O75 Public Administration

ALP’s tax reforms will sting its voters

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Original article by Adam Creighton, Michael Roddan
The Australian – Page: 5 : 21-Jan-19

Sixteen per cent of those who voted Labor at the 2016 federal election owned an investment property, according to research by the Australian National University. With Labor planning to make changes to negative gearing if it wins the next election, ANU professor Ian McAllister notes that 16 per cent of Labor voters "equates to a lot of voters". He says the fact that Labor plans to grandfather its changes could reduce the possible impact to its vote. Meanwhile, a study of Australian Taxation Office data indicates that over 200,000 voters in Labor-held seats could be affected by its plans to increase capital gains tax.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Kennett tells Coalition veterans it’s time to go

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Original article by Joe Kelly, Rachel Baxendale
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 21-Jan-19

Former Victorian Premier Jeff Kennett has called on long-serving federal Coalition MPs to follow the example of Kelly O’Dwyer and step down at the next election. Kennett says he does not think O’Dwyer was retiring because she did not believe she could retain her seat; O’Dwyer has stated she is stepping down to spend more time with her family, and Kennett says he takes at "face value" her reasons for not seeking re-election. Kennett said that Kevin Andrews and Julie Bishop were two Coalition MPs that should step down, while Prime Minister Scott Morrison has rejected Bill Shorten’s claim that his MPs were resigning because they thought the government would lose heavily at the next election.

CORPORATES
LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

One Nation pulls Palmer preference lifeline

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Original article by Jamie Walker, Andrew Burrell
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 21-Jan-19

Businessman Clive Palmer is targeting the marginal seat of Herbert in Queensland as he seeks a return to federal politics. Palmer was elected as MP for the seat of Fairfax in 2013 under what was then the Palmer United Party, but chose not to recontest the seat at the 2016 election. Palmer will seek election under the rebadged United Australia Party, but One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has said it will place the UAP last on its how-to-vote card in Herbert. Palmer’s collapsed Queensland Nickel company is said to owe $300 million, and Hanson says One Nation could not consider giving preferences to Palmer until he pays all his former workers their entitlements

CORPORATES
PALMER UNITED PARTY, ONE NATION PARTY, UNITED AUSTRALIA PARTY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL-NATIONAL PARTY OF QUEENSLAND, KATTER’S AUSTRALIAN PARTY, QUEENSLAND NICKEL PTY LTD

Kelly O’Dwyer to retire from federal politics

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Original article by Rick Morton, Richard Ferguson
The Australian – Page: Online : 19-Jan-19

Industrial Relations Minister Kelly O’Dwyer will retire from federal politics at the next election. O’Dwyer, who holds the seat of Higgins in Victoria with a margin of just under 10 per cent, rejected suggestions she was quitting because of polling that indicated she might lose the seat. O’Dwyer stated her reasons for retiring were personal, and that she and husband Jon were keen to have a third child. O’Dwyer said she was very confident a woman would be chosen to replace her as the Liberal candidate for Higgins, while Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he had told O’Dwyer that he wants her to remain in her current role until the election.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF JOBS AND SMALL BUSINESS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Unemployment in December is 9.7% and under-employment is 8.8%

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 21-Jan-19

Australian unemployment of 9.7% (down 0.1%) and under-employment of 8.8% (down 0.8%), are both down on a year ago, driving a 0.9% fall in overall labour under-utilisation to 18.5% (2.5 million). This is according to the latest employment data from Roy Morgan, which shows that the workforce, which comprises employed Australians and those who are unemployed and looking for work, is now 13,376,000, down 34,000 on a year ago. The decrease in employment was driven by a drop in part-time employment of 89,000 to 4,115,000. An increase in full-time employment of 65,000 to 7,959,000 wasn’t enough to offset this drop. Roy Morgan’s real unemployment figure of 9.7% for December is significantly higher than the current Australian Bureau of Statistics estimate for November 2018 of 5.1%.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS

Trust tax to ‘hit Labor’s backyard’

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Original article by Adam Creighton
The Australian – Page: 2 : 18-Jan-19

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg claims that about 300,000 small businesses with turnover of up to $10 million would be affected by Labor’s proposal to impose a 30 per cent tax on the distributions of family trusts. The Treasury’s analysis of tax office data shows that the Greens-held seat of Melbourne Ports and the Labor seat of Adelaide would be hardest-hit by the policy, although the Coalition holds six of the 10 seats that would be impacted the most. Shadow treasurer Chris Bowen contends that 98 per cent of taxpayers would not be affected by the policy.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, BDO AUSTRALIA LIMITED

Live exports sabotaged by charity

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Original article by Rosie Lewis, Sam Buckingham-Jones
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 18-Jan-19

Animals Australia has been accused of trying to sabotage the nation’s $2 billion live export industry. This follows allegations that it offered to pay workers on ships transporting stock to the Middle East for distressing footage of animals. Liberal senator Dean Smith says the Australian Charities & Not-for-profits Commission should suspend Animals Australia’s charitable status pending an inquiry into the claims. Australian Livestock Exporters Council chairman Simon Crean says the allegations call into question Animals Australia’s role as an animal welfare advocacy group.

CORPORATES
ANIMALS AUSTRALIA, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN CHARITIES AND NOT-FOR-PROFITS COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN LIVESTOCK EXPORTERS COUNCIL LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF AGRICULTURE AND WATER RESOURCES, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE

Fair Work warning over anti-CFMEU retweet

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 9 : 18-Jan-19

The Fair Work Commission has rejected an appeal by the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining & Energy Union over a ruling of senior deputy president Jonathan Hamberger. The CFMMEU claimed that Hamberger should have recused himself from a case involving three union officials after he shared a 2016 tweet from Employment Minister Michaelia Cash that attacked the CFMMEU and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten. The FWC stated that Hamberger’s sharing of the tweet did not mean he was biased against the union’s officials, but it did state that his actions in sharing the tweet were inappropriate.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION

Shorten attacks BHP, business

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Original article by John Kehoe, David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 18-Jan-19

Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has attacked BHP for replacing Australian seafarers with foreign crews on ships that transport iron ore from Western Australia to Wollongong. His criticism of BHP came during the launch of his "Queensland Jobs Not Cuts" bus tour on 17 January, with Shorten attacking big business and the wealth-off. Business leaders expressed concern about Shorten’s anti-big business rhetoric, with Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry CEO James Pearson saying it is important that businesses of all sizes are successful.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, MARITIME UNION OF AUSTRALIA

Unions draw strength from spectacular victory at coalmine

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 17-Jan-19

Wollongong Coal has agreed to a new pay deal to end a strike by labour hire workers at the Wongawilli Colliery in New South Wales. The hourly pay rate of CAS Mine Services employees at the mine will be increased by 12 per cent, and their weekly production bonus will be increased. They will also become permanent workers on fixed-term contracts, while CAS has agreed to negotiate a two-year enterprise agreement that includes two annual pay rises of two per cent. The deal has been welcomed by the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining & Energy Union.

CORPORATES
WOLLONGONG COAL LIMITED – ASX WLC, CAS MINE SERVICES PTY LTD, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF JOBS AND SMALL BUSINESS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ACTU