O75 Public Administration

Mediscare campaign aimed at marginals

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Original article by Ben Packham
The Australian – Page: 2 : 25-Mar-19

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has advised that Labor will resume indexation of some Medicare benefits from July if it wins the federal election. Labor imposed the Medicare freeze in 2013, and it has been extended twice by the Coalition government. Shorten has indicated that the health system will be Labor’s top priority at the upcoming poll. He claims that the Liberals’ spending cuts mean that Australians are now paying more than ever to see a GP or a specialist. The Medicare freeze was slated to remain in place until July 2020.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HUMAN SERVICES. MEDICARE AUSTRALIA

Tax cuts offset low wages: Libs

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 25-Mar-19

The federal government’s April 2019 Budget is expected to include an election sweetener in the form of billions of dollars worth of income tax cuts, in addition to those that were legislated in 2018. Liberal senator Arthur Sinodinos says tax cuts that target low and middle-income earners will provide some relief from the rising cost of living until wages begin growing. However, shadow treasurer Chris Bowen argues that tax cuts are not a substitute for wages growth, adding that Labor’s policy will provide greater tax relief for people on low and middle incomes.

CORPORATES
LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Gladys triumph: PM eyes May 11

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Original article by Simon Benson, Ben Packham
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 25-Mar-19

The New South Wales government is set to retain office with a majority of up to two seats after gaining 42.7 per cent of the primary vote in the state election on 23 March. Labor’s primary vote was 33 per cent, while the Shooters, Fishers & Farmers Party won two seats from the National Party in regional and rural areas. Meanwhile, the federal government is expected to hold an election on 11 May, with a five-week election campaign likely to be announced days after the Budget on 2 April. Sources have indicated that the government will seek to shore up support in regional and rural areas by including a regional ­economic development package in the Budget.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, SHOOTERS, FISHERS AND FARMERS PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION, NATIONAL IRRIGATORS COUNCIL LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

PM, Nats work on coal peace plan

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Original article by Phillip Coorey, Aaron Patrick
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 7 : 25-Mar-19

The National Party performed poorly in the New South Wales election on 23 March. This appears likely to re-ignite tensions within the Coalition at the federal level over issues such as coal-fired power stations, with former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce calling for the federal government to support coal-fired power stations. Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Nationals leader Michael McCormack are understood to be working on a "peace deal" over the issue.

CORPORATES
NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Labor push on minimum wage will hurt those it’s meant to help

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Original article by Kurt Wallace
The Australian – Page: 14 : 22-Mar-19

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has committed to raising the minimum wage to become a "living wage" if Labor wins the 2019 election. The ACTU has stated that a living wage is needed so that no full-time worker is living in poverty, but under its definition of what is poor, someone earning $42,000 a year would be deemed to be living in poverty; many would take issue at this definition. Research based on the annual Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey suggests that poverty is on the decline, while introducing a living wage will result in less jobs and fewer hours worked.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ACTU, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS LIMITED, UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE. INSTITUTE OF APPLIED ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RESEARCH

Never again: NZ bans semi-automatics

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Original article by Ean Higgins
The Australian – Page: 8 : 22-Mar-19

New Zealand will ban semi-automatic rifles in the wake of the Christchurch mosque shootings, with Prime Minister ­Jacinda Ardern saying she is determined to ensure that such an attack never happens again. The government will conduct a gun buyback as part of its gun control measures, with the buyback expected to cost between $NZ100 million and $NZ200 million. Ardern has called for New Zealand to observe two minutes’ silence on 22 March. It is estimated that there are around 1.5 million firearms in New Zealand.

CORPORATES
NEW ZEALAND. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Jobless fall gives RBA breathing room

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Original article by Matthew Cranston
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 10 : 22-Mar-19

Australia’s official unemployment rate fell from five per cent to 4.9 per cent in February, with a net gain of 4,600 jobs for the month. The economy shed 7,300 full-time jobs in February, although this was offset by the creation of 11,900 part-time positions. The participation rate and the underutilisation rate both eased slightly, to 65.6 per cent and 13.1 per cent respectively. Economists say the unemployment rate’s fall to an eight-year low will reduce pressure on the Reserve Bank to cut official interest rates.

CORPORATES
RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, HSBC AUSTRALIA HOLDINGS PTY LTD, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE. INSTITUTE OF APPLIED ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RESEARCH, SEEK LIMITED – ASX SEK

Inflation Expectations lowest in over two years

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 22-Mar-19

Australians aged +14 expect inflation of 4% per year over the next two years, according to the Roy Morgan Inflation Expectations Index for February 2019. This is down 0.2% on January, and down 0.4% on February 2018. Inflation Expectations have now broken below the range they have tracked in for over two years and are now at their lowest since November 2016. Inflation Expectations have now dropped significantly below the nine-year average of 4.9%. Analysis by voting intentions shows that Inflation Expectations for supporters of the major parties were unchanged in February, with L-NP supporters having Inflation Expectations of only 3.6% and Inflation Expectations for ALP supporters of 3.9%. February Inflation Expectations are based on personally interviewing a nationwide sample of 4,234 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

Labor’s climate of catastrophe

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Original article by John Anderson
The Australian – Page: 14 : 21-Mar-19

Australia accounts for just 1.15 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, yet the nation is set to exceed its 2020 abatement target by 367 million tonnes. Meanwhile, global emissions are increasing at a rate of about two per cent annually. Labor’s proposal to reduce Australia’s carbon emissions by 45 per cent will in fact increase global emissions, as it will force industries such as aluminium manufacturing to shift production to countries that have lower efficiency standards. Labor’s policy would also have a much bigger negative impact on Australia’s GDP than the Coalition’s target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by about 27 per cent.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, INTERGOVERNMENTAL PANEL ON CLIMATE CHANGE

Employer dissatisfaction with bargaining process rising

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 2 : 21-Mar-19

The findings of a survey by law firm Ashurst would appear to support a recent claim by Labor leader Bill Shorten that the enterprise bargaining system is ‘broken’. The survey of 160 companies in the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 found that 31 per cent have old enterprise agreements in place, up from 21 per cent in 2017. Likewise, 39 per cent of respondents said it takes 12 months to negotiate a new workplace agreement, compared with 30 per cent previously. Some companies indicated that their enterprise agreement expired more than four years ago.

CORPORATES
ASHURST AUSTRALIA, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY