O75 Public Administration

ABCC cracks down on CFMEU right of entry

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 12-Nov-18

The Australian Building & Construction Commission is cracking down on Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining & Energy Union officials who try to exploit "right of entry" loopholes. One such official, Brendan Murphy, is facing thousands of dollars in fines after the Federal Court found that he had gained access to a construction site at a Victorian school by signing its guest registry. He refused to show his right of entry permit to the contractor’s site manager, and then stated that he was going to shut the site down over safety concerns. Federal Court Justice Debbie Mortimer said Murphy’s safety concerns were "contrived", and that he did not care about right of entry laws.

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

PM push for states to set migrant rate

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Original article by Simon Benson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 12-Nov-18

The federal government is understood to be planning major changes to immigration policy that would see the states and territories assume responsibility for determining permanent migrant numbers. Such a change would help address a major problem with current population policy, namely that while the states and territories are in charge of infrastructure issues like schools and roads, the federal government controls immigration, one of the major "levers" of population.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HOME AFFAIRS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Wages growth tipped to hasten

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Original article by Vesna Poljak
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 25 : 12-Nov-18

The upcoming release of wage price index data for the September quarter will be a key focus for economists and investors in the next week. The general consensus of economists is for WPI growth of 0.6 per cent for the quarter and 2.3 per cent year-on-year. Felicity Emmett of the ANZ Bank expects a 3.5 per cent increase in the minimum wage that took effect at the start of July to have increased the WPI by about 0.15 per cent.

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AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, HSBC AUSTRALIA HOLDINGS PTY LTD, BLOOMBERG LP, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, DOMAIN HOLDINGS AUSTRALIA LIMITED – ASX DHA

Unemployment unchanged at 9.4% in October

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 12-Nov-18

A Roy Morgan survey shows that 12,194,000 Australians were employed in October 2018, up 427,000 over the past year. The increase was driven by equivalent increases in full-time employment (which was up 173,000 to 7,887,000) and part-time employment (up 254,000 to 4,307,000). The figures also show that 1,265,000 Australians (9.4% of the workforce) were unemployed in October, an increase of 39,000 on a year ago. In addition, 1,242,000 Australians (9.2% of the workforce) were under-employed, working part-time and looking for more work, an increase of 134,000 in a year (up 0.7%). In total 2,507,000 Australians (18.6% of the workforce) were either unemployed or under-employed in October, an increase of 173,000 in a year (up 0.6%). Roy Morgan’s real unemployment figure of 9.4% for October remains substantially higher than the current ABS estimate for September of 5.0%. Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine says the persistent high level of under-employment – which is up more than 130,000 from 1.1 million a year ago – is likely to emerge as a key election issue over the next few months.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS

We don’t want the right to sack gay teachers, say Australia’s most senior Anglican leaders

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Original article by Michael Koziol, Jordan Baker
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: Online : 9-Nov-18

The federal government has already committed to doing away with laws that allow schools to expel gay students. However, a similar move to do away with laws that allow schools to sack gay teachers has proven somewhat more controversial. Melbourne Anglican Archbishop Philip Freier and Sydney Anglican Archbishop Glenn Davies both indicated on 8 November that there was no need to maintain laws that allows Anglican schools to fire gay teachers.

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ANGLICAN CHURCH OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, HUMAN RIGHTS LAW CENTRE LIMITED

Work with us, not against us, China urges Australia

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Original article by Michael Smith, Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 9-Nov-18

Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne met with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on 8 November, with Wang telling Payne that the two countries should work together on funding infrastructure in the Pacific region, rather than trying to compete against each other. Wang said he hoped that China and Australia could further boost their trade and economic ties, and that the decision by Australia to block the Hong Kong-based CKI Group’s planned takeover of APA Group would not hurt the relationship between the two countries.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, CHEUNG KONG INFRASTRUCTURE HOLDINGS LIMITED, APA GROUP – ASX APA

‘Blew up the government’: Malcolm Turnbull challenges plotters in defence of his government

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Original article by David Crowe
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: Online : 9-Nov-18

Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has told a special edition of "Q&A" that he does not blame Prime Minister Scott Morrison for his downfall as Liberal leader. Turnbull named Peter Dutton, Tony Abbott and Mitch Fifield as being among the main "plotters" in the bid to oust him, while he said that Seven Network chairman Kerry Stokes had relayed a comment to him from News Corp executive chairman Rupert Murdoch that "Malcolm’s got to go". Turnbull called on those who conspired against him to explain why "they blew up the government", while he endorsed claims that some MPs had been "bullied and intimidated" to vote against him.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Labor crisis over sex scandal

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Original article by Andrew Clennell
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 9-Nov-18

Luke Foley has quit as leader of the New South Wales Labor opposition over allegations he "drunkenly" placed his hands inside a female ABC reporter’s underwear after a 2016 Christmas party. He has denied the claims against him, made by Ashleigh Raper, and says he has sought legal advice in regard to launching possible defamation proceedings in the Federal Court. NSW police say they have spoken to ABC management about the claims, while Prime Minister Scott Morrison described Foley’s alleged behaviour as "very, very shocking and concerning"

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AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Budget moves closer to surplus on back of RBA upgrade

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Original article by John Kehoe
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 2 : 8-Nov-18

The federal government’s May 2018 Budget papers had forecast average real GDP growth of 2.75 per cent in 2018-19, rising to three per cent in 2019-20. The Budget could potentially return to surplus earlier than projected if the government upwardly revises its GDP forecasts in line with the latest forecasts issued by the Reserve Bank. The government will update its forecasts in December. Peter Downes of Outlook Economics says a surplus is possible in 2018-19, depending on the outlook for commodity prices, the Australian dollar and profits in the mining sector.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, OUTLOOK ECONOMICS, DELOITTE ACCESS ECONOMICS PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE

Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine talks to Stan Grant on "Matter Of Fact"

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 8-Nov-18

Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine joins Stan Grant’s panel on the ABC’s "Matter Of Fact" program and reveals some enlightening insights into what is driving Queensland electors. Levine says the next federal election will be fought on economic issues in Queensland, and she discusses the factors that prompted a large swing against the Liberal-National Party in the Longman by-election. She also notes that the L-NP could lose a number of marginal seats in Queensland at the next election, and adds that disillusionment with both the L-NP and Labor could see a rise in support for independents and minor parties.

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