It’s time to declare an end to the alleged rise in “independent contracting” that has purportedly dominated Australian workplaces over the last decade.
ABS
Rudd agenda backed by jobless stats
The Australian economy has again shown its resilience with the unemployment rate last month steady on 5.8%, where it has been since June.
Retail sales slip, Rudd gets stimulus reprieve
Opposition leader Malcolm Turnbull has gone on a “cut back stimulus” sortie in the past couple of days, urging the Government to act on his demands. Not great timing given new retail and housing finance figures.
Indigenous population set to soar
The ABS is predicting a surging growth rate for Australia’s Indigenous population over the next 10 years, with as many as 721,100 people by 2021.
Farmers and Nats don’t see eye-to-eye on climate change
The ABS has surveyed the views of farm managers on climate change and its effects on their business, finding the impacts from climate change are overwhelmingly seen to be negative — a far cry from the National Party line on climate change, says Possum Comitatus.
Just 800 more jobless for July
Despite gloomy expectations, Australia’s jobless rate remained steady at 5.8% last month, with a sharp, 32,000 rise in the number of people who found work.
Tips and rumours: The ABS is not your mate
An unfriendly rule at the ABS, jobs may be going at the The Australian Public Service Commission, the LNP go into lockdown, and more from our tipsters.
What crimes are considered worse than others?
The Australian Bureau of Statistics has just released their attempt to list crimes in Australia by ranking of seriousness. Where does counterfeiting rank in relation to prostitution? Find out here.
graph pr0n Fifteen turbulent years of Australia’s economy, in graphs
Bernard Keane graphs the evolution of the Australian economy, and its politics, since the end of the Keating era.
Business lending slumps, so CBA and others turn to housing
Banks will move to make money from housing while they can, writes Glenn Dyer.
Our 5.7% jobless figure looks much nicer than the US 9.4%
The one point to be made with certainty from today’s jobless figures is that the Australian labour market is not as stricken by recession as America’s, or Europe’s, or Japan’s.
Uh, we’re actually in recession
Away from the seasonally adjusted media tart data, the ABS trend numbers say we’re well and truly in a recession, writes Michael Pascoe.
No trade boost this quarter to help national growth
ABS figures show a slump in Australia’s trade performance.
Australia avoids recession: what the pundits say
Yesterday’s confirmation that the Australian economy had avoided a technical recession sent the Rudd government into a fit of giggles, but the commentariat was less enamoured.
Australia avoids recession, just
The release of this morning’s GDP number suggests Australia has avoided recession, but only by a sliver; to be precise, 0.4% growth.
Trade figures raise hopes of better national accounts
The chances of a slightly better than expected set of growth figures in tomorrow’s national accounts have risen with a solid balance of payments for the March quarter.
ABS figures show the building boom is alive and growing
The 4.25% cut in interest rates and the first home buyer/builders grant continues to feed the rebound in home construction.
Economic data puts Australia on the precipice
Business indicators fell in the March quarter, confirming expectations of a negative reading for first quarter growth.
Fair suck of the sav: jobs, probability and the ABS
Remember last month the howls of incredulity when ABS unemployment figures were released showing a fall from 5.7 to 5.4%? Well, says Possum, the outrage was all for a 0.03% difference in the raw results’ accuracy!
Resources boom has well and truly gone kaput
The resources boom has gone well and truly kaput as the main driver of the Australian economy for the past five years takes a huge hit from the recession and credit crunch.
Climate change and employment in Australia, what history says
The main argument seems to be that we can’t tackle climate change until we’ve figured out where all the people who might lose their jobs would work. Well, recent history provides all the proof we need. writes Richard Denniss.
Construction activity returns to earth
This morning’s construction work figures will get the gloomsters out ratting their worry beads today for next week’s first quarter economic growth figures.
60 is not the new 40
Age discrimination continues in the workplace, writes Ava Hubble.
Political snippets: Nice try Aussie journos
The media really are going to extraordinary lengths to get Australian politicians implicated in the kind of expense account rorts that are battering the reputation of politicians in the United Kingdom. So far, no smoking gun.
Australia moves a fraction up the shame table of indigenous health
The ABS’s new work on indigenous death rates has dramatically narrowed the calculated life expectancy gap between indigenous Australians and the overall Australian community.
