Author: roymorgansocial

Banks struggle despite RBNZ retreat: analysts

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Original article by Cliona O’Dowd
The Australian – Page: 20 : 9-Dec-19

Jonathan Mott of UBS says the outlook for Australia’s banks remains "very challenging", despite the fact that they will be treated more favourably than expected under the Reserve Bank of New Zealand’s new capital requirements. The central bank will phase in the new capital rules over a longer time-frame, while the banks will able to hold a wider range of securities as tier-one capital. Several analysts expect the new capital rules to result in the banks receiving lower dividend payouts from their New Zealand subsidiaries.

CORPORATES
RESERVE BANK OF NEW ZEALAND, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, MORGAN STANLEY AUSTRALIA LIMITED

Rio Tinto’s hold on Oyu Tolgoi deal firms with Mongolian court win

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 21 : 9-Dec-19

Rio Tinto and the Mongolian government entered into an agreement in 2015 regarding a $US5.3 billion expansion of the Oyu Tolgoi mine. The Mongolian First Administrative Court upheld a claim in November that proper parliamentary process may not have been followed when striking the agreement. However, a statement issued on the Court’s official website on 5 December indicated that the ruling is not likely to impact on the 2015 agreement.

CORPORATES
RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO

Humbled Westpac faces shareholder anger

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Original article by Glenda Korporaal
The Australian – Page: 17 & 20 : 9-Dec-19

Some 64 per cent of votes cast at Westpac’s 2018 annual meeting rejected its remuneration report. The bank is likely to incur a second ‘strike’ at its 2019 annual meeting on 12 December, while the re-election of director Peter Marriott is uncertain in the wake of the scandal over breaches of anti-money laundering laws. However, Westpac is likely to avoid a resolution calling for a board spill. The Australian Shareholders’ Association and proxy adviser ISS will vote against the remuneration report, although the ASA will oppose any push to spill the board.

CORPORATES
WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, AUSTRALIAN SHAREHOLDERS’ ASSOCIATION, INSTITUTIONAL SHAREHOLDER SERVICES INCORPORATED, OWNERSHIP MATTERS PTY LTD, CGI GLASS LEWIS PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL OF SUPERANNUATION INVESTORS INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT. AUSTRALIAN TRANSACTION REPORTS AND ANALYSIS CENTRE

Health insurance crisis looms

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Original article by Cliona O’Dowd
The Australian – Page: 17 & 18 : 9-Dec-19

Medibank Private’s chief customer officer David Koczkar and NIB Holdings MD Mark Fitzgibbon have stressed the need to reign in rising costs in Australia’s health care system. Private Healthcare Australia CEO Rachel David has warned that smaller private health insurers in particular may not be viable unless reforms are implemented. The federal government has approved a 3.27 per cent increase in Medibank’s premiums for 2020, while NIB and Bupa will lift their premiums by 2.9 per cent and 3.26 per cent respectively.

CORPORATES
MEDIBANK PRIVATE LIMITED – ASX MPL, NIB HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NHF, BUPA AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, PRIVATE HEALTHCARE AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HEALTH, AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY, GRATTAN INSTITUTE

Wages growth Labor’s priority

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Original article by Patrick Commins
The Australian – Page: 7 : 6-Dec-19

Shadow treasurer Jim Chalmers will urge the federal government to address issues such as low wages growth, underemployment and falling productivity in its mid-year economic outlook. He will tell a Chifley Research Centre conference that the economy is not working for ordinary Australians, while warning of the dangers associated with the rise of populism. Chalmers will also emphasise the need for Labor to reengage Australians in the ‘politics of progress’ in the wake of its election defeat in May.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, CHIFLEY RESEARCH CENTRE

Tax on income, profit world’s second highest

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Original article by John Kehoe
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 6-Dec-19

Australian companies are paying the third-highest share of tax to governments of OECD countries, according to a new tax report from the OECD. It also shows that personal income tax accounts for 40.3 per cent of total government revenue. The report highlights Australia’s heavy reliance on taxes on property, personal income and business profits, and will put pressure on the federal government to undertake major tax reform in order to stimulate the economy.

CORPORATES
ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT

PM strong-arms union busting bill into Senate

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Original article by Joe Kelly, Olivia Caisley
The Australian – Page: 7 : 6-Dec-19

The House of Representatives voted 75-65 to pass the Ensuring Integrity Bill on 5 December, after the federal government used its numbers to get the legislation through the lower house without any debate. The move was criticised by Labor leader Anthony Albanese, who accused the government of attempting to avoid scrutiny. The bill will return to the Senate when parliament resumes in 2020, after having been voted down by the upper house in late November.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Foxtel cuts jobs, locks in finance after restructure

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 22 : 6-Dec-19

Foxtel has confirmed that it has cut about 30 jobs following a recent restructuring which resulted in the amalgamation of three of the pay-TV group’s creative teams. The job losses comprises about 20 employees and 10 contractors, including some positions that are currently vacant. Foxtel recently completed a deal to finance its debt, with major shareholder News Corp providing it with loans that mature in 2027.

CORPORATES
FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, KAYO SPORTS

Whitehaven takes hit on drought and fires

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 & 22 : 6-Dec-19

Whitehaven Coal has advised that output at its Maules Creek mine in 2019-20 will be 7-10 per cent lower than previously forecast. The company has indicated that factors such as smoke from the New South Wales bushfires has disrupted work at the mine. Whitehaven also said the mine’s production has been affected by a shortage of skilled workers. Environmental activists have suggested that the downgrade is linked to climate change.

CORPORATES
WHITEHAVEN COAL LIMITED – ASX WHC, AUSTRALASIAN CENTRE FOR CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY, AUSTRALIAN CONSERVATION FOUNDATION INCORPORATED, YANCOAL AUSTRALIA LIMITED – ASX YAL, NEWCREST MINING LIMITED – ASX NCM, GLENCORE PLC, AURELIA METALS LIMITED – ASX AMI

Services won’t improve, says union

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Original article by Rosie Lewis
The Australian – Page: 6 : 6-Dec-19

The Community & Public Sector Union has criticised the federal government’s decision to streamline the bureaucracy. CPSU national secretary Melissa Donnelly warns that reducing the number of government departments will do nothing to improve the provision of government services. Donnelly notes that the Coalition has axed 18,908 public service jobs since it gained office in 2013, and she has urged the government to lift the average staffing level cap.

CORPORATES
COMMUNITY AND PUBLIC SECTOR UNION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET