O75 Public Administration

LNP risks $20b for clean energy

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Mark Ludlow
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 10 : 23-Nov-17

The Liberal National Party has stated it will scrap the Queensland government’s 50 per cent renewable energy target if it wins the election on 25 November. It has also promised to construct a coal-fired power station. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk notes Queensland already has eight coal-fired power stations, while she contends that scrapping the renewable energy target will put $A20 billion worth of investment at risk. LNP leader Tim Nicholls has stated the target is not realistic, while he contends the current government has used taxpayers’ funds to subsidise large solar energy projects.

CORPORATES
LIBERAL-NATIONAL PARTY OF QUEENSLAND, QUEENSLAND. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET, ADANI MINING PTY LTD, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AGL ENERGY LIMITED – ASX AGL, INFIGEN ENERGY LIMITED – ASX IFN, QUEENSLAND. DEPT OF ENERGY AND WATER SUPPLY, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, NORTH AUSTRALIA INFRASTRUCTURE FACILITY

Right to die a step closer after marathon sitting

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Benjamin Preiss
The Age – Page: 3 : 23-Nov-17

Victoria’s upper house passed voluntary euthanasia legislation by 22 votes to 18 on 22 November. Passage of the legislation followed 28 hours of debate, and the bill will return to the lower house in the week beginning 27 November. Victorians with less than six months to live and in unbearable pain will now have the right to request that their life be ended; the six-months time frame is extended to 12 months for those with neurodegenerative diseases. The legislation is due to take effect in June 2018.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN GREENS, LIBERAL PARTY OF VICTORIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, VICTORIA. DEPT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, AUSTRALIAN CHRISTIAN LOBBY, AUSTRALIAN CONSERVATIVES, AUSTRALIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION LIMITED, REASON PARTY

Sexting with manager not harassment but baker loses job

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 23-Nov-17

The Fair Work Commission has dismissed an unfair dismissal claim made against Coles by one of its bakers. The supermarket operator had sacked Jay Higgins after his manager had complained about sexually explicit pictures that Higgins had sent to him. Coles dismissed him on the grounds of sexual harassment and serious misconduct. The Commission found that sending the pictures did not amount to sexual harassment, but that Higgins had breached Coles’ codes of conduct in regard to respect and dignity.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, COLES SUPERMARKETS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Migrants shun state as reality hits home

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Andrew Burrell
The Australian – Page: 2 : 22-Nov-17

Many skilled migrants who came to Western Australia to take advantage of its resources boom have ended up in jobs that require less skills. This is due to the boom having ended at around the time they arrived, while others moved to other states in an attempt to find jobs more in line with their skills. A study undertaken by the Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre and released on 21 November has found that over half of the skilled migrants that came to WA and are still there are working in lower-skilled jobs. The study concludes that the poor utilisation of migrant skills is an issue that Australia as a whole needs to deal with.

CORPORATES
BANKWEST CURTIN ECONOMICS CENTRE, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS

Crackdown on terror funding

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Simon Benson
The Australian – Page: 2 : 22-Nov-17

AUSTRAC and its fellow finance intelligence units within South East Asia are to share information in an attempt to clamp down on the funding of terrorism. Australian Justice Minister Michael Keenan will announce the formation of the Southeast Asia Counter-Terrorism Financing Working Group on 22 November, with Keenan noting that terrorists are capable of creating significant damage with just small sums of money. The 2002 Bali Bombings are said to be have been carried out with funding of less than $A100,000.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT. AUSTRALIAN TRANSACTION REPORTS AND ANALYSIS CENTRE, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, ASSOCIATION OF SOUTH-EAST ASIAN NATIONS, PHILIPPINES. ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING COUNCIL

Green voters snobs and closed to Labor

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Greg Brown
The Australian – Page: 7 : 21-Nov-17

The Australian Labor Party surveyed just over 50 Greens voters in inner Melbourne for a period of six months, and has come to the conclusion that around 70 per cent of them are not worth targeting for votes. The ALP considers this group, which it has dubbed "Teal Greens", to be rich and anti-union, and to have a disdainful view of people who live in Melbourne’s outer suburbs. It has decided to concentrate on the remaining 30 per cent of inner city Greens voters, which it has dubbed "Red Greens". Greens MP Adam Bandt says the ALP’s assertions about its inner city supporters are nothing more than "fairy tales"

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, ADANI MINING PTY LTD

Just build it, Palaszczuk tells Adani

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Mark Ludlow
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 10 : 22-Nov-17

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has urged Adani to just commence work on its $A16.5 billion Carmichael coal mine, rather than wait for any possible federal assistance. Speaking during campaigning for the Queensland election, Palaszczuk noted Adani had received all relevant approvals for the mine. Palaszczuk has recently vetoed a federal government loan that would assist Adani with the Carmichael project, but she does not think that will hurt Labor’s chances of winning the election, which will be held on 25 November

CORPORATES
QUEENSLAND. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET, ADANI MINING PTY LTD, ONE NATION PARTY, LIBERAL-NATIONAL PARTY OF QUEENSLAND

Union boss ousted over $98,000 in super board fees

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 22-Nov-17

Richard Duffy, the secretary of the Australian Services Union’s Victorian division, has been dismissed by its committee of management. This followed an external investigation that found he had retained $A98,000 in fees paid to him for sitting on the board of Vision Super since 2014 without appropriate authorisation. The investigation also found he had engaged Advanced People Property Management Solutions to undertake maintenance work at the ASU’s offices, for which it was paid $A48,000, without disclosing to the ASU that it was owned by a relative of former ASU secretary Brian Parkinson.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN SERVICES UNION, VISION SUPER PTY LTD, ADVANCED PEOPLE PROPERTY MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence Rating rises to a 16-week high of 116.4

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 22-Nov-17

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence Rating increased 1.4% to 116.4 in the week ended 19 November 2017, its highest level in 16 weeks. The details were broadly positive, with three out of five sub-indices posting gains, while the other two showed only slight falls. Households’ views towards both current and future economic conditions rose 2.9% and 2.0% respectively. Household views towards the current state of their finances were again pessimistic, but views towards future conditions jumped 3.0%, the first increase in four weeks. Inflation expectations remain unchanged at 4.5% in four-week moving average terms.

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

Big business winners in energy plan

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 8 : 22-Nov-17

Modelling conducted by Frontier Economics suggests the federal government’s National Energy Guarantee will deliver large savings for industry and other big users of energy, but only modest savings for households. Modelling of the NEG had been requested by Labor and the state governments, and the release of the report prompted Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to urge them to back the NEG. He was supported in his call by a collective of groups and associations, including the Australian Aluminium Council, the ACTU, and the Australian Industry Group.

CORPORATES
FRONTIER ECONOMICS PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN ALUMINIUM COUNCIL LIMITED, ACTU, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, NATIONAL FARMERS’ FEDERATION LIMITED, WORLD WILDLIFE FUND, CLEAN ENERGY COUNCIL LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN ENERGY COUNCIL