O75 Public Administration

Penalty rates plan for small business

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Original article by Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 2 : 10-Jul-17

A report from the Institute of Public Affairs argues that the reduction in Sunday penalty rates will make small businesses more competitive against larger rivals. The report proposes changes to the industrial relations system to allow employers and workers to negotiate their own penalty rates independently of the Fair Work Commission. The IPA also suggests that new businesses could adapt existing enterprise bargaining agreements rather than having to negotiate their own workplace deals.

CORPORATES
INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Turnbull tells China: rein in North Korea

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Original article by Simon Benson, Ean Higgins
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 10-Jul-17

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull had a private meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the Group of 20 summit in Germany. Turnbull urged China to exert its influence on North Korea amid growing tensions over its missile program. Meanwhile, Turnbull has expressed disappointment that the G20’s final communique did not include a statement on North Korea, despite "unanimous condemnation" of the North Korean regime among G20 member nations. US policy on climate change was also reflected in the communique, which did not have a unanimous position on the issue.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, GROUP OF TWENTY (G-20), UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, AUSTRALIAN STRATEGIC POLICY INSTITUTE LIMITED, GREAT BRITAIN. OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DCNS SA

PM wins steel deal from Trump

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 8 : 10-Jul-17

The Group of 20 summit’s final communique included a commitment to free trade and combating protectionism, although it also featured a clause on tariffs at the request of the US. Meanwhile, Prime Malcolm Turnbull and Finance Minister Mathias Cormann pushed for Australian steel and aluminium to be exempt from proposed US import tariffs in a series of meetings with US officials, including President Donald Trump. Australia has also agreed to finalise free trade agreements with Indonesia and the European Union by the end of 2017 and 2018 respectively.

CORPORATES
GROUP OF TWENTY (G-20), AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, UNITED STATES. DEPT OF COMMERCE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, BLUESCOPE STEEL LIMITED – ASX BSL, STEELSCAPE INCORPORATED, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO

It’s official: June employment is at a record high of 12,330,000

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 10-Jul-17

A Roy Morgan survey on unemployment and under-employment shows that the total Australian workforce was a record 13,530,000 in June 2017 (up 540,000 in 12 months) and employment grew to a record 12,330,000 (up a large 587,000). The number of Australians who were unemployed and looking for work was 1,200,000 (down 47,000), while 1.445 million were under-employed (10.7% of the workforce). A total of 2.645 million Australians (19.6% of the workforce) were looking for work or looking for more work. Australia’s real unemployment for June was 8.9%, compared with the official Australian Bureau of Statistics figure of 5.5% for May. Roy Morgan Research executive chairman Gary Morgan says June was the 21st straight month more than two million Australians have been looking for work or looking for more work and is a concern ahead of the imminent closure of the Australian automotive manufacturing industry in three months.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS

I was stooge for AWU: Blewitt

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Original article by Paige Taylor
The Australian – Page: 6 : 7-Jul-17

Former Australian Workers’ Union official Ralph Blewitt has appeared in the Perth Magistrate’s Court to face 31 charges of fraud. The charges relate to his alleged involvement with the AWU Workplace Reform Association in the 1990s. The Association was set up by then AWU senior official Bruce Wilson, who received legal advice from former prime minister Julia Gillard on its establishment. Blewitt said after his court appearance that the charges relate to monies of over $A300,000 linked to the fund. He claims that he was just the fund’s "bagman", and that he was set up to be the "fall guy".

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION-FEDERATION OF INDUSTRIAL, MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING EMPLOYEES, PERTH MAGISTRATE’S COURT, AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION – WORKPLACE REFORM ASSOCIATION INCORPORATED, SLATER AND GORDON LIMITED – ASX SGH

PM: our economy up with the best

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Original article by Simon Benson
The Australian – Page: 8 : 7-Jul-17

The Australian Government expects real GDP growth of three per cent in 2018, according to documents on its economic agenda that have been submitted to the Group of 20 leaders’ summit. The document makes mention of the Government’s education package, but omits any reference to its bank levy. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said prior to leaving for Germany to attend the summit that energy policy, combatting terrorism and economic reform ae among the topics he is hoping to see discussed at the meeting.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, GROUP OF TWENTY (G-20)

Disgruntled Libs line up to hear Bernardi

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Original article by Brad Norington
The Australian – Page: 2 : 7-Jul-17

Peter Wells, the former secretary of the Liberal Party’s Roseville branch, is keen for Liberal defector Cory Bernardi to speak to its members on the issue of "Is the Party Over?". Wells, who says he is disenchanted with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and does not to intend to renew his membership of the party, contends that Turnbull’s government has undermined many traditional conservative values. The policies to which Wells objects include the bank tax and the schools funding package.

CORPORATES
LIBERAL PARTY OF NEW SOUTH WALES, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, SYDNEY

Spitting chips: workers accuse potato giant of ‘wage theft’

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Original article by Anna Patty
The Age – Page: 4 : 6-Jul-17

The National Union of Workers has warned that extending the industrial award for farm workers to people who work in packing and storage sheds could result in wage cuts of up to eight per cent. Potato grower Mitolo Group has applied to the Fair Work Commission to have the scope of the Horticulture Award broadened to include non-farm gate workers, but the NUW argues that such staff should be covered by the Storage Services Award.

CORPORATES
MITOLO GROUP PTY LTD, NATIONAL UNION OF WORKERS, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP

Labor to embrace free-trade agenda

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Original article by Greg Sheridan
The Australian – Page: 5 : 6-Jul-17

The Australian Labor Party’s foreign affairs spokeswoman Penny Wong will warn against any push toward protectionist trade policies in a Lowy Institute speech on 6 July. Wong will stress Labor’s commitment to open trade and globalisation, arguing that trade barriers are not in the nation’s interests. She will also highlight the importance of Australia’s long-standing alliance with the US and the need to further strengthen the relationship between the two nations. Establishing closer ties with Asia will also be a feature of Labor’s foreign policy.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LOWY INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL POLICY

Alarm over ruling on casual staff

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 6-Jul-17

The Australian Retailers Association has warned that smaller retailers in particular will be hard hit by a ruling that some casual employees will be entitled to become permanent staff after 12 months’ employment. The Fair Work Commission’s ruling applies to casual employees who are covered by 85 industrial awards, although the FWC rejected the ACTU’s push for casual employees to be given working shifts of at least four hours. The FWC will allow employers to refuse to convert casual staff to permanent employees if they have reasonable grounds to do so.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN RETAILERS ASSOCIATION, ACTU, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP