O75 Public Administration

Win on pay but productivity goes begging

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 5 : 4-Jun-25

ACTU secretary Sally McManus has welcomed the Fair Work Commission’s decision to grant a pay rise of 3.5 per cent for people on the minimum wage and award wages. The minimum wage will rise by about $32 per week, to $948. McManus notes that the above-inflation wage rise represents a 1.1 per cent increase in real wages. However, the Australian Industry Group’s CEO Innes Willox argues that real wages growth is only sustainable when it is linked to productivity improvements. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese contends that the FWC’s ruling will not increase prices for consumers, while it will ensure that workers do not fall behind with regard to the cost of living.

CORPORATES
ACTU, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

OECD trims Australian economic growth expectations

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Original article by Matthew Cranston
The Australian – Page: Online : 4-Jun-25

The OECD now expects the Australian economy to grow by just 1.8 per cent in 2025, compared with its previous forecast of 1.9 per cent. However, its growth forecast for 2026 has been upgraded from 1.8 per cent to 2.2 per cent. The Paris-based organisation also expects global economic growth to slow in both 2025 and 2026. Meanwhile, Australia’s official GDP data for the March quarter will be released today, and economists from the nation’s four major banks have downgraded their forecasts for economic growth during the period; Westpac is the most bearish, warning of a small risk of negative growth.

CORPORATES
ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC

‘Furious’: Nationals MP says Littleproud misled the party

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Original article by James Massola
Brisbane Times – Page: Online : 28-May-25

National Party leader David Littleproud is under scrutiny in the wake of the recent falling out with the Liberal Party which briefly ended their long-standing coalition. Nationals MP Colin Boyce has accused Littleproud of misleading his colleagues regarding the scope of the Nationals’ demands in four key policy areas which prompted the split. Boyce has described the split as a ‘fiasco’ and says he cannot support a leader who misleads the party room. Boyce adds that he opposes the Coalition’s net zero emissions target of 2050, and contends that the issue should have been discussed in the Nationals’ party room meeting last week.

CORPORATES
NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Australian tax office whistleblower Richard Boyle may avoid jail in plea deal

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Original article by
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 28-May-25

Former Australian Tax Office debt collection officer Richard Boyle has pleaded guilty to four criminal charges in the Adelaide District Court, while 15 charges were withdrawn. Another five charges had been withdrawn in March. Former senator Rex Patrick, who founded the Whistleblowers Justice Fund, has described Boyle as a ‘superhero’ for publicly exposing the ATO’s debt recovery tactics; he adds that it is a disgrace that Boyle has been pursued for eight years over his revelations. Patrick believes that Boyle could potentially avoid custodial sentence after pleading guilty; however, he adds that Boyle may still be convicted, which would affect his future career prospects.

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AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, DISTRICT COURT OF ADELAIDE

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence down 1.8pts to 87.0 in the week the RBA cut interest rates to 3.85%

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 28-May-25

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence fell 1.8pts to 87.0 in the week to 25 May; however, Consumer Confidence is now 6.8 points above the same week a year ago (80.2), and 0.5pts above the 2025 weekly average of 86.5. Analysis by State shows that Consumer Confidence fell in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia, but rose slightly in Western Australia. Now 18% of Australians (unchanged) say their families are ‘better off’ financially than this time last year, while 42% (up 1ppt) say their families are ‘worse off’. Looking forward, 28% (down 2ppts) of Australians expect their family to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year, while 30% (unchanged) expect to be ‘worse off’. Now 13% (down 1ppt) of Australians expect ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next 12 months, while 29% (up 5ppts) expect ‘bad times’. Meanwhile, 23% (unchanged) of Australians say now is a ‘good time to buy’ major household items, while 35% (down 2ppts) say now is a ‘bad time to buy’ (the lowest figure for this indicator since March 2022).

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

Steph Hunt (Melbourne) and Aaron Violi (Casey) are the only two Liberals to achieve a primary vote swing of +4%

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 28-May-25

The Liberal Party suffered a crushing defeat at the Federal Election held earlier this month, and the recriminations continue under new leader Sussan Ley. However, there were some bright spots for the party with 20 Liberal/LNP candidates achieving a positive primary vote swing, led by Liberal candidate for Melbourne, Steph Hunt, who achieved a primary vote swing of +4.6% from 2022, and Liberal MP from Casey (Victoria), Aaron Violi, with a primary vote swing of +4.4%. Other notable performances included Simmone Cottom with a primary vote swing of +3.9% in the Victorian seat of Hawke, Benson Saulo with a swing of +3.5% in the inner Melbourne seat of Macnamara, Tim Beddoe with a swing of +3.3% in the western Melbourne seat of Maribyrnong and re-elected Liberal MP Tim Wilson reclaiming his seat on Melbourne’s bayside with a primary vote swing of +3.1%. Of the 20 Liberal/LNP candidates to achieve a positive primary vote swing in their electorate, 15 were in Victoria, three were in New South Wales and two were in Queensland.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

PM urged to act over US Darwin port offer

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Original article by Ben Packham
The Australian – Page: 5 : 28-May-25

Landbridge Group’s long-term lease on the Port of Darwin is under renewed scrutiny, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese under growing pressure to act on his election pledge on the issue. Shadow home affairs minister James Patersons says Albanese should use the federal goverment’s constitutional powers to force Landbridge to relinquish its lease if it does not do so willingly on commercial terms. US-based private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management has proposed buying the port lease; Paterson says Cerberus would be an acceptable buyer under Australia’s foreign investment rules.

CORPORATES
PORT OF DARWIN, LANDBRIDGE GROUP COMPANY LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, CERBERUS CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LP

Gas exporters on notice to lock in more supplies for Australians

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Original article by Nick Toscano
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: Online : 28-May-25

Federal Resources Minister Madeleine King addressed the Australian Energy Producers conference in Brisbane on Tuesday. Amid growing fears of a looming gas shortage on the east coast, King said that Australians are tired of seeing the nation’s vast gas resources exported while paying high prices themselves. King added that while some Australian LNG producers are "doing the right thing" by ensuring that there is sufficient domestic supply, a lot of work still needs to be done on this issue. She added that the federal government plans to undertake a review of laws and regulations governing the LNG sector, to ensure that they are working as intended.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, SCIENCE AND RESOURCES, AUSTRALIAN ENERGY PRODUCERS

ANZ-Roy Morgan Inflation Expectations dropped to 4.5% in mid-May – down from 4.8% for the month of April

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 21-May-25

The weekly ANZ-Roy Morgan Inflation Expectations were 4.5% for the week of 12-18 May, down 0.3% points from the month of April, following two straight weekly declines in early May. However, a look at monthly Inflation Expectations for April shows the measure at 4.8% for the month – a second consecutive monthly increase of 0.1% points from the nearly four-year low in February of 4.6%. Looking back over the last year, weekly Inflation Expectations have moved in a band of 4.2% to 5.2% since the start of May 2024, and averaged 4.8%. The data for the Inflation Expectations series is drawn from the Roy Morgan Single Source, which has interviewed an average of around 5,300 Australians aged 14+ per month over the last decade, and includes interviews with 5,129 Australians aged 14+ in April 2025.

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

Victorian Labor enters debt-and-tax spiral

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Original article by Lily McCaffrey, Damon Johnston
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 21-May-25

S&P Global analyst Rebecca Hrvatin has responded to the Victorian government’s 2025 budget by emphasising the need for fiscal discipline, particularly in the lead-up to the state election in November 2026. The budget papers show that Victoria’s net debt is forecast to rise from about $155bn at present to $194bn in 2028-29, while the state’s annual interest bill will top $10.5bn by that date. The state’s wages bill is in turn expected to blow out to $42bn in 2028-29, despite plans to shed about 1,200 full-time equivalent public sector jobs. Meanwhile, tax revenue is expected to rise to about $48bn in 2028-29, compared with $36.8bn in 2023-24; this is despite the absence of any new taxes in the budget.

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S&P GLOBAL RATINGS