O75 Public Administration

Nat rebels humiliate leader

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Original article by Geoff Chambers, Greg Brown
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 11-Feb-20

Former National Party MP Llew O’Brien has been elected deputy speaker of the House of Representatives. O’Brien quit the party following Barnaby Joyce’s failed leadership challenge, although he remains a member of the Liberal-National Party of Queensland; he has also given assurances that he will support the government’s legislative agenda. Meanwhile, O’Brien has revealed that he opposed a plan by Nationals leader Michael McCormack to hold a partyroom meeting in regional Victoria during Melbourne’s 2019 spring racing carnival. Chief whip Damian Drum was McCormack’s choice as deputy speaker.

CORPORATES
NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, LIBERAL-NATIONAL PARTY OF QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Energy split as Lib says zero target too tough

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Original article by Greg Brown, Elias Visontay
The Australian – Page: 4 : 11-Feb-20

More than 80 countries have committed to a target of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, and some members of the Liberal Party’s moderate faction believe that Australia should also adopt this target. However, moderate Liberal Jason Falinski doubts that Australia could achieve this target, given that it is a major energy and agriculture exporter. Conservative Liberal senator Eric Abetz also questions the viability of a 2050 zero emissions target. There is also dissension within the Coalition’s ranks with regard to taxpayer funding for new coal-fired power stations.

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LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Australia prepares to extend China travel ban due to coronavirus

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Original article by Eryk Bagshaw
The Age – Page: Online : 11-Feb-20

The federal government’s 14-day travel ban on non-citizens entering Australia from the Chinese mainland will expire on 15 February, and sources have indicated that it is likely to be extended. The move will prevent about 56 per cent of the Chinese students at Australian universities from arriving in time for the start of the academic year. Meanwhile, more than 100 Australian citizens and permanent residents are still in Hubei province, but the government has no plans for a third evacuation flight.

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Australia will take new emissions reduction target to Glasgow climate summit

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Original article by Rob Harris
The Age – Page: Online : 10-Feb-20

Energy Minister Angus Taylor says the federal government will develop a new long-term carbon emissions reduction strategy ahead of the United Nations climate summit in November. He has stressed that the government is of the view that new technologies rather than taxes are the key to reducing carbon emissions. However, the government has declined to commit to a target of net zero emissions by 2050. Meanwhile, independent MP Zali Steggall plans to introduce a private member’s bill to establish an independent Climate Change Commission.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Jokowi deal to absorb shocks: PM

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Original article by Simon Benson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 5 : 10-Feb-20

Indonesian President Joko Widodo will address a joint sitting of federal parliament on 10 February, as part of his official visit to Australia. Joko and Prime Minister Scott Morrison will use the visit to announce a 100-day action plan to implement a free-trade agreement, which was recently ratified by the Indonesian parliament. Morrison says the coronavirus outbreak demonstrates the need for Australia to reduce its reliance on China for trade, adding that Indonesia will play a key role in Australia’s push into the Indo-Pacific region.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

New study an eye-opener on how coronavirus is spreading and how little we know

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Original article by Tom Frieden
CNN.com – Page: Online : 9-Feb-20

A study published in the medical journal ‘JAMA’ confirms that like coronaviruses in the past, the Wuhan coronavirus appears to be spreading in hospitals. The study reported that 41 per cent of the first 138 patients who were diagnosed with the latest coronavirus in one Wuhan hospital appeared to have been infected in that hospital. It reveals the need for better protection of health care workers and others who care for the sick, while more needs to be known about how widely the virus is circulating, the proportion of those infected who are seriously ill, and whether the epidemic has peaked.

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Home from Hubei, evacuees set up camp

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Original article by Paige Taylor, Robyn Ironside
The Australian – Page: 2 : 10-Feb-20

The global death toll from the coronavirus has risen to 813, surpassing the 774 casualties of the SARS outbreak of 2002-03. More than 37,000 people worldwide have been diagnosed with the respiratory illness, including 15 in Australia. Meanwhile, a chartered Qantas flight has evacuated another 266 Australian citizens and permanent residents from Wuhan. They will be placed in quarantine at a former mining workers’ camp near Darwin for 14 days, as the Christmas Island facility has reached capacity.

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QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN

‘Too good to be true’: ATO warns on parking perks

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Original article by Tom McIlroy
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 12 : 7-Feb-20

The Australian Taxation Office has previously issued changes to fringe benefits tax rules for staff car parks, with the new ruling due to come into effect as from 1 April 2020. The new ruling will impact on suburban employers, with the rule changes resulting from legal rulings involving Qantas and Virgin and their employees. Commenting on the latest update to the ATO’s new rules, which related to the valuation of staff car parks, EY employment tax partner Paul Ellis said it was important that employers use reputable valuers.

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AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN, VIRGIN AUSTRALIA HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX VAH, ERNST AND YOUNG

Unions lean on ALP over super choice bill

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 7-Feb-20

The union movement is urging Labor to vote against proposed legislation that would ban enterprise agreements from stating that workers must join a union-backed superannuation fund. Labor senator Tony Sheldon recently warned the party’s caucus against voting for the bill, while ACTU assistant secretary Scott Connolly says the proposed legislation would have a major impact on industry funds such as UniSuper.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ACTU, UNISUPER LIMITED

Campuses may lose $2bn in fees

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Original article by Tim Dodd, Heidi Han
The Australian – Page: 7 : 7-Feb-20

The federal government’s travel ban has prevented nearly 100,000 Chinese university students from arriving in Australia for the start of the academic year. S&P Global says the universities’ operating margins will be hit if the travel restrictions are not lifted in the next few weeks. The firm estimates that the travel ban could cost universities up to $2bn in fees, and notes that the broader economy will also be impacted. Some universities will offer online courses for the first several weeks of the semester.

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S&P GLOBAL INCORPORATED