O75 Public Administration

Look through soft growth

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Original article by Phillip Coorey, Matthew Cranston
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 3-Sep-19

There is speculation that the latest national accounts data will show that Australia’s growth slowed to about 1.4 per cent in the year to June. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg says GDP data for the June quarter is likely to be particularly weak, given that it was dominated by the federal election and the US-China trade war. He expects economic conditions to improve in the September quarter, citing stimulatory factors such as the Coalition’s income tax cuts and back-to-back interest rate cuts in June and July. Frydenberg stresses that the Australian economy’s fundamentals remain strong.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, CORELOGIC AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Sharing power with Greens a mistake

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Original article by Matthew Denholm
The Australian – Page: 4 : 2-Sep-19

Tasmanian Labor leader Rebecca White says the party will not share power with the Greens in the future. White has told Labor’s state conference that past alliances with the Greens were a "mistake", while she claims that the Greens talk down to anyone who disagrees with their views. White says the results of the most recent federal and Tasmanian elections show that Labor needs to reconnect with its traditional voters. With the next Tasmanian election due by March 2022, White says Labor will concentrate on policies to boost jobs and to restore health and other services.

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AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS

Cash softens blow for ousted MPs

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Original article by Geoff Chambers, Richard Ferguson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 2-Sep-19

Analysis shows that at least 20 politicians who lost their seats at the 18 May federal election are entitled to receive a resettlement allowance. The amount of the lump sum payment varies depending on factors such as how long a politician has been in parliament, and it was designed to provide outgoing MPs and senators who do not have access to parliament’s superannuation scheme with re-skilling and re-employment assistance. Kerryn Phelps, Steve Martin and Sarah Henderson are amongst those who are entitled to receive the allowance, which is expected to cost about $1.3m in total.

CORPORATES
NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE

Albanese slams diabolical donations crisis

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Original article by Brad Norington
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 2-Sep-19

Federal Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese has criticised the culture of Labor’s New South Wales branch in the wake of the scandal over a $100,000 cash donation from a Chinese property developer. He says there are clearly accountability issues within NSW Labor and has called for a review into how the scandal occurred. However, Albanese has rejected a proposal to relocate NSW Labor’s head office, which is currently close to Sydney’s Chinatown precinct. Meanwhile, there is speculation that suspended NSW Labor secretary Kaila Murnain could potentially face criminal charges over her role in the scandal.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, NEW SOUTH WALES. INDEPENDENT COMMISSION AGAINST CORRUPTION

CEOs to PM: support long-term growth

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Original article by Patrick Durkin, Simon Evans
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 2-Sep-19

Business leaders have put forward suggestions for boosting the Australian economy, amid expectations that upcoming GDP data will show that growth slowed to a 10-year low of 1.4 per cent in the year to June. JB Hi-Fi CEO Richard Murray has emphasised the need for policy initiatives that support long-term economic growth, rather than merely stimulating the economy. Woolworths CEO Brad Banducci and Flight Centre CEO Graham Turner agree that further easing monetary policy is unlikely to be sufficient to boost the economy, while Cardo CEO Ian Ball has called for increased investment in transport infrastructure.

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JB HI-FI LIMITED – ASX JBH, WOOLWORTHS GROUP LIMITED – ASX WOW, FLIGHT CENTRE TRAVEL GROUP LIMITED – ASX FLT, CARDNO LIMITED – ASX CDD, COLES GROUP LIMITED – ASX COL, VIRGIN AUSTRALIA HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX VAH, CSL LIMITED – ASX CSL, BORAL LIMITED – ASX BLD, LINK ADMINISTRATION HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX LNK, WORLEYPARSONS LIMITED – ASX WOR, COCA-COLA AMATIL LIMITED – ASX CCL, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

We’re in a terrible state: NSW Labor leader

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Original article by Brad Norington
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 30-Aug-19

New South Wales Labor leader Jodi McKay says Kaila Murnain will not return to her role as the party’s general secretary following her suspension on 28 August. McKay adds that she cannot understand how the scandal over a $100,000 cash donation to NSW Labor was allowed to ‘fester’ for so long. She also says Labor is unlikely to win office in the state until it regains the trust of voters. Federal Labor leader Anthony Albanese has declined to comment on the donations scandal in NSW.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, NEW SOUTH WALES. INDEPENDENT COMMISSION AGAINST CORRUPTION

Religion bill will make it harder to sack people

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 30-Aug-19

Attorney-General Christian Porter released a draft of the federal government’s proposed Religious Discrimination Bill on 29 August. Porter says the legislation aims to protect people on the basis of their religion, but does not give them a "licence to discriminate against other people", or to engage in vilifying or harassing speech. Under the proposed legislation, a company with turnover of at least $50 million that sacks someone for expressing a religious view that breaches a condition of their employment will need to show that retaining the employee could cause it "unjustifiable financial hardship”.

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AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT

Fear of Aussie beef with Trump

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Original article by Ean Higgins
The Australian – Page: 8 : 30-Aug-19

Trade expert Alan Oxley says the proposed trade deal between the US and Japan is likely to have an impact on Australia’s beef exports. The nation is the biggest supplier of beef to Japan at present, and the trade deal will reduce Australia’s competitive advantage over the US with regard to Japan’s beef import tariffs. Trade Minister Simon Birm­ingham has sought to downplay concerns about the US-Japan trade deal, noting that Australian beef exports to Japan reached record levels in 2018.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, NATIONAL FARMERS’ FEDERATION LIMITED, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, JAPAN. OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, TW PEARSON AND SON, CATTLE COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA

Investment outlook clouded by global risks

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Original article by David Rogers
The Australian – Page: 25 : 30-Aug-19

Marcel Thieliant of Capital Economics expects the upcoming national accounts data to show that the Australian economy grew by just 0.2 per cent in the June quarter. This follows the release of data showing an 0.5 per cent decline in private new capital expenditure during the quarter; financial markets had anticipated an increase of 0.4 per cent. However, there has been a 16.7 per rise in capital expenditure intentions for 2019-20, with capex estimates in the mining sector revised upwards by 17.7 per cent.

CORPORATES
CAPITAL ECONOMICS LIMITED, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, AMP CAPITAL INVESTORS LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

Hard economic landing would deliver a body blow

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Original article by Geoff Chambers
The Australian – Page: 4 : 29-Aug-19

PwC’s chief economist Jeremy Thorpe has warned of the potential impact on Australia if the Chinese economy experiences a hard landing. He says the resulting downturn in Australia’s exports to China would reduce government revenue from corporate taxes and mining royalties, while Budget surplus forecasts would need to revised. Thorpe adds that there could also be mine closures and job losses in the resources sector if lower Chinese demand puts downward pressure on commodity prices.

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PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS AUSTRALIA (INTERNATIONAL) PTY LTD, DELOITTE TOUCHE TOHMATSU LIMITED