O75 Public Administration

Domino’s wage deal voted up

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 1-Feb-18

Some 89 per cent of Domino’s Pizza Enterprises employees who participated in a ballot have voted in favour of a new enterprise agreement. The new pay deal, which is the pizza chain’s first in about five years, includes full penalty rates and casual loading for the first time. The enterprise agreement had the support of the Shop, Distributive & Allied Employees’ Association, although the Retail & Fast Food Workers Union was against some aspects of the new pay deal.

CORPORATES
DOMINO’S PIZZA ENTERPRISES LIMITED – ASX DMP, SHOP, DISTRIBUTIVE AND ALLIED EMPLOYEES’ ASSOCIATION, RETAIL AND FAST FOOD WORKERS UNION INCORPORATED

PM’s tax cut drive for companies, workers

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

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will use a speech on 1 February to push for broad-based tax reforms that provide tax cuts for individuals and companies. He will state that the Coalition will aim to deliver tax relief to middle-income earners while retaining its goal of returning the Budget to surplus in 2020-21. Turnbull has reiterated that company tax cuts will be at the top of the Coalition’s agenda when Parliament resumes, stressing that the issue has become more urgent in the wake of tax reforms in the US.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN ELECTORAL COMMISSION, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

Labor accused of posturing on ICAC

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Original article by Chris Merritt, Nicola Berkovic
The Australian – Page: 4 : 1-Feb-18

The Federal Government has urged Opposition Leader Bill Shorten to provide more details on his proposal to establish a national anti-corruption commission. Attorney-General Christian Porter argues that amongst other things, Shorten should state whether such an agency would hold public hearings and would be able to examine how former Labor senator Sam Dastyari obtained security intelligence ­information. He adds that some state-based anti-corruption agencies have at times breached the rights of individuals.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, NEW SOUTH WALES. INDEPENDENT COMMISSION AGAINST CORRUPTION, HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA

ALP eyes plan to set minimum wage increases

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 1-Feb-18

The Federal Opposition’s workplace relations spokesman Brendan O’Connor has indicated that a future Labor government could potentially mandate that the minimum wage be permanently fixed at a proportion of the median wage. He says this is among the options that will be considered, but employers’ groups warn that adopting a so-called "living wage" would reduce job opportunities for people on low wages and make small businesses less viable. The ACTU has suggested that a living wage should be set at 60 per cent of the median wage.

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

Mr Melbourne loses his cancer battle

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Original article by John Ferguson, Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 31-Jan-18

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten are among the current and former politicians who have paid tribute to businessman Ron Walker, who has passed away at the age of 78. Walker’s career included a stint as Melbourne’s Lord Mayor and treasurer of the Liberal Party of Australia. Walker is a former chairman of Fairfax Media, while he developed Melbourne’s Crown Casino in partnership with Lloyd Williams. He also played a key role in securing the 2006 Commonwealth Games and the Formula One Grand Prix for Melbourne.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, LIBERAL PARTY OF VICTORIA, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, CROWN MELBOURNE LIMITED, CROWN RESORTS LIMITED – ASX CWN

Shorten war on business

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 8 : 31-Jan-18

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has committed to establishing a national anti-corruption commission if Labor wins the next federal election. He has also signalled plans to either increase the minimum wage or replace it with a so-called "living wage". Meanwhile, business groups have expressed concern over Shorten’s proposal to rebalance enterprise bargaining laws in favour of workers. Private health insurance companies will also be targeted by Shorten, while he has ruled out supporting the Federal Government’s company tax cuts package.

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

Glencore ends $700pw strike bonus

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Original article by James Thomson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 31-Jan-18

Glencore will seek to terminate the enterprise agreement at its Oaky Creek coal mine in Queensland in a bid to end a long-running union dispute. Some 175 union members have been locked out of the site for more than 200 days, but a clause in the enterprise agreement requires them to receive the productivity bonuses that are paid to employees and contractors who have defied the picket line. It is believed that some picketers have been paid up to $A700m per week in productivity bonuses.

CORPORATES
GLENCORE PLC, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence returns to uptrend, up 1.3% to 120.9

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 31-Jan-18

ANZ-Roy Morgan Australian Consumer Confidence rose 1.3% to 120.9 in the week ended 28 January. Results were mixed at a disaggregated level, with three out of five sub-components showing an increase. Consumers grew more optimistic about both current and future economic conditions, with the indices rising by 4.0% and 4.2% respectively. Both series reversed losses from the previous week and are sitting comfortably above their long-term averages. Indeed, sentiment toward future economic conditions is the highest since late 2013. Views towards financial conditions were mixed, with the current sub-index extending its losses from the previous week, falling a further 1.6% to 103, while future finances rose slightly by 0.5% to 126.8 after two consecutive weekly falls.

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

Weatherill shift on nuke dump

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Original article by Michael Owen
The Australian – Page: 6 : 30-Jan-18

South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill has threatened High Court action against the federal government if it tries to set up a nuclear waste dump in the state. This is despite Weatherill having put forward a proposal to import nuclear waste in 2017, only to later back down on the idea. Federal Resources Minister Matt Canavan notes that three SA landowners have put forward their properties as possible sites for a waste dump, and that the communities near the properties are broadly supportive of the idea.

CORPORATES
SOUTH AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET, HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Energy prices double in year

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Original article by Samantha Hutchinson, Michael Owen, Andrew White
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 30-Jan-18

New figures show that the average wholesale spot energy price in South Australia has risen to nearly $A170 in January 2018, compared with $A84 during the same period in 2017. The average spot price in Victoria has risen from just $A62 to $A139 over the last 12 months. Energy experts warn that more power blackouts and electricity price hikes can be expected due to the state governments’ focus on renewable energy targets rather than ensuring a reliable baseload energy supply.

CORPORATES
GRATTAN INSTITUTE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN POWER PROJECT, SOUTH AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF TREASURY AND FINANCE