O75 Public Administration

More of us endure extended pay freeze

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Original article by Ewin Hannan, Greg Brown
The Australian – Page: 2 : 17-Jul-19

The Reserve Bank of Australia’s analysis of wage price index data shows that the size of wage increases and the frequency of pay rises has declined since 2013. The RBA’s Natasha Cassidy notes that there has also been a significant increase in the proportion of workers who have been subject to a wage freeze of at least 12 months. Meanwhile, ACTU secretary Sally McManus has criticised the Treasury over research which suggested that the reluctance of workers to change jobs has contributed to low wages growth.

CORPORATES
RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, ACTU, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Lawyer flags Frydenberg eligibility challenge

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Original article by Rosie Lewis
The Australian – Page: 4 : 17-Jul-19

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg says the Coalition is confident that all of its MPs are eligible to be in parliament. However, the Kooyong Independents Group is said to be planning to challenge the citizenship status of Frydenberg, arguing that he is a Hungarian citizen by descent. The Kooyong Independents Group is associated with Oliver Yates, who contested Frydenberg’s seat of Kooyong at the 18 May election.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, KOOYONG INDEPENDENTS GROUP, HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA, COURT OF DISPUTED RETURNS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Revamped bill to test ALP on forcing out rogue union bosses

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 17-Jul-19

The House of Representatives is slated to vote on the federal government’s amended Ensuring Integrity Bill within weeks. There have been significant changes to the bill in response to Labor’s concerns about the proposed legislation, but shadow industrial relations minister Tony Burke has warned that the amendments are insufficient and are also likely to be opposed by Labor. The bill is aimed at making it easier to deregister unions and ban union officials.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF JOBS AND SMALL BUSINESS, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, MARITIME UNION OF AUSTRALIA

Lower taxes can lift growth and wages

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Original article by Michael Roddan
The Australian – Page: 2 : 17-Jul-19

The University of Melbourne’s John Freebairn argues that reducing the tax rate for larger companies would stimulate economic growth and help to increase wages. He adds that a tax cut for large companies with non-resident shareholders in particular would boost GDP growth. The federal government has ruled out further attempts to introduce tax cuts for businesses with annual turnover of more than $50m following the bill’s rejection by the Senate.

CORPORATES
UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, ECONOMICS SOCIETY OF AUSTRALIA

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence moderates to 115.9

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 17-Jul-19

ANZ-Roy Morgan Australian Consumer Confidence fell 1.5% to 115.9 in the week ended 14 July, following a decline of 1.1% in the previous week. Households’ views towards current financial conditions fell 2.7%, while views towards future financial conditions fell 1.5%; this compares to up-ticks of 3.7% and 1.3% respectively for the previous week. Consumers’ views toward current economic conditions fell 1% and views toward future economic conditions fell 2.6%, after falls of 3.6% and 1.7% respectively in the previous week. The ‘time to buy a household item’ index was unchanged, and the four-week moving average for inflation expectations was flat at 4%.

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

Don’t expect pay rises, warn 40pc of CEOs

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Original article by Matthew Cranston, John Kehoe
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 16-Jul-19

The Executive Connection’s latest survey of CEOs shows that more than 37 per cent expect their employees to receive no pay rise in 2019, or at best an increase of no more than two per cent. A third of respondents expect pay rises of 2-3 per cent, and 14 per cent expect wages to increase by at least four per cent. Meanwhile, 66 per cent have indicated that they are either adopting or considering flexible working conditions to attract and retain top staff, while 30 per cent are seeking to reduce labour costs by investing in automation.

CORPORATES
THE EXECUTIVE CONNECTION PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, McDONALD’S AUSTRALIA LIMITED, UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, HUNGRY JACK’S PTY LTD, BIG W DISCOUNT STORES, KMART AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB

Labor decries Coalition complacency on economy

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Original article by Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 4 : 16-Jul-19

Deloitte Access Economics partner Chris Richardson contends that a slowdown in the economy is not the main reason why the Reserve Bank of Australia has cut interest rates in two consecutive months. Rather, he suggests that it is because the RBA has changed its view on how many new jobs need to be created in order to stimulate wage growth. Labor’s treasury spokesman Jim Chalmers says the opinion expressed in the latest Deloitte Business Outlook report is "just one opinion in a range of opinions". Chalmers claims that the Australian economy has gotten worse since the federal election, but that the Coalition still has its feet up.

CORPORATES
DELOITTE ACCESS ECONOMICS PTY LTD, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Stubborn workers keep lid on wages

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Original article by Michael Roddan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 16-Jul-19

Analysis by the Treasury suggests that the reluctance of workers to leave unproductive companies has been a major contributor to Australia’s low wages growth. Treasury’s deputy secretary Meghan Quinn says the research shows that there is a link between the frequency of job switching and higher real wages, including for people who stay in their existing job. The national rate of job-switching is now about eight per cent, compared with 11 per cent in the early 2000s.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, ECONOMIC SOCIETY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

Pull your weight: Feds tell states

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 16-Jul-19

Urban Infrastructure Minister Alan Tudge has called on the states to accelerate new infrastructure projects where possible to help stimulate the Australian economy. While noting that capacity constraints in the construction sector are at their highest level since the resources boom, Tudge has suggested three areas where new infrastructure can be fast-tracked, including the 166 small urban congestion projects that the federal government announced in the lead-up to the 18 May election.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INFRASTRUCTURE AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, INFRASTRUCTURE AUSTRALIA

Minimum wage world’s highest

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Original article by Rachel Baxendale
The Weekend Australian – Page: 2 : 13-Jul-19

Australia’s minimum wage was increased by 3.5 per cent in 2018, with the increase giving Australia the highest minimum wage in the world when adjusted for inflation and purchasing power. This is according to recent OECD figures, which do not take into account the latest three per cent increase in the minimum wage. Australian Industry Group CEO Innes Willox says the OECD figures rebut union claims that the minimum wage system needs to be overhauled, although an ACTU spokesperson contends that it is a "basic principle of fairness" that no one who works full-time should be living in poverty.

CORPORATES
THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, ACTU, ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT