s changes to deeming rates. However, Social Security documents released under freedom of information laws indicate that single pensioners will get an average payment of just $249, while couples will receive an average payment of just $156. The documents indicate less than one per cent of the one million pensioners who benefit from the deeming rate changes will receive the full $800.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF SOCIAL SERVICES

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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