O75 Public Administration

Minimum wage nowhere near keeping pace with rents

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Original article by Killian Plastow
The New Daily – Page: Online : 4-Jun-19

The Fair Work Commission cited a fall in inflation, which is measured by the Consumer Price Index, as the reason for a smaller increase in the minimum wage in 2019 than in 2018. Anglicare executive director Kasy Chambers notes that the CPI is based on a ‘basket of goods’ that does not include rent or housing costs. She says the CPI has only increased by 63 per cent since 1998, while housing costs have risen by 300 per cent over the same period. Australian Bureau of Statistics chief economist Bruce Hockman notes that there are other data sets that examine the sort of housing costs that Anglicare is referring to, but that the CPI was not intended to measure them.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, ANGLICARE AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS

Albanese’s team mulls Coalition’s full tax cut agenda

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Original article by Richard Ferguson
The Australian – Page: Online : 4-Jun-19

Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese has indicated that Labor would be open to briefly reconvening parliament in June to pass the first stage of the Coalition’s proposed income tax cuts. He adds that Labor will consider the second and third stages on their merits. Labor is unlikely to decide whether to support the full package at its first post-election shadow cabinet meeting on 4 June. Shadow treasurer Jim Chalmers says Labor will review its tax policies in the wake of the election loss, but notes that a range of tax concessions cost a lot of money that could be better used elsewhere.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Watchdog to get tough over worker rip-offs

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 5 : 3-Jun-19

Fair Work Ombudsman Sandra Parker says the agency will make greater use of enforcement tools as part of its crackdown on employers that underpay their staff. Parker adds that businesses which self-report non-compliance to the FWO should also expected to face penalties, noting that there has been an increase in self-reporting in recent times. Meanwhile, Parker has identified sectors such as fast-food restaurants, cafes, horticulture and franchising as priorities for the FWO in 2019-20.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK OMBUDSMAN

Bruised Labor in race to embrace coal

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Original article by Rosie Lewis, Charlie Peel
The Australian – Page: 4 : 3-Jun-19

Shadow agriculture minister Joel Fitzgibbon has also taken on the resources portfolio in Labor’s post-election reshuffle. Fitzgibbon has stressed that Labor will continue to support the mining and exporting of coal, adding that Labor will support all mining projects that meet environmental hurdles and do not require taxpayer subsidies. There was a swing of more than 14 per cent against Fitzgibbon in the seat of Hunter, in which coal mining is a key industry.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ADANI MINING PTY LTD

Labor all at sea as boats view thrown overboard

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Original article by Rosie Lewis, Alice Workman
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 3-Jun-19

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has criticised Labor’s decision to appoint Kristina Keneally to the portfolio. Dutton claims that she is the "least qualified" to be the shadow home affairs minister. Keneally has previously opposed the federal government’s policy of turning back asylum-seeker boats and expressed support for on-shore processing. However, she now says Labor fully supports boat turnbacks and offshore processing. Meanwhile, former shadow treasurer Chris Bowen will step into the health portfolio, while Bill Shorten has been given the National Disability Insurance Scheme portfolio. The new shadow cabinet has equal representation of men and women.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HOME AFFAIRS

Business Confidence soars 11% to 114.4 as L-NP win election and majority say now is a good time to invest

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 3-Jun-19

In Australia, Business Confidence rose 11.5pts (+11.2%) to 114.4 in May 2019, according to the latest Roy Morgan Business Single Source survey, in a month in which the L-NP Government was re-elected against the expectations of many. The increase was across the whole month, although the small proportion of interviews conducted after the election had a higher level of Business Confidence (118.4) than the pre-election period (113.5). The jump in Business Confidence in May is the biggest monthly increase since a 14.7pt (+12.3%) jump to 134.3 in September 2013, when the L-NP Government was first elected. Business Confidence is now only 2.7pts below its level in May 2018 and 1.3pts less than its long-term average of 115.7. Now 44.5% (up 9.3ppts) of businesses expect the business to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year, while just 15.7% (down 6.1ppts) expect the business to be ‘worse off’ financially. Meanwhile, 47.4% (up 6.4ppts) of businesses expect the Australian economy to have ‘good times’ over the next year, while 41.3% (down 6.6ppts) expect the economy to have ‘bad times’. Now 51.3% (up 3.6ppts) of businesses also say the next year will be a ‘good time to invest in growing the business’, while 36% (down 2.9ppts) say it will be a ‘bad time to invest’ (the lowest figure for this indicator since February 2018).

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Gas producers face export curbs

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Original article by Perry Williams, Greg Brown
The Australian – Page: 17 & 26 : 31-May-19

Manufacturing Australia CEO Ben Eade says the federal government must impose LNG export controls due to the high cost of gas in the domestic market. Resources Minister Matt Canavan has signalled that the government may be open to triggering the Australian Domestic Gas Security Mechanism if domestic gas prices remain well above those in Asia. Manufacturers in the eastern states are currently paying more than $10 a gigajoule for gas, and Australian Competition & Consumer chairman Rod Sims has warned that many will be forced to close if gas prices do not fall.

CORPORATES
MANUFACTURING AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND SCIENCE, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN ENERGY MARKET OPERATOR LIMITED, INCITEC PIVOT LIMITED – ASX IPL, QENOS PTY LTD, EXXONMOBIL CORPORATION, AUSTRALIAN PAPER LIMITED, DOW CHEMICAL AUSTRALIA LIMITED, CLAYPAVE PTY LTD, REMAPAK PTY LTD

Adani to get the all-clear on finch

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Original article by Sarah Elks
The Australian – Page: 2 : 31-May-19

Queensland’s Environment Department is expected to announce on 31 May that it has approved Adani’s management plan for the black-throated finch at its proposed Carmichael coal mine. Approval for the plan could mean Adani just needs approval for its groundwater-management plan for construction of the $2 billion mine to commence. Meanwhile, Opposition leader Deb Freck­lington has accused Queensland Treasurer Jackie Trad of holding the mining industry to ransom over her proposed ‘voluntary’ $100 million regional infrastructure fund.

CORPORATES
QUEENSLAND. DEPT OF ENVIRONMENT AND HERITAGE PROTECTION, ADANI MINING PTY LTD, BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, ANGLO AMERICAN AUSTRALIA LIMITED, PEABODY COALTRADE AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, GLENCORE COAL HOLDINGS LIMITED, QUEENSLAND. TREASURY

Albo to set off on straight-talking tour

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Original article by Greg Brown
The Australian – Page: 6 : 31-May-19

Federal Labor leader Anthony Albanese intends to travel around Australia over the next few weeks to find out how Labor can do better, saying that he is a good listener. Labor’s new frontbench will have its first meeting in Brisbane in early June, with the party having only secured 27 per cent of the primary vote in Queensland at the 18 May election. Former Labor leader Bill Shorten will be on the frontbench, but Albanese has declined to say what portfolio he will be allocated.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Minimum wage will rise 3 per cent to $740.80 a week on Fair Work ruling

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Original article by Stephanie Chalmers
abc.net au – Page: Online : 31-May-19

The ACTU has described the Fair Work Commission’s decision to increase the minimum wage by three per cent as a "win" for low-paid workers. The minimum wage will be increased to $19.49 an hour, or $740.80 per week, but the peak union body says it is still not a living wage. The ACTU had sought a six per cent increase in the minimum wage, after it rose by 3.5 per cent in 2018. The latest Wage Price Index data shows that annual growth in wages is currently about 2.3 per cent.

CORPORATES
ACTU, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA