O75 Public Administration

Shock AWU claims: detective breaks silence on fraud scandal

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Original article by Andrew Burrell
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 22-Feb-18

Former Western Australian major fraud squad detective David ­McAlpine headed a two-year investigation into an Australian Workers’ Union slush fund in the late 1990s. He says the WA Director of Public Prosecutions ordered him to cease the investigation shortly before he was slated to travel to Melbourne and executive a series of search warrants concerning the use of money from the slush fund. He also says former executives of Thiess may have misled the trade union royal commission regarding payments that the construction firm made to AWU officials for the slush fund.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION-FEDERATION OF INDUSTRIAL, MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING EMPLOYEES, AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION – WORKPLACE REFORM ASSOCIATION INCORPORATED, THIESS PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC PROSECUTIONS, WESTERN AUSTRALIAN POLICE SERVICE, SLATER AND GORDON LIMITED – ASX SGH, MELBOURNE WATER CORPORATION

ATO cracks down on other work-related deductions

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Original article by Frank Chung
News.com.au – Page: Online : 22-Feb-18

The Australian Taxation Office has signalled its intention to target tax deductions for dubious work-related expenses in 2018. ATO assistant commissioner Kath Anderson says workers claimed a record $A7.9bn worth of deductions for "other" work-related expenses in 2017. She says many people attempt to claim a tax deduction for private expenses and pass it off as a work expense. She stresses the importance of keeping records of legitimate work-related expenses.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, AUSTRALIA. ADMINISTRATIVE APPEALS TRIBUNAL

Wages growth higher among public sector

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Original article by Adam Creighton
The Australian – Page: 4 : 22-Feb-18

The Australian Bureau of Statistics’ wage price index data shows that wages in the private sector rose by 1.9 per cent in 2017, compared with 2.4 per cent growth for public sector wages. The mining sector had the lowest growth in wages, at 1.4 per cent, while retail industry wages rose by just 1.6 per cent and wages in the healthcare sector increased by 2.7 per cent. There was 2.1 per cent growth in wages overall during the calendar year, including 0.6 per cent growth in the December quarter.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, CAPITAL ECONOMICS LIMITED, INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

Cormann to pound company tax drum

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Original article by Simon Benson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 22-Feb-18

The Federal Government’s company tax package requires the support of the majority of Senate crossbenchers. Acting Prime Minister Mathias Cormann has written to the 11 crossbenchers urging them to vote in favour of the tax package. The proposal to progressively reduce the tax rate for all companies from 30 per cent to 25 per cent has the support of Liberal Democrats senator David Leyonhjelm, who argues that it should in fact be reduced to 20 per cent. Meanwhile, a report from the International Monetary Fund has highlighted the economic benefits of reducing the company tax rate.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY, INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, ONE NATION PARTY, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN CONSERVATIVES, WOOLWORTHS GROUP LIMITED – ASX WOW, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN

Big employers pile on the pressure over company tax

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Original article by Simon Benson
The Australian – Page: 4 : 21-Feb-18

The retail industry has urged the Senate crossbenchers to support the Federal Government’s legislation to reduce the company tax rate from 30 per cent to 25 per cent. The Australian Retailers Association’s executive director Russell Zimmerman says the nation’s high corporate tax rate hinders the ability of retailers to hire additional staff and increase wages, while Woolworths CEO Brad Banducci says a lower tax rate would enable the company to increase its investment in its Australian business. The National Retail Association argues that a lower tax rate would result in the creation of more entry-level jobs in the sector.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN RETAILERS ASSOCIATION, WOOLWORTHS GROUP LIMITED – ASX WOW, NATIONAL RETAIL ASSOCIATION LIMITED, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, NICK XENOPHON TEAM, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

Joyce crisis has tarnished Nats brand, WA says

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Original article by Joe Kelly, Victoria Laurie, Andrew Burrell, Andrew Clennell
The Australian – Page: 5 : 21-Feb-18

National Party leader Barnaby Joyce has lost the support of the party’s Western Australian division, which has stated that his position is no longer tenable in the wake of his affair with an ex-staffer. Some Nationals MPs believe that it would be in the best interests of the party for Joyce to resign voluntarily rather than being forced to step down, warning that he could damage the Coalition politically from the backbench. Meanwhile, the Liberal-National Party of Queensland’s president Gary Spence has urged a swift resolution to the crisis.

CORPORATES
NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, LIBERAL-NATIONAL PARTY OF QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

ANZ-Roy Morgan Australian Consumer Confidence down again by 3.5% to 115.3

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 21-Feb-18

ANZ-Roy Morgan Australian Consumer Confidence fell 3.5% to 115.3 in the week ended 18 February, following a 2.6% decline in the previous week. For the second straight week all sub-indices posted declines, with sentiment around economic conditions dropping sharply. Views towards current economic conditions fell 5.5%, on the back of a 6% decline previously, bringing the sub-index to an eight-week low of 107.0. Similarly, perceptions of future economic conditions took an 8.8% dive to a 13-week low of 106.3. Views towards current and future conditions fell 1.6% and 1.3% respectively, following a 2.6% and 1.8% fall previously. That said, both indices remain above their long-term averages.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ

Union readies for new tug of war with BHP

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 20-Feb-18

Iron ore shipments from Port Hedland could potentially be disrupted due to the Australian Institute of Marine & Power Engineers’ proposed legal action against BHP Billiton. Rivtow, which provides tugboat services to BHP at Port Hedland, operates on a partnership model. However, the company is believed to have begun employing marine engineers on some of its tugboats, which the AIMPE claims would give it access under workplace right of entry laws.

CORPORATES
BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, THE AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF MARINE AND POWER ENGINEERS, RIVTOW MARINE PTY LTD, RIVERSIDE MARINE PTY LTD, TEEKAY MARINE PTY LTD, WESTERN AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS COMMISSION, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, KOTUG, LIBERAL PARTY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, MITSUBISHI CORPORATION

Joyce loses support of party bosses

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 20-Feb-18

The future of National Party leader Barnaby Joyce remains in doubt amid growing calls from within the party for him to stand down and retire to the backbench in the wake of his affair with a former staffer. The party’s federal executive discussed the Joyce situation via a conference call on 19 February, although they did not make a decision on his future. Veterans’ Affairs Minister Michael McCormack, who is seen as the leading contender to replace Joyce, has told Sky News that Joyce will remain leader while he retains the support of the party room. However, he downplayed suggestions of a leadership challenge.

CORPORATES
NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF VETERANS’ AFFAIRS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS

Get a real job (for once) O’Connor, instead of fiddling with commission

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Original article by Judith Sloan
The Australian – Page: 6 : 20-Feb-18

A proposal by the Opposition’s workplace relations spokesman Brendan O’Connor to transfer responsibility for setting the minimum wage from the Fair Work Commission to the Federal Government was ill-considered. There is some merit in having the minimum wage set by the independent umpire, which takes into account factors such as the state of the economy. It should be noted that people on low incomes are most at risk of being retrenched or having their working hours cut if an increase in the minimum wage is excessive. Likewise, many people on the minimum wage are in fact from wealthy households.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION