O75 Public Administration

Chris Bowen says renewables the right path despite energy price spikes

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Original article by Greg Brown,(SPACE)Colin Packham
The Australian – Page: Online : 14-Mar-25

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said on Thursday that it was time for Energy Minister Chris Bowen to be sacked, following a draft ruling by the Australian Energy Regulator that will see electricity prices rise by as much as nine per cent from July. Dutton claimed that household power bills have gone up by as much as $1,300 under Labor, and that the Coalition will restore "balance" to the electricity sector by abandoning Labor’s 82 per cent renewables target. However, Bowen maintains Labor’s push to boost the amount of electricity that is generated from renewable energy is the right way to go in terms of getting energy prices down, and that the Coalition’s intention of keeping coal in the system for longer would result in even higher electricity costs for Australians.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF CLIMATE CHANGE, ENERGY, THE ENVIRONMENT AND WATER,(SPACE)AUSTRALIAN ENERGY REGULATOR,(SPACE)AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Families lost $19,000 a year, says Coalition

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Original article by John Kehoe
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 14-Mar-25

Recently published national accounts data revealed that real household disposable income per person has fallen 7.9 per cent since just before the May 2022 federal election. Analysis of this data by the Coalition has led it to conclude that households have $19,000 less disposable income to spend a year than before Labor came to power, with shadow treasurer Angus Taylor saying that even Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ figures suggest it will be at least 2030 before people will be as well off as they were before Labor came to power. However, Australian National University economist Ben Phillips says pandemic-era stimulus meant living standards were not as bad as suggested by Taylor, with Phillips saying real household disposable income per person was similar over the five years to 2024 to what it was under the Coalition for the five years before the pandemic.

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AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY

PM steels for food fight after critical offer fails to win over Trump

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Original article by Ben Packham,(SPACE)Perry Williams
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 14-Mar-25

The federal government’s offer of a critical minerals deal with the US remains on the table, despite it not helping to persuade Donald Trump to exempt Australia from his 25 per cent tariffs on steel and aluminium. The government hopes that the deal can help Australia’s case as Trump prepares to make his ‘reciprocal tariffs announcement’ on 2 April, which could hit a range of Australian products, including beef, seafood and other food exports. With the Australian food export industry worth $75 billion, Trade Minister Don Farrell will tell the Global Food Forum in Melbourne on Friday that the federal government will do its best to protect the food industry from Trump’s next lot of tariffs.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE

Border dodgers’ criminal rampage: Cost to Aussies is $100m

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Original article by Remy Varga
Herald Sun – Page: Online : 5-Mar-25

Data from the Department of Home Affairs shows that 291 former immigration detainees have now been released since the High Court’s landmark NZYQ ruling. The figures also show that 90 former detainees have been charged with various offences by state and territory authorities since their release; 17 have been given new custodial sentences and five have received suspended sentences. Meanwhile, the former detainees – all of whom have criminal records in Australia – have now cost taxpayers more than $100m since they were released into the community. This includes $73.7m on operational costs, $24.3m on administration costs and $18.6m worth of legal fees. The ex-detainees are also receiving government payments of up to $1,000 each fortnight.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HOME AFFAIRS, HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA

Union vows to fight Dutton’s five-days-in-office edict at the tribunal

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Original article by Olivia Ireland, Josefine Ganko
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: Online : 5-Mar-25

The Community & Public Sector Union says it will pursue a Fair Work Commission challenge to any mandate for public servants to return to working in their office five days a week if the Coalition wins the upcoming federal election. The CPSU’s national secretary Melissa Donnelly has accused the Coalition of being ‘tone-deaf’ to the challenges that working families and working women face in their working life. Opposition leader Peter Dutton rejects suggestions that the policy discriminates against women with children, arguing that it will apply to all public servants; he adds that the Coalition would use common sense when considering any exceptions to the policy.

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COMMUNITY AND PUBLIC SECTOR UNION, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

US halts arms, PM gets willing

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Original article by Ben Packham
The Australian – Page: 1 & 9 : 5-Mar-25

US President Donald Trump has suspended all military support for Ukraine, including weapons that were already in transit to the war-torn country. Senior Defense Department officials said the pause will remain in place until Trump is satisfied that Ukraine’s leaders have demonstrated a ‘good faith’ commitment to peace. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has indicated that the federal government would consider providing soldiers for a ‘coalition of the willing’ peacekeeping force in Ukraine if it were asked to do so. However, Peter Dean from the US Studies Centre contends that the Indo-Pacific region should be Australia’s top priority.

CORPORATES
UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES. DEPT OF DEFENSE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES. UNITED STATES STUDIES CENTRE

RBA not in mood to keep cutting

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Original article by Jack Quail
The Australian – Page: 4 : 5-Mar-25

The minutes from the Reserve Bank of Australia’s board meeting in February show that it considered leaving the cash rate unchanged at 4.35 per cent. The RBA board subsequently concluded that the case for an interest rate cut of 25 basis points was a "stronger one". However, the minutes emphasised that further interest cuts are by no means certain, a point that the RBA also made in a statement that was released after the two-day board meeting in mid-February. Money markets have now priced in two further interest rate cuts in 2025, beginning in July; the federal election must be held no later than 17 May.

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RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

RBA interest rate bounce in February is short-lived as ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence down 2.1pts to 87.7

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 5-Mar-25

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence fell 2.1pts to 87.7 in the week to 2 March, after a significant increase the week before following the Reserve Bank’s decision to cut official interest rates. However, Consumer Confidence is now 6.1 points above the same week a year ago (81.0), but only 0.6 points above the 2025 weekly average of 87.1. A look at Consumer Confidence by State shows decreases in New South Wales, Queensland, and Western Australia, but small increases in Victoria and South Australia. Now 23% of Australians (up 1ppt) say their families are ‘better off’ financially than this time last year, while 47% (up 3ppts) say their families are ‘worse off’. Looking forward, 34% (down 3ppts) of Australians expect their family to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year, while 29% (up 2ppts) expect to be ‘worse off’. Now 10% (down 1ppt) of Australians expect ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next 12 months, while 26% (unchanged) expect ‘bad times’. Meanwhile, 24% (unchanged) of Australians say now is a ‘good time to buy’ major household items (the equal lowest figure for this indicator since before the Black Friday sales period), while 44% (also unchanged) say now is a ‘bad time to buy’.

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

Zelensky ready to work with Trump to secure peace deal

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Original article by Hans van Leeuwen
The Australian Financial Review – Page: Online : 5-Mar-25

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has sought to mend his strained relations with US President Donald Trump by stating via social media that his nation is committed to peace. Zelensky also said that Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring a lasting peace closer, and his team stands ready to work under Trump’s "strong leadership" to negotiate a peace deal. Zelensky acknowledged that his controversial meeting with Trump and Vice-President JD Vance in the Oval Office last week "did not go the way it was supposed to be", and it is "time to make things right".

CORPORATES
UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

ANZ-Roy Morgan New Zealand Consumer Confidence up marginally by 0.6pts to 96.6 in February – before RBNZ cuts interest rates in late February

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 4-Mar-25

ANZ-Roy Morgan New Zealand Consumer Confidence rose marginally to 96.6 in February. The future conditions index, made up of forward-looking questions, eased 1 point to 103.2; the current conditions index rose 3 points to 86.7. Net perceptions of current personal financial situations rose 5 points to a net rating of -12% in February; only 26% of respondents said they are ‘better off financially’ compared to a year ago (up 3% points), while 38% (down 1% point) say they are ‘worse off financially’. Meanwhile, a net 21% of respondents expect to be ‘better off’ this time next year (down 2% points from a month ago), and a net 15% of respondents think it is a ‘bad time’ to buy a major household item. Two-year-ahead CPI inflation expectations rose 0.1% pts to 4.0%.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED