O75 Public Administration

Malcolm Turnbull hangs on with 48-35 leadership ballot win over Peter Dutton, reshuffle on the cards

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Original article by Louise Yaxley
abc.net.au – Page: Online : 22-Aug-18

Nine federal government frontbenchers have offered to resign in the wake of the leadership spill, including Greg Hunt, Steve Ciobo and Michael Keenan. However, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has only accepted the resignation of Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton, although Turnbull has indicated that he asked Dutton to remain in his portfolio. Dutton in turn says he contested the leadership because he believed that he has the best chance of winning the next election. Dutton added that he felt that it would not be appropriate for him to remain in cabinet.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HOME AFFAIRS, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HEALTH, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HUMAN SERVICES

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence falls to 114.1

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 22-Aug-18

ANZ-Roy Morgan Australian Consumer Confidence fell 3.5% to 114.1 in the week ended 19 August, its third straight weekly fall. Households’ views towards current financial conditions fell 1.3%, following a 1.0% fall in the week prior, and sentiment towards future financial conditions fell 7.6% to its lowest level in a year. Consumers also continued to be less optimistic about current economic conditions – their assessment declined another 0.8%, the third consecutive weekly fall. Views towards future economic conditions tumbled 5.3%, following a modest decline of 0.3% in the previous week. The "time to buy a household item" subindex slipped another 1.5% to 129.3, compared with a long-term average of 134.0.

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

Woolworths strikes new EBA deal

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 9 : 21-Aug-18

The take-home pay of current Woolworths employees will not be affected by a new enterprise bargaining agreement that has been struck with the Shop, Distributive & Allied Employees’ Association. Employees will receive the full penalty rates and casual loading rates of the retail industry award, although "loaded" base rates will be reduced. The new EBA also includes an employee bonus of up to $1,100 dollars. Retail & Fast Food Workers Union secretary Josh Cullinan claims that Woolworths employees are collectively owed about $1bn under the previous EBA.

CORPORATES
WOOLWORTHS GROUP LIMITED – ASX WOW, SHOP, DISTRIBUTIVE AND ALLIED EMPLOYEES’ ASSOCIATION, RETAIL AND FAST FOOD WORKERS UNION INCORPORATED, COLES SUPERMARKETS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION

PM braces for challenge

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Original article by Simon Benson, Geoff Chambers, Dennis Shanahan, Greg Brown, Jared Owens
The Australian – Page: 1 & 7 : 21-Aug-18

Supporters of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull believe that he has sufficient numbers in the Liberals’ partyroom to retain the leadership if it is forced to a vote. However, Turnbull is said to have lost the support of half of the Liberal members of cabinet; they are now prepared to back Peter Dutton, as are up to six members of the outer ministry. Turnbull’s backdown on the national energy guarantee has prompted speculation that there could be a leadership spill when Parliament sits in September.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, LIBERAL-NATIONAL PARTY OF QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HOME AFFAIRS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING, PACIFIC ISLANDS FORUM

Dutton breach deepens Lib crisis

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Original article by David Crowe
The Age – Page: 1 : 21-Aug-18

Doubts have emerged about the eligibility of Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton to be in Parliament, amid speculation that he could challenge the leadership of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. Dutton is a beneficiary of a family trust that owns two childcare centres; they receive direct subsidies from the federal government under rules that took effect in July. The Constitution prohibits MPs from having a pecuniary interest in a government contract, and constitutional law expert Professor Anne Twomey says the question of whether Dutton would face disqualification is "borderline". A spokesperson says legal advice suggests that Dutton is not in breach of the Constitution.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HOME AFFAIRS, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AGL ENERGY LIMITED – ASX AGL

Trust in politicians plummets

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Original article by Chris Merritt
The Australian – Page: 5 : 20-Aug-18

Trust in the federal government is at its lowest point since 2008, according to a survey by Griffith University and Transparency Inter­national. The decline in trust is linked to an increased belief that some federal MPs are corrupt, with 67 per cent of those surveyed favouring the creation of a federal anti-corruption body. Attorney-General Christian Porter says the government is examining existing anti-corruption arrangements and whether there is scope for them to be improved.

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GRIFFITH UNIVERSITY, TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT

PM’s leadership on knife edge

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Original article by Simon Benson, Dennis Shanahan, Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 20-Aug-18

The Federal Government held an emergency meeting of cabinet ministers at Parliament House on the evening of 19 August, amid growing unrest among the Coalition’s ranks over the proposed national energy guarantee. The leadership of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is also under scrutiny, although Christopher Pyne says he still has the support of the majority of cabinet ministers. However, a senior minister has suggested that a leadership challenge is inevitable, while a number of MPs are said to have told Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton that they will support him if he decides to challenge Turnbull.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HOME AFFAIRS

Inflation Expectations of Home Owners lower than a year ago

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 20-Aug-18

Australians aged +14 expect inflation of 4.3% per year over the next two years, according to the Roy Morgan Inflation Expectations Index for July 2018. This is down 0.2% from a month ago, and unchanged from July 2017. Inflation Expectations have now tracked in a narrow range between 4.3-4.5% for 13 straight months. Inflation Expectations remain well below the eight-year average of 5.0%. Analysis shows that Inflation Expectations for home owners in the three months to July 2018 dropped to 3.8%, down 0.1% on the same period a year ago, while Australians who are paying off their home had Inflation Expectations of 4.1% in the three months to July, up 0.1% on a year ago although still below the national average. Inflation Expectations for renter were at 5% for the three months to July, up by 0.2% from a year ago. July Inflation Expectations are based on a nationwide face-to-face survey of 5,288 Australians aged 14+.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED

CFMEU faces cartel criminal charges

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 17-Aug-18

The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission has launched legal action against the construction union, alleging that its Australian Capital Territory branch engaged in cartel activity. The Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining & Energy Union’s ACT secretary Jason O’Mara has also been charged with cartel offences. He could face up to 10 years’ jail if convicted, while the CFMMEU could be fined up to $10 million or 10 per cent of its turnover. The charges arise from a joint investigation by the ACCC and an Australian Federal Police taskforce in the wake of the trade union royal commission.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF JOBS AND SMALL BUSINESS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

Casuals’ court triumph will let them ‘double-dip’: bosses

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 2 : 17-Aug-18

Australian Industry Group CEO Innes Willox is among the business leaders who have criticised the Federal Court’s ruling that casual employees who work regular hours are entitled to annual leave. The court found that a Queensland truck driver who worked on a fly-in, fly-out basis could not be considered to be a casual worker under the Fair Work Act due to his "regular and continuous" employment. The court’s decision has been welcomed by the ACTU and the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining & Energy Union.

CORPORATES
FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, ACTU, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN MINES AND METALS ASSOCIATION (INCORPORATED), RECRUITMENT, CONSULTING AND STAFFING ASSOCIATION LIMITED, WORKPAC PTY LTD