O75 Public Administration

Gary Morgan’s comment on October unemployment: Donald Trump’s victory in US Presidential race shows electors believe real unemployment is higher than official statistics suggest

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Original article by Gary Morgan, Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 15-Nov-16

US President-elect Donald Trump consistently stated during his campaign that real unemployment in the US was well over 20% or even 25% rather than the official Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) U3 figure – now at 4.9% for October 2016. In May Trump stated: "We have tremendous deficits. Don’t believe the 5 per cent. The real [unemployment] number is 20 per cent. The United States is dying from within, its domestic infrastructure is crumbling and successive administrations have wasted $5 trillion in the Middle East instead of using the money to create jobs and prosperity at home." Trump’s successful candidacy shows that many Americans agree with the new President that the official unemployment figures are considerably under-stated. There is a clear lesson for Australian politicians in Trump’s success.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, UNITED STATES. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Australian real unemployment now 9.2% (1.188 million Australians) in October 2016

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 15-Nov-16

In October a total of 2.454 million Australians, 19.1% of the workforce, were either unemployed (1,188,000) or under-employed (1,266,000). This is up 256,000 (up 1.7%) from October 2015. 1.188 million Australians (up 78,000 since October 2015) are unemployed and these real unemployment figures are substantially higher than the current ABS figure for September 2016 (5.6%). Australian real unemployment was 9.2% (up 0.4% in a year and up 0.7% in a month). The problem Australia faces can be seen when comparing full-time and part-time employment: Full-time employment is now 7,594,000 – down 83,000 from a year ago (7,677,000 in October 2015). In contrast, part-time employment has increased by 193,000 to 4,069,000 over the past year (an average of just over 16,000 per month).

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS

Illegal ‘cash-in-hand’ payments in Australia’s black economy on the rise

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Original article by Nassim Khadem
The Age – Page: Online : 14-Nov-16

New data shows that the Australian Taxation Office’s telephone hotline received 5,573 complaints in 2015-16 from people who claimed that their employer had paid them in cash. This compares with 5,535 such complaints in 2014-15. The figures, which were acquired by the Tax Justice Network via Freedom of Information laws, also show that 2,813 workers complained about not being paid their full superannuation entitlement. Some 671 people also enquired about whether they are legally regarded as an employee or an independent contractor.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICETAX JUSTICE NETWORKAUSTRALIAN NATIONAL AUDIT OFFICE

APEC to deal US of trade pact

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Original article by David Uren
The Australian – Page: 2 : 14-Nov-16

The upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation summit in Lima is expected to examine options for an alternative to the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski has proposed establishing a new trade bloc for the Asia-Pacific region that includes both China and Russia but not the US. Australia’s Trade Minister Steven Ciobo has questioned whether the TPP would be viable in its current form if it did not include the US.

CORPORATES
ASIA-PACIFIC ECONOMIC CO-OPERATIONTRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIPAUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADEAUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINETUNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENTASSOCIATION OF SOUTH-EAST ASIAN NATIONS

Alarm over Shorten’s Trump-lite

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Original article by John KehoePrimrose RiordanJacob GreberEdmund Tadros
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 14-Nov-16

Australian Industry Group CEO Innes Willox has defended the 457 visa scheme, after Opposition Leader Bill Shorten argued that foreign workers are taking jobs that could be done by Australians. Willox says regulation of the 457 visa scheme has been tightened over the last decade and it is used to fill legitimate skills shortages. Meanwhile, the Obama administration will not seek to legislate the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership during its final months in office. Trump opposes the TPP, and Australia will now shift its focus to trade deals in the Asia-Pacific region.

CORPORATES
THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUPAUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTYTRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIPAUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADEAUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINETASSOCIATION OF SOUTH-EAST ASIAN NATIONSASIA SOCIETY POLICY INSTITUTEASIA-PACIFIC ECONOMIC CO-OPERATIONUNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENTCENTER FOR STRATEGIC AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

Future of $2.5b emissions fund doubtful

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Original article by Mark Ludlow
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 14-Nov-16

It is estimated that the Australian Government’s Emissions Reduction Fund currently holds about $A800m, but this is expected to be significantly depleted after the latest auction of carbon credits on 16 November 2016. The fund is likely to be exhausted when the next auction is held in April 2017, and it may not receive any more funding until the 2018-19 Budget. RepuTex has noted that the regulatory burden is deterring many companies from utilising the ERF. About 40 companies have registered for the latest auction.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. EMISSIONS REDUCTION FUNDREPUTEX AUSTRALIA PACIFIC PTY LTDCLIMATE FRIENDLY PTY LTDAUSTRALIA. CLEAN ENERGY REGULATORAUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND SCIENCE

Trump win worth $10bn to budget

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Original article by David Uren
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 14-Nov-16

The prices of iron ore, coking coal and copper have rallied in the wake of Donald Trump’s US presidential election victory. It is estimated that the Federal Government’s Budget bottom line would be boosted by about $A10bn if the rise in the iron ore price is sustained for the next two years. Shares in BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto have also rallied, while Resources Minister Matt Canavan notes that Trump is highly supportive of the coal industry.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND SCIENCEBHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHPRIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIOAUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTYWESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC

TPP dead but free-trade deal still on

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Original article by Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 5 : 11-Nov-16

Australia’s Trade Minister Steve Ciobo has acknowledged that the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership is unlikely to proceed after Donald Trump won the US presidential election. Kim Beazley, Australia’s former ambassador to Washington, also says Trump’s victory has assured the TPP’s demise, but he stresses the need for Australia to retain strong trade ties, particularly with Asia. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull does not expect the Trump presidency to have any effect on the Australia-US free-trade agreement, which came into effect in 2005.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, REPUBLICAN PARTY (UNITED STATES)

Turnbull reaffirms Paris accord

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Original article by Sarah Martin
The Australian – Page: 4 : 11-Nov-16

The Australian Government will not change its commitment to the Paris Agreement on climate change. US President-elect Donald Trump signalled his willingness to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, but Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said Australia will continue to pursue its action on global warming. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg will participate in a global meeting in Morocco in mid-November 2016.

CORPORATES
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 INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND SCIENCE, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA

Shorten ‘a serial liar’ on super, tax

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Original article by David Crowe
The Australian – Page: 1 & 8 : 10-Nov-16

Treasurer Scott Morrison is frustrated with the Australian Labor Party’s refusal to support his superannuation and tax reforms. The Government proposed a 19 per cent income tax on backpackers but Labor favours Senator Jacqui Lambie’s alternative plan for a 10.5 per cent tax. Labor also opposes allowing women to make "catch up" super contributions and the introduction of tax deductions for super contributions made by small business owners.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA