O75 Public Administration

States fear hospital funding clawback

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Original article by Sean Parnell
The Australian – Page: 6 : 4-Aug-17

Victorian Health Minister Jill Hennessy claims that the Federal Government is trying to effectively recoup hundreds of millions of dollars of health funding that has already been spent by the states. Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt has asked the Independent Hospital Pricing Authority to review previous state health spending activity before the Federal Government enters into the next hospital funding arrangement with the states. Hunt says there are some abnormalities in health spending by state Labor governments that are of concern to him.

CORPORATES
VICTORIA. DEPT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HEALTH, AUSTRALIA. INDEPENDENT HOSPITAL PRICING AUTHORITY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENTS, QUEENSLAND HEALTH

Unlawful strikes cost ‘woeful’ CFMEU $300,000

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 7 : 4-Aug-17

The Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union has been ordered to pay $A300,000 in fines arising from unprotected strike action at three Queensland building sites in May 2011. The Federal Court described the CFMEU as a "recidivist" with a long history of failing to comply with workplace laws. The Communications, Electrical & Plumbing Union has been fined $A130,000 for participating in the unlawful strike action, and the court noted that it has a better record of complying with workplace laws than the CFMEU.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, COMMUNICATIONS, ELECTRICAL, ELECTRONIC, ENERGY, INFORMATION, POSTAL, PLUMBING AND ALLIED SERVICES UNION OF AUSTRALIA, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

PM demands power chiefs act on prices

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

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has requested that the heads of Australia’s main electricity retailers attend a meeting with him in the week beginning 7 August. Turnbull will tell them that the Federal Government wants retailers to provide customers with greater detail about how their power costs are incurred, so as to help them to reduce their expenses by either changing plans or retailer. A recent report from St Vincent de Paul concluded that the average Victorian power customer could save $A830 a year on electricity costs by changing from the most expensive plan to the least expensive one.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN ENERGY COUNCIL, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN ENERGY MARKET COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN ENERGY REGULATOR, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AGL ENERGY LIMITED – ASX AGL, ENERGYAUSTRALIA PTY LTD, ORIGIN ENERGY LIMITED – ASX ORG, SNOWY HYDRO LIMITED, MOMENTUM ENERGY PTY LTD, ALINTA ENERGY (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, SIMPLY ENERGY, ST VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY

China’s nuclear menace triggers call for missile defence shield

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Original article by Simon Benson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 9 : 4-Aug-17

Alan Shearer of the US Center for Strategic & International Studies has called for Australia to develop a continental missile defence shield, to combat both possible conventional and nuclear attacks from China. Shearer, who previously advised on defence matters to former Coalition prime ministers John Howard and Tony Abbott, says China has up to 100 intercontinental ballistic missiles with the capacity to reach Australia. Former Labor Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said in July 2017 that Australia should develop a missile defence shield.

CORPORATES
CENTER FOR STRATEGIC AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, CENTER FOR STRATEGIC AND BUDGETARY ASSESSMENTS, AUSTRALIAN STRATEGIC POLICY INSTITUTE LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS LIMITED

Australian Inflation Expectations up to 4.3% in July

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 4-Aug-17

Australians aged +14 expect inflation of 4.3% per year over the next two years, according to the Roy Morgan Inflation Expectations Index for July 2017. This is up 0.1% in a month, and inflation expectations are up 0.2% from a year ago in July 2016. However, despite the recent uptick, Australian inflation expectations remain well below average inflation expectations over the last seven years of 5.1%. Analysis by State shows that inflation expectations are highest in South Australia at 4.6%, closely followed by New South Wales and Victoria, both at 4.5%. Inflation expectations in Australia’s other States were below the national average: Queensland and Tasmania both at 4.1% and Western Australia at 3.5%.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED

Accuracy doubt on uni rape research

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Original article by Ean Higgins
The Australian – Page: 6 : 3-Aug-17

Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins says Roy Morgan Research has confirmed that the results of a survey on sexual assault at Australian universities are statistically valid. Roy Morgan undertook the survey on behalf of the Australian Human Rights Commission. Jenkins adds that an independent expert has reviewed the survey methodology and data. The survey found that 1.6 per cent of respondents had been sexually assaulted at university and 26 per cent had been sexually harassed.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. SEXUAL DISCRIMINATION COMMISSION, ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION

Labor to re-arm unions in inequality fightback

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Original article by Andrew Tillett
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 5 : 3-Aug-17

The Opposition’s industrial relations spokesman Brendan O’Connor has flagged a greater role for unions in enterprise agreement negotiations if the Australian Labor Party wins the next federal election. He has used a Sydney Institute speech to argue that employers now have too much bargaining power in wage negotiations, and noted that there has been a marked shift toward industrial award at the expense of collective agreements since 2008. He also questioned the effectiveness of the Fair Work Act and whether the Fair Work Commission’s powers are sufficient.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, SYDNEY INSTITUTE, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE

Cut power prices or ‘firms will go bust’

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Original article by Matt Chambers, Paul Garvey
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 3-Aug-17

Glencore executive Peter Freyberg has called for a national energy policy that exempts heavy industry from carbon emission targets. He has warned that government intervention is needed to ensure that the rising cost of electricity does not make such industries economically unviable in Australia. Amongst other things, Freyberg says federal and state renewable energy targets should be scrapped, while he has questioned whether a clean energy target – as recommended by the Finkel review – would be sufficient to combat climate change without other measures.

CORPORATES
GLENCORE PLC, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENTS, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE CHIEF SCIENTIST, MANUFACTURING AUSTRALIA LIMITED, BLUESCOPE STEEL LIMITED – ASX BSL, BRICKWORKS LIMITED – ASX BKW, CSR LIMITED – ASX CSR, RHEEM AUSTRALIA LIMITED, DULUXGROUP LIMITED – ASX DLX, INCITEC PIVOT LIMITED – ASX IPL, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO

Nation ‘more equal than the 70s’

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Original article by Rachel Baxendale, David Uren
The Australian – Page: 2 : 3-Aug-17

The Melbourne Institute’s Roger Wilkins has disputed claims by Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten than inequality in Australia is at its highest level in 75 years. Professor Wilkins is the author of the Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) study, which found that average living standards across all income groups have increased since the annual survey began in 2001. He suggests that equality in Australia is now higher than it was four decades ago.

CORPORATES
UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE. INSTITUTE OF APPLIED ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RESEARCH, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, GRATTAN INSTITUTE

Labor tax hike on trusts ‘risks hurting economy’

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Original article by Adam Creighton, Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 3-Aug-17

Former Commonwealth Bank chairman John Ralph says the Federal Opposition’s proposal to impose a tax rate of 30 per cent on the distributions of discretionar­y trusts appears to be aimed at increasing tax revenue. Ralph, who headed a business tax review in 1999, adds that taxing trusts at the same rate as companies could merely prompt growth in the use of alternative structures to reduce tax liability. He also says the measures – which Opposition Leader Bill Shorten claims are aimed at addressing the issue of inequality – will have an adverse effect on economic growth and Australia’s competitiveness.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE. INSTITUTE OF APPLIED ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RESEARCH, INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION