Australia politics stay updates: unemployment nonetheless 4%; Morrison denies breaking Icac vow; new Russia sanctions; at the very least 35 Covid deaths | Australia information

These at he ABS, as you might need guessed, are the final folks to fall for “gotcha” questions from journalists or anyone else.

Given the sensitivity round what the jobless fee is, and whether or not it will this time be “the bottom because the Nineteen Seventies” because the Morrison authorities initially wrongly claimed a month in the past when the February labour power numbers dropped, we thought it greatest to ask the statisticians for “non-rounded” figures for the jobless fee.

Reply – and we child you not – is that the March unemployment fee (cue lengthy drum roll) was:

3.9542384% *

Bought that Albo, Scomo, or one other “mo”?

Let’s see who’s the primary reporter to ask “what’s the jobless fee”, and in addition if anyone will get the appropriate reply?

With February 2008 coming at a (partly rounded) 3.981%, we are able to now safely say we have now a determine that’s not been smaller since 1974, when the ABS launched knowledge on a quarterly foundation.

(* We must always add the numbers are, firstly and finish of the day, solely estimates and on this case the ABS additionally famous they’d some surveying issues due to large flooding in northern NSW and Queensland.)

After which there was this final query:

Q: From the Royal School of Australian School of GPs, Karen Value simply mentioned that she wasn’t consulted on the clinics difficulty. You had mentioned that you simply had labored with them. Might you make clear?

Albanese:

Nicely, her place was clear. I quoted her place within the press convention this morning.

Right here was the query on that this morning:

Q: The clinics would require extra GPs. The place do they arrive from? In the intervening time this coverage of paying clinics to rent extra is growing demand for them. However you’ve acknowledged and are campaigning onerous on the very fact that there’s a GP scarcity in Australia. The place do they arrive from?

Albanese:

We may have extra to say about GPs and growing coaching, and so on for GPs through the marketing campaign. That is what the top of the School of GPs, Professor Karen Value mentioned about our coverage. ‘We’ve lengthy been calling for help for after-hours entry for acute care on the whole follow. This could happen in suitably assets GP-led clinics. We don’t must reinvent the wheel’. That’s exactly who we have now listened to on this coverage. The Royal School, I’ve met with them some months in the past in my voters workplace. We realise there are labour shortages. And we are going to say extra about that. This follows bulletins that we have now made about GP after-hours, together with right here in Toronto that I made with Mr Repacholi and Pat Conroy a few months in the past. So, we are going to proceed to have extra to say.

Anthony Albanese held one other door cease to “make clear” his offshore detention remark:

Q: Are you able to make clear your place on if you wish to take away offshore processing?

Albanese: After all not. It was established in 2013 once I was the deputy prime minister. I used to be requested immediately about boat turnbacks. Our place is obvious. We proceed to help them. And the factor in regards to the authorities is that they waited an extended, lengthy time period earlier than they’d lastly taken up the deal that was performed between Julia Gillard and John Key a very long time in the past for New Zealand settlement from folks from offshore. That ought to have been taken up a very long time in the past.

Q: So, what do you imply if you say turning again boats means you don’t want offshore detention?

Albanese: Nicely, that’s the choice. In the intervening time, there aren’t individuals who have gone into offshore detention in current occasions as a result of the boats have been turned again. It’s been efficient.

Q: However you’ll hold offshore detention in?

Albanese: Sure.

Goodness. Barnaby Joyce has introduced one other press convention.

This time in Rockhampton (Capricornia) in a few hours.

That is after the federal government began asking questions on what would occur within the case of boats that would not be turned again for security causes – which is likely one of the justifications the federal government makes use of for preserving offshore detention centres open.

Feeling for our personal Josh Taylor immediately, and all folks over 6’2 who’ve to seek out new methods of smiling on the “gee you’re tall” day by day remark.

For these in search of extra on the labour power knowledge, Peter Hannam may have a narrative for you quickly, however you’ll be able to learn what the ABS has mentioned right here.

My colleague Daniel Hurst has jogged my memory of this pearler from Barnaby Joyce final month, when the deputy prime minister advised constructing dams in Queensland would cease China’s growth into the Pacific.

Why? As a result of jobs and economic system.

There may be a number of speak about how nice campaigners Scott Morrison and Joyce are. However take a look at what they’re truly saying. Take away the hats and dig into the strains, and also you’ll discover arguments like this.

Shorter Scott Morrison press convention:

Australia’s unemployment fee has landed for March, and it’s unchanged from the earlier month at 4.0%.

The economic system added 17,900 jobs however, curiously, the variety of hours labored fell by 10 million, so not all arrows had been pointed upwards.

For many who regulate underemployment:

In seasonally adjusted phrases, in March 2022:

• underemployment fee decreased by 0.2 pts to six.3%.
• underemployment fee was 2.5 pts decrease than March 2020.
• underutilisation fee decreased by 0.3 pts to 10.3%.
• underutilisation fee was 3.8 pts decrease than March 2020.

The most recent ABS labour power is out:

Key statistics

Seasonally adjusted estimates for March 2022:

• unemployment fee remained at 4.0%.
• participation fee remained at 66.4%.
• employment elevated to 13,389,900.
• employment to inhabitants ratio remained at 63.8%.
• underemployment fee decreased to six.3%.
• month-to-month hours labored decreased by 10 million hours.

Peter Hannam may have extra for you very quickly.

I want I might carry you extra of what Barnaby Joyce is saying, however Tveeder is de facto struggling to make sense of him and so am I.

One thing about actual plans and Joel Fitzgibbon having performed a great job and the way Penny Wong gained’t be visiting and if 850,000 folks every spent $1,000 within the Hunter, it will be nice. One thing about $1.6bn.

The ABC offers up on the stay broadcast. It’s for the most effective.

The Nationals chief is in Williamtown (the Paterson voters) the place he’s speaking in regards to the Newcastle airport.

After which he strikes to this:

Lots of people have been thanked … one individual we have now to thank, the Australian taxpayer. A vital individual.

So thanks to that lone Australian taxpayer who was simply thanked by the Nationals chief. Elevate your hand.

It’s a good guess that after 11.30am AEST immediately, Anthony Albanese goes to be briefed on what the March jobless fee is available in at, if he’s not watching the ABS web site too.

After all, in all probability each politician and pundit within the nation can be taking a peek.

As we previewed yesterday, “the market consensus” is anticipating a 3.x% quantity for the unemployment, with 3.9% the doubtless determine.

However a bounce or drop within the participation fee could nudge issues both method.

For what it’s price, the February jobless fee was 4.042%, so the ABS informed us after we requested properly, which made that studying the bottom since August 2008 (4.016%), whereas there was technically a “3” studying in February of that yr, at 3.981% for stat nerds.

Anyway, a clear 3.9% may have the ABS dusting off quarterly readings from the mid-70s.

Thoughts you, the RBA can be watching intently too, given its board additionally has a gathering on 3 Might to think about what to do with the money fee.

In the meantime, as RateCity.com has famous immediately, two extra of the massive 4 banks, Westpac and ANZ, have lifted their mounted charges once more immediately.

For Westpac, it’s the second enhance in per week, after growing mounted charges on 7 April. (Not all of its charges have gone up although, with the one-year mounted fee minimize.)

ANZ has lifted its one- to five-year mounted charges by as a lot as 0.60 share factors.

Truthful to say these strikes match within the “extra to return” class.

If you’re abroad and need to vote, the AEC has a message for you:

For those who’re not enrolled you’ll be able to’t vote, and folks solely have a couple of days left till the enrolment deadline on Monday 18 April,” electoral commissioner, Tom Rogers, mentioned.

As soon as enrolled, it’s then vital that abroad voters test what voting companies can be found because it’s a bit completely different for this federal election as a result of pandemic.

Thanks Tom.

Fwiw – you may get postal votes direct from the AEC. You shouldn’t have to make use of one of many postal votes the political events are sending out, which frequently is a knowledge harvesting train dressed up as a public service.