O75 Public Administration

Sacking over salesman’s ‘crude’ Facebook post unfair

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 10-Apr-17

The Fair Work Commission has directed LED Technologies to pay compensation to a former salesman after it found that he was unfairly dismissed over a Facebook post. LED claimed that the post – which contained offensive language – was in breach of its social media policy which bans using social media at work. In his defence, the salesman had claimed that he was on a break at the time, that he was unaware of the policy, and that the post made no reference to LED.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, LED TECHNOLOGIES PTY LTD, FACEBOOK AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Retailers start cutting Sunday penalty rates

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 10-Apr-17

The Fair Work Commission recently approved a new workplace agreement for kikki.K employees that includes provision for changes to Sunday and public holiday penalty rates in the retail industrial award. FWC deputy president Geoff Bull conceded that the stationery retailer’s employees could be adversely affected by this clause. However, he found that kikki.K’s commitment to increase employees’ base hourly rates by at least 5.7 per cent more than the award rate for 2015-16 meant the agreement complies with the "better off overall test".

CORPORATES
KIKKI.K PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, RETAIL AND FAST FOOD WORKERS UNION, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP

Stalled India trade reboot

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 10-Apr-17

Progressing a free trade deal will be high on the agenda of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull during his three-day visit to India. Two-way trade between Australia and India was worth over $A19 billion in 2015-16, but Turnbull believes there is no reason why it should not be worth a lot more. The major sticking points to striking a free trade deal are seen to be Australia’s wish for greater access to India’s agricultural market and India’s desire for better access to Australia’s labour market.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, ADANI MINING PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING, THE GROUP OF EIGHT LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE

ANZ-Roy Morgan Australian Consumer Confidence trend decline resumes, down 2.7pts to 111.1

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 5-Apr-17

ANZ-Roy Morgan Australian Consumer Confidence fell 2.4% to 111.1 in the week ended 2 April 2017, its lowest value since October 2015. The four-week average now stands at 112.5, falling below its long-term average for the first time since February 2016. The fall in confidence was broad based, with four out of the five sub-indices recording declines. Expectations for economic conditions for next year fell sharply, with the index falling by 5.4% to the lowest this year. Households’ views towards their current finances fell by 2.8%, while the future finances index was down 2.1%.

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

Living standards leap as Asia trade deals deliver

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Original article by Simon Benson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 3-Apr-17

Data from the Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade highlights the economic benefits of Australia’s free trade agreements with Japan, South Korea and China. There has been a 140 per cent increase in goods exported to these countries since 2014. Wine, sugar, grapes and beef are among the products that have enjoyed strong growth in exports under the FTAs. Trade Minister Steve Ciobo notes that exports contributed to a five per cent increase in real disposable income during the December 2016 quarter.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE CHIEF ECONOMIST, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

CFMEU threatens building chaos

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 5 : 3-Apr-17

The Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union will refuse to renegotiate existing enterprise bargaining agreements to ensure that they comply with the Federal Government’s new building code. The CFMEU’s stance could result in many large construction groups being banned from gaining federal government contracts. Employment Minister Mich­ael­ia Cash argues that this will prevent CFMEU members from working on government-funded projects, while Master Builders Australia CEO Denita Wawn warns that it will increase the cost of such projects.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, MASTER BUILDERS AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, LEND LEASE GROUP LIMITED – ASX LLC, BROOKFIELD MULTIPLEX LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, ACTU

State of the Nation 27: Booming Australian Automotive Industry accelerates towards ‘Decade of Upheaval’

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 29-Mar-17

Roy Morgan Research CEO Michele Levine has presented the latest State of the Nation Report in Melbourne with a special Spotlight on the Australian Automotive Industry. The State of the Nation Report looks at the changes underway in the Australian automotive industry and the even bigger changes that are set to impact on every part of the industry throughout the 2020s. 2025 has been identified as a tipping point for the industry as a whole as it faces digital disruption – any automotive players that fail to plan fully for the future involving increased car-sharing, driverless cars, and purely online sales will find it far too hard to catch up to "first-movers" by the time 2025 rolls around.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED

Union backs ACTU boss on breaking law

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Original article by Aaron Patrick, David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 17-Mar-17

Comments by new ACTU secretary Sally McManus suggesting that it was reasonable to break unfair laws have been widely criticised. Representatives from the Business Council of Australia, the Australian Industry Group and the Council of Small Business Organisations of Australia were among those to condemn her remarks. Federal Opposition leader Bill Shorten does not support McManus, saying his approach to bad laws was to get them changed. McManus has refused to retract her comments.

CORPORATES
ACTU, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, COUNCIL OF SMALL BUSINESS ORGANISATIONS OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HUMAN SERVICES. MEDICARE AUSTRALIA, MASTER BUILDERS AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT

Roy Morgan real unemployment down in February, now 9.4% (1.253m) down 0.6% from Feb 2016

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 15-Mar-17

A Roy Morgan Research survey has found that Australia’s real unemployment rate was 9.4 per cent in February 2017, while the under-employment rate was 8.5 per cent. A total of 2.390 million Australians (17.9% of the workforce) were either unemployed or under-employed, which is down 90,000 (or 0.9%) from February 2016. Some 1.253 million Australians are now unemployed (down 66,000 in the last 12 months), while 1,137,000 are under-employed (down 24,000 in 12 months). Meanwhile, the total Australian workforce was 13,348,000 (up 174,000 since February 2016) and total employment was 12,095,000 (up 240,000 in a year). The official unemployment rate was 5.7 per cent in January 2017.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS

Turnbull and Hanson back penalty pay cut

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Original article by Laura Tingle
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 6-Mar-17

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says the Coalition accepts and supports the Fair Work Commission’s decision to reduce Sunday penalty rates. He also favours reducing penalty rates over a period of time to offset the impact on after-tax pay. One Nation founder Pauline Hanson also says she supports lower penalty rates "in principle". Hanson argues that small food retailers cannot compete with big chains whose employees’ union-negotiated enterprise bargaining agreements do not include penalty rates.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, ONE NATION PARTY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, McDONALD’S AUSTRALIA LIMITED