O75 Public Administration

Quantum leap into a danger zone

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Original article by Sarah Elks
The Australian – Page: 5 : 20-May-24

Quantum Brilliance’s co-founder Marcus Doherty says the federal government should invest in a broad range of quantum computing technologies, rather than backing a single project. The federal and Queensland governments recently committed nearly $1bn to PsiQuantum’s project to build a fault-tolerant quantum computer in Brisbane. Doherty contends that government agencies should invest in the quantum computing technology that best meets their needs; he notes that the Department of Defence in particular will probably require quantum computers that are portable, whereas PsiQuantum’s proposed photonics-based quantum computer is expected to be the size of a large warehouse.

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QUANTUM BRILLIANCE, PSQUANTUM, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF DEFENCE

Tax reform needed to break economic inertia

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Original article by Tom McIlroy
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 : 20-May-24

A new report from the Liberal-aligned thinktank Blueprint Institute has called for various reforms to Australia’s tax system in order to put an end to what it calls the nation’s economic inertia. The thinktank’s proposals include a tax on the unimproved value of land, a reduction in the company tax rate to 25 per cent, the scrapping of state-based payroll taxes and increasing the GST to 15 per cent, along with expanding the goods and services that it applies to. The Blueprint Institute claims that an extra $60 billion a year could be raised if the GST is increased to 15 per cent and its base is broadened.

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BLUEPRINT INSTITUTE, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence virtually unchanged before pre-election Federal Budget set to be handed down

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 15-May-24

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence was virtually unchanged at 80.2 in the week to 12 May. The index has now spent a record 67 straight weeks below the mark of 85. Consumer Confidence is now 4.3 points above the same week a year ago (75.9), but 2.3 points below the 2024 weekly average of 82.5. Consumer Confidence was down in Victoria, Western Australia and South Australia, but up slightly in New South Wales and Queensland. Now 20% of Australians (unchanged) say their families are ‘better off’ financially than this time last year, while 50% (down 1ppt) say their families are ‘worse off’. Looking forward, 32% (unchanged) of Australians expect their family to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year, while 33% (also unchanged) expect to be ‘worse off’. Now 9% (unchanged) of Australians expect ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next 12 months, while 33% (down 2ppts) expect ‘bad times’. Meanwhile, 19% (down 2ppts) of Australians say now is a ‘good time to buy’ major household items (the lowest figure for this indicator so far this year), while 52% (up 3ppts) say now is a ‘bad time to buy’ (the highest figure for this indicator so far this year).

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

Taxman’s take about to hit an 18-year high

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Original article by Patrick Commins
The Australian – Page: 2 : 15-May-24

The 2024 budget papers have revealed that total tax receipts as a share of GDP will increase from 23.5 per cent in 2022-23 to 23.8 per cent in 2023-24, making it the highest share since 2005-06. The impact of the stage three tax cuts will then see total taxation receipts as a share of GDP decline to 23.3 per cent in 2024-25. Australians will pay $299.4 billion in income tax in 2023-24, with that figure falling to $293.7 billion in 2024-25 as a result of the tax cuts taking effect.

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War crimes whistleblower jailed for nearly six years

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Original article by Michael Pelly
The Australian Financial Review – Page: Online : 15-May-24

Defence whistleblower David McBride will spend a minimum of 27 months in prison for providing classified military documents to journalists. The ACT Supreme Court has sentenced McBride to five years and eight months in jail, and he will be eligible for parole in August 2026. Justice David Mossop said the former military lawyer’s actions were a "gross breach of trust" of his position in the Australian Defence Force, and others must be deterred from engaging in similar conduct. The leaked documents were subsequently used as the basis for a series of media reports on Australian solders’ alleged war crimes in Afghanistan.

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SUPREME COURT OF THE AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY, AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE FORCE

Warning on jobs rate if productivity stalls

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 4 : 15-May-24

The 2024 budget papers indicate that productivity has grown for two consecutive quarters, and that it is expected to continue to pick up if economic conditions improve. However, Treasury has warned that if productivity does not improve as expected, it could lead to a rise in unemployment. Meanwhile, the budget papers have forecast that annual wages growth will decline from 4 per cent to 3.25 per cent over the next two financial years before rising to 3.5 per cent in the subsequent years of the forward estimates, while lower forecast inflation will result in real wages growth of 0.5 per cent each year over the forward estimates.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Purge of consultants heralds public service jobs boom

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Original article by David Ross
The Australian – Page: 11 : 15-May-24

The number of federal public servants has increased from 173,142 to more than 197,000 since Labor took office in May 2022. The budget papers show that the number of public servants is forecast to rise by 12,042 over the next year, while this is on track to be 36,000 higher than in 2021-22. The growth in public service numbers is at least partly due to the government’s push to reduce the cost of using external consultants, with thousands of these roles to be converted into in-house positions.

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AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Labor splashes billions on cost of living relief

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Original article by Geoff Chambers
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 15-May-24

The 2024 budget papers show that the federal government expects to post a surplus of $9.3bn for 2023-24. However, there will be a combined budget deficit of $122bn over the forward estimates period. Meanwhile, the budget features $7.8bn of new spending on cost-of-living relief, headlined by a $3.5bn energy rebate; this will provide every household with a $300 credit on their electricity bill, to be paid in four quarterly instalments. Treasurer Jim Chalmers says the cost-of-living measures will reduce the inflation rate by 0.75 of a percentage point in 2024 and 0.5 per cent in 2025. The Treasury expects inflation to fall to 3.5 per cent by June and 2.75 per cent by mid-2025.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Jewish hate speech surge alarms PM

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Original article by Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 2 : 14-May-24

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese addressed a pre-budget meeting of Labor’s caucus on Monday. He praised the performance of Foreign Minister Penny Wong in responding to the Israel-Hamas war and reiterated his government’s support for a two-state solution. Albanese also acknowledged the growing issue of anti-Semitism in Australia; responding to a question from senator Deborah O’Neill, he said that hostility towards Jewish people is at the highest level that he has seen in his lifetime. The government is also continuing to attract scrutiny over its controversial decision to support a United Nations motion on Palestine.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Cost-of-living handouts that bust inflation a trick

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Original article by Patrick Commins, Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 14-May-24

The federal government has confirmed that the 2024 budget will feature measures to combat inflation and the cost-of-living crisis, including electricity bill rebates and rental assistance. However, former Reserve Bank of Australia board member Warwick McKibbin contends that using government subsidies to combat inflation is a "political trick" that will not address underlying price pressures in the economy. McKibbin has also questioned the Treasury’s forecast that inflation will return to the RBA’s target range of 2-3 per cent by the end of 2024. He adds that the Treasury and the RBA have underestimated the inflationary impact of the revised stage-three personal income tax cuts that take effect on 1 July.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA