O75 Public Administration

Axed Direction 63 fuels security fears

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Original article by Rhiannon Down, Geoff Chambers
The Australian – Page: 1 & 5 : 18-Sep-24

The federal government’s national security credentials are under renewed scrutiny following revelations that it had revoked a controversial ministerial direction in early 2024. Direction 63 had allowed the government to deport people who were in Australia on bridging visas if they had been charged with a criminal offence or were being investigated by police. It had been in place since 2014, but was widely criticised by lawyers because it allowed people to be deported without having been convicted of a crime. It was replaced by Direction 104 in March; this still provides the immigration minister with discretion to cancel the visas of ­people who have been charged with a crime.

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AUKUS originals to embrace threesome – that’s the pillar talk

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Original article by Ben Packham
The Australian – Page: 1 & 5 : 18-Sep-24

The three founding members of the AUKUS alliance are not expected to expand the nuclear submarines component of the defence pact to include other nations. However, the political leaders of Australia, the US and the UK will indicate on Wednesday that they may be open to inviting South Korea, New Zealand and Canada to participate in the ‘Pillar II’ phase of the defence pact, which will focus on military technology. They have previously flagged the possibility that Japan could be invited to join Pillar II. The leaders’ statement will be issued to mark the third anniversary of the alliance. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will also discuss progress on AUKUS at the upcoming four-nation Quad leaders’ meeting in the US.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Immigration and ideology add fuel to housing crisis

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Original article by Judith Sloan
The Australian – Page: 11 : 18-Sep-24

The federal government’s target of 1.2 million new homes in five years will not be met. Although Canberra has some levers it can pull to boost housing stock, most of the control rests with state and local governments. In addition, the construction of new homes is almost completely reliant on the private sector. Meanwhile, the federal government has been contributing to the housing crisis by ramping up the migrant intake. All levels of government are also obsessed with the ideology of greater housing density, despite the fact that many people do not want to live in high-rise apartment buildings.

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ANZ-Roy Morgan Inflation Expectations drop to 4.8% in mid-September – down from 5.0% for the month of August

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 18-Sep-24

The latest weekly ANZ-Roy Morgan Inflation Expectations are 4.8% for the week of September 9-15. This figure is below the average so far this year of 5.0%, and down 0.2% points from the month of August. A look at monthly Inflation Expectations for August shows the measure at 5.0% for the month – down 0.1% points from a month earlier and in line with the average so far this year of 5.0%. Looking back over the first eight months of the year, weekly Inflation Expectations have moved in a narrow band of 4.6% to 5.3% and averaged 5.0%. The data for the Inflation Expectations series is drawn from the Roy Morgan Single Source, which has interviewed an average of around 5,200 Australians aged 14+ per month over the last decade, and includes interviews with 5,974 Australians aged 14+ in August 2024.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence up 1.8pts to 84.1 in mid-September

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 18-Sep-24

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence rose 1.8pts to 84.1 in the week to 15 September; despite the increase, Consumer Confidence has spent a record 85 straight weeks below the mark of 85. Consumer Confidence is now 4.3 points above the same week a year ago (76.4), and 2.1pts above the 2024 weekly average of 82.0. Consumer Confidence is up in Victoria and Western Australia, but down slightly in NSW, Queensland and South Australia. Now 22% of Australians (down 1ppt) say their families are ‘better off’ financially than this time last year, while 48% (up 1ppt) say their families are ‘worse off’. Looking forward, 33% (up 1ppt) of Australians expect their family to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year, while 30% (down 2ppts) expect to be ‘worse off’. Now 9% (unchanged) of Australians expect ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next 12 months, while 32% (down 2ppts) expect ‘bad times’. Now 23% (up 3ppts) of Australians say now is a ‘good time to buy’ major household items, while 48% (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

CFMEU scandal once in a generation chance

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 18-Sep-24

The federal government will reconvene its National Construction Industry Forum in October. Amongst other things, members of the forum will be asked to consider measures aimed at addressing corruption and misconduct in the building and construction industry. Workplace Relations Minister Murray Watt says a "major reset" is needed in the nation’s construction industry, and the scandal that has embroiled the CFMEU is a "once-in-a-generation" opportunity to do so. Meanwhile, the CFMEU’s administrator Mark Irving will use his coercive powers to direct Geoffrey Watson SC to continue with his investigation into corruption within the union’s Victorian branch.

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CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY AND MARITIME EMPLOYEES UNION, NATIONAL CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY FORUM, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT AND WORKPLACE RELATIONS

No retreat on IR laws: Albanese

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 18-Sep-24

Industrial relations is set to be a key federal election issue, after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese indicated on Tuesday that Labor will not back down on the reforms it has implemented. The Coalition in turn has committed to repealing key aspects of the reforms, including multiple-employer bargaining. Meanwhile, Albanese has told the Business Council of Australia’s annual dinner that his government is "proudly pro-business and pro-worker". Albanese used his speech to highlight Labor policies and initiatives that have helped the business sector. However, BCA CEO Bran Black and president Geoff Culbert both criticised Labor’s workplace reforms in their speeches at the event.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

No policy and extreme right views will cost Dutton: Labor

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 17-Sep-24

Labor MPs are hopeful that the Coalition’s lack of policies will see voters look more favourably upon the federal government in the lead-up to the next election. With opinion polls continuing to suggest the election result will be very tight, and the possibility of a Coalition minority government not being ruled out, Tim Ayres, who is an assistant minister in the federal government, claims voters will be reluctant to vote for the Coalition because of what he claims are the extreme views of Opposition leader Peter Dutton.

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AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Kelty blasts Labor failure on economy

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Original article by Jennifer Hewett
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 2 : 17-Sep-24

Former ACTU secretary Bill Kelty says that while the federal government has delivered some good policies in its first term of office, it lacks any plan to revive Australia’s moribund economy. Some of the areas that Kelty suggests that the government needs to take action to stimulate the economy include a revision of bank lending rules and a major shake-up of the tax system. Kelty recently told a meeting of Melbourne business leaders that Paul Keating was correct when he said the government needs a greater dose of imagination, while he has also proposed a new model of enterprise bargaining that includes guaranteed jobs in every industry in which there is a shortage.

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ACTU

Federal voting intention virtually unchanged this week with ALP (50.5%) marginally ahead of the Coalition (49.5%); but Greens lost support after violent protests

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 17-Sep-24

The latest Roy Morgan survey shows that if a Federal Election were held now the result would be ‘too close to call’, with the ALP on 50.5% (down 0.5%) just ahead of the Coalition on 49.5% (up 0.5%) on a two-party preferred basis. There was a slight movement to the Coalition on a two-party preferred result this week; however, either the ALP or Coalition would require the support of minor parties and independents to form a minority government. The result again shows the importance of preference flows to determine the overall two-party preferred result. The primary vote of both major parties was up this week – mainly at the expense of the Greens. The ALP’s primary vote increased 0.5% to 30.5% while Coalition support increased 1% to 37.5%. Support for the Greens dropped 2% to 12.5%, while One Nation was down 0.5% at 5.5%. Support for Other Parties increased 0.5% to 4%, and support for Independents was up 0.5% to 10%.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED, MORGAN POLL, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, ONE NATION PARTY