Only 39 days remaining until the NSW state election and Liberal MP for Epping & Premier Dominic Perrottet's troubles are multiplying.

 

Perrottet's first problem of the month....

Audit Office of New South Wales, Bushfire recovery grants: Environment Industry Compliance Internal controls and governance Management and administration Service delivery, 2 February 2023, excerpts from report highlights.

What the report is about

The Bushfire Local Economic Recovery (BLER) program was created after the 2019–20 bushfires, and commits $541.8 million to bushfire affected areas in New South Wales. It is co-funded by the Commonwealth and NSW governments.

This audit assessed how effectively the Department of Regional NSW (the department) and Resilience NSW administered rounds one and two of the BLER program….

What we found

The Department of Regional NSW did not effectively administer the Fast-Tracked stream of the BLER.

The administration process lacked integrity, given it did not have sufficiently detailed guidelines and the assessment process for projects lacked transparency and consistency.

At the request of the Deputy Premier's office, a $1 million threshold was applied, below which projects were not approved for funding….

This threshold resulted in a number of shortlisted projects in areas highly impacted by the bushfires being excluded, including all shortlisted projects located in Labor Party-held electorates….. [my yellow highlighting]

The Sydney Morning Herald, 3 February 2023:

The Perrottet government has handed the corruption watchdog a copy of a scathing investigation which found an intervention by the office of the then-deputy premier John Barilaro diverted funding for a $100 million bushfire recovery program away from Labor-held electorates.

The Department of Premier and Cabinet provided the report exposing serious transparency failures to the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) on Friday morning, sidestepping NSW Labor leader Chris Minns who had earlier threatened to do the same.

A damning report by the auditor-general released on Thursday revealed that instead of following guidelines, the office of the then-NSW Nationals leader devised their own rules to fast-track money to areas hit by the 2019 Black Summer catastrophe – a switch that meant 96 per cent of projects funded were in Coalition-held seats.

Minns issued the former deputy premier a 24-hour ultimatum to explain the reasons behind the 2021 decision or have the matter referred to ICAC by Labor. The Labor leader’s office was drafting a letter to the ICAC on Friday afternoon…..

Perrottet's latest political headache....

IMAGE: ABC News, 11 February 2023

Jean-Claude Perrottet and Charles Perrottet (pictured) were called to appear before NSW Legislative Council Portfolio Committee No. 7 – Planning and Environment inquiry into "Allegations of impropriety against agents of the Hills Shire Council and property developers in the region".

Allegations of impropriety centre around a June 2022 statement made under parliamentary privilege by another Liberal MLA, Ray Williams, that senior members of the party & state executive received payment from a property developer to facilitate the selection of Liberal candidates at the December 2022 local government election who if elected would hold a favourable view of his development applications.

 

However, along with senior office holder in NSW Liberal Party and lobbyist Christian Ellis, Councillor Virginia Ellis (Lib) and property developer Jean Nassif, the Perrottet brothers (both NSW Liberal Party members) have failed to indicate attendance at the inquiry or acknowledge official summons.

While former The Hills Shire councillor Alan Haselden (Lib) appears to have walked back his previously expressed concerns.

Chair of Portfolio Committee No. 7 stated in an official 11 February media release: "This appears to be a calculated and coordinated attempt to avoid scrutiny by the NSW Parliament. The committee is extremely concerned by this behaviour and calls on these individuals to cooperate with the inquiry."

As the Inquiry is due to report to the NSW Parliament no later than 2 March 2023, just 23 days before the state election, in my opinion there is a strong suspicion that any failure of these persons to give evidence would possibly be part of a deliberate effort to forestall that report to Parliament.

Not a good look for the Premier.

COVID-19 NSW STATE OF PLAY 2023: Counting Dead People - Part 2

 

An update on the NSW COVID-19 death toll…...

Deaths due to COVID-19 reported in Northern NSW in 2023

1-7 January — 0 deaths

8-14 January — 4 deaths

15-21 January — 8 deaths

22-28 January — 2 deaths

29 January-4 February — 4 deaths

That is a total of 18 Northern Rivers residents who were officially reported as dying from COVID-19 over the space of 35 days.

Total deaths due to COVID-19 across NSW

1-7 January — 92 deaths (91 of these deaths were people 50 years of age & older, with 36 being aged care residents)

8-14 January — 123 deaths (123 of these deaths were people 50 years of age & older, with 60 being aged care residents)

15-21 January — 124 deaths (123 of these deaths were people 50 years of age & older, with 64 being aged care residents)

22-28 January — 86 deaths (86 of these deaths were people 50 years of age & older, with 47 being aged care residents)

29 January-4 February — 90 deaths (88 of these deaths were people 50 years of age & older, with 40 being aged care residents)

A total of 515 NSW residents were officially reported as dying from COVID-19 over a 35 day time period.

Next COVID-19 update containing information on local health district deaths not due until 16 February 2023.

All surveillance reports can be found at:

https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/covid-19/Pages/weekly-reports.aspx

BACKGROUND 

2023 COVID-19 NSW STATE OF PLAY 2023: Counting Dead People - Part 1, 22 January 2023

YambaCAN is hosting a meeting for all members and Yamba residents at Wooli Street Hall, 6:30pm Tuesday, 21 February 2023 - updates on community action

 

YambaCAN is hosting a meeting for all members and Yamba residents to attend.

When: Tuesday, 21 February 2023

Time: 6.30pm

Where: Wooli Street Hall, Yamba

Yamba CAN will be providing an outline of achievements since its inception on 28 September 2022.

Those attending will be able to voice their suggestions about what they would like Yamba CAN to focus on.

A short video will also be provided with updates on a number of matters.

A brief look at complaints received by the NSW Ombudsman

 

In its last published annual report (2021-22) the NSW Ombudsman’s office received a total of 5,746 complaints concerning government departments/agencies including further education facilities, local health districts and icare.

Service NSW had the highest number of complaints (959), followed DCJ Housing (956), Land and Housing Corporation (374), Roads and Maritime (364) and Ministry of Health (100).

In addition the Ombudsman also received 2,405 actionable complaints about local government councils, including 2 complaints about county councils. 

With Clarence Valley Council being first in the Top 10 councils with the most finalised actionable complaints per 100,00 head of population (89) even though it tied for last place on that same chart for the actual number of finalised actionable complaints (46). Central Coast Council was the dubious Top 10 winner on the basis of actual number of finalised actionable complaints received which reached 158.

Actionable complaints about these 10 councils - Central Coast Council, Canterbury-Bankstown Council, Northern Beaches Council, Georges River Council, Sutherland Shire Council, Mid-Coast Council, Blacktown City Council, Lake Macquarie City Council, Clarence Valley Council, Inner West Council - represent 29% of all the local government actionable complaints the Ombudsman finalised in 2021-22.

The most frequently raised issues in actionable 

complaints about councils were: 

• standards of customer service; 
• complaint-handling processes; 
• council enforcement action; 
• charges and fees; and 
• merits/reasoning of council decisions when they are exercising their discretion in accordance with policy or in a statutory setting.

What that paragraph appears to be indicating that complaints about development applications and in Chamber decisions concerning development still feature prominently in the annual complaints profile as they have for at least the last two decades.

The Clarence Valley Independent was told by a Local Government NSW spokesperson that despite serving the same population, the state’s 128 councils recorded fewer than half the number of complaints made about the state government.

Cartoon of the Week

David Rowe

Tweet of the Week

 

713 Robodebt mentions in parliament, a Centrelink whistleblower in 2016, protests directly to the Member for Aston’s office and tens of thousands of news pieces. But between the 4 Liberals on the Robodebt Royal Commission they’ve said they ‘don’t recall’ anything 140 times. How? pic.twitter.com/UQ78MYQa3P

— Bill Shorten (@billshortenmp) February 8, 2023

 

Reserve Bank of Australia raises the interest rate yet again - promising more of the same in coming months. Recession worries begin to emerge

 

On the 7 February 2023 the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) increased the official cash rate by 0.25%. The current official cash rate as determined the RBA is now 3.35%.

As we reach the ninth official cash rate rise since 4 May 2022, the Reserve Bank Governor’s words set out below are less and less reassuring.

According to the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) RBA Rate Tracker:

As at 8 February, the ASX 30 Day Interbank Cash Rate Futures March 2023 contract was trading at 96.525, indicating a 65% expectation of an interest rate increase to 3.60% at the next RBA Board meeting.

The next RBA Board meeting and Official Cash Rate announcement will be on the 7th March 2023.

Reserve Bank of Australia

Media Release

Statement by Philip Lowe, Governor: Monetary Policy Decision

Number 2023-04

Date 7 February 2023

At its meeting today, the Board decided to increase the cash rate target by 25 basis points to 3.35 per cent. It also increased the interest rate on Exchange Settlement balances by 25 basis points to 3.25 per cent.

Global inflation remains very high. It is, however, moderating in response to lower energy prices, the resolution of supply-chain problems and the tightening of monetary policy. It will be some time, though, before inflation is back to target rates. The outlook for the global economy remains subdued, with below average growth expected this year and next.

In Australia, CPI inflation over the year to the December quarter was 7.8 per cent, the highest since 1990. In underlying terms, inflation was 6.9 per cent, which was higher than expected. Global factors explain much of this high inflation, but strong domestic demand is adding to the inflationary pressures in a number of areas of the economy.

Inflation is expected to decline this year due to both global factors and slower growth in domestic demand. The central forecast is for CPI inflation to decline to 4¾ per cent this year and to around 3 per cent by mid-2025. Medium-term inflation expectations remain well anchored, and it is important that this remains the case.

The Australian economy grew strongly over 2022. The central forecast is little changed from three months ago, with GDP growth expected to slow to around 1½ per cent over 2023 and 2024. The recovery in spending on services following the lifting of COVID restrictions has largely run its course and the tighter financial conditions will constrain spending more broadly.

The labour market remains very tight. The unemployment rate has been steady at around 3½ per cent over recent months, the lowest rate since 1974. Job vacancies and job ads are both at very high levels, but have declined a little recently. Many firms continue to experience difficulty hiring workers, although some report a recent easing in labour shortages. As economic growth slows, unemployment is expected to increase. The central forecast is for the unemployment rate to increase to 3¾ per cent by the end of this year and 4½ per cent by mid-2025.

Wages growth is continuing to pick up from the low rates of recent years and a further pick-up is expected due to the tight labour market and higher inflation. Given the importance of avoiding a prices-wages spiral, the Board will continue to pay close attention to both the evolution of labour costs and the price-setting behaviour of firms in the period ahead.

The Board recognises that monetary policy operates with a lag and that the full effect of the cumulative increase in interest rates is yet to be felt in mortgage payments. There is uncertainty around the timing and extent of the expected slowdown in household spending. Some households have substantial savings buffers, but others are experiencing a painful squeeze on their budgets due to higher interest rates and the increase in the cost of living. Household balance sheets are also being affected by the decline in housing prices. Another source of uncertainty is how the global economy responds to the large and rapid increase in interest rates around the world. These uncertainties mean that there are a range of potential scenarios for the Australian economy.

The Board’s priority is to return inflation to target. High inflation makes life difficult for people and damages the functioning of the economy. And if high inflation were to become entrenched in people’s expectations, it would be very costly to reduce later. The Board is seeking to return inflation to the 2–3 per cent range while keeping the economy on an even keel, but the path to achieving a soft landing remains a narrow one.

The Board expects that further increases in interest rates will be needed over the months ahead to ensure that inflation returns to target and that this period of high inflation is only temporary. In assessing how much further interest rates need to increase, the Board will be paying close attention to developments in the global economy, trends in household spending and the outlook for inflation and the labour market. The Board remains resolute in its determination to return inflation to target and will do what is necessary to achieve that.

[my yellow highlighting]

The Sydney Morning Herald, 9 February 2023: 

There is a better than 50-50 chance Australia could fall into recession due to the Reserve Bank’s aggressive increases in interest rates, economists believe, as a growing group of Labor MPs suggest the seven-year term of RBA governor Philip Lowe should not be extended. 

Macroeconomics Advisory chief economist Stephen Anthony said the chance of a recession next year could be as high as 70 per cent due to the impact of the RBA’s high interest rates, coupled with a slowdown in key markets such as China.

Pressure on Lowe has intensified after the RBA pushed interest rates to a 10-year high this week and signalling more than one further increase in coming months. Lowe, whose seven-year term ends on September 17, had signalled in late 2021 that rates would remain on hold until 2024. 

The previous two governors, Glenn Stevens and Ian Macfarlane, both had their terms extended by three years. But with a sweeping review of the central bank due to be finalised and handed to Treasurer Jim Chalmers in late March, there is a growing expectation that Lowe will not stay on beyond September. 

Within the government, there are now open questions about Lowe’s long-term tenure at the bank.....