O75 Public Administration

Trade surplus heads back to $1b as iron ore shipments to China surge

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Original article by Stephen Letts
abc.net.au – Page: Online : 6-Oct-17

Australia has recorded a trade surplus of $A989m for August in seasonally-adjusted terms. This compares with a surplus of $A808m for July. The surplus was bolstered by strong growth in both the price of iron ore and the steel input’s export volumes, although shipments of coal and LNG were lower than in July. The total value of Australia’s exports rose by one per cent to $A32.2bn, while the value of imports was steady at $A31.2bn.

CORPORATES
JP MORGAN AUSTRALIA LIMITED

Aussie FTA ‘is low on UK agenda’

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Original article by Troy Bramston
The Australian – Page: 2 : 6-Oct-17

The Australian Government still aims to secure a free-trade agreement with the UK after it leaves the European Union. However, former UK government minister Peter Mandelson says the EU will remain Britain’s biggest export market post-Brexit, and maintaining this trade will be a much higher priority than a trade deal with Australia. He supports an FTA with Australia, but says this could never match the UK’s European export volumes.

CORPORATES
LABOUR PARTY (GREAT BRITAIN), GREAT BRITAIN. OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, GLOBAL COUNSEL

PM takes on Jones over gas bans

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 6-Oct-17

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and his ministers are increasingly coming to the view that radio broadcaster Alan Jones is engaging in double standards on the question of gas prices. Jones has publicly advocated against onshore gas development in New South Wales for a number of years. Regulators, business and governments are generally of the opinion that allowing onshore gas development in NSW and other states would help to lower gas prices, and the Federal Government sees Jones’s constant attacks on it over gas prices as somewhat hypocritical.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENTS, QUEENSLAND. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET, NEW SOUTH WALES. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, LIBERAL-NATIONAL PARTY OF QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, SANTOS LIMITED – ASX STO, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. COMMONWEALTH GRANTS COMMISSION, VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET

Berejiklian to reap $10bn sell-off bonanza

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Original article by Andrew Clennell
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 5-Oct-17

The New South Wales Government has revealed plans for further asset sales ahead of the state election in 2019. It expects to gain about $A5bn from the sale of a 51 per cent stake in the WestConnex motorway, with the proceeds to be reinvested in development of the M4-M5 link project. The Government may consider divesting its remaining stake in WestConnex in the future. It also anticipates raising at least $A5bn from selling its 58 per cent stake in Snowy Hydro to the Federal Government.

CORPORATES
NEW SOUTH WALES. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, NEW SOUTH WALES. THE TREASURY, WESTCONNEX, SNOWY HYDRO LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NEW SOUTH WALES. LAND AND PROPERTY INFORMATION SERVICE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, TRANSURBAN GROUP LIMITED – ASX TCL, VICTORIA. DEPT OF TREASURY AND FINANCE

Senate push for stronger BOOT test

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 11 : 5-Oct-17

The Business Council of Australia has supported a Senate committee’s proposal to make changes to the "better off overall test" in the Fair Work Act to ensure that workers’ rights are protected. A BCA spokesman says addressing such deficiencies is necessary in order to enhance the enterprise bargaining system and address the issue of low growth in wages. The Labor-dominated Senate committee recommended some "fine-tuning" of the better off overall test.

CORPORATES
BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, SHOP, DISTRIBUTIVE AND ALLIED EMPLOYEES’ ASSOCIATION, COLES SUPERMARKETS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NICK XENOPHON TEAM

States to whack back over GST gas threat

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 5-Oct-17

The issue of anti-terrorism measures will be the focus of the Council of Australian Governments meeting on 5 October. However, New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian intends to raise a number of issues, including the Federal Government’s proposal to reduce the share of goods and service tax revenue paid to states that maintain restrictions on gas exploration and production. Meanwhile, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrew continues to advocate the introduction of a domestic gas reserve, arguing that only gas that is surplus to households’ and businesses’ requirements should be exported.

CORPORATES
COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENTS, NEW SOUTH WALES. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. COMMONWEALTH GRANTS COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Gun laws ‘drifting’ as critics fight deal

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Original article by David Crowe
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 5-Oct-17

Gun Control Australia CEO Sam Lee says the Federal Government should put pressure on its state and territory counterparts to implement changes to the National Firearms Agreement. The reforms were agreed upon earlier in 2017 after extensive negotiations, but none of the states and territories have fully implemented the changes. The Sporting Shooters Association of Australia opposes the introduction of stricter gun control laws.

CORPORATES
GUN CONTROL AUSTRALIA, SPORTING SHOOTERS’ ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, THE ALANNAH AND MADELINE FOUNDATION LIMITED, THE GREENS NSW INCORPORATED, NEW SOUTH WALES POLICE FORCE, ONE NATION PARTY

Workers’ safety net tightened

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Original article by Sarah Elks
The Australian – Page: 4 : 5-Oct-17

Employees of failed companies have been paid more than $A1bn in total from the Federal Government’s Fair Entitlements Guarantee scheme in the last five years. However, Employment Minister Michaelia Cash has announced plans for reforms which will target directors of failed companies who attempt to avoid liability for employees’ redundancy entitlements. The reforms will not apply retrospectively to companies such as Clive Palmer’s Queensland Nickel, which collapsed owing some $A70m to its workers.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, QUEENSLAND NICKEL PTY LTD, PPB ADVISORY, WARATAH COAL INCORPORATED, CHINA FIRST PTY LTD, ANSETT AUSTRALIA HOLDINGS LIMITED, NATIONAL TEXTILES LIMITED

Gas controls raise world LNG prices

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Original article by Angela Macdonald-Smith, Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 4-Oct-17

The Federal Government has signed a heads of agreement with Origin Energy, Santo and Shell that will avoid the need for it to impose LNG export controls. The LNG producers have committed to supplying sufficient gas to the domestic market to meet expected shortfalls in 2018 and 2019. The agreement also makes provision for any gas that is surplus to their contractual requirements to be offered to the domestic market first. Meanwhile, speculation that Australia’s LNG exports will be curbed has prompted a sharp rise in spot prices in North Asia in recent weeks.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, ORIGIN ENERGY LIMITED – ASX ORG, SANTOS LIMITED – ASX STO, SHELL COMPANY OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN PETROLEUM PRODUCTION AND EXPLORATION ASSOCIATION LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA PACIFIC LNG LIMITED, GLADSTONE LNG PTY LTD, WOOD MACKENZIE, JP MORGAN AUSTRALIA LIMITED

Rio Tinto backs China on ETS

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Original article by Angus Grigg, Ben Potter, Lisa Murray
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 4-Oct-17

Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg says China’s plans to implement an emissions trading scheme before the end of 2017 will not affect the Australian Government’s stance on climate policy and emissions trading. Rio Tinto’s head of environment and climate change, Matthew Bateson, has welcomed China’s announcement. He notes that it would send a "strong message" to other nations if China takes the lead on climate change, adding that the world is moving away from coal as a source of power.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE CHIEF SCIENTIST, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, GLENCORE PLC