Australia's credit rating

Following reports on Wednesday 27 February 2013 that credit rating agency Standard and Poor’s had maintained Australia’s AAA credit rating with a stable outlook, there has been renewed interest in Australia’s historical credit ratings. This FlagPost presents the historical changes to credit ratings in Australia, drawing from public reports and discussions in Hansard.

Australia's first National Children's Commissioner

Image source: NSW Family and Community Services

On 25 February 2013 the Government announced the appointment of Australia's first National Children's Commissioner, Ms Megan Mitchell. The position of National Children’s Commissioner will sit within the Australian Human Rights Commission and commences on 25 March 2013. In its announcement, the Government outlined the Commissioner's legislative mandate to 'focus on vulnerable or at-risk groups of children, such as children with a disability, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, homeless children or those who are witnessing or subjected to violence'.

The Tarkine: more than just a forest?

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

The recent statement by Greens leader Senator Christine Milne at the National Press Club that 'Labor has walked away from its agreement with the Greens…so be it', led to the airing of several government decisions that her party was unhappy with. One of the key issues was Labor’s decision on the Tarkine in Tasmania, which she said was evidence that the government gave priority to mining interests.

The 439,000 hectares (ha) of the Tarkine includes Australia’s largest tract of cool temperate rainforest and is home to many rare species. But on the 8th of February Environment Minister Tony Burke announced that only a small part of the region would receive National Heritage listing. Is the Tarkine now without protection from development? 

Good food=Good health: making it add up

Image: Hawkesbury Council

A healthy diet is fundamental to good health, acknowledges the latest Australian Dietary Guidelines prepared by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) this week. Based on a stringent review of over 55,000 scientific publications, the guidelines update and strengthen the evidence from the previous 2003 dietary guidelines. Primarily aimed at health professionals, the key recommendations of the guidelines are:

• Eat a variety of nutritious foods from the 5 key food groups (vegetables, fruit, grains, lean meats and nuts, low-fat dairy) to meet your energy needs
• Limit intake of foods containing saturated fat, added salt, added sugars and alcohol
• Encourage and support breastfeeding
• Prepare and store food safely

Latest US climate Bill follows Australian lead

The US seems to be following in the footsteps of Australia, at least in terms of climate policy. Last week, Senators Sanders and Boxer introduced into Congress a Bill that establishes a carbon price. Like Australia’s Clean Energy Act, the US’s proposed Climate Protection Act would see the majority of carbon tax revenue flowing back to households to assist with rising energy prices. Also proposed, and comparable to Australia’s Clean Energy Finance Corporation, is a $500 billion program to co-invest in, or provide guarantees for, energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.

A snapshot of Southeast Asia in 2013

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

This year promises to be another big year in Southeast Asia, that part of Australia’s region where our economic and security interests are most actively engaged.

Both Malaysia and Cambodia will conduct national elections in 2013. In the case of Malaysia, where the election must be called by April, the upcoming poll has been characterised as the most competitive in the country’s history. This is despite ongoing concerns on the part of opposition parties and democracy activists about possible vote-rigging by the country’s governing coalition, the Barisan Nasional. Cambodia’s elections, scheduled for July, take place against the backdrop of rapid economic development, continued pursuit of closer economic and political relations with China and renewed allegations of human rights abuses by Hun Sen’s government.

Does Australia really need a new anti-dumping agency?

Image Source: Department of Finance and Deregulation

Last week, the Minister for Justice and Home Affairs, Jason Clare, introduced the Customs Amendment (Anti-Dumping Commission) Bill 2013 into the House of Representatives. The purpose of this Bill is to establish a new anti-dumping agency, which will investigate foreign exporters who are allegedly dumping their goods in the Australian market. While the idea of a Commission dedicated to exposing those who are looking to cheat Australian manufacturers and undermine free trade sounds worthwhile, criticisms have been raised as to whether such an agency is necessary or whether the current arrangements will suffice.

Food labelling logic- what really is the most logical approach?

Image source: WA Department of Health

Since the Government rejected the introduction of a traffic light food labelling system, public health advocates and industry representatives have been arguing about what method of food labelling would best assist consumers in making better choices. Traffic light labelling uses green, amber and red to show the relative levels of fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt in a product. Yet the idea of a ‘star rating system’ may lead to a breakthrough in the debate.

Private health insurance premiums to rise by an average 5.6 per cent

Source: PHIAC

Early each year the Health Minister announces the average increase to private health insurance (PHI) premiums that will apply from 1 April, following her annual assessment of applications for increases from the 36 health insurers. The announcement invariably attracts considerable attention, particularly if the increase is higher than community expectations. This year, the average increase to premiums will be around 5.6 per cent, according to the Minister’s statement. This is broadly in line with the magnitude of increases over recent years, and just marginally above last year’s increase of 5.06 per cent. For families with top cover this will mean an average increase of $3.70 per week.

The question of equivalence: aged care or the NDIS for those over the age of 65

Image source: Living Longer Living Better website

The legislation to establish the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is due to be debated in Parliament this week. Under the legislation, people with a disability aged under 65 will be able to apply to receive NDIS supports but those aged over 65 will not. NDIS participants who turn 65 will have a choice about whether to remain in the NDIS or switch to the aged care sector. However, once NDIS participants over the age of 65 enter the aged care system (either residential care or home support), they will be unable to access the NDIS. This assumes a degree of equivalence between supports available for people with a disability in the aged care system and those that would be provided under the NDIS.

The missing billion? Revisions to health funding not unprecedented

Part of Australian health policy folklore is the claims and counter claims about health financing that endure between State and Commonwealth governments as well as between Government and Opposition. Perhaps the most famous example was the claim in 2003-04 by the then Opposition that Tony Abbott ‘ripped one billion from public hospitals’, which still persists today.

Federal election 2013: Date announcement earliest ever

Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s announcement on 30 January 2013 that the next Federal election will be on Saturday 14 September is the earliest a federal election has ever been announced. This Flagpost details previous early election announcements, reactions to this year's announcement and significant dates in the election timetable.

Federal election 2013: How safe is your seat?

The “safeness” of an electoral division is determined by the size of the swing required for the division to be lost by the party (or independent) holding the division. A marginal division requires a swing of less than six per cent, a fairly safe division requires a swing of six to ten per cent and a safe division requires a swing of over ten per cent. This FlagPost details the most up-to-date information on those divisions that are marginal and fairly safe. Those seats that are considered safe have been excluded from this post.

Another step towards referendum on Constitutional recognition of local government

On 24 January 2013 the Joint Select Committee on Constitutional Recognition of Local Government recommended in its preliminary report that a referendum on the financial recognition of local government be held in conjunction with the 2013 federal election.

Why the Pensioner Concession Card is so valuable

Image source: NSW DPI

The Minister for Human Services, Senator Kim Carr, has ordered Centrelink to apologise to tens of thousands of single parents who were mistakenly told that they were no longer eligible for a Pensioner Concession Card (PCC) after being moved from Parenting Payment Single (PPS) to Newstart Allowance on 1 January 2013. The letter to parents affected by changes to PPS eligibility arising from the Social Security Legislation Amendment (Fair Incentives to Work) Act 2012 advised them to destroy their concession cards even though most would still be eligible for a PCC. The PCC is a valuable supplementary benefit which provides access to a wide range of discounts and subsidies. The following explains who is eligible for the card and why the possibility of losing it would create distress.

Can single parent families survive on Newstart? It might depend on where they live

Source: Tasmanian Department of Premier and Cabinet

There has been considerable media coverage in recent days about the implementation of the new income support arrangements applying from 1 January for single parents whose youngest child is over 8, who are being moved from Parenting Payment Single (PPS) on to Newstart Allowance (NSA). Some of this coverage implies that these families will now be required to live on $35 a day. While this is not the case, with total entitlements being significantly higher than this, the ability of single parent households to live a reasonable lifestyle while solely dependent on income support will be heavily influenced by where they live. This FlagPost looks at the impact of different accommodation arrangements on the amount of money left over for other living costs.

Australian gun laws

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

The recent mass shooting in Connecticut in the United States has led to commentators to again consider Australia’s approach to firearms controls following, in particular, the 1996 Port Arthur Massacre which involved the use of several assault rifles, and also the 2002 Monash shootings perpetrated with a semi-automatic pistol.

National agreements by Australian governments after each incident formed the basis of current regulatory controls.

Buyer beware? An update on the rules that relate to the use of gift cards and what methods consumers can take to protect themselves this Christmas

Image source: Treasury

In December 2011, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer released the Commonwealth Consumer Affairs Advisory Council (CCAAC) issues paper on Gift cards in the Australian market. The paper looks at the laws that currently apply to the gift card industry and whether these laws sufficiently protect both gift card users and purchasers. This FlagPost will update a previous post that discussed some of the issues pertaining to the use of gift cards and will examine other problems consumers may face during the festive season.

Australia’s current debt position – update December 2012

In recent times a lot has been spoken about Australia’s debt level. It has been a major political issue since the lead up to the last federal election and at times has dominated the political arena. This article updates data published in earlier FlagPosts which reported on Australia’s current debt position at the time they were published. I therefore intend in this article to report the latest available data on Australia’s level of debt for both the public and private sectors in gross and net terms. For definitions of gross and net debt the reader is referred to the first FlagPost on Australia’s current debt position.

Australia’s performance in international student achievement tests – another perspective

Image source: Boston College

There has been considerable public discussion about Australia’s relatively poor performance in recently released international student achievement tests, with one newspaper describing the results as ‘Australia’s disaster in education’. These results have also called into question the Government’s aim to be in the top five countries on reading, mathematics and science by 2025. But just how bad are these results?