Easter Sunday to cost Victoria’s employers double time

Original article by Lucille Keen, Will Glasgow
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 18-Feb-15

The Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry estimates that a public holiday for Easter Sunday in Victoria could costs businesses about $A50m over five years. The State Government’s 2014 election platform included introducing a public holiday on Easter Sunday, which has been a trading day since 2011. Businesses that opt to trade on Easter Sunday will now be required to pay staff penalty rates

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, VICTORIA. DEPT OF STATE DEVELOPMENT, BUSINESS AND INNOVATION, AUSTRALIAN RETAILERS ASSOCIATION, VICTORIA. DEPT OF TREASURY AND FINANCE, VICTORIAN TRADES HALL COUNCIL, LIBERAL PARTY OF VICTORIA, RESTAURANT AND CATERING INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF NEW SOUTH WALES, CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATIC PARTY (FRED NILE GROUP), AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE

Woolies’ supermarket growth revised

Original article by Sue Mitchell, Matthew Cranston
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 11-Feb-15

Shares in Shopping Centres Australasia Property Group have risen by 15 per cent so far in 2015. However, the listed property trust has reported that growth in sales at supermarkets in its shopping centres slowed to 4.2 per cent in the December 2014 quarter. Some analysts believe that this may have implications for the sales growth of grocery giants Coles and Woolworths, which will report their results later in February

CORPORATES
SHOPPING CENTRES AUSTRALASIA PROPERTY GROUP – ASX SCP, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, COLES GROUP LIMITED, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, ALDI STORES SUPERMARKETS PTY LTD

Trade backs ALP call on liquor laws

Original article by Gareth Parker, Daniel Emerson, Gabrielle Knowles
The West Australian – Page: 16 : 29-Jan-15

Western Australian Opposition Leader Mark McGowan wants the views of tourism organisations to be considered in assessing applications for liquor licences. McGowan says outdated regulations affecting the hospitality industry should be scrapped, and he intends to pursue reforms to the Liquor Control Act if the Australian Labor Party wins the next state election

CORPORATES
WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

‘Keep penalties, but cut them’

Original article by John Ferguson, Paige Taylor
The Australian – Page: 1 : 29-Jan-15

The Australian Retailers Association supports the retention of the penalty rates system for people who work on weekends and public holidays. However, executive director Russell Zimmerman argues that penalty rates for casual workers should be reduced in order to encourage employers to hire more staff and to trade on weekends and public holidays. He adds that consumers want to be able to shop at times that suit their needs

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN RETAILERS ASSOCIATION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, INDEPENDENT GROCERS OF AUSTRALIA, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW

Junk food ads saturate cricket broadcasts, uni study reveals

Original article by Kate Hagan
The Age – Page: 2 : 28-Jan-15

Obesity Policy Coalition members such as the Cancer Council Victoria and the Victorian branch of Diabetes Australia are urging Cricket Australia to abandon corporate sponsorship deals with fast food brands. New research by Wollongong University shows that during three One Day International and two Twenty20 matches as well as the first three days of the Ashes test series in 2014, junk food branding was shown 3,000-plus times in the TV broadcasts. Almost all of this was linked to naming rights sponsor KFC

CORPORATES
KFC, YUM! RESTAURANTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, CRICKET AUSTRALIA, UNIVERSITY OF WOLLONGONG, OBESITY POLICY COALITION, DIABETES AUSTRALIA – VICTORIA, THE CANCER COUNCIL VICTORIA

Penalty rates keep shops shut

Original article by Angela Pownall
The West Australian – Page: 9 : 27-Jan-15

Public holiday penalty rates prompted many Perth retailers and restaurants to remain closed on 26 January 2015. Sorrento Restaurant in Northbridge is among those that opted to trade on Australia Day, but proprietor Fiona Dilanzo says this was only due to a 10 per cer surcharge that was imposed on customers. The Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Western Australia favours a single penalty rate for working on public holidays and weekends

CORPORATES
SORRENTO RESTAURANT, CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA (INCORPORATED), LOT 20, AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN HOTELS ASSOCIATION (WESTERN AUSTRALIA)

Are people who drink Australian beer more patriotic?

Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 20-Jan-15

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that 37 per cent of Australians aged 18+ drank beer in an average four-week period during the year to September 2014. The survey also shows that 17 per cent of the nation’s beer drinkers consumed Carlton Draught, followed by Victoria Bitter (12 per cent) and XXXX Gold (12 per cent). Meanwhile, 94 per cent of Cascade Premium Light drinkers agree with the statement " I consider myself to be Australian", compared with 80 per cent of Australian beer drinkers overall

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, CARLTON UNITED BREWERS, FOSTER’S GROUP LIMITED, COOPERS BREWERY LIMITED, CASCADE BREWERY COMPANY PTY LTD, CASTLEMAINE PERKINS LIMITED, LION PTY LTD

Aldi liquor and food sales beat Coles, Woolies

Original article by Sue Mitchell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 11 & 16 : 21-Jan-15

The Australian arm of German grocery retailer Aldi has posted food and liquor sales of $A6bn for calendar 2014, which is 13 per cent higher than previously. Supermarket rivals Coles and Woolworths achieved sales growth of 4.6 per cent and 4.7 per cent respectively. Aldi Australia opened 25 stores in 2014, and now boasts 366. MD Tom Daunt notes that Aldi has a market share of about 11 per in the eastern states, and says its expansion into South Australia and Western Australia could eventually lift this to around 15 per cent

CORPORATES
ALDI STORES SUPERMARKETS PTY LTD, ALDI EINKAUF GMBH & CO OHG, COLES SUPERMARKETS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, APPLE INCORPORATED, GOOGLE INCORPORATED

Call to keep lid on wage claims

Original article by Mathew Dunckley
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 9-Jan-15

Coles, Woolworths and Billabong International are among the Australian retailers that will negotiate new workplace agreements in 2015. Other sectors in which enterprise agreements are due to be renegotiated include banking, insurance and telecommunications. Kate Carnell, the CEO of the Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry, notes that companies in many sectors cannot afford to grant pay rises that exceed the CPI

CORPORATES
WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, COLES GROUP LIMITED, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, BILLABONG INTERNATIONAL LIMITED – ASX BBG, DAVID JONES LIMITED, SUPER RETAIL GROUP LIMITED – ASX SUL, PROUDS JEWELLERS PTY LTD, LUXOTTICA AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, DAN MURPHY’S, BIG W DISCOUNT STORES, SHOP, DISTRIBUTIVE AND ALLIED EMPLOYEES’ ASSOCIATION, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, QBE INSURANCE GROUP LIMITED – ASX QBE, INSURANCE AUSTRALIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX IAG, MEDIBANK PRIVATE LIMITED – ASX MPL, CSL LIMITED – ASX CSL, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, HEALTHSCOPE LIMITED – ASX HSO, CSL LIMITED – ASX CSL, AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, AUSTRALIAN RETAILERS ASSOCIATION, AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION, ACTU

Containers cash scheme canned

Original article by Aisha Dow
The Age – Page: 11 : 8-Jan-15

The New South Wales Government plans to introduce a deposit-refund scheme for drink bottles and cans. However, Victoria’s Environment Minister Lisa Neville argues that the state has a higher drink container recycling rate than the national average, and a deposit scheme would affect the viability of councils’ kerbside recycling programs

CORPORATES
VICTORIA. DEPT OF ENVIRONMENT AND PRIMARY INDUSTRIES, COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENTS, NEW SOUTH WALES. DEPT OF ENERGY, UTILITIES AND SUSTAINABILITY, TOTAL ENVIRONMENT CENTRE INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN FOOD AND GROCERY COUNCIL