O75 Public Administration

Gender on the cards for census

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Original article by Stephen Lunn
The Australian – Page: 6 : 18-Feb-25

The Australian Bureau of Statistics has advised that the 2026 census will see people asked their "sex recorded at birth" for the first time. The change to how the census asks people about their sex at birth is intended to distinguish it from new questions on gender and sexual orientation. Other changes to the census in 2026 will include counting the number of children who are home-schooled and increasing the the number of ancestries collected from two to four, so as to get a better understanding of cultural diversity.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS

Small business in recession as public service thrives

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Original article by Millie Muroi
Brisbane Times – Page: Online : 18-Feb-25

Deputy Opposition leader Sussan Ley says the number of small businesses that employ people in Australia has fallen from around 953,000 to 922,000 since Labor won the federal election in May 2022. Ley adds that the nation appears to experiencing a small business recession, while the federal government has hired about one permanent public servant for every small business that is collapsing. The Coalition has flagged public service cutbacks if it wins the upcoming election, with Labor having hired an additional 36,000 public servants during its first term in office.

CORPORATES
LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Roy Morgan Poll: Federal vote unchanged; Coalition 51.5% cf. ALP 48.5%

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 18-Feb-25

If a Federal Election were held now the result would be a hung parliament, with the Coalition on 51.5% (unchanged) just ahead of the ALP on 48.5% (also unchanged) on a two-party preferred basis. The Coalition or ALP would require the support of minor parties and independents to form a government, the latest Roy Morgan survey finds. This week primary support for both major parties decreased, with the Coalition down 1% to 39.5% and the ALP down 1% to 28%. Support for the Greens increased 1.5% to 12.5%. Support for One Nation increased 1.5% to 5.5%, support for Other Parties dropped 1.5% to 4.5% and support for Independents increased 0.5% to 10%.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, MORGAN POLL, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, ONE NATION PARTY

PM, Dutton get ready to rumble – officially

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Original article by Geoff Chambers
The Australian – Page: 5 : 18-Feb-25

Federal government MPs are believed to have been told to prepare for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to formally announce the date of the election sometime between 3 and 11 March. Strategists from all political parties and activist groups such as Climate 200 now anticipate an election on either 5 or 12 April, with the latter seen to be the most likely. Climate 200 will help fund candidates in 35 seats nationwide, although this includes just four seats that are currently held by Labor. Meanwhile, history may be against Opposition leader Peter Dutton, given that no federal government has lost office after only one term since 1931.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, CLIMATE 200 PTY LTD, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

ALP’s Michele bollocking: cut rates now

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Original article by Greg Brown, Jack Quail
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 18-Feb-25

Labor MP Mike Freelander says the Reserve Bank of Australia should reduce the cash rate by 50 basis points at its board meeting today. He is among a number of Labor backbenchers who have urged the RBA to ease monetary policy, even though Treasurer Jim Chalmers has told government MPs to avoid publicly commenting on the issue. Opposition leader Peter Dutton favours a rate cut, arguing that families need interest rates relief after 12 increases under the current government. However, EQ Economics’ chief economist Warren Hogan says the case for a rate cut is pretty weak at present, and the RBA should leave the cash rate on hold.

CORPORATES
RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, EQ ECONOMICS PTY LTD

Bob Carr blasts Labor’s facile policy on Trump

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Original article by Paul Karp
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 18-Feb-25

Former foreign minister Bob Carr has accused the Trump administration of "taking a wrecking ball to NATO", while he claims Trump’s vice-president JD Vance and his main adviser Elon Musk have deliberately encouraged far-right challengers to NATO governments. Speaking on the sidelines of the Australia-Canada Economic Leadership Forum, Carr called on the federal government to abandon its deference to the US, labelling it a "woeful policy response" to what he described as Trump’s radical agenda. Carr said that Australia should "under-react" if Trump hits it with tariffs on steel and aluminium, if only to reduce the likelihood of being hit with ‘across the board’ tariffs.

CORPORATES
NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY ORGANISATION

Libs pan Chalmers over gross politicisation of public service

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Original article by Tom McIlroy
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 12-Feb-25

Shadow finance minister Jane Hume has criticised the federal government for getting Treasury officials to undertake costings for the Coalition’s proposal to give small businesses a tax deduction of up to $20,000 a year for business lunches. The major political parties have traditionally not costed each others policies since the independent Parliamentary Budget Office was established. Hume says public servants must not engage in ‘political activities’ as part of their employment, and she has urged Public Service Commissioner Gordon de Brouwer to emphasise this in the lead-up to the federal election.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. PARLIAMENTARY BUDGET OFFICE, AUSTRALIAN PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION

Roy Morgan Business Confidence up 2.3pts in January to 108.2 as prospect of interest rate cuts in 2025 increases

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 12-Feb-25

In January 2025, Roy Morgan Business Confidence was 108.2 (up 2.3pts from December 2024), as the prospects of interest rate cuts in the next few months increased. Business Confidence is just 2.1pts below the long-term average of 110.3, although it is up 15pts from January 2024. Business Confidence has also now had a positive rating above 100 for four months in a row – the first time this has happened since the Albanese Government was elected in May 2022. Now 58.6% (down 1.1ppts) of businesses expect ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next year, while 35.8% (down 1.8ppts) expect ‘bad times’ (the lowest figure for this indicator for three years since February 2022). Meanwhile, 43.7% (up 3.2ppts) of businesses expect the business to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year, while only 15.1% (down 6ppts) expect the business to be ‘worse off’ financially (the lowest figure for this indicator since October 2021). The latest Roy Morgan Business Confidence results for December are based on 1,594 detailed interviews with a cross-section of Australian businesses from each State and Territory.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Dutton to RBA: resist pressure to cut rates

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Original article by Michael Read, John Kehoe
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 12-Feb-25

Bond market traders have priced in a 95 per cent chance that the Reserve Bank of Australia will reduce the cash rate next week. The case for a rate cut was strengthened by recent data showing that the RBA’s preferred measure of underlying inflation has fallen to 3.2 per cent. However, Opposition leader Peter Dutton says there is concern that the RBA may need to tighten monetary policy again if it reduces the cash rate too soon. He has urged RBA governor Michele Bullock to act in the nation’s best interests rather than yielding to political pressure to cut interest rates.

CORPORATES
RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Albanese government says it will acquire collapsed Rex Airlines if no other buyers emerge

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Original article by Natassia Chrysanthos, Mike Foley
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: Online : 12-Feb-25

The federal government has indicated that it will provide support to any potential buyers of the failed Rex Airlines to ensure that the carrier’s regional services continue. The government has emphasised that it is not participating in the sale process, but would be open to acquiring Rex if no private-sector buyer emerges. The government became Rex’s biggest creditor in January after agreeing to buy the $50m debt of the airline’s key investor. The government also provided Rex with an $80m loan facility to enable it to continue servicing regional routes until mid-2025. Rex has total debt of about $500m.

CORPORATES
REX AIRLINES PTY LTD, REGIONAL EXPRESS HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX REX