O75 Public Administration

Tax breaks to fast-track big projects

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Original article by Simon Benson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 14-Nov-19

The federal government will provide a concessional tax rate of 15 per cent for foreign investments in qualifying infrastructure projects that are worth more than $500m. This will include ­energy, transport, water and communications projects. Meanwhile, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg will use the Sir John Downer Oration in Adelaide on 14 November to urge greater co-operation between the federal and state governments to address inefficiencies in the economy. He will also stress the need for responsible fiscal management.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Union integrity bill in doubt as senators waver

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 13-Nov-19

Industrial Relations Minister Christian Porter is confident that the federal government can reach a "sensible compromise" with Senate crossbenchers regarding the Ensuring Integrity Bill. The government had hoped to put the bill to a vote on 13 November, but independent senator Jacqui Lambie has reservations about the proposed demerit points system for unions. She is concerned that the bill would make it harder to deregister "union thugs" than officials who make minor administrative errors. One Nation leader Pauline Hanson also has concerns about the proposed system.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, SKILLS, SMALL AND FAMILY BUSINESS, ONE NATION PARTY, CENTRE ALLIANCE, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA

Australia’s top 10 most trusted brands in 2019

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Original article by Isabelle Lane
The New Daily – Page: Online : 13-Nov-19

Five of the 10 most-trusted brands in Australia, as measured by Roy Morgan, have been embroiled in wage underpayment scandals in recent years. They include the nation’s most trusted brand, Bunnings, as well as Woolworths, Coles, Qantas and the ABC. RMIT University’s Professor Anthony Forsyth rejects suggestions that the wage theft scandals can be attributed to Australia’s complex industrial awards system; instead, he contends that businesses are simply not giving sufficient priority to ensuring that their employees are being paid properly.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, BUNNINGS GROUP LIMITED, WOOLWORTHS SUPERMARKETS, COLES SUPERMARKETS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, RMIT UNIVERSITY

The million-hectare fire

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Original article by Ean Higgins, Emily Ritchie
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 13-Nov-19

New South Wales Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons has warned that the state’s bushfire situation remains critical, after the ‘catastrophic’ fire danger alert on 12 November. More than 130 fires are still burning across NSW and Queensland, with a number of homes having been damaged or destroyed, while the fires have burnt more than a million hectares of land. Fitzsimmons says the fire risk will remain high during the coming summer due to factors such as the drought and high temperatures.

CORPORATES
NEW SOUTH WALES RURAL FIRE SERVICE

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence down to 111.1

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 13-Nov-19

ANZ-Roy Morgan Australian Consumer Confidence fell 2.1% to 111.1 in the week ended 10 November. Households’ views towards current financial conditions fell 3.2%, while views towards future financial conditions declined by 1.6%. Consumers’ views toward current economic conditions fell 1.6%, but views towards future economic conditions gained 0.3%. The ‘time to buy a major household item’ declined 3.9% after a gain of 1.3% in the previous week. The four-week moving average of inflation expectations remained stable at 4.0%, although the weekly reading saw an increase to back above 4%.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ

Free votes and fixed terms top reform list

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Original article by Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 4 : 12-Nov-19

A paper containing 15 proposals for reform to Australia’s system of government has been submitted to a parliamentary inquiry into nationhood, national identity and democracy. The proposals, which have been compiled by the newDemocracy Foundation, the ­Melbourne School of Government, and the Susan McKinnon Foundation, include fixed parliamentary terms, an increase in the number of ‘free’ votes, and an independent speaker. Former Victorian Labor premier John Brumby and former LNP Queensland premier Campbell Newman are among those to have endorsed the reform proposals.

CORPORATES
THE NEWDEMOCRACY FOUNDATION, MELBOURNE SCHOOL OF GOVERNMENT, SUSAN MCKINNON FOUNDATION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL-NATIONAL PARTY OF QUEENSLAND

Co-author of ALP’s tax policy slammed

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Original article by Geoff Chambers
The Australian – Page: 4 : 12-Nov-19

Federal Opposition leader Anthony Albanese and opposition Treasury spokesman Jim Chalmers have sought to omit the use of the phrase ‘the top end of town’ following Labor’s defeat in the May election. However, Assistant Treasurer Michael Sukkar notes Chalmers has used the phrase over 300 times since 2013. Sukkar has also accused Chalmers of allowing Bill Shorten and Chris Bowen to take all of the blame for Labor’s tax policies, saying he should admit to playing his part in putting the policies together.

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AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Federal Election bounce over – Business Confidence drops to lowest since April

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 12-Nov-19

In Australia, Business Confidence fell 4.6pts (-4.2%) to 106.0 in October 2019, according to the latest Roy Morgan Business Single Source survey. Business Confidence is now at its lowest level since the Federal Election in mid-May; it is also 7.1pts lower than a year ago and 9.5pts below the long-term average of 115.5. Now 41.8% (down 9.9ppts) of businesses expect the business to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year, while 20.3% (up 2.1ppts) expect the business to be ‘worse off’. Meanwhile, 40.7% (down 5.8ppts) of businesses expect the Australian economy to have ‘good times’ economically over the next year, while 52.4% (up 4.2ppts) expect the economy to have ‘bad times’. Some 50.4% (down 2.1ppts) of businesses say the next year will be a ‘good time to invest in growing the business’, while only 35.8% (down 2.8ppts) say it will be a ‘bad time to invest’. Roy Morgan Business Confidence results in October are based on 1,104 interviews with a cross-section of Australian businesses.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Greens playing with fire

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Original article by Greg Brown, Andrew Clennell, Craig Johnstone, Olivia Caisley, Ean Higgins
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 12-Nov-19

Greens leader Richard Di Natale has attracted criticism for attempting to link the bushfires in New South Wales and Queensland to the major political parties’ climate change polices. National Party leader Michael McCormack has labelled the comments as disgraceful and disgusting, while shadow agriculture minister Joel Fitzgibbon has accused the Greens of hypocrisy given that they opposed Labor’s carbon pollution reduction scheme. Meanwhile, NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro says the state’s National Parks Service should have undertaken more backburning before the bushfire season commenced.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN GREENS, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, NEW SOUTH WALES. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, NEW SOUTH WALES. NATIONAL PARKS AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, UNIVERSITY OF WOLLONGONG, NEW SOUTH WALES RURAL FIRE SERVICE, SHINE ENERGY

Hundreds of schools to be shut down across Sydney, Wollongong and Newcastle as New South Wales faces catastrophic bushfire risk

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Original article by
abc.net au – Page: Online : 12-Nov-19

New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian has declared a seven-day state of emergency as many parts of the state face ‘catastrophic’ bushfire conditions on 12 November. Around 600 schools across the state will be closed, along with childcare centres in high-risk areas. The NSW Rural Fire Service states that live embers could travel up to 30 kilometres from fire fronts, while it has warned people that it might not have enough time to warn them about some fires. Transport for NSW is warning people to avoid non-essential travel on roads and public transport.

CORPORATES
NEW SOUTH WALES. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, TRANSPORT FOR NSW, NEW SOUTH WALES RURAL FIRE SERVICE