O75 Public Administration

Adani-style red tape tops Canberra’s hit-list

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Original article by Andrew Tillett
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 5-Aug-19

The federal government will announce on 5 August that the Productivity Commission will be asked to examine the approvals process for resource projects. This coincides with the announcement by Ben Morton, the Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister, of his intention to adopt a sector-by-sector approach to abolishing unnecessary regulation. Morton says he expects businesses to pass on any benefits that result from this review to the broader economy.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, ADANI MINING PTY LTD

New wage deals push 3pc pay rises

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 2-Aug-19

Data from the Attorney-General’s Department shows that public sector enterprise agreements that were approved in the March quarter included wage increases of 2.4 per cent, while wages growth under private sector agreements was 2.7 per cent. However, the data excludes 29 per cent of new agreements because they featured ‘non-quantifiable’ wage increases. They included enterprise agreements for Woolworths and David Jones employees, which link pay rises to increases in the minimum wage.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, WOOLWORTHS GROUP LIMITED – ASX WOW, DAVID JONES LIMITED, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, BUPA AGED CARE, THE AUSTRALIA INSTITUTE LIMITED. CENTRE FOR FUTURE WORK

Trump to impose more tariffs on Chinese goods

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Original article by
bbc.com – Page: Online : 2-Aug-19

Wall Street has retreated after President Donald Trump announced via Twitter that the US government will impose a tariff of 10 per cent on an additional $300bn worth of goods imported from China. The move means that all Chinese imports will now be subject to an impost. Trump has indicated that the latest move is a short-term measure and that the tariff could progressively be increased to at least 25 per cent. The US Chamber of Commerce has warned that Trump’s latest tariff move will undermine the strong US economy.

CORPORATES
UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Setka power play: brutal and radical

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Original article by David Penberthy
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 2-Aug-19

The Victorian branch of the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining & Energy Union has been accused of ‘infiltrating’ the militant union’s South Australian branch, with a view to taking it over. Aaron Cartledge was the CFMMU’s SA secretary until 2018, when he was forced out of the role he had held for six years. He notes that prosecutions against the state branch for breaching workplace laws have increased significantly since Victorian officials began exerting their influence. Victorian state secretary John Setka has not responded to Cartledge’s allegations.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, SOUTH AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF TREASURY AND FINANCE, MASTER BUILDERS’ ASSOCIATION OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED

Bring global giants to heel on tax

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Original article by Olivia Caisley
The Australian – Page: 5 : 1-Aug-19

Labor senator and former union official Tony Sheldon says the federal government should follow the example of other nations and ensure that multinational companies pay their "fair share" of tax in Australia. Sheldon also used his maiden speech in parliament to urge the government to take action to ensure that gig economy workers are entitled to superannuation and a fair rate of pay.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, AMAZON.COM INCORPORATED, UBER TECHNOLOGIES INCORPORATED, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FOODORA AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, DELIVEROO AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, TRANSPORT WORKERS’ UNION

Back door to access data deliberately left open

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Original article by Mark Schliebs
The Australian – Page: 4 : 1-Aug-19

The federal government’s Telecommunication Interception and Access Act is under growing scrutiny amid revelations that a wide range of agencies are bypassing it to access Australians’ metadata. The data retention laws authorise 21 government agencies to access metadata without a warrant, but many other agencies are doing so via the Telecommunications Act. The Department of Home Affairs has indicated that this loophole was intentional, and that non-authorised agencies can access metadata on grounds other than law enforcement and national security.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HOME AFFAIRS, COMMUNICATIONS ALLIANCE LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, AUSTRALIA. PARLIAMENTARY JOINT COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY

Negative gearing a $1.5bn turn-off

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Original article by Olivia Caisley
The Australian – Page: 4 : 1-Aug-19

Research undertaken by Deloitte Access Economics on behalf of the Property Council of Australia suggests that Labor’s proposed negative gearing reforms would have slashed the nation’s GDP by about $1.5bn. It is also estimated that the policy would have resulted in the loss of 7,800 construction industry jobs and cost the sector around $766m. A separate survey of voters in 16 marginal electorates has found that 34 per cent indicated that Labor’s negative gearing and capital gains tax reforms were a key reason why they did not vote for the party at the 18 May election.

CORPORATES
PROPERTY COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED, DELOITTE ACCESS ECONOMICS PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Calls to further limit cash payments

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Original article by Tom McIlroy
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 31-Jul-19

Business owners who accept large cash payments would face a fine of $25,000 and jail terms of up to two years as part of the federal government’s crackdown on the cash economy. Cash payments will be restricted to $10,000 under the reforms announced in the 2018 Budget. However, KPMG tax partner Grant Wardell-Johnson says the government should consider lowering the threshold over time, suggesting that a limit of $5,000 or even just $2,000 may be appropriate. Tony Greco of the Institute of Public Accountants agrees that reducing the threshold may be justified.

CORPORATES
KPMG AUDIT PLC, INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT. AUSTRALIAN TRANSACTION REPORTS AND ANALYSIS CENTRE, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

Shorten to soldier on after disappointing poll defeat

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Original article by Richard Ferguson
The Australian – Page: 5 : 31-Jul-19

Former Labor leader Bill Shorten has ruled out quitting politics, saying he is committed to holding the federal government to account. Shorten says Labor’s shock election defeat in May was "very disappointing" personally, for the nation and for Labor voters. Shorten, who has had a low profile since stepping down as Labor leader, adds that he does not want to pre-empt the party’s review of its election campaign.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Insurers to be barred from using unfair contracts in new legislation

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Original article by James Fernyhough
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 31-Jul-19

Labor is expected to support the Coalition’s proposal to subject insurers to the same rules with regard to unfair contract terms as other financial services providers. The final report of the Hayne royal commission recommended abolishing the exemption, which arose because insurers are regulated by the Insurance Contracts Act. In contrast, rules on unfair contract terms are covered by the ASIC Act. The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission has also made a number of recommendations for changes to the regulatory regime for insurers.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO MISCONDUCT IN THE BANKING, SUPERANNUATION AND FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION