Author: roymorgansocial

Employer wins costs after baseless dismissal claim

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Original article by Adam Zuchetti
mybusiness.com.au – Page: Online : 11-Sep-18

A woman who lost an unfair dismissal case against her former employer has subsequently been directed by the Fair Work Commission to pay their costs. Joan Obuchowski lost her claim against RNTT in May, with RNTT applying two weeks later for costs to be awarded in defending the case. In agreeing with RNTT’s application in the week beginning 10 September, FWC senior deputy president Jonathan Hamberger said Obuchowski must have known her case had "no reasonable grounds for success". Business groups note it is almost unheard of for employers to be awarded costs in such cases.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, RNTT, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF JOBS AND SMALL BUSINESS

Chinese uni students face embassy threats

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Original article by Michael Owen
The Australian – Page: 8 : 13-Sep-18

Hugh Sutton from the Adelaide University Liberal Club says there was a lot of intimidating behaviour involving students from China at recent student elections. Chinese students that were campaigning for the Progress Party and who were displaying a banner stating "Jobs not Socialism" say they received a message on WeChat saying that they would be reported to the Chinese Embassy in Canberra. It is alleged the threats were made by other Chinese students campaigning for the International Voice party. Sutton says the Chinese Student Association had "splintered" over the last year, with some members joining International Voice, while others joined the Progress Party.

CORPORATES
ADELAIDE UNIVERSITY LIBERAL CLUB, UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE

Employers face $8b back pay bill for casuals

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 13-Sep-18

The Australian Industry Group estimates employers may have to fork out as much as $8 billion in back pay to "regular" casuals following a recent court decision. The decision involved Workpac and a casual mine driver, with the Federal Court finding he was entitled to be paid accrued annual leave because the hours he worked were regular and predictable, even though he received additional pay in lieu of leave entitlements. The AIG estimates around 1.6 million workers could be deemed "regular casuals", with its calculation of how much they might be owed based on granting them paid leave for the past five years. Employer groups were hoping Workpac would challenge the decision in the High Court, but it has elected not to do so.

CORPORATES
THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, WORKPAC PTY LTD, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF JOBS AND SMALL BUSINESS, UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE

NBN Co to pay telcos $25 for every missed appointment

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: Online : 13-Sep-18

NBN Co has provided a court-enforceable undertaking to the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission regarding missed or late appointments by its technicians. It will pay a rebate of $25 to retail service providers (RSPs) such as Telstra, TPG Telecom and Vodafone Hutchison Australia every time an appointment is missed or a technician is late. Under the terms of the undertaking, the RSPs are expected to take "reasonable steps" to ensure their customers receive some form of benefit as a result of the improved rebates.

CORPORATES
NBN CO LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, TPG TELECOM LIMITED – ASX TPM, VODAFONE HUTCHISON AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, VOCUS GROUP LIMITED – ASX VOC, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD

PM apologises for lack of action on banks

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Original article by Michael Roddan, Elizabeth Redman
The Australian – Page: 2 : 13-Sep-18

Prime Minister Scott Morrison told question time on 12 September that he regretted not holding the banking royal commission sooner. He described as appalling the evidence concerning the treatment of Baptist minister Grant Stewart who had tried to get Freedom Insurance staff to cancel a useless life insurance policy sold to his Down Syndrome son, with one employee calling Stewart a "bloody whinger". Treasurer Josh Frydenberg was highly critical of the misconduct of life insurer ClearView, which has admitted to 300,000 alleged breaches of criminal law over the provision of unsolicited advice.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, FREEDOM INSURANCE GROUP LIMITED – ASX FIG, CLEARVIEW WEALTH LIMITED – ASX CVW

Alan Jones defamed Wagner family over Grantham floods

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Original article by Mark Ludlow
The Australian Financial Review – Page: Online : 13-Sep-18

Macquarie Media will have to pay Toowoomba’s Wagner brothers $3.75 million after it and broadcaster Alan Jones lost a defamation case in the Supreme Court of Queensland. The case related to allegations by Jones in broadcasts in 2014 and 2015 that the quarry the brothers owned had caused the deaths of 12 people in the Grantham floods in 2011. The Wagner brothers had been seeking $4.8 million in damages. Justice Peter Flanagan directed Jones and his programs to never again repeat his defamatory comments.

CORPORATES
MACQUARIE MEDIA LIMITED – ASX MRN, SUPREME COURT OF QUEENSLAND, RADIO 4BC BRISBANE PTY LTD, 2GB, QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN, VIRGIN AUSTRALIA HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX VAH

Myer plunges to $486m loss but debt refinanced and covenants eased

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Original article by Sue Mitchell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: Online : 13-Sep-18

Shares in retailer Myer fell by 4.6 per cent on 12 September after it announced a full-year net loss of $486 million. Underlying net profit fell 52.2 per cent to $32.5 million, while EBIT declined by 48 per cent to $55.4 million. Sales fell by 3.2 per cent to $3.1 billion, although online sales increased by 34 per cent to $192.5 million. Solomon Lew, whose Premier Investments is Myer’s biggest shareholder with 10.9 per cent, savaged the result. He said the Myer board was "a disgrace", and that chairman Gary Hounsell should stand down immediately.

CORPORATES
MYER HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX MYR, PREMIER INVESTMENTS LIMITED – ASX PMV, HOUSE OF FRASER HOLDINGS PLC, JP MORGAN AUSTRALIA LIMITED, CITIGROUP PTY LTD

A $49m pay day for Harold Mitchell in sale of former HQ

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Original article by Nick Lenaghan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: Online : 13-Sep-18

Crown Resorts director Harold Mitchell has sold the office building that he had built for his advertising company Mitchell Communications Group in 2010 for $49 million. Mitchell founded the company in 1976 and sold it to Dentsu Aegis in the same year that the building was constructed. Dentsu Aegis currently occupies the building, and has a lease on it until 2021. The building, which is located at 105 York Street in South Melbourne, was bought by a private investor.

CORPORATES
CROWN RESORTS LIMITED – ASX CWN, MITCHELL COMMUNICATION GROUP LIMITED, DENTSU AEGIS MEDIA AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, CBRE PTY LTD

Watchdog to rule on CKI’s takeover of APA

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Original article by Perry Williams
The Australian – Page: Online : 13-Sep-18

The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission has approved CK Infrastructure’s $13 billion takeover of pipeline operator APA Group. The merger creates a massive pipeline company with significant infrastructure assets on both sides of the country. The Foreign Investment Review Board must now give its consent for the Hong Kong-based CKI’s bid at a time when there is a lot of political scrutiny over high gas prices. JP Morgan expects that the FIRB will approve the bid, while UBS anticipates a decision by 4 December, the date on which the transaction is due to take place.

CORPORATES
CHEUNG KONG INFRASTRUCTURE HOLDINGS LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, APA GROUP – ASX APA, AUSTRALIA. FOREIGN INVESTMENT REVIEW BOARD, JP MORGAN AUSTRALIA LIMITED, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, TRANSURBAN GROUP LIMITED – ASX TCL, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

NRMA in boost to tourism holdings

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Original article by Lisa Allen
The Australian – Page: 21 : 12-Sep-18

New South Wales-based tourism provider NRMA Parks and Resorts has added an additional six caravan parks and resorts to its regional accommodation portfolio, now valued at over $800 million. They include the Halls Gap Holiday Park in Victoria’s Grampian region and the St Helens Waterfront Holiday Park on the east coast of Tasmania. NRMA Group CEO Rohan Lund notes it now owns 44 caravan parks, while the NRMA’s tourism and travel portfolio includes Manly Fast Ferries and Thrifty Car Rentals.

CORPORATES
NRMA LIMITED, NRMA PARKS AND RESORTS, MANLY FAST FERRY PTY LTD, THRIFTY CAR RENTAL