O75 Public Administration

Morrison puts $31bn price on Labor tax

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Original article by Simon Benson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 31-Aug-17

Federal Treasurer Scott Morrison will use his annual Bloomberg address to highlight the economic impact of the Opposition’s tax policy. He will argue that the tax take would increase by $A31bn a year under a Labor government, as the tax-to-GDP ratio would rise to 25.7 per cent. The Coalition aims to maintain the tax-to-GDP ratio at 23.7 per cent. Morrison will also call for a greater focus on health and education as a key driver of growth in productivity.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, BLOOMBERG LP, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE

GST sparks WA secession push

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Original article by Andrew Burrell
The Australian – Page: 2 : 31-Aug-17

The Liberal Party of Western Australia’s 2017 conference will be presented with a motion for the state to secede from Australia and become an independent state within the commonwealth. The motion has been prompted by growing unrest in WA over the distribution of goods and services tax revenue. Under the current funding arrangement, WA receives just $A0.34 out of every dollar that the GST raises in the state. The Federal Government has yet to implement a "floor" for the distribution of GST revenue, which was announced at the 2016 state conference.

CORPORATES
LIBERAL PARTY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, LIBERAL STUDENTS ASSOCIATION OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA

New coal power flashpoint for PM

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Original article by David Crowe
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 31-Aug-17

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull recently ruled out government funding for the construction of high-energy, low-emissions coal-fired power plants. However, he has now given indications that such a project could potentially receive a government loan via the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility. Some Coalition MPs are advocating the continued use of coal as part of Australia’s energy mix, as the Government prepares to decide its stance on a proposed clean energy target.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, NATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE FINANCE FACILITY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, LIBERAL-NATIONAL PARTY OF QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIAN ENERGY MARKET OPERATOR LIMITED, ENERGYAUSTRALIA PTY LTD, ORIGIN ENERGY LIMITED – ASX ORG, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE CHIEF SCIENTIST

Labor ‘hypocrisy’ exposed on penalty rates: Ferguson

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 4 : 31-Aug-17

Tourism Accommodation Australia chairman Martin Ferguson has criticised the Australian Labor Party and the ACTU over their stance on penalty rates. He has accused them of "hypocrisy and dishonesty" for continuing to oppose penalty rate cuts in the wake of revelations that the Shop, Distributive & Allied Employees’ Association has struck deals with large companies to trade-off Sunday penalty rates in return for higher base wages. Ferguson is a former president of the ACTU.

CORPORATES
TOURISM ACCOMMODATION AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ACTU, SHOP, DISTRIBUTIVE AND ALLIED EMPLOYEES’ ASSOCIATION, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, NICK XENOPHON TEAM

Fix it and get back to economy, says BCA

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Original article by Andrew White
The Australian – Page: 4 : 30-Aug-17

Business Council of Australia CEO Jennifer Westacott has urged Parliament to resolve the standoff over marriage equality quickly in order to focus on economic policy. Westacott says the Federal Government must agree to a conscience vote if the majority of Australians support legalising same-sex marriage in the postal plebiscite. She has also criticised the "anti-business agenda" of Opposition Leader Bill Shorten regarding tax cuts for smaller companies and the taxation of trusts.

CORPORATES
BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN

Union deals cut Sunday pay rates

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 30-Aug-17

The Shop Distributive & Allied Employees’ Association and United Voice have struck enterprise bargaining agreements with major employers that either abolish Sunday penalty rates or feature rates that are lower than the industry award. The EBAs cover some 410.000 employees of companies such as Bunnings, McDonald’s, KFC, David Jones and Big W. The EBAs of several large hotel chains also do not include Sunday penalty rates. However, all of the EBAs that were analysed by the Department of Employment trade off penalty rates in return for higher base hourly wage rates.

CORPORATES
SHOP, DISTRIBUTIVE AND ALLIED EMPLOYEES’ ASSOCIATION, UNITED VOICE, BUNNINGS GROUP LIMITED, McDONALD’S AUSTRALIA LIMITED, KFC, DAVID JONES LIMITED, BIG W DISCOUNT STORES, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, COLES SUPERMARKETS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, PIZZA HUT AUSTRALIA, DAN MURPHY’S, THE REJECT SHOP LIMITED – ASX TRS, PROUDS JEWELLERS PTY LTD, IKEA TRADING PTY LTD, PRICELINE PTY LTD, INTER-CONTINENTAL HOTELS GROUP, SHERATON MIRAGE GOLD COAST HOTEL, LANGHAM HOTELS INTERNATIONAL, PARK ROYAL HOLDINGS PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ACTU, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, GRILL’D PTY LTD, ESTEE LAUDER PTY LTD, SUPER RETAIL GROUP LIMITED – ASX SUL, RACV CLUBS AND RESORTS, UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE

ANZ-Roy Morgan Australian Consumer Confidence: volatility reigns

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 30-Aug-17

ANZ-Roy Morgan Australian Consumer Confidence rose 3.9% to 113.5 in the week ended 27 August 2017, after three straight weekly falls. Sentiment rose across the board, with views towards personal finances showing a particularly solid improvement. Households’ views towards current financial conditions bounced 4.7%, more than reversing the 4.1% fall over the previous two weeks and bringing the index to an 11-week high. Similarly, sentiment around future financial conditions rose a solid 6.4%, following a 5.3% decline in the previous week. Consumers’ views towards current and future economic conditions rose 5.6% and 2.2% respectively. Despite these gains, views toward both current and future economic conditions are well below long-run averages.

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

Union staff apply to go on strike

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Original article by Matthew Stevens
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 28 : 30-Aug-17

The Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union is facing industrial action by clerical and administration employees at the head office of its mining and energy division in Queensland. About 15 members of the Australian Services Union are seeking an annual pay rise of 1.5 per cent as part of enterprise agreement negotiations. The existing agreement expired six months ago, and the staff are seeking approval to undertake protected industrial action. The pay claim has coincided with the CFMEU’s industrial dispute with coal miner Glencore.

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

Super non-payment drops to $2.8 billion, says ATO

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Original article by Joanna Mather
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 29-Aug-17

The Australian Taxation Office estimates that workers are missing out on around $A2.85 billion worth of superannuation payments each year. The ATO contends that the gap between what workers should receive under the superannuation guarantee rules and what they have actually received is due to factors such as unscrupulous employers and firms going into liquidation. Its figure is significantly lower than the $A5.6 billion estimated by Industry Super Australia. The Senate Economics Committee recently called for greater fines for employers found not to be complying with superannuation guarantee rules.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, INDUSTRY SUPER AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. SENATE STANDING COMMITTEE ON ECONOMICS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE

Union chief avoids police action over ‘threats’

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 8 : 25-Aug-17

The Construction, Forestry Mining & Energy Union has welcomed the Australian Federal Police’s decision not to pursue an investigation against Victorian state secretary John Setka. Federal Employment Minister Michaelia Cash had asked the AFP to investigate alleged threats made by Setka against Australian Building & Construction Commission staff at a rally in June. A spokesperson for Cash has reiterated her concern about the tone of Setka’s comments.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LAING O’ROURKE AUSTRALIA CONSTRUCTION PTY LTD, BORAL LIMITED – ASX BLD, DE MARTIN AND GASPARINI PTY LTD, PROBUILD CONSTRUCTIONS (VICTORIA) PTY LTD, THE MASTER BUILDERS ASSOCIATION OF VICTORIA