O75 Public Administration

Business urges Turnbull to patch China rift

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Original article by Andrew Tillett, Jennifer Hewett, Michael Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 13-Apr-18

Business leaders have urged Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to take steps to improve Australia’s seemingly strained relationship with China. There are a number of factors behind the recent poor relationship between the two countries, including attacks on China’s Pacific foreign aid policy by International Development Minister Concetta Fierravanti-Wells and the federal government’s foreign interference laws. Former Labor foreign minister Bob Carr contends that the government has increased its "anti-Chinese rhetoric" since the start of 2017 in an attempt to impress Donald Trump.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA CHINA BUSINESS COUNCIL, AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE (CHINA), UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, SYDNEY

Any reforms of tax is better than none: BCA

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Original article by Tom McIlroy
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 11 : 12-Apr-18

The Federal Government still needs the support of crossbench senator Tim Storer for its corporate tax package. Storer has called for a broader range of tax reforms rather than simply reducing the tax rate for all companies. However, the Business Council of Australia has used a submission to a Senate inquiry to argue that changes to the company tax rate should not be stalled, as broader reforms will take too long to achieve. Storer has hired journalist Jim Middleton as a senior adviser.

CORPORATES
BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, NICK XENOPHON TEAM, VICTORIA UNIVERSITY, THE AUSTRALIA INSTITUTE LIMITED

Shorten sets sights on safe-seat shift

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Original article by Andrew Tillett
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 12-Apr-18

Changes to electoral boundaries in Victoria will result in about 40 per cent of voters in the seat of Maribyrnong being transferred to the newly-created seat of Fraser. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten holds Maribyrnong with a margin of 12.3 per cent, although this will be reduced to around 10 per cent following the changes. Shorten is said to be contemplating switching from his current electorate to Fraser, where Labor is expected to have a margin of around 20 per cent. This would allow Shorten to focus on campaigning nationally rather than in his own seat.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Hopes lift for pact on power

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Original article by Ben Packham
The Australian – Page: 6 : 12-Apr-18

The Federal Government will seek in-principle support for its proposed national energy guarantee at an upcoming meeting of the Council of Australian Governments’ energy council. The Australian Capital Territory’s Energy Minister Shane Rattenbury has indicated that he may be willing to support the NEG in return for some concessions from the federal government. Meanwhile, federal counterpart Josh Frydenberg has warned that failure to implement the NEG will result in higher electricity prices.

CORPORATES
COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENTS, AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY. DEPT OF ENVIRONMENT, PLANNING AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, AUSTRALIA. ENERGY SECURITY BOARD

ACTU bid for 1970s-style IR

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 12-Apr-18

ACTU secretary Sally has proposed changing the Fair Work Act to allow employees and employers to negotiate wages and conditions at the industry level rather than the enterprise level. She argues that the imbalance which gives employers greater bargaining power under existing provisions of the Act needs to be addressed. McManus has also called for amendments to allow unions and workers to take protected industrial action in support of sector-wide wage claims. The ACTU’s "wages blueprint" also includes scrapping penalty rate cuts and increasing the minimum wage.

CORPORATES
ACTU, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION

Bishop’s support for Syria airstrike

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Original article by Primrose Riordan
The Australian – Page: 2 : 12-Apr-18

A US-led military strike on Syria seems increasingly likely in the wake of the gas attack that killed 60 people. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has indicated that Australia would support any military intervention by the US if it is "targeted, calibrated and proportionate". However, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten says it is too soon to start talking about military action against Syria. UK Prime Minister Theresa May and French President Emmanuel Macron also support military action.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, GREAT BRITAIN. OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

Budget blitz: PM signs off on key measures early

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Original article by Simon Benson, Greg Brown
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 10-Apr-18

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull still believes that he can win the next federal election, despite consistently underperforming in public opinion polls. He argues that polling is not always reliable, and notes that most polls suggest that the outcome of the next election will be very close. Meanwhile, senior government sources have indicated that Turnbull has endorsed the majority of policy initiatives in the May 2018 Budget, including personal income tax cuts. There had been dissent between Turnbull and his Cabinet colleagues regarding measures in the 2017 Budget.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, NEWSPOLL, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HOME AFFAIRS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

Business hits at dismal IR reform moves

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 10-Apr-18

Australian Industry Group CEO Innes Willox noted the Federal Government’s lack of significant progress on industrial relations reform in 2015. He will use a Brisbane Club speech on 10 April to stress that little has changed in the last three years, particularly with regard to implementing the recommendations of a review of the IR system by the Productivity Commission. Willox will also caution against IR reforms that have been proposed by the ACTU, stating that they would result in the widespread industrial action of the 1960s and 1970s.

CORPORATES
THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, BRISBANE CLUB, AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION, ACTU, AUSTRALIAN MINES AND METALS ASSOCIATION (INCORPORATED), MASTER BUILDERS AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, PATRICK CORPORATION LIMITED

This week’s YouGov Galaxy Newspoll is very different to the Newspoll when Tony Abbott was Prime Minister -Gary Morgan, Executive Chairman, Roy Morgan

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 10-Apr-18

Although the media has managed to work itself into a ‘frenzy’ in recent days over the latest Newspoll – which was released this week showing the ALP in front of the L-NP again for the 30th straight week – the facts are that today’s ‘YouGov Galaxy Newspoll’ is conducted very differently to the original Newspoll which current Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull used to oust former Prime Minister Tony Abbott less than three years ago. Today’s ‘YouGov Galaxy Newspoll’ are ‘robo-polls’ with recorded questions using Australian landlines, then these results are ‘topped-up’ with ‘online’ polling. Whereas the 30 Newspolls that spelled the end of Tony Abbott were conducted using traditional personal telephone polling. Galaxy Research was awarded the Newspoll contract in July 2015, and was bought by UK polling organisation YouGov in December 2017. YouGov is famous for calling Brexit for the ‘Remainers’ on Brexit polling day June 23, 2016. Remain 52% cf. Leave 48% – ironically the same result ‘YouGov Galaxy Newspoll’ says the ALP today leads the L-NP. To paraphrase a rather famous politician – ‘Fake News’. The latest Morgan Poll released last Friday shows the next Federal Election is ‘too close to call’ with the ALP on 51% cf. L-NP 49%. This week’s latest Newspoll results analysed by Poll Bludger are available to view here – memories are short – Newspoll under-estimated the Liberal vote in the recent South Australia election by 4%!

CORPORATES
NEWSPOLL, YOUGOV LIMITED, GALAXY RESEARCH PTY LTD, MORGAN POLL, ROY MORGAN LIMITED, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

NEG to help extend life of coal power

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Original article by Mark Ludlow
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 9-Apr-18

Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg believes that the federal government’s proposed National Energy Guarantee will encourage investment in existing coal-fired power stations, thus enabling them to remain operating longer than under alternative energy policies. He has tasked the Australian Energy Market Operator with conducting an audit of Australia’s newer coal-fired power stations, while pro-coal businessman Trevor St Baker is of the view that energy companies must obtain permission from the federal government before closing down any coal-fired power stations.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, AUSTRALIAN ENERGY MARKET OPERATOR LIMITED, AGL ENERGY LIMITED – ASX AGL, DELTA ELECTRICITY AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, ALINTA ENERGY (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, CHOW TAI FOOK ENTERPRISES LIMITED, AUSGRID PTY LTD