AUSTRALIA – POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

PM warns: unite or lose poll

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Original article by Greg Brown, Geoff Chambers
The Australian – Page: 1 & 5 : 9-Feb-22

Parliament is expected to vote on the federal government’s revised religious discrimination bill and amendments to the Sex Discrimination Act within days, after a Coalition partyroom meeting endorsed the reforms on Monday. Prime Minister Scott Morrison urged Coalition MPs to back the reforms, warning that the government faces the prospect of losing the upcoming election if it does present a united front. However, some Liberal MPs have expressed reservations about the religious discrimination bill, and Bass MP Bridget Archer says she cannot support the bill in its current form.

CORPORATES
LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Labor Covid policies an extra $81bn hit: Finance Minister

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Original article by Geoff Chambers
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 9-Feb-22

The federal government has spent about $337bn on economic and health support programs since the COVID-19 pandemic began, which has contributed to the budget deficit blowing out to $134bn. However, Finance Minister Simon Birmingham says the government has contained spending during the pandemic by making its emergency measures "temporary, targeted and proportionate". He adds that Labor’s pandemic policies would have cost an additional $81bn in unnecessary spending and increased the deficit by 20 per cent. Shadow finance minister Katy Gallagher has in turn described the Coalition as the most wasteful government since Federation.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

New media reforms to hurt Australian TV production

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Original article by Rod Myer
The New Daily – Page: Online : 9-Feb-22

The federal government’s latest media reforms will require streaming providers to invest at least five per cent of their Australian revenue in local content. This is well below the 10 per cent local content quota that the government had flagged in September 2020, while streaming services will not be penalised for failing to meet the revised quota unless Communications Minister Paul Fletcher decides to intervene. Screen Producers Australia CEO Matt Deaner is concerned that streaming services will produce local content in name only, using all-American casts to make US-style programs in Australia.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT, REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS, SCREEN PRODUCERS AUSTRALIA

ALP (56.5%) increases lead over the L-NP (43.5%) in late January as Australia continues to battle Omicron surge of COVID-19

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 3-Feb-22

ALP support is now at 56.5% (up 0.5% points since mid-January) cf. L-NP on 43.5% (down 0.5% points) on a two-party preferred basis, according to the latest Roy Morgan Poll on Federal voting intention conducted via telephone and online interviewing with 2,783 Australian electors aged 18+ over the two weeks from January 17-30, 2022. There were 7.5% of electors (up 0.5% points from mid-January) who can’t say who they support. The ALP holds two-party preferred leads in all six States including NSW (ALP 54% cf. L-NP 46%), Victoria (ALP 59% cf. L-NP 41%), Queensland (ALP 51.5% cf. L-NP 48.5%), Western Australia (ALP 55.5% cf. L-NP 44.5%), South Australia (ALP 64% cf. L-NP 36%) and Tasmania (ALP 61.5% cf. L-NP 38.5%). There is also a huge gender gap with the ALP enjoying a huge two-party preferred lead amongst women: ALP 60.5% cf. L-NP 39.5% while men are more evenly split between the two parties: ALP 52% cf. L-NP 48%. Roy Morgan Government Confidence is well into negative territory, below the neutral level of 100, at a rating of only 84.5 with a majority of 50.5% of electors saying Australia is ‘heading in the wrong direction’ compared to only 34.5% that say the country is ‘heading in the right direction’. Full results of this week’s Roy Morgan Poll on Federal Voting Intention will be released later today.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Morrison urged to take over NSW Liberal division after psycho texts

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Original article by David Crowe
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: Online : 3-Feb-22

Senior federal cabinet ministers have denied involvement in a series of text message exchanges with former NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian in which Prime Minister Scott Morrison was allegedly described as a ‘complete psycho’ and a ‘horrible’ person. Morrison says he is confident that the minister in question was not in cabinet and that there is no need for an investigation into the incident. However, some ministers believe that the leaking of the text messages is linked to a factional brawl within the Liberal Party’s NSW division, and have called for a federal intervention. A senior federal Liberal says the leaks were an "orchestrated hit" on Morrison, with the aim of ousting him before the election.

CORPORATES
LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, LIBERAL PARTY OF NEW SOUTH WALES

Gas companies made almost $1m in donations to Labor and Liberals

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Original article by Royce Kurmelovs
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 2-Feb-22

Analysis of the Australian Electoral Commission’s political donation records show that fossil fuel producers and their lobby groups donated a combined $959,115 to the nation’s three largest political parties in 2020-21. The analysis by 350.org shows that the Liberal Party received $506,810 in total, ahead of Labor ($392,354) and the National Party ($59,991). Woodside Petroleum topped the list of donors, contributing a combined $232,250 to the coffers of the Liberal and Labor parties; it was followed by the Minerals Council of Australia, which donated $193,943 in total to the three political parties. The Greens do not accept donations from fossil fuel companies.

CORPORATES
LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIAN ELECTORAL COMMISSION, 350.ORG

Morrison sees chance of a lifetime

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 2-Feb-22

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has conceded that the federal government has made some key mistakes in its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Amongst other things, Morrison has admitted that he underestimated the seriousness of the Omicron outbreak going into the summer months, while he should have put Lieutenant-General John Frewen in charge of the vaccine rollout from the outset. Morrison has also stated that Australia has a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" to reduce the unemployment rate to below four per cent. His target of a 3.75 per cent jobless rate in the second half of 2022 is more ambitious than that of the Reserve Bank, which expects it to reach this level by the end of 2023.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

Budget offers last reset chance as May 14 looks likely for poll

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Original article by Andrew Tillett
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 19-Jan-22

Federal government ministers and MPs believe that an election is now unlikely to be held in March, citing factors such as the emergence of the Omicron strain of COVID-19, supply chain problems and a shortage of rapid antigen tests. The government has previously signalled that the Budget will be handed down on 29 March, which would make 7 May the earliest possible date to call an election. There is growing consensus within the Coalition’s ranks that the election will be held on either 14 or 21 May.

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Private hospital staff diverted to public system on deadliest day of Covid pandemic

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Original article by Mostafa Rachwani, Sarah Martin
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 19-Jan-22

The federal government has activated emergency measures which will make more than 100,000 employees of private hospitals available to work in public hospitals that are dealing with staff shortages and a rising COVID-19 caseload. The activation of the surge plan coincided with Australia recording 77 deaths from the coronavirus on Tuesday; it was the nation’s biggest one-day toll since the pandemic began, and included 36 deaths in NSW, 22 in Victoria and 16 in Queensland. NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant says 33 of the people who died in the state had been vaccinated, although most had not received a booster shot. There were 29,830 new COVID-19 cases in NSW on Tuesday, a total of 20,180 in Victoria and 15,962 in Queensland.

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NEW SOUTH WALES. MINISTRY OF HEALTH

Covid isolation rules may be cut to five days

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Original article by Tom McIlroy, David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 19-Jan-22

Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg notes that some countries have reduced the isolation period for people with COVID-19 from 7-10 days to just five. He has not ruled out a similar move in Australia to help address a labour shortage in key sectors. Frydenberg says isolation rules are under constant review and stressed that health settings will remain "pragmatic and proportionate". Chief medical officer Paul Kelly concedes that shorter isolation periods would increase the risk of community transmission. Some state governments have already reduced the isolation period for people with the virus to seven days.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HEALTH