O75 Public Administration

Australian unemployment jumps to 11%

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 8-Apr-16

A Roy Morgan Research survey on Australia’s labour market has found that the real unemployment rate rose by one per cent to 11 per cent in March 2016. The number of people in the workforce totalled 12,944,000 in March 2016 (up 274,000 since March 2015, but down 230,000, month-on-month), and 11,522,000 Australians are employed (up 220,000 in the last 12 months). Meanwhile, 1,011,000 people (7.8 per cent of the workforce) are under-employed. The official unemployment rate was 5.8 per cent in February 2016.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

PM’s ticket to deliver fast train

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Original article by Sarah Martin
The Australian – Page: 1& 4 : 11-Apr-16

The Australian Government will reveal a new infrastructure and cities policy in the lead-up to the May 2016 Budget. It will propose linking Sydney and Melbourne to regional cities via high-speed rail services, in order to promote population growth in regional areas and curb the growth of capital cities. The Government also wants to eventually develop a Melbourne-Brisbane high-speed rail link. It will also examine alternatives to taxpayer funds for financing infrastructure projects, including so-called "value capture" financing.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INFRASTRUCTURE AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Pay order spells ‘ruin’ for truckies

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Original article by Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 8-Apr-16

Transport Workers’ Union national secretary Tony Sheldon has welcomed a court ruling on new pay rates for owner-drivers in the trucking industry. He argues the new pay regime will improve industry safety. He has also urged the Australian Government and trucking industry bodies to support the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal, which proposed the new pay rates. However, there are concerns that many owner-drivers will be forced out of the industry and that the cost of transporting goods by road will rise.

CORPORATES
TRANSPORT WORKERS’ UNION, AUSTRALIA. ROAD SAFETY REMUNERATION TRIBUNAL, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS OF AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE AUSTRALIAN SMALL BUSINESS AND FAMILY ENTERPRISE OMBUDSMAN

Seven ‘fantasy’ promises carry $400bn bill

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Original article by David Crowe, David Uren
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 8-Apr-16

Some $A400bn worth of big-ticket spending initiatives over the next decade will present a challenge for the Australian Government in achieving its goal of returning the Budget to surplus. These include the $A111.4bn in net new spending on the National Disability Insurance Scheme and $A57bn in compensation payments for the now-repealed carbon tax. It is estimated that the Budget would be in surplus by 2019 without the seven spending commitments, which also include defence, education and pension funding. Australia’s debt is also expected to keep rising over coming years.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. PARLIAMENTARY BUDGET OFFICE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF SOCIAL SERVICES

India trade deal closer: Robb

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Original article by Greg Bearup
The Australian – Page: 2 : 8-Apr-16

Australia’s former trade minister Andrew Robb is optimistic that the key elements of a trade deal with India can be agreed upon within eight weeks. Robb has described the trade negotiations with India as the most difficult he been experienced since taking up the trade portfolio. He adds that a trade agreement will generate business opportunities for Australian companies in a range of sectors. Robb has continued to be involved in the negotiations since resigning as trade minister.

CORPORATES
INDIA. MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

Top court challenge for road tribunal

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Original article by Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 7-Apr-16

Independent Contractors Australia (ICA) will launch legal action in a bid to overturn a Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal ruling on pay rates in the trucking industry. It will impose minimum pay rates for owner-drivers, but executive director Ken Phillips believes that the ruling is unconstitutional and constitutes price fixing on commercial contracts. He warns that the ruling would force many owner-drivers out of the industry.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. ROAD SAFETY REMUNERATION TRIBUNAL, INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS OF AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, CHRISTOPHER LEVINGSTON AND ASSOCIATES PTY LTD, TRANSPORT WORKERS’ UNION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, NATIONAL ROAD TRANSPORT ASSOCIATION LIMITED, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA

7-Eleven’s legal woes

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Original article by Sarah Danckert
The Age – Page: 24 : 7-Apr-16

Australia’s Fair Work Ombudsman alleges that 7-Eleven franchisee Jim Chien-Ching Chang falsified payroll records and underpaid eight employees. One employee is said to be owed more than $A13,000 in unpaid wages, while the Ombudsman claims that none of Chang’s employees were paid shift worker allowances or weekend penalty rates. 7-Eleven employees have been paid about $A10m to date via a compensation scheme that was established in the wake of the wage exploitation scandal in 2015.

CORPORATES
7-ELEVEN STORES PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK OMBUDSMAN, JS TOY PTY LTD, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION

Job-loss aid ‘ignores plight of thousands’

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Original article by David Uren
The Australian – Page: 4 : 7-Apr-16

The Australian Government’s program to assist retrenched workers has been criticised by the OECD, which describes it as inequitable as it tends to favour workers in certain industries or regions. Employees in the steel, resources and car industries are among those who have benefited from labour assistance programs that are aimed at helping them to get new jobs. However, the OECD notes that many more employees in other sectors are retrenched each year and often do not receive the same level of assistance from the government.

CORPORATES
ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT, QUEENSLAND NICKEL PTY LTD, ARRIUM LIMITED – ASX ARI, ALINTA ENERGY (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, CATERPILLAR, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HUMAN SERVICES. CENTRELINK

Assets back above pre-GFC peak

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Original article by David Uren
The Australian – Page: 4 : 5-Apr-16

Data from the Reserve Bank shows that the total value of Australians’ household assets compared with average household disposable income has risen above the high of 8.5 times recorded prior to the global financial crisis. This ratio declined to 6.8 times during the GFC. The figures also show that average debt comprises 21.6 per cent of the value of household assets, down from 23.7 per cent at the end of 2011.

CORPORATES
RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

Libs push case for cuts, Shorten targeted on tax

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Original article by David Crowe, Paige Taylor
The Australian – Page: 4 : 5-Apr-16

Treasurer Scott Morrison has warned that any spending promise made by the Opposition in the lead-up to the federal election will be funded via tax increases. Morrison has stressed that the Federal Government aims to reduce taxes, and highlighted the need for businesses to receive tax relief in order to create jobs and stimulate the economy. Meanwhile, the Australian Labor Party proposes to increase government revenue by $A105bn over 10 years via a series of tax reform measures.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY