Doyle allies say it’s time to resign

Original article by Pia Akerman
The Australian – Page: 3 : 25-Jan-18

City of Melbourne councillors Beverley Pinder-Mortimer and Susan Riley have urged Lord Mayor Robert Doyle to step down in the wake of sexual harassment allegations. Pinder-Mortimer and Riley are both members of Team Doyle. The former replaced Tessa Sullivan, who resigned from the council after making the initial allegation against Doyle. However, several other councillors have questioned whether it is appropriate for Pinder-Mortimer and Riley to comment at present, given that the allegations against Doyle are still under investigation.

CORPORATES
MELBOURNE CITY COUNCIL, MELBOURNE HEALTH, ROYAL MELBOURNE HOSPITAL

Final bid to stop $100m rail strike

Original article by Andrew Clennell, Brad Norington
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 25-Jan-18

Hopes of averting a rail strike in Sydney may rest with the Fair Work Commission, after members of the Rail, Tram & Bus Union voted against the New South Wales Government’s proposed wage deal for train drivers. FWC deputy president Jonathan Hamberger will shortly decide whether the planned strike action on 29 January can lawfully proceed. Train drivers will commence a ban on working overtime on 25 January, ahead of the proposed 24-hour shutdown of the rail network.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN RAIL, TRAM AND BUS INDUSTRY UNION, SYDNEY TRAINS, TRANSPORT FOR NSW, NEW SOUTH WALES. DEPT OF COMMERCE. OFFICE OF INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS, SYDNEY BUSINESS CHAMBER, AUSTRALIAN ELECTORAL COMMISSION, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC

Santos’ full-year sales up 20pc

Original article by Angela Macdonald-Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 38 : 25-Jan-18

Oil and gas group Santos has advised that its sales rose 14 per cent in the December 2017 quarter, to $US861bn ($A1.07bn), while sales for the calendar year were up 20 per cent to $US3.1bn. Total production for the year was 3.4 per cent lower than previously at 59.5 million barrels of oil equivalent, although it was at the higher end of the company’s guidance. Santos still expects its output for 2018 to be within the range of 55 million to 60 million boe.

CORPORATES
SANTOS LIMITED – ASX STO, JP MORGAN AUSTRALIA LIMITED, HARBOUR ENERGY LIMITED

Labor’s Fair Work plan insane

Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 4 : 25-Jan-18

Australian Mines & Metals Association CEO Steve Knott has criticised the Federal Opposition’s proposal to give Fair Work Commission more power to arbitrate industrial disputes. He argues that the FWC is already dominated by former union officials and Labor supporters, adding that it would be "insanity" to give it more power. Australian Industry Group CEO Innes Willox says the FWC’s existing powers to intervene are sufficient.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN MINES AND METALS ASSOCIATION (INCORPORATED), AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, ACTU

Sport proves a winning formula for Seven West Media

Original article by John Stensholt
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 41 : 25-Jan-18

Seven West Media hopes to retain tennis broadcasting rights when its current contract expires in 2019. Data from Seven shows that audiences for its TV coverage of the 2018 Australian Open are six per cent higher than in 2017, while there has been 135 per cent growth in the number of minutes of Open coverage streamed via its 7Tennis app. Seven CEO Tim Worner argues that free-to-air TV still attracts the largest audiences for live sports coverage.

CORPORATES
SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN OPEN TENNIS, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NETFLIX INCORPORATED

Trade pact to deliver GDP boost

Original article by Simon Benson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 25-Jan-18

Independent modelling has concluded that Australia stands to gain more from the revised Trans-Pacific Partnership than if the US had agreed to join the trade bloc. The Peterson Institute for International Economics has estimated that Australia’s GDP could potentially grow by more than one per cent by 2030 as a result of the trade deal. The 11 nations participating in the TPP will officially sign off on the deal in March, and it must then be ratified by Federal Parliament.

CORPORATES
TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP, PETER G PETERSON INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, MINERALS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN STRATEGIC POLICY INSTITUTE LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

Inflation Expectations unchanged at 4.5%

Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 25-Jan-18

Australians expect inflation of 4.5% per year over the next two years, according to the Roy Morgan Inflation Expectations Index for December 2017. This is unchanged for a second straight month, although it is up 0.3% from December 2016. The increase in Inflation Expectations over the last year has been driven by significant increases in the two resource intensive states of Queensland and Western Australia as the mining industry has recovered strongly. However, Inflation Expectations remain well below the seven-year average of 5.0%. Analyses of Inflation expectations by Federal voting intention shows that ALP supporters (4.6%) have inflation expectations just above the national average and clearly higher than L-NP supporters (4.0%) although both increased in December. In contrast, the Inflation Expectations of Greens supporters fell to 4.2%.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN GREENS

ASIC slams banks over funds failure

Original article by Michael Roddan
The Australian – Page: 15 & 18 : 25-Jan-18

A review of the financial advice industry by the Australian Securities & Investments Commission has focused on the four major banks and AMP, which collectively dominate the sector. The review concluded that there is a high level of non-compliance with laws requiring financial advisers to act in the best interests of their clients, with a majority of financial advisers recommending the banks’ own financial products rather than other ones on their approved product list. Financial planners will be subject to greater transparency with regard to approved product lists as a result of the review.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, AMP LIMITED – ASX AMP, FINANCIAL SERVICES COUNCIL, INDUSTRY SUPER AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIAN CONSUMERS’ ASSOCIATION

Aussies tourists say No worries about President Trump

Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 25-Jan-18

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey, which was conducted in the year to November 2017, has found that 17.9% of Australians aged +14 would like to holiday in the US for at least one night in the next two years – up 0.5% on a year ago. Interviewing for the latest overseas holiday intention results was conducted entirely after the election of Donald Trump in November 2016, and it shows that the controversial US President has not had a negative impact on holiday intentions to the US. Other leading overseas holiday destinations include New Zealand, mentioned by 13.7% of Australians (unchanged from a year ago), and the UK, which was mentioned by 13.4% of Australians (up 0.2% from a year ago). The leading Asian destination was again Japan, mentioned by 8.1% of Australians and showing the most impressive growth over the past year – up by 1.4% and now ahead of traditional European holiday destinations France (7.3%) and Italy (7.0%).

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

Trade win after Pacific deal sealed

Original article by Simon Benson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 24-Jan-18

Canada has agreed to become a member of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, with the 11-nation regional trade pact expected to be formally signed in March. Australia’s Trade Minister Steve Ciobo says the majority of tariffs currently imposed by TPP member nations will be scrapped under the new trade deal. The future of the TPP has been in doubt since US President Donald Trump withdrew from it, while Canada’s participation has been uncertain.

CORPORATES
TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, CANADA. OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM, ASIA-PACIFIC ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION, GROUP OF TWENTY (G-20)