O75 Public Administration

Climate failures cost us: ALP poll review

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Original article by Troy Bramston
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 21-Aug-19

A submission to Labor’s review of its 2019 federal election campaign has contended that lack of sufficient detail of the party’s climate change policy contributed to its surprise defeat on 18 May. The Labor Environment ­Action Network’s submission notes that the Opposition’s climate change action plan did not outline how much it would cost, how it would be funded or what economic benefits it would have. LEAN members also argue that Labor’s franking credits policy and its stance on Adani’s Carmichael coal mine also contributed to its election loss.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ADANI MINING PTY LTD

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence down to 112.8

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 21-Aug-19

ANZ-Roy Morgan Australian Consumer Confidence fell 2.3% to 112.8 in the week ended 18 August, closing below the long-term average. Households’ views towards current financial conditions rose 0.2%, and views towards future financial conditions gained 0.6%. However, consumers’ views toward current economic conditions fell 3.8%, and views toward future economic conditions fell 7.9%; both of the economic subindices are now below their respective long-term average. The ‘time to buy a major household item’ index fell 1.4%, its third consecutive decline; the four-week moving average for inflation expectations fell 0.1ppt to 3.9%

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

Gillard’s IR laws need rework: Lib MPs

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 20-Aug-19

Liberal MPs Tim Wilson, Jason Falinski and Andrew Bragg have called for changes to unfair dismissal laws that were introduced when Julia Gillard was the Labor government’s industrial relations minister. The trio argues that Labor’s Unfair Dismissal Code has also been ineffective, and the number of unfair dismissal cases heard by the Fair Work Commission has risen sharply under Labor’s reforms. A recent review of the code by Small Business Ombudsman Kate Carnell recommended 15 changes to it.

CORPORATES
LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE AUSTRALIAN SMALL BUSINESS AND FAMILY ENTERPRISE OMBUDSMAN

Transacting $10,000 or more in cash could make you a criminal under proposed law

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Original article by Nassim Khadem
abc.net au – Page: Online : 20-Aug-19

The 2018-19 federal Budget included a proposal that would restrict cash payments to businesses to no more than $10,000. The measure was recommended by the federal government’s Black Economy Taskforce; those who infringe the proposed measure if it is legislated could be fined up to $25,000 or jailed for two years. One Nation has indicated that it will vote against legislation, while the Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry is among a number of organisations that oppose the measure.

CORPORATES
ONE NATION LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

Baby Boomers put squeeze on the young

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Original article by John Kehoe
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 8 : 19-Aug-19

The Grattan Institute contends that people aged 40 contribute twice as much in tax to support older Australians than Baby Boomers did at the same age, after adjusting for inflation. The percentage of households over the age of 65 that pay tax has fallen from 27 per cent in the mid-1990s to 17 per cent, while the Grattan Institute notes that the wealth of households under the age of 35 has barely changed since 2004. It puts forward a number of suggestions to address this intergenerational divide, including taxing superannuation earnings in retirement at 15 per cent and lifting the pension age.

CORPORATES
GRATTAN INSTITUTE, AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION, KPMG AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

China threat: bolster Top End

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Original article by Geoff Chambers
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 19-Aug-19

A report to be released by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute on 19 August suggests that there is a growing gap between Australia’s strategic policy and its military assets in the northern part of the nation. The report’s release, which calls for a boost to defence capacity in that part of the country, will coincide with the release of a separate report from the United States Studies Centre that will argue that the US no longer "enjoys military primacy in the Indo-Pacific". The release of the two reports comes as China seeks to expand its defence and strategic presence in the region.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN STRATEGIC POLICY INSTITUTE LIMITED, UNITED STATES STUDIES CENTRE

Inflation Expectations jump to 4.1% in July after RBA rate cuts

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

Australians aged +14 expect inflation of 4.1% per year over the next two years, according to the Roy Morgan Inflation Expectations Index for July 2019. This is up 0.3% on June, but down 0.2% on July 2018. Inflation Expectations increased in July following back-to-back interest rate cuts in June and July. Amongst the generations, Inflation Expectations have fallen most significantly for Baby Boomers and Millennials. Analysis by voting intentions shows that Inflation Expectations increased for supporters of all three leading parties. However, Inflation Expectations for electors as a whole are now below those of the general population, at 3.9%. July Inflation Expectations are based on personally interviewing a nationwide representative sample of 5,031 Australians aged 14+ face-to -face in their own homes.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS

Tourism industry now employs one in 13 working Australians

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Original article by Mark Ludlow, Luke Housego
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 16-Aug-19

China remains the biggest market for the Australian tourism industry, according to a new Austrade report, with 1.432 million visitors in the year to June. Tourism jobs have risen by 34 per cent in the last 10 years, and the sector now employs almost one million people. Tourist spending has increased for nine years in a row to reach $143 billion a year, a rise of $50 billion over the past decade. Around 47 per cent of tourism jobs are part-time, due to its seasonal nature.

CORPORATES
AUSTRADE

CFMEU seeks to lock in pay rises forever

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 16-Aug-19

New South Wales employers say the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union draft pattern agreement for that state is the most restrictive they have seen. The agreement essentially calls for pay increases of five per cent a year for as long as the agreement is not terminated or replaced, while it also calls for a ban on large concrete pours after 11am. It also calls for increases to various allowances and casual loadings, for a rostered day off every second week, and for employer contributions to various union-linked entities. The Australian Building and Construction Commission states the draft agreement breaches the federal government’s building code.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION

Full-time earnings return to solid growth

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 16-Aug-19

The Australian Bureau of Statistics reported on 15 August that full-time employees are earning an average of $1634.80 a week for ordinary time work. This represents an increase of 3.1 per cent for the year to May, and compares to an increase of 2.7 per cent for the previous year. Professor Mark Wooden from Melbourne University noted that with the CPI at 1.5 per cent, weekly earnings are well above inflation. By way of contrast to the average earnings data, the wage price index (WPI) has remained at 2.3 per cent for the first half of 2019.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE