O75 Public Administration

Unions tell Cash to quit over leak

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Original article by Samantha Hutchinson Rachel Baxendale
The Australian – Page: 5 : 31-Jul-18

The Australian Federal Police conducted raids on Australian Workers’ Union offices in Melbourne and Sydney in October 2017 at the request of the Registered Organisations Commission. The raids attracted a lot of attention after a member of Jobs Minister Michaelia Cash’s office accessed sensitive information in order to make certain media outlets aware of the raid. The AFP subsequently investigated the leak and on 30 July announced it would be passing the results of its investigation onto the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecution. The ACTU has called on Cash to reveal what she knew about the leak, or else quit.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION-FEDERATION OF INDUSTRIAL, MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING EMPLOYEES AUSTRALIA. REGISTERED ORGANISATIONS COMMISSION AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF JOBS AND SMALL BUSINESS ACTU AUSTRALIA. DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC PROSECUTIONS

Disappearing flight MH370 deliberately flown off course

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Original article by Andrew Tillett
The Australian Financial Review – Page: Online : 31-Jul-18

Malaysian investigators have concluded that Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 was deliberately flown off course. Six Australians were among the 239 passengers and crew that were on board MH370 when it departed from Kuala Lumpur on 28 March 2014. It was bound for Beijing, but radio contact was lost within an hour of departure. No trace of MH370 has ever been found. Chief investigator Kok Soo Chon said it had not been able to rule out the possibility of a third party being involved in MH370 being flown off course. Investigators were critical of Malaysian and Vietnamese traffic controllers for not advising authorities sooner about its disappearance.

CORPORATES
MALAYSIAN AIRLINE SYSTEMS AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INFRASTRUCTURE AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Compromise possible on company tax cuts

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: Online : 31-Jul-18

The federal government’s poor showing in the Longman by-election appears to have prompted a rethink on its company tax cut package. It has previously sought to have its entire package approved by the Senate or not have it passed at all, but it is understood that some members of the government are thinking of restricting its proposed cuts to companies with an annual turnover of $500 million or less a year. Independent Senator Derryn Hinch has indicated he would support this measure, which would rule out cuts for Australia’s biggest companies, including the banks. Labor achieved a two-party swing of 3.7 per cent in Longman, which is located in Queensland and where the federal coalition holds eight seats with a margin of five per cent or less.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA LIBERAL-NATIONAL PARTY OF QUEENSLAND ONE NATION PARTY AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Labor refers opposition MPs to police over staff

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Original article by Benjamin Preiss Nicole Precel
The Age – Page: 2 : 30-Jul-18

Victoria Police announced on 27 July that they would re-open investigations into Labor’s alleged misuse of public funds. The Ombudsman found in a report released in March that Labor had used $388,000 in taxpayer funds to pay part-time electoral officers to conduct political campaigning, an act in breach of parliamentary rules. Opposition leader Matthew Guy claims the six ministers that were named in the report should step down until the police investigation is completed. Deputy Premier James Merlino has now made similar allegations against 18 current and former opposition members, and has asked Victoria Police to investigate them also.

CORPORATES
VICTORIA POLICE AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY VICTORIA. OFFICE OF THE OMBUDSMAN VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET LIBERAL PARTY OF VICTORIA

Cashed-up unions fund TV, radio blitz

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Original article by Andrew Clennell
The Australian – Page: 4 : 30-Jul-18

Prime Malcolm Turnbull has blamed in part the federal government’s by-election losses on the large amount of advertising conducted by Labor, with some of the funds for its advertising coming from the union movement. Turnbull claimed on 29 July that Labor had engaged in "outrageous lies" over health funding. It is estimated Labor spent $A450,000 on television and radio advertising in south-east Queensland in the last week before the Longman by-election, which it appears to have won. By way of contrast, the Liberal party did not run any television commercials in south-east Queensland over the same period.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Super Saturday by-election losses spark debate about Malcolm Turnbull’s company tax cuts policy

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Original article by Louise Yaxley
abc.net.au – Page: Online : 29-Jul-18

Labor leader Bill Shorten says the results of the "Super Saturday" by-elections on 28 July reflect voter concerns about the state of Australia’s health system. The Coalition did not win any of the three seats it contested, while Labor has increased its majority in the other two. Latest counting of votes indicated Labor will win the seats of Longman, Braddon, Perth and Fremantle, while Central Alliance candidate Rebekha Sharkie held a resounding lead over Liberal candidate Georgina Downer.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY CENTRE ALLIANCE LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Labor leaps on S&P write-off call for NBN

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Original article by Supratim Adhikari
The Australian – Page: 25 : 27-Jul-18

Labor has called for the Auditor-General to audit the National Broadband Network’s books, although Finance Minister Mathias Cormann has labelled the suggestion an "ignorant stunt". Labor’s proposal follows a report from S&P Global Ratings which states that the NBN should be written off, with Labor stating that any proposed audit should concentrate on the NBN’s market share and revenue forecasts up until 2040. Labor has not indicated whether it would write off the NBN if it wins the next federal election.

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AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, NBN CO LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE AUDITOR-GENERAL, STANDARD AND POOR’S (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD

Labor ponders emissions target showdown

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 11 : 27-Jul-18

Labor is expected to support the passage of the federal government’s National Energy Guarantee in the House of Representatives. However, it is understood that Labor will seek to amend the NEG’s carbon emissions reduction target in the Senate, and it may have the numbers to achieve this. The government’s intention is that emissions be reduced to 26 per cent of 2005 levels by 2030, but Labor believes that a higher target should be set. If Labor go ahead with this strategy, it could well become a key election issue.

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AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, CENTRE ALLIANCE, AUSTRALIA. ENERGY SECURITY BOARD

Missing PM not sign of white flag

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Original article by Luke Griffiths
The Australian – Page: 4 : 27-Jul-18

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has not campaigned in the seat of Mayo since 4 July, ahead of the by-election on 28 July. Georgina Downer, who is contesting the seat for the Liberals, denies that Turnbull’s recent absence is a sign that the party has given up on winning Mayo, which her father Alexander held from 1984 to 2008. The seat is being contested as a result of Centre Alliance MP Rebekha Sharkie having to resign over her dual citizenship.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, CENTRE ALLIANCE, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, GALAXY RESEARCH PTY LTD

Fairfax-Nine merger to fight Facebook, Google

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Original article by Jemima Whyte, Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 19 : 27-Jul-18

Chris Stott of Wilson Asset Management estimates that the proposed $4.2bn merger between Nine Entertainment Company and Fairfax Media will generate cost and revenue synergies of at least $100m. The deal is the first since the changes to cross-media ownership laws, and there is speculation that there will be further consolidation in the sector. Nine Entertainment CEO Hugh Marks will head the new company, which will combine print and broadcasting assets, as well as the Stan streaming video service and a 60 per cent stake in the Domain real estate listings business.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, DOMAIN HOLDINGS AUSTRALIA LIMITED – ASX DHA, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, WILSON ASSET MANAGEMENT, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, TPG CAPITAL LP, HELLMAN AND FRIEDMAN, THORNEY INVESTMENTS PTY LTD, AUSBIL INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LIMITED, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, ISPT PTY LTD