Start-ups may avoid all capital gains tax

Original article by Fleur Anderson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 5-Oct-15

The Parliamentary Budget Office estimates that a proposal to abolish capital gains tax for investing in business start-ups would cost the budget about $A30m annually by 2018-19. A Federal Government taskforce is considering the proposal, which was put forward by backbencher David Coleman and had the support of former treasurer Joe Hockey. The tax break would apply to investments in companies that have been in business for less than two years and whose annual revenue is less than $A1m.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. PARLIAMENTARY BUDGET OFFICE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, NINEMSN PTY LTD, PUBLISHING AND BROADCASTING LIMITED, STARTUPAUS, KPMG AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Nine a potential winner

Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 37 : 1-Oct-15

Credit Suisse believes that reforms to cross-media ownership laws are inevitable under new Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. Fraser McLeish of Credit Suisse says Nine Entertainment Company would be well-placed to acquire a regional broadcaster if the "reach rule" is abolished. Credit Suisse has a share price target of $A1.80 and an "outperform" rating on the stock.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, CITIGROUP PTY LTD

Rio Tinto finds New Hope after early win on coal exit

Original article by Amanda Saunders
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 23 & 28 : 1-Oct-15

Australian-listed New Hope Corporation will pay $A867m for Rio Tinto’s 40 per cent stake in the Bengalla thermal coal mine in New South Wales. Rio is also seeking to offload its stakes in the Mount Thorley Warkworth and Hunter Valley Operations coal mines in the Hunter Valley. A number of other companies submitted bids to acquire the stake in Bengalla, which produced 8.6 million tonnes of thermal coal in 2014.

CORPORATES
RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, NEW HOPE CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX NHC, BENGALLA COAL MINES, COAL AND ALLIED INDUSTRIES LIMITED, MITSUBISHI CORPORATION, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, TAIWAN POWER COMPANY, MITSUI AND COMPANY LIMITED, MORGAN STANLEY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, MACQUARIE EQUITIES LIMITED, SHAW AND PARTNERS LIMITED, DEUTSCHE BANK AG, GLENCORE PLC

BCA keen to promote tax revamp ideas

Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 11 : 1-Oct-15

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will discuss economic policy with business, union and community organisation leaders on 1 October 2015. Business Council of Australia (BCA) CEO Jennifer Westacott says there is an urgent need for economic reform, which cannot be delayed until after the next federal election. Westacott adds that the BCA will shortly launch an advertising campaign to promote the need for tax reform, while a subsequent campaign will focus on particular tax that should be changed.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, ACTU, AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL OF SOCIAL SERVICE, KPMG AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Sunday penalties hurt businesses, cost jobs

Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 1-Oct-15

Federal Employment Minister Michaelia Cash stresses that any changes to weekend penalty rates will be entirely up to the Fair Work Commission. However, she says Australia’s ability to be globally competitive is being hindered by Sunday penalty rates, which force many businesses in the tourism and hospitality sector to remain closed on weekends due to high wage bills. Cash notes that many women and university students would welcome the opportunity to work on Sundays.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION

Chairman, CEO quit 7-Eleven board

Original article by Adele Ferguson, Sarah Danckert
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 1-Oct-15

Former Australian Institute of Company directors chairman Michael Smith will succeed Russ Withers as chairman of convenience store group 7-Eleven. Withers and CEO Warren Wilmot resigned on 30 September 2015. Smith believes that the problem of wage fraud is more far-reaching than just at 7-Eleven, and he favours an amnesty for international students who have been caught up in the scandal. He also suggests that visa rules could be changed to allow them to work for more than 20 hours a week.

CORPORATES
7-ELEVEN STORES PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPANY DIRECTORS, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION

Australia lags in competitive rankings

Original article by Ben Potter
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 10 : 1-Oct-15

Australia is ranked 21st in the World Economic Forum’s 2015-16 Global Competitiveness report, compared with 22nd position previously. However, the nation is ranked 26th in terms of innovation and 36th for labour market flexibility. Australian Industry Group CEO Innes Willox says the report demonstrates the need for government policy to focus on areas such as innovation, workplace relations and taxation. Switzerland and Singapore are the two most competitive nations, according to the report.

CORPORATES
WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND SCIENCE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, CSL LIMITED – ASX CSL

Cowboys vs Broncos: a head-to-head comparison of the 2015 NRL Grand Final clubs’ supporters

Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 30-Sep-15

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that 1,106,000 Australians aged 14+ support 2015 NRL Grand Finalist the Brisbane Broncos, while 389,000 support the North Queensland Cowboys. The survey, which was carried out in the year to June 2015, also shows that the Cowboys’ fan-base is much more gender-neutral, with women making up 49 per cent of fans, compared with just 40 per cent of Broncos fans. Meanwhile, 22 per cent of Cowboys fans and 19 per cent of Broncos fans have attended a match, while five per cent of Broncos fans and four per cent of Cowboys fans are financial members of their club.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE, NORTH QUEENSLAND COWBOYS, BRISBANE BRONCOS LIMITED – ASX BBL

Iain Nairn leaves DJs abruptly, citing personal reasons

Original article by Matthew Drummond
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 8 : 1-Oct-15

David Jones CEO Iain Nairn has declined to comment on his resignation after just over 12 months in the role. He will remain at the department store group during a three-month transition to new CEO John Dixon, who was previously an executive at Marks & Spencer in the UK. A spokeswoman for David Jones’s parent company, South Africa-based Woolworths Holdings, has refuted speculation that Nairn’s resignation was linked to an audit of expense accounts.

CORPORATES
DAVID JONES LIMITED, WOOLWORTHS HOLDINGS LIMITED, MARKS AND SPENCER PLC, COUNTRY ROAD LIMITED, CITIGROUP PTY LTD

Satisfaction with retail superannuation funds catching up to industry funds

Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 30-Sep-15

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that 59.6 per cent of Australians aged 14+ who are members of an industry superannuation fund were satisfied with their fund’s financial performance in the six months to August 2015. This compares with a 58.9 per cent satisfaction rating for members of retail super funds. However, retail funds have a higher satisfaction rating among people whose super balance exceeds $A700,000 (81.1 per cent compared with 77.6 per cent). Retail funds also have a marginally higher level of satisfaction than industry funds among fund members whose super balance is less than $A5,000 (48.9 per cent compared with 44.4 per cent).

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED