O75 Public Administration

Labor names, shames Chinese cyber spy gang

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Original article by Ben Packham
The Australian – Page: 4 : 10-Jul-24

The Australian Signals Directorate has publicly named a Chinese cyber espionage group that has been targeting public and private sector networks in Australia and the South Pacific region. The APT40 hacking group – which is also known as Gingham Typhoon, Kryptonite Panda, Leviathan and Bronze Mohawk – is believed to have links to China’s Ministry of State Security. Microsoft recently identified APT40 as the Pacific region’s most active cyber espionage group. It is not known as to whether Prime Minister Anthony Albanese raised concerns about Chinese hackers during Premier Li Qiang’s recent official visit to Australia.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN SIGNALS DIRECTORATE, CHINA. MINISTRY OF STATE SECURITY, MICROSOFT CORPORATION

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence drops 2.3pts to 79.0 after End of Financial Year (EOFY) sales finish up; buying sentiment indicator has largest weekly drop so far this year

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 10-Jul-24

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence fell 2.3pts to 79.0 in the week to 7 July, its biggest weekly decline so far this year. Consumer Confidence has now spent a record 75 straight weeks below the mark of 85; although Consumer Confidence is now 5.7 points above the same week a year ago (73.3), it is 2.8 points below the 2024 weekly average of 81.8. Consumer Confidence was down in New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia and South Australia, but virtually unchanged in Queensland. Now 19% of Australians (down 1ppt) say their families are ‘better off’ financially than this time last year, while 53% (up 3ppts) say their families are ‘worse off’. Looking forward, 31% (unchanged) of Australians expect their family to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year, while 35% (down 1ppt) expect to be ‘worse off’. Now 8% (unchanged) of Australians expect ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next 12 months, while 36% (down 1ppt) expect ‘bad times’. Meanwhile, 21% (down 4ppts) of Australians say now is a ‘good time to buy’ major household items (the biggest drop for this indicator so far this year), while 51% (up 5ppts) say now is a ‘bad time to buy’ (the largest increase for this indicator so far this year).

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

Roy Morgan Business Confidence drops 5.5pts to 91.5 in June to lowest so far this year after Federal Budget

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 10-Jul-24

In June 2024, Roy Morgan Business Confidence was 91.5 (down 5.5pts since May), the second straight monthly fall and its lowest level so far this year. Business Confidence is now 19.7pts below the long-term average of 111.2, although it is up 2.7pts since June 2023. Now 45.5% (down 6.5ppts) of businesses expect ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next year, while 51.6% (up 6.6ppts) expect ‘bad times’. Meanwhile, only 36.1% (down 1.9ppts) of businesses say the next 12 months will be a ‘good time to invest’ in growing the business (the lowest figure for this indicator since the early days of the pandemic in April 2020), while 40.7% (also down 1.9ppts) say the next 12 months will be a ‘bad time to invest’. The latest Roy Morgan Business Confidence results for June are based on 1,455 detailed interviews with a cross-section of Australian businesses from each State and Territory.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED

More RBA rate rises unwarranted as Yarra cuts growth outlook

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Original article by Ronald Mizen
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 9-Jul-24

Yarra Capital’s chief economist Tim Toohey has downgraded his growth forecast for the Australian economy to just 1.75 per cent in 2024-25, compared with his previous expectations of 2.25 per cent growth. In contrast, the Reserve Bank anticipates growth of 2.1 per cent in the current financial year, while the federal government’s 14 May budget papers show that the Treasury expects the economy to expand by two per cent. Toohey says factors such as a slowdown in employment growth among non-migrant workers and plans to curb the migrant intake could dampen economic growth, and in turn weaken the case for a further tightening of monetary policy.

CORPORATES
YARRA CAPITAL PARTNERS PTY LTD, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Nuclear lawyer says Australia would not be starting from scratch

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Original article by Clare Armstrong
Herald Sun – Page: Online : 9-Jul-24

Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen has contended that amongst other things, legal hurdles could not be overcome quickly enough for the Coalition to achieve its ambitious target of building the first of seven nuclear power stations by 2035. However, expatriate nuclear lawyer Helen Cook argues that agreements and safety regulations that are already in place would make it easier for parliament to pass the legislative changes that would be required to add nuclear to the energy mix. She notes that Australia has already ratified most of the treaties that would be required to build and operate nuclear reactors.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF CLIMATE CHANGE, ENERGY, THE ENVIRONMENT AND WATER

Allan snubs airport rail for suburban loop

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Original article by Gus McCubbing, Patrick Durkin
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 9-Jul-24

Melbourne Airport CEO Lorie Argue says there is no reason why there should be any more delays to the $10 billion Melbourne Airport rail link, after the airport dropped its opposition to a more expensive underground station. However, the project still faces at least four more years of delay, with Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan stating her government would prioritise the $125 billion Suburban Rail Loop. Allan announced on Monday that the state government had chosen a consortium called Terra Verde to construct the next phase of the SRL, which involves the construction of 10-kilometre twin tunnels between Glen Waverley and Box Hill.

CORPORATES
MELBOURNE AIRPORT, VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET

Roy Morgan Poll: L-NP (52%) takes the lead over ALP (48%) after ALP disunity on Palestine

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 9-Jul-24

A Coalition Government, with a slim majority, would now win a Federal Election with the two-party preferred vote: L-NP 52% cf. ALP 48%, the latest Roy Morgan survey finds. The Coalition surged after ALP disunity on the conflict between Israel and Hamas led to Senator Fatima Payman to quit the Labor Party last week. Senator Payman crossed the floor a few days before quitting the party when the Greens brought a motion to the floor calling for recognition of Palestinian statehood. Primary support for the Coalition increased 3% to 39.5% this week while the ALP dropped 3% to 28.5%. Support for the Greens increased 0.5% to 13.5%. Support for One Nation increased 0.5% to 5%, support for Other Parties dropped 1% to 4.5% and support for Independents was unchanged at 9%.

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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

Not Labor they elected as people reel from Gaza war

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Original article by
The New Daily – Page: Online : 9-Jul-24

Fatima Payman says people who voted for a Labor government have told her that it is now not serving their interests, when being asked why the now independent senator was not quitting her seat. Payman quit the Labor Party last week after crossing the floor on the issue of Palestinian statehood, claiming the government was not moving quickly enough on the matter. She claims that it is not just Australia’s Muslim and Palestinian communities that are being affected by the war in Gaza, saying it has "been impacting each and every person with a conscience and a heart out there".

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Powerful new laws to break up the CFMEU

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Original article by Jade Gailberger
Herald Sun – Page: Online : 3-Jul-24

The Senate has voted 46-10 to pass a bill which will allow the CFMEU’s manufacturing division to hold a ballot on demerging. The Greens voted against the bill, which had been fast-tracked in response to threats by the CFMEU’s Victorian state secretary John Setka to launch a "work to rule" campaign on future AFL-related construction projects unless the league sacks its head of umpiring, Stephen McBurney. However, shadow employment minister Michaelia Cash has described the legislation as a "minor slap on the wrist" to the CFMEU in response to Setka’s "outrageous bullying demands".

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY AND MARITIME EMPLOYEES UNION, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE

NZ Nationals’ support increases marginally in June as support for Labour slumps back below 30%

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 3-Jul-24

Roy Morgan’s New Zealand Poll for June 2024 shows that support for the National-led Government (National, ACT & NZ First) has increased by 1% point to 49.5%; it retains a small lead over the Labour-Greens-Maori Party Parliamentary Opposition on 45.5% (down 2.5% points). Support for National increased 1.5% points to 35%, support for ACT decreased 0.5% points to 9.5% while support for NZ First was again unchanged at 5.5%. Meanwhile, support for Labour was down 2.5% points to 27.5%, support for the Greens was up 0.5% points to 14.5% and support for the Maori Party was up 0.5% points to 3.5%. A further 5% (up 0.5% points) of electors supported a minor party outside Parliament. The survey results for June would lead to 62 seats (down six seats from the election) being won by the current governing coalition, compared to 58 seats (up three seats) for the Labour/ Greens/ Maori Party Opposition. The latest New Zealand Roy Morgan Poll on voting intention was conducted by telephone – both landline and mobile – with a New Zealand-wide cross-section of 930 electors from May 27 to June 23. Meanwhile, the Roy Morgan Government Confidence Rating fell by 13pts to 83 in June.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, MORGAN POLL, NATIONAL PARTY OF NEW ZEALAND, ACT NEW ZEALAND, NEW ZEALAND FIRST PARTY, LABOUR PARTY (NEW ZEALAND), GREEN PARTY OF AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND, THE MAORI PARTY