O75 Public Administration

ANZ-Roy Morgan Australian Consumer Confidence Rating up 0.9% to 119.0

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 7-Mar-18

ANZ-Roy Morgan Australian Consumer Confidence rose 0.9% to 119.0 in the week ended 4 March. The result was mixed, with two of five sub-indices showing declines. Sentiment about current economic conditions remained strong, with a rise of 5.1% on a weekly basis. Future economic sentiment was up 0.9%, following a strong gain of 6.0% in the previous reading. Both indices remain above or close to their long run averages. Views about financial situations deteriorated a touch after strong readings over the previous week. The future financial situation sub-index fell 0.7%, while current financial conditions dropped 1.0% to 109.3.

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

Mates rates

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Original article by Matt Johnston, James Dowling, James Campbell
Herald Sun – Page: 1 & 4 : 6-Mar-18

Melbourne Metropolitan Fire Brigade staff will shortly vote on a new enterprise bargaining agreement that features a pay rise of 19 per cent and a range of allowances. Amongst other things, MFB firefighters will be entitled to 65 days of annual leave each year, plus 99 days of personal and sick leave after being at the MFB for at least two years. MFB employees will also be entitled to four days of leave each time a family member becomes ill or injured. The EBA allows many existing MFB policies to be abolished unless the United Firefighters Union agrees to them following consultation.

CORPORATES
MELBOURNE METROPOLITAN FIRE BRIGADE, UNITED FIREFIGHTERS’ UNION OF AUSTRALIA, VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET

ANZ-Roy Morgan New Zealand Consumer Confidence – up 0.8pts to 127.7

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 6-Mar-18

The ANZ-Roy Morgan New Zealand Consumer Confidence Index rose from 126.9 to 127.7 in February 2018. This is still 2 points off the September 2017 high, but it is a solid level. On a seasonally adjusted basis the index remains 8 points off its September high at 124.7. The Current Conditions Index fell 4 points in February to 127.3. The Future Conditions Index lifted another 4 points to 128.0 and has largely unwound its post-election dip. A net 15% of consumers feel financially better off than a year ago. The proportion of those who reported being worse off was the lowest in the history of the survey. Meanwhile, a net 34% of consumers expect to be better off financially this time next year (up 5 points).

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Labor, unions urge PM to fight tariffs

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Original article by Primrose Riordan, Joe Kelly, Andrew Burrell, Ben Packham, Cameron Stewart
The Australian – Page: 4 : 6-Mar-18

Federal Government ministers have begun lobbying their US counterparts in a bid to exempt local companies from the Trump administration’s new tariff regime for steel and aluminium imports. Shadow treasurer Chris Bowen notes that Australia’s steel and aluminium exports to the US are worth $A240m and $A70m respectively. Daniel Walton, the national secretary of the Australian Workers’ Union, has warned of significant job losses in the local steel and aluminium sectors due to the tariff hikes, as well as the potential for the Australian market to be flooded with more low-cost steel from China.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION-FEDERATION OF INDUSTRIAL, MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING EMPLOYEES, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF DEFENCE, UNITED STATES. DEPT OF COMMERCE, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, BLUESCOPE STEEL LIMITED – ASX BSL

PM’s poll survival plan

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 5 : 6-Mar-18

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has downplayed concerns about his continued poor performance in public opinion polls. Turnbull ousted predecessor Tony Abbott after the latter had racked up 30 consecutive negative opinion polls, but the Coalition has now trailed Labor in 28 polls under Turnbull’s leadership. Supporters of Turnbull argue that he also cited factors such as Abbott’s lack of economic leadership for the spill in September 2015. Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten says his values and priorities are education, health and jobs, rather than opinion polls.

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

Economic Issues dominate Australians’ problems in 2018

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 6-Mar-18

Roy Morgan has explored the concerns of Australians in interviews with a representative cross-section of 650 Australians aged 14+ in February 2018. The in-depth research found that Australians regard economic issues as the major problems facing the nation and the world at large. Economic Issues (led by Financial problems and Cost of living, Unemployment, Economic problems, Housing affordability, Poverty and the gap between rich and poor) were mentioned by 32% of Australians as the most important problems facing the nation. When considering the wider World, the largest theme to emerge was again concerns related to the Economy, mentioned by just under 25% of Australians (led by the issue of Poverty and the gap between rich and poor) ahead of the 22% of Australians who mentioned Environmental issues and a further 19% of respondents who mentioned issues related to War & Terrorism.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Hodgman flags cabinet reshuffle

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Original article by Matthew Denholm
The Australian – Page: 6 : 5-Mar-18

Tasmanian Premier Will Hodgman has rejected claims by Labor and the Greens that the Liberal Party won the 2018 state election with the assistance of funding from the gambling industry. However, Hodgman says he is open to a review of the state’s rules governing donations to political parties. Hodgman, who is the first Tasmanian Liberal leader to win two successive terms of majority government in more than three decades, has also flagged plans for changes to his cabinet team. The Liberal Party seems likely to win 13-15 seats in the 25-seat lower house.

CORPORATES
LIBERAL PARTY OF TASMANIA, TASMANIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, TASMANIAN GREENS, JACQUI LAMBIE NETWORK

Our debt pile grows at world-record pace

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Original article by David Uren
The Australian – Page: 4 : 5-Mar-18

Data from the OECD shows that Australia is one of just 10 advanced economies that have increased their debt by more than six per cent of GDP since 2012. The combined debt of Australia’s federal and state governments has increased by 12 per cent of GDP over the last five years. In contrast, New Zealand has reduced its debt by nine per cent over this period. Meanwhile, the average repayment term for Australia’s debt has risen from less than six years prior to the global financial crisis to nearly eight years.

CORPORATES
ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY. OFFICE OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA

Watchdog vows to take stick to CFMEU officials over fines

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 5-Mar-18

The new head of the Australian Building & Construction Commission, Stephen McBurney, notes that 37 of the 41 investigations that are currently underway involve the militant Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union. McBurney says he is open to talks with CFMEU officials about complying with industrial relations laws, arguing that the ABCC budget would be better spent on education and prevention instead of legal action. However, he adds that the ABCC will seek to make union officials personally liable for fines in the wake of a court ruling which prohibits the CFMEU for paying fines on their behalf.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, AUSTRALIAN CRIME COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. NATIONAL CRIME AUTHORITY, VICTORIA. OFFICE OF THE CHIEF EXAMINER

Trump’s trade war hits home

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Original article by Jacob Greber, John Kehoe
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 10 : 5-Mar-18

Deloitte Access Economics has forecast that President Donald Trump’s tariffs on foreign steel and aluminium could lead to a US-China trade war that could reduce Australia’s national income by $A5 billion within a year. Australian silicon exporter Simcoa is facing a tariff of 51 per cent, while Trade Minister Steve Ciobo says Australia may take action against the US over its proposed tariffs. He says it will depend on whether Trump decides to make exemptions for Australia, while Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull describes protectionism as a "dead end".

CORPORATES
DELOITTE ACCESS ECONOMICS PTY LTD, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, SIMCOA INTERNATIONAL PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, BLUESCOPE STEEL LIMITED – ASX BSL, WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION, GLOBE SPECIALTY METALS, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO