Friday, 23 August 2019
How the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) sees Australia in 2019
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, OECD Economics Department Working Papers No. 1539, 14 February 2019, excerpts:
This paper analyses relative income poverty in Australia of individuals aged 15 or more, based on the HILDA Survey data.
Australia has above-average poverty rates among OECD countries, but poverty has decreased in the last 15 years.
Certain groups are more at risk than others.
People living alone and lone parents are at higher risk of poverty.
Old people in Australia have a more than 30% chance of living in poverty, which is one of the highest in the OECD. Among those of working age, being employed significantly reduces the risk, while those out of the labour force and the unemployed are at much higher risk of poverty.
Nevertheless, there is poverty also among people that work, typically casual workers and part-time workers. People with low education are also at risk.
Those living alone and one parent households face quite a high risk of poverty, even if they are employed. Indigenous Australians are almost twice as likely to be poor than the rest of Australians and they appear significantly poorer than the rest even after controlling for education, age, industry, skill and geographical remoteness, suggesting a range of socio-economic issues, including poor health and discrimination.
16. Women are at a higher risk of living in poverty compared to men (Figure 7), although the risk of poverty has been reduced for both groups over the last 15 years and more rapidly for women. In FY 2015/16, 20% of women lived below the 60% poverty line, and 13% below the 50% line. For men, the shares were 17% and 11%, respectively.
17. Consider now the risk of poverty by age, shown in Figure 8. It is striking that the age group with by far the highest risk of poverty are the elderly. Prior to 2010 around 40% of individuals of age 65 and above were living in a household with disposable income below 50% of the median. This has since been reduced to 30%, but it nevertheless remains a high figure. For the 60% poverty line, more than half of the elderly lived in poverty until around 2010, with a declining trend to 44% in 2016. The poverty among the elderly in Australia is also very high in international comparison (Figure 9), according to the OECD Income distribution and poverty database.
18. Very high poverty and social exclusion of the elderly are also reported for Australia in ACOSS (2014 and 2016) and Azpitarte and Bowman (2015). It is noteworthy that ACOSS (2016 and 2014) report similar overall poverty rates as in our data, however, variation across age according to their analysis is somewhat different, driven by the fact that they take into account housing costs. While for older people they still report the highest rate of poverty (except compared to the poverty rate of children below the age 15, which are excluded from our analysis), the difference with the rest of the population is less pronounced. As many older people own their houses and have repaid their mortgages, this provides significant protection against poverty (ACOSS, 2016). Moreover, many pensioners decide to take a significant amount of their pensions (superannuation) as a lump sum at the onset of their retirement, which thereafter does not count as current income and cannot be factored into HILDA measures of income poverty.
23. We now turn to relative poverty across labour force status. As can be seen from Figure 12, full-time employed individuals have the lowest poverty rates. People employed part-time are about three times as likely to live in poverty as compared to the full-time employed. The unemployed have even higher rates of poverty, about 15% in FY 2015-16, although the rate is quite volatile over time. The highest poverty however is experienced by those not in the labour force, especially the elderly, as we already discussed above. The group “not in labour force of working age” includes students, parents not working, those who otherwise cannot or are unwilling to work. For all groups we can observe a trend reduction in poverty rates over the 15-year period, except for the part-time employed group.
24. While concern often focuses on groups that exhibit highest incidence of poverty such as the unemployed or those out of the labour force, we should not overlook those who work, even full-time, but still end up being poor. Moreover, it is important to keep in mind that employed individuals represent the biggest group, therefore there is actually a higher number of poor among the full-time employed, compared to the poor employed part-time or the unemployed.
29. People born in Australia have the lowest probability of living in poverty (Figure 18), followed by immigrants with English speaking background and then the rest. The gap has been closing, in particular over the last couple of years. Indigenous Australians, on the other hand, are almost twice as likely to be poor than the rest of Australians (Figure 19), and recently the gap appears to be widening. Due to limited sample size the poverty rate of indigenous people is quite erratic, therefore the data need to be interpreted with caution.
Full working paper can be accessed at https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/docserver/322390bf-en.pdf
Thursday, 22 August 2019
One hundred & thirty-three dog attacks have been recorded in Clarence Valley so far in 2019
The Daily Examiner, 20 August 2019, p.6:
There have been 133 recorded dog attacks across the Clarence Valley this year, with most of the attacks avoidable.
In an attempt to curb the problem, Clarence Valley Council has released a brochure to inform dog owners of their responsibilities.
Council regulatory services supervisor Tim Brenton said if people had taken two simple steps most of this year’s dog attacks could have been avoided.
The first was to make sure dogs were always on a lead when being taken for a walk and the second was to ensure yards were properly fenced.
“The seriousness of the attacks varied, but these were the common threads,” Mr Brenton said. “Unless they are in an off-leash area, dogs must be on a leash if they are outside their property.
“Dog owners need to take all reasonable steps to ensure their dog is confined to the property where it is kept.”
The brochure, called Take the Lead, will be distributed widely around the Clarence Valley and available at the council’s customer service centres in Grafton and Maclean.
“Having a dog is wonderful,” Mr Brenton said. “But having a dog comes with responsibilities and this brochure aims to make people aware of those.”
The brochure also contains a list of off-leash areas around the Clarence Valley and some of the penalties that apply for breaches of the Companion Animals Act.
Australia is the world’s third biggest exporter and fifth biggest miner of fossil fuels by CO2 potential
The Australia Institute, Tom Swann, High Carbon from a Land Down Under: Quantifying CO2 from Australia’s fossil fuel mining and exports, July 2019:
Australia is the world’s third biggest exporter and fifth biggest miner of fossil fuels by CO2 potential.
Its exports are behind only Russia and Saudi Arabia, and far larger than Iraq, Venezuela and any country in the EU. Yet Australia’s economy is more diverse and less fossil fuel intensive than many other exporters.
Australia has an opportunity and obligation to decarbonise its exports in line with the Paris Agreement.
Yahoo! Finance, 19 August 2019:
Australia makes up 7% of all global fossil fuel exports by carbon dioxide potential, as it accounts for almost one-third of the world coal trade, according to a report Monday from The Australia Institute, which has been critical of the federal government’s efforts to combat global climate change.
While China and the U.S. are the world’s top greenhouse gas emitters in absolute terms, the report highlights the role relatively smaller polluters play in selling fossil fuels to other nations.
Australia, which is also one of the biggest gas exporters, supplies economies throughout Asia, including Japan, China and South Korea.
Exports of fossil fuels and supply infrastructure play a crucial role in locking in increased emissions, and their impact is often ignored in climate change policy, The AI said in the report.
“Australia has a unique opportunity, and obligation, to face up to the climate crisis through policies to limit its carbon exports, starting with a moratorium on new coal mines,” it said.
“The scale of exports from countries like Australia bring into stark relief why efforts to reduce world emissions must limit both demand and supply.”
In terms of its own greenhouse gas pollution, Australia generates 1.2% of the world’s emissions while having just 0.3% of the population, according to the report.
Domestic emissions have been rising in recent years as a number of giant gas export projects come on stream, while coal-fired power is still the mainstay of its electricity grid.....
Wednesday, 21 August 2019
Tweed Shire Council abandons its principled stand on foreign multinational Adani's proposed Galilee Basin coal mine
In which Tweed Shire Council decides Australia doesn't need the Great Barrier Reef or the Black-throated Finch......
Echo NetDaily, 19 August 2019:
The Tweed Shire Council has performed a political back-flip on a 2017 promise to avoid hiring building companies contracted to Adani’s proposed Carmichael mine in central Queensland.
Councillors voted for the ban two years ago, with Tweed Shire Deputy Mayor Chris Cherry (Independent) saying they ‘wished to represent the views of the community’. Cr Cherry said Adani didn’t have any approvals to mine in Carmichael at the time but people on the Tweed were concerned about potential environmental impacts of the project on the Great Barrier Reef.
Labor councillor flips anti-Adani ban in favour of jobs
Last week, Cr James Owen (Liberals) tabled a rescission on the 2017 vote and won majority support, meaning the ban no longer applies.
Cr Ron Cooper (Independent) was absent from the meeting and had originally supported an anti-Adani stance.
But a change of heart from Cr Reece Brynes (Labor) was enough to change council policy as he joined forces with Councillors Owen, Pryce Allsop (Independent) and Warren Polglase (Nationals).
Cr Byrnes told Echonetdaily although he initially voted for the ban and continues to share environmental impact concerns, state and federal government approvals of the Carmichael project mean the council has to ‘accept realities’.
‘My priority and Labor’s priority is always about creating more local jobs in the Tweed,’ he wrote in an email, ‘I make no apologies that Labor’s priority is always about creating jobs’.
The council had to ‘move away from a position of protest’ to one that wouldn’t ‘prohibit or hamper future projects and jobs for people in the tweed’, Cr Byrnes wrote.....
BRIEF BACKGROUND
Environmental Defenders Office Qld, Case Explainer: Adani’s North Galilee Water Scheme - Federal Judicial Review
Australian Conservation Foundation, Stop Adani's polluting coal mine
Lock the Gate, Coal Mining: Water Impacts of the Adani Coal Mine
Climate Council, Adani Mine Must Be Stopped
ABC News, What we know about Adani's Carmichael coal mine project
Vast majority of Australians (84%) support new laws to ban political parties and candidates from making “inaccurate and misleading” claims
The Guardian, 18 August 2019:
The vast majority of Australians (84%) support new laws to ban political parties and candidates from making “inaccurate and misleading” claims, according to a new poll for the Australia Institute.
On Sunday the progressive thinktank released a discussion paper canvassing options for truth in political advertising laws, following reports of widespread misinformation in the 2019 election campaign and calls from MPs including independent Zali Steggall and Liberal Jason Falinski for new minimum standards.
The paper noted that truth in advertising laws operate in South Australia, where the Electoral Commission can request material be withdrawn and retracted and financial penalties apply, and New Zealand, where the media industry is self-regulated by an advertising standards body.
It argues that industry bodies including Free TV Australia and the Advertising Standards Bureau could regulate truth in advertising, preventing the Australian Electoral Commission from being drawn into the contentious political process of adjudication.
“Several models for increasing the truthfulness of election campaigns are available to policymakers,” it said. “They are popular and proven to work in other jurisdictions.”
The paper includes results from a Dynata survey of 1,464 people conducted in the last week of July, with a margin of error of 3%, that found 84% of all voters want truth in advertising laws, with support in Labor, the Coalition and Greens all above the 84% level.
Most respondents supported a range of penalties including fines (62%), forcing publications to retract claims (60%) and loss of public funding (54%). Criminal charges were supported by 42% of respondents.
Respondents were unsure who should be the arbiter of truth, with support split between the judicial system (27%), electoral commissions (26%) and industry bodies (21%), with 15% unsure and 7% suggesting a new panel of experts.
The survey also found 90% support for the proposition that newspapers, TV channels and social media networks should run corrections if they publish inaccurate or misleading ads.....
Tuesday, 20 August 2019
The extreme far-right in Australian politics is on the march and hopes to capture the Liberal and Nationals' party machines
In October 2018 Australian mainstream media reported that a far right group had attempted to infiltrate the NSW National Party.
The Guardian, 15 October 2018:
The New South Wales Young Nationals has expelled one member and suspended two others after revelations the group had been infiltrated by members of Australia’s alt-right movement.
On Sunday the ABC’s Background Briefing revealed that members of the NSW Young Nationals were members of the Lads Society, a far-right fight club whose leaders include the prominent alt-right figure Blair Cottrell.
The Young Nationals – including one member of the party executive – were or had also been members of a Facebook group called the New Guard, whose followers include self-described fascists.
Membership to the party’s youth organisation has also been temporarily suspended.
On Monday the deputy premier and leader of the NSW Nationals, John Barilaro, admitted his party may have been an “easy target” for members of the far-right seeking to influence mainstream politics.
“We are a grassroots party that is brought together by geography so I think we are probably an easy target,” he told ABC radio.
“If you want to become a member and then start bringing more members in, we are a small party so a small number of members joining can actually change the structure of a branch or an electorate council as we call them.
“So maybe it’s because we are an easy target for individuals to infiltrate.”
Barilaro admitted the reports were “worrying”, saying there was a “question mark” over how influential the members identified by the ABC had been in developing policy within the party’s youth wing.
He downplayed the significance of the group on the wider party.
Earlier in 2018 media was reporting on a religious right attempt to infiltrate the Liberal Party at Victorian state level.
The Guardian, 19 May 2018:
It’s one of those dilemmas politicians like to call wicked problems. Politicians, at least the folks still on the planet, know that it’s important to build a political movement from the ground up, but such movements can sometimes produce outcomes that are uncomfortable for people in power.
One of these case studies exists presently with the Liberal party in Victoria, where Malcolm Turnbull has been used as a recruitment tool, and not in a positive way. Conservative forces in the Victorian branch have used the rolling of Tony Abbott and Turnbull’s alleged progressivity as a rallying cry to recruit new members.
An army is being raised in Melbourne’s outer-eastern suburbs with the objective of taking the Liberal party back from the Costello clique – the group that rose to a position of influence when Peter Costello was the most significant centre-right political figure in Victoria.
The grassroots recruitment drive has been active amongst conservative church groups looking for a home after the collapse of the Christian micro-party Family First.
The Age, 3 June 2018:
An Age investigation has confirmed with senior church sources that at least 10 of the 78 people elected to the Liberals’ administrative bodies at the party’s April state council are Mormons.
This amounts to nearly 13 per cent of all those now in key positions within the Liberals’ organisational wing, compared to just 0.3 per cent of all Australians who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Combined with conservative Catholics, evangelical Christians from churches such as Victory Faith Centre and City Builders, the religious right-wing now has unprecedented sway in Liberal Party politics.
West Australian Liberal Party members were going public with their concerns at the beginning of 2019.
The West Australian, 15 January 2019:
Any political party trying to win the majority of voters at the silent centre of noisy left/right politics understands why religious zealotry is a turn off.
Depending on who you talk to, given most people in politics are motivated by self-interest, the Liberals are either approaching a crossroads over the evangelical push for influence in the northern and southern suburbs branches, or they are already past the tipping point.
Plenty of party players will offer background on the battles being fought inside Liberal branches and divisions, but few want to go public for fear of the powerbrokers who control the numbers.
Long-standing Liberal Party member Deidre Willmott has been a chief of staff at the highest levels of government, was chief executive of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry until recently, is a proud Anglican and is not one for sensationalism.
Therefore, her view that evangelical forces were gaining control of the party should matter in Liberal land and party leaders, like Mike Nahan, and other stalwarts should take note. Willmott talked freely about “those people” from the religious right “getting the numbers”.
“The party runs the risk that a narrow-based agenda will be the priority of the party and make it irrelevant to the broad base it has represented,” she said. “I have no problem with Christians, I am one myself, but I just don’t think a socially conservative agenda is part of a mainstream Liberal Party.”
Following on from weekend news about members of another evangelical church, True North, nominating for control of the party’s Sorrento-Duncraig branch, there was much chatter on social media about the so-called “alliance” of Liberal powerbrokers.
Perhaps, given the topic, southern suburbs Christian warrior and Upper House Liberal Nick Goiran, his northern suburbs parliamentary colleague Peter Collier and Federal Liberal minister Mathias Cormann should be dubbed the Holy Trinity.
Highly placed Liberals insist they control the party’s dominant faction and do so with the help of scores of members from Pentecostal and Baptist churches.
Federal Liberal MP Ian Goodenough is one politician who does not shy away from confirming the support he receives from the evangelical community, including Globalheart and True North churches.
But he will not concede that the systematic approach Globalheart members have taken to winning key positions in Liberal branches differs greatly from other followers of religions getting involved in the party.
Now we are hearing that mid-2019 the Queensland Liberal-National Party had to shore up its barricades.
The Courier Mail, 18 August 2019:
QUEENSLAND’s Liberal National Party changed it rules last month in a bid to thwart an ultra conservative takeover of the party.
Now it can be revealed the party has launched a widened investigation into who was behind the alleged “religious right” takeover push and what methods they were using in their bid.
The investigation is an extension of a probe launched earlier this year into allegations attempts were being made to woo far-right extremists into the fold and use their networks trawl for new recruits.
It is understood there are three to four people of interest to the investigation with the focus on stacking efforts witnessed at two party unit AGMs – the Metro South AGM and the Metro North AGM – where officer bearer positions that also have a vote on the LNP’s powerful state executive were up for grabs.
It was the Metro North AGM – where more than 100 new faces arrived including some who allegedly were bussed in – that was the catalyst for the rule change brought in last month.
Now new members must wait a year before voting on office bearer elections just as they have to for MP preselections.
And once more New South Wales is in the news, but this time it's the NSW Liberals, not the Nationals, who are being targeted.
The Sydney Morning Herald, 8 August 2019:
A group promoting religious freedom is working to recruit 5000 Christian conservatives to the NSW Liberals as part of an ambitious scheme aimed at taking "control" of the state division of the party.
Leaked documents obtained by the Herald, which contain metadata leading back to Federal and NSW parliaments, reveal the NSW Reformers group hopes to recruit thousands of members across Sydney.
A 900-word document titled ‘NSW Reformers - Taking Back Our Nation Through Good Government’ lays out the group's intentions to exert influence on politicians by joining Liberal branches and gaining pre-selection votes.
“If we recruit 5000 Christian conservatives we will control the NSW division of the Liberal Party,” it reads.
“We will organise information sessions for local coordinators as to how the intricate parts of the party work ...
Politicians are far more receptive to people and causes if they directly impact their chances of being in Parliament.”
The group believes greater control of state and federal preselection in NSW would ensure a strong "conservative representation in Parliament".
The document’s metadata suggests it was written by a staff member in a federal ministerial office last year. The staffer did not return calls or text messages....
Other documents show names, addresses and contact details of hundreds of constituents were collated from a series of petitions advertised on the NSW Reformers' page.
The petitions that netted the data of hundreds of constituents refers to "gender ideology", “gay surrogacy”, religious freedom and Zoe’s Law legislation, which would make it a crime to cause death to a fetus.
The spreadsheets also contain lists of dozens of churches across Sydney to be targeted in the recruitment drive.
Barnaby Joyce invades personal spaces
This bloke, who is a downright national disgrace, is making phone calls that have a recording of him calling on people to contact their Local MP in the NSW parliament and have them oppose the abortion bill.
Get lost Barnaby!
Barnaby’s calls come from 02 66 984 046.
Below is a screenshot from the website numberlookup.com.au. It shows reports made about calls from 02 66 984 046.
Visit the website for updated reports here.
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