O75 Public Administration

Health, retail leading surge in jobs growth

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Rachel Baxendale, Elizabeth Redman
The Australian – Page: 2 : 11-Jan-18

Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that there was 2.7 per cent growth in job vacancies in the three months to November 2017, and 16.1 per cent growth in the year to November. The annual growth in job vacancies was the strongest in seven years, while Australia recorded its strongest growth in new jobs for more than 12 years. Meanwhile, there was 17.2 per cent growth in private sector job vacancies over the 12 months, compared with 4.9 per cent growth in public sector job vacancies. Economists forecast that wages will begin to rise in 2018.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, PROPERTY COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED

ACTU seeks change to lockout rules

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 9-Jan-18

Australia’s peak union body will push for changes to provisions of the Fair Work Act regarding the right of employers to lock out workers in the wake of an industrial dispute at the Port Kembla coal terminal. ACTU secretary Ged Kearney says the dispute demonstrates that the industrial relations system is "broken" and gives employers too much power. The Port Kembla terminal has imposed a five-day lockout in an ongoing dispute with the militant Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union over enterprise agreement negotiations.

CORPORATES
ACTU, PORT KEMBLA COAL TERMINAL, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, GLENCORE PLC, SOUTH32 LIMITED – ASX S32

Labor to stick with negative gearing policy

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Andrew Tillett, Misa Han
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 9-Jan-18

The Australian Labor Party has argued that a Treasury analysis produced almost two years ago demonstrates that its policy on negative gearing will boost housing affordability. The analysis, which was obtained under Freedom of Information laws, concluded that Labor’s proposed changes to the negative gearing and capital gains tax regimes would have relatively little negative effect on house prices. Shadow treasurer Chris Bowen has indicated that the proposed reforms will be part of Labor’s policy platform at the next federal election.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, PROPERTY COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED

ACCC seeks fines, jail for cartels

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Patrick Durkin
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 9-Jan-18

The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission will ramp up its crackdown on cartel activity in 2018. Chairman Rod Sims expects the ACCC to launch criminal cartel proceedings against up to four Australian companies and their executives, although he has declined to identify them. Senior executives face massive fines and up to 10 years in jail for engaging in cartel activity. Meanwhile, Sims anticipates an increase in merger activity in 2018, particularly in the media sector in the wake of the Federal Government’s cross-media ownership reforms.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, VISY INDUSTRIES AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NIPPON YUSEN KAISHA LINE, KAWASAKI KISEN KAISHA LIMITED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, AMAZON.COM INCORPORATED, OOH!MEDIA LIMITED – ASX OML, APN OUTDOOR GROUP LIMITED – ASX APO, SOUTH32 LIMITED – ASX S32, CAMP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, JAG, TABCORP HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TAH, TATTS GROUP LIMITED – ASX TTS, AUSTRALIA. COMPETITION TRIBUNAL, BP AUSTRALIA LIMITED, WOOLWORTHS GROUP LIMITED – ASX WOW, AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION, PACIFIC NATIONAL PTY LTD, AURIZON HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX AZJ, MURRAY GOULBURN CO-OPERATIVE COMPANY LIMITED, SAPUTO INCORPORATED, MANTRA GROUP LIMITED – ASX MTR, ACCOR SA

Super raids to pay for health bills

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Sean Parnell, Sarah-Jane Tasker
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 9-Jan-18

Government funding for the health system is under scrutiny following the release of data showing that more Australians are accessing their superannuation to finance medical procedures. The figures show that there were around 22,000 applications to draw upon super savings to pay medical bills in 2016-17, compared with just 4,000 in 2010-11. The Federal Government will review the existing rules regarding the early release of super savings, as well as out-of-pocket medical fees, which comprise about 20 per cent of spending on healthcare,

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, AUSTRALIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION LIMITED, CONSUMERS’ HEALTH FORUM OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HEALTH, FINANCIAL PLANNING ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED

Malcolm Turnbull’s republic talk dismays colleagues

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Andrew Tillett
The Australian Financial Review – Page: Online : 3-Jan-18

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s talk of holding a postal ballot to decide how a future head of Australia might be decided does not have the support of Coalition MPs. Liberal MP Craig Kelly wants to see the government focus on issues such as energy prices in 2018, while Ian Goodenough says any talk of a republic "was a distraction". Acting Opposition Leader Tanya Plibersek described Turnbull’s postal ballot suggestion as a "thought bubble"

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Single medical bills one step too far as doctors stand their ground

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Sean Parnell
The Australian – Page: Online : 3-Jan-18

Sussan Ley, who was federal health minister at the time, made an election commitment in 2016 that patients would receive a single medical bill covering all procedures and expenses. However, Michael Gannon, the president of the Australian Medical Association, says that is something his members would never agree to, saying it would place too much power in the hands of the person who would be charged with putting it together. The issue comes at a time of calls for greater transparency of medical fees and expenses.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HEALTH

Deportation awaits jailed African thugs

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Samantha Hutchinson
The Australian – Page: 2 : 3-Jan-18

One member of a African street gang in Victoria has been deported to New Zealand, while six others with links to the gangs are awaiting deportation. All seven have had their visas cancelled, with six of the seven appealing the cancellations. Meanwhile, comments by both Victorian Police Minister Lisa Neville and acting Acting Victorian Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton on 2 January appear to be an admission that the state does have a problem with violent African street gangs, despite both the police and the Andrews government having previously denied such a problem existed.

CORPORATES
VICTORIA. DEPT OF JUSTICE AND REGULATION, VICTORIA POLICE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Fresh GST fight with states looms

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

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

Federal Treasurer Scott Morrison has given the Productivity Commission more time to complete its review of how the goods and services tax is distributed among the states. The PC had been due to complete its inquiry by 31 January, but has now been given until 15 May. The delay is expected to particularly upset Western Australia, which has long contended that it loses out under the current GST distribution model. Morrison says the PC’s interim report into the GST has clearly shown the current system is "broken" and needs to be fixed.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. COMMONWEALTH GRANTS COMMISSION, SOUTH AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET

Slave labour laws to catch out retailers

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Patrick Hatch
The Age – Page: 20 : 2-Jan-18

A joint Federal Parliament committee has recommended the adoption of a Modern Slavery Act, with committee chairman Chris Crewther hopeful it will be introduced sometime in 2018. If adopted, the Act would require firms above a $A50 million revenue threshold to disclose what efforts they have made to ensure slavery or worker abuse is not present within their supply chains. Globally, around 40 million people are reckoned to be "modern slavery" victims. Australian Retailers Association chairman Russel Zimmerman is hopeful the new legislation will not be too burdensome.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN RETAILERS ASSOCIATION, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, STOP THE TRAFFIK