VIRUS DISEASES – AUSTRALIA

Unions warn huge chunk of casual workforce could miss out on coronavirus wage subsidy

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Euan Black
The New Daily – Page: Online : 31-Mar-20

Full-time and part-time workers will be eligible for the JobKeeper wage subsidy, as will casual workers who have been with the same employer for at least 12 months. However, ACTU secretary Sally McManus says the wage subsidy should be available to all casual workers, adding that it should be increased to $1,375 per week rather than $1,500 per fortnight. Gerard Dwyer, the national president of the Shop, Distributive & Allied Employees’ Association, also supports extending the payment to all casual workers, as well as visa workers.

CORPORATES
ACTU, SHOP, DISTRIBUTIVE AND ALLIED EMPLOYEES’ ASSOCIATION

Federal Government offers $130b in coronavirus wage subsidies for businesses to pay workers

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Brett Worthington
abc.net.au – Page: Online : 31-Mar-20

Prime Minister Scott Morrison expects about six million Australians to access the federal government’s JobKeeper payment. He says there will be a legal obligation on employers to pass the full wage subsidy of up to $1,500 per fortnight on to employees. Morrison adds that unlike the UK wage subsidy, it is aimed at keeping people in jobs rather than targeting workers who have been stood down. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg says the subsidy equates to about 70 per cent of the median wage and around 100 per cent of the median wage for sectors that have been impacted the most by the coronavirus pandemic.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

WA’s FIFO ban a blow for resources giants

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Brad Thompson, Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 22 : 31-Mar-20

Workers from interstate account for about 3,000 of the 45,000 people in Western Australia’s resources sector who are on fly-in, fly-out arrangements. FIFO workers from interstate are currently exempt from a 14-day coronavirus quarantine period, but the Chamber of Minerals & Energy of WA has told its members that the state government is likely to remove this exemption within days. The Queensland and South Australian governments are also tipped to scrap the exemption for FIFO workers who cross state borders.

CORPORATES
THE CHAMBER OF MINERALS AND ENERGY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, WOODSIDE PETROLEUM LIMITED – ASX WPL, NEWCREST MINING LIMITED – ASX NCM, CHEVRON CORPORATION

$1.1bn boost for GPs, Medicare

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Geoff Chambers, Simon Benson
The Australian – Page: 6 : 30-Mar-20

The federal government has announced a $1.1 billion package aimed at dealing with the secondary impact of the health and economic crisis. The package comprises $669 million to be spent on Medicare support at home, $200 million for vulnerable Australians, $150 million for domestic violence support and $74 million for mental health support. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the package aims to help the many Australians who are currently enduring hardship.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Business loan relief in bailout expansion

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Geoff Chambers, Simon Benson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 30-Mar-20

The major banks will announce on 30 March that companies with loans totalling up to $10 million will be able to defer payments for six months in order to help save jobs during the coronavirus crisis. It is understood that the federal government will expand its 50 per cent loan guarantee for to small and medium enterprises to big business, while the Australian Banking Association will build on its previously announced small business support package with additional assistance measures.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BANKING ASSOCIATION

‘This is radical’: Gatherings in Australia reduced to two people in bid to slow coronavirus spread

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Biwa Kwan
sbs.com.au – Page: Online : 30-Mar-20

Skate parks and public playgrounds will be closed as the federal government moves to cut the size of gatherings to two people as part of efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The restrictions will not apply to schools, households or workplaces, while the number of people that can gather at funerals and weddings remains at 10 and five respectively. Prime Minister Scott Morrison says it will be up to the states and territories to enforce the two-person rule; he also said that shopping should be about just getting what people need and then going home, rather than an excuse to browse or have long conversations.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Lockdown a blunt instrument with no guarantees

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Nick Cater
The Australian – Page: 10 : 30-Mar-20

A coronavirus lockdown separates people from jobs and businesses from customers to a far greater extent than intended. Meanwhile, the effectiveness of lockdowns remains uncertain, with the death toll in European countries that have imposed such measures continuing to rise. It is hard to imagine that an Italian-style nationwide lockdown would reduce the spread fast enough to stop Australia’s medical services being swamped. A poll on the weekend by Roy Morgan demonstrates that voluntary self-isolation is a feasible strategy, avoiding the need for the authoritarian approach some appear to prefer. In the poll, 84 per cent of those over 65 years of age said they were already self-isolating. Nobody knows if a full lockdown will end the pandemic or how long these draconian measures will have to stay in place. We do know, however, that such measures will come at an enormous cost to employment, welfare and families. It seems the total lockdown strategy would damage the economy beyond all recognition if kept in place for very long. The price would be paid not just in jobs and wages, but in loneliness, mental illness, family violence and perhaps even suicide. In a situation like this, the least-worse solution will always be the one that takes account of the welfare of people.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED

News cuts paywalls to free up virus reporting

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Leo Shanahan
The Australian – Page: 19 : 30-Mar-20

News Corp Australia will offer 28 days’ free access to the online editions of its metropolitan newspapers for people who take out a new subscription during the next fortnight. They will also be offered a 50 per cent discount for the following month. News Corp Australasia’s executive chairman Mich­ael Miller says this will allow people to stay connected and informed during the coronavirus pandemic. He adds that the federal government has deemed the news media to be an essential service during the crisis. However, Miller has conceded that the print editions of some community newspapers may need to be suspended.

CORPORATES
NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS

Six-month moratorium on eviction of renters in Australia amid coronavirus fallout

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by
sbs.com.au – Page: Online : 30-Mar-20

Prime Minister Scott Morrison says the states and territories will impose a six-month moratorium on renters being evicted on account of financial distress resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. He says landlords need to work with their tenants and banks to come up with agreements that are of benefit to all parties. The moratorium proposal is part of the notion of ‘hibernating’ businesses until the worst of the pandemic is over.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Scott Morrison offers coronavirus wage guarantee for those who have lost jobs, but details still to come

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Amy Remeikis
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 30-Mar-20

The federal government is set to announce details of a wage guarantee in coming days. Prime Minister Scott Morrison says the wage subsidy will be in addition to the coronavirus stimulus measures that have already been announced, and it will provide income support for people who have been stood down or laid off by businesses that have closed due to the pandemic. ACTU secretary Sally McManus says the wage guarantee should be backdated and it should apply to all workers, including casuals and temporary visa holders, as well as businesses of all sizes.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, ACTU