VIRUS DISEASES – AUSTRALIA

Budget impact may be lessened by quicker recovery

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 2 : 29-Apr-20

The federal government is hopeful that Australia’s success in containing the coronavirus will result in the JobKeeper wage subsidy scheme costing far less than the $130bn that has been budgeted. The government had expected about six million workers to access the payment; Treasury secretary Steven Kennedy has told a parliamentary inquiry that there have been 540,000 applications from employers to date, covering about 3.3 million workers. The cost of the JobSeeker package for the unemployed may also end up being less than forecast.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

COVID-19 movement case study shows supermarket traffic remains steady during pandemic: Melbourne

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 29-Apr-20

Research firm Roy Morgan has partnered with leading technological innovator UberMedia to analyse movements at specific supermarket locations within Sydney and Melbourne during the coronavirus lockdown. Analysing the movement at Coles Williamstown in Melbourne’s Inner Western suburbs shows panic buying peaking on the weekend before the first restrictions were introduced on Sunday March 15. Visitor numbers have declined gently over the weeks since this peak and are now tracking slightly below average levels of movement seen earlier in the year. In contrast to the Coles in Williamstown, we have noticed sharp drop-offs in movement data for several key locations around Melbourne including the airport, Arts Centre, Botanic Gardens, Chinatown, Federation Square, Flinders Street Station, Museum and Exhibition Buildings, Southern Cross Station, Williamstown Beach Station and the Zoo. There have also been rapid declines in movement data for several key general shopping destinations including Chadstone, Highpoint, Southland, The Glen, Werribee Shopping Centre and Costco Docklands.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED, UBERMEDIA

COVID-19 movement case study shows supermarket traffic remains steady during pandemic: Sydney

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 29-Apr-20

A special analysis of movement data in indicative locations around Australia reveals that despite massive drop-offs in movement throughout Sydney and Melbourne, supermarkets have seen only a small impact. Supermarkets have played a key role in the national conversation over the last couple of months as ‘panic buying’ of many essential goods took hold. Research firm Roy Morgan has partnered with leading technological innovator UberMedia to analyse movements at specific supermarket locations within each of the two cities. The results show no significant fall in the number of visitors to some of these supermarkets during the pandemic lockdown compared to January and February. Analysing the movement at Erskineville Woolworths in Sydney’s Inner South-Western suburbs shows high movement in the week restrictions were first introduced in mid-March, and then a slight decline over the next two weeks. However, compared to the emptying out of the city’s major business districts, movement at Erskineville Woolworths remained fairly steady. In other words, whatever changes people have made to their shopping routines, it has not resulted in fewer in-person shoppers. In contrast, we have seen sharp drop-offs in movement data for key Sydney locations including the airport, Central and Redfern Stations, Taronga Zoo, and other shopping centres with high numbers of fashion and other stores that are temporarily closed, such as Westfield Chatswood, Marketplace Leichhardt, Stockland Balgowlah, Westfield Bondi Junction and Westfield Warringah.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, UBERMEDIA

1.8 million older Australians have a comorbidity condition putting them at a higher risk from COVID-19

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 29-Apr-20

Latest Roy Morgan data shows more than 1.8 million Australians aged 70+ (65%) have an existing serious health issue such as high blood pressure, cancer, diabetes, high cholesterol, an irregular heartbeat or heart disease. The New York Department of Health mortality statistics shows those with one of these serious health conditions have a higher risk of dying from COVID-19 coronavirus if they catch it.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Inflation to rise ahead of plunge

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Original article by Matthew Cranston
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 28-Apr-20

The travel and accommodation sector is likely to be among the hardest hit when inflation data for the March quarter is released on 29 April. The inflation figures will reflect the impact of the bushfires and the early stages of the coronavirus crisis. The market consensus is for a headline inflation rate of 1.9 per cent for the year to March, while the Commonwealth Bank has forecast that inflation will reach two per cent for the first time since mid-2018. However, economists generally expect a negative inflation rate in the June quarter, a view shared by Reserve Bank governor Philip Lowe.

CORPORATES
COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

Wider impact of virus crisis becoming clearer

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Original article by Robert Gottliebsen
The Australian – Page: 21 : 28-Apr-20

Roy Morgan has revealed that 10.5 million Australians have had their employment circumstances changed by the impact of COVID-19. This includes 3.8 million people who have had their work hours cut, while 670,000 people have been made redundant. Roy Morgan found that three-quarters of sole traders have been impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, but that 46 per cent of people who work for entities with over 1,000 employees have not had their employment affected in some manner by the crisis. Agriculture, transport and storage, and wholesale trade are among the sectors least impacted by the crisis, according to Roy Morgan.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED

More time to enrol in JobKeeper scheme

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Original article by Maja Garaca Djurdjevic
My Business – Page: Online : 28-Apr-20

More than 400,000 businesses have formally applied for the JobKeeper scheme to date, covering some 2.4 million employees. The Australian Taxation Office has advised that the deadline for applying for the initial phase of the wage subsidy scheme will be extended from 30 April to the end of May. Kate Carnell, the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, has urged small businesses that may be eligible to apply for the scheme as soon as possible.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE

Budget updates to push growth agenda

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 28-Apr-20

The federal government will release a statement on the impact of the coronavirus on the domestic economy when parliament resumes in May. Amongst other things, it will outline how much the government has spent on stimulus measures to date. The Coalition also intends to release new economic forecasts in June, which take into account the likely future impact of the pandemic. Labor and former Treasury official Greg Smith have previously urged the government to release an economic update in the near-term, arguing that it is too long to wait until the Budget in October.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Post-pandemic world a great chance to turbocharge growth

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Original article by Patrick Commins, Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 24-Apr-20

Professor Ian Harper says Australia should pursue micro-economic reforms once the coronavirus pandemic abates. He argues that the priority should be on smaller regulatory changes that will boost productivity over the long-term, rather than wholesale reform. Amongst other things, Harper has proposed an overhaul of urban planning and zoning laws to ensure consistency across jurisdictions, and greater use of road user charges to combat traffic congestion as people begin to return to work. Harper chaired the federal government’s competition review in 2015.

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Billions of early super released

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Original article by Cliona O’Dowd
The Australian – Page: 13 & 17 : 24-Apr-20

The Australian Taxation Office has already approved 456,000 applications from superannuation fund members who want to utilise the federal government’s early access scheme. Some $3.8m worth of withdrawals have been approved since the scheme opened on 20 April; more than 900,000 people had previously registered interest in the scheme, which is restricted to fund members who have experienced financial hardship due to the pandemic. Association of Super Funds of Australia CEO Martin Fahy has downplayed concerns that some super funds may face liquidity issues due to the early access scheme.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, THE ASSOCIATION OF SUPERANNUATION FUNDS OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED