O75 Public Administration

Gonski win looms after $5bn deals

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Original article by Stefanie Balogh, Simon Benson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 22-Jun-17

The Australian Government has agreed to increase the value of its schools funding package from $A18.5bn to $A23.5bn to get it through the Senate. The upper house is tipped to vote on the revised package on 22 June, and the Government will need the support of at least 10 crossbenchers. However, Catholic Education Melbourne executive director Stephen Elder says Catholic schools will continue to be disadvantaged under the proposed funding model. The Catholic education sector intends to campaign against the Government in the lead-up to the next federal election.

CORPORATES
CATHOLIC EDUCATION MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING, NICK XENOPHON TEAM, ONE NATION PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN EDUCATION UNION

Rogue unionists could be banned

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 22-Jun-17

The Australian Government will seek to ban officials of registered organisations such as unions from holding office if they repeatedly break the law. The proposed legislative reforms will also enable courts to deregister organisations that have become "dysfunctional". The move follows comments by Construction, Forestry Mining & Energy Union official John Setka about targeting Australian Building & Construction Commission inspectors in their private lives. His comments have been condemned by the Opposition.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE

SA eyes windfall from land title registry sale

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Original article by Simon Evans
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 10 : 22-Jun-17

The South Australian Government is tipped to raise about $A500m from the privatisation of its land titles office. The final bidders are said to include Hastings Funds Management and First State Super, which paid $A2.6bn for the New South Wales land titles office earlier in 2017. Meanwhile, SA Treasurer Tom Koutsantonis says he will deliver a traditional Labor Budget on 22 June. Measures will include investment in infrastructure, further small business payroll tax discounts and an increase in the Job Accelerator Grant.

CORPORATES
SOUTH AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF TREASURY AND FINANCE, SOUTH AUSTRALIA. LAND TITLES OFFICE, HASTINGS FUNDS MANAGEMENT LIMITED, FIRST STATE SUPER, NEW SOUTH WALES. LAND TITLES OFFICE, COMPUTERSHARE LIMITED – ASX CPU, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, SOUTH AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET, LIBERAL PARTY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA

RBA worries property could spark downturn

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Original article by Jacob Greber
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 2 : 21-Jun-17

The minutes of the Reserve Bank’s June 2017 monetary policy meeting show that board members are concerned about the potential impact of rising household debt and residential property prices on economic growth. Concerns were also raised that financial stability could be undermined by record low interest rates. Board members also stressed the need for continued co-operation between the central bank and other regulatory agencies, such as the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority.

CORPORATES
RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY, COUNCIL OF FINANCIAL REGULATORS, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD

Union leaders praise McManus, urge workers to break laws

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 8 : 21-Jun-17

The militant Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union organised stop-work rallies for building workers across Australia on 20 June 2017. The CFMEU’s Victorian secretary John Setka told a 20,000-strong audience in Melbourne that the union will actively target Australian Building & Construction Commission inspectors in their private lives. In Sydney, the Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union’s New South Wales secretary Tim Ayres backed calls by ACTU secretary Sally McManus to ignore laws that are unjust.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURING WORKERS’ UNION, ACTU, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, MASTER BUILDERS AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, MARITIME UNION OF AUSTRALIA, BORAL LIMITED – ASX BLD

ANZ-Roy Morgan Australian Consumer Confidence stability masks volatility in the sub-indices – down 0.5pts to 112.4

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 21-Jun-17

ANZ-Roy Morgan Australian Consumer Confidence fell 0.4 per cent to 112.4 in the week ended 18 June 2017. Broadly, though, confidence has recovered from the mid-May low. That said, there continues to be significant volatility between sub-indices. Households’ expectations of current economic conditions edged up 0.6%, after a 5.2% decline the previous week. However, households’ confidence in future economic conditions rose 2.8%, more than offsetting the 2.6% fall in the previous week. Meanwhile, households’ views around current financial conditions dropped 8.1%, unwinding most of the 9.4% jump in the previous week. Views towards future conditions edged up 0.2%. This sub-index is at its highest point in seven weeks.

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

National crosses floor to save penalty rates

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Original article by Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 4 : 21-Jun-17

The Australian Labor Party’s proposed change to the Fair Work Amendment bill has been defeated by one vote in the House of Representatives. Labor had sought to use legislation to overturn the Fair Work Commission’s decision to reduce weekend penalty rates for employees in the retail and hospitality sector. The Labor amendment was defeated 73-72 after Coalition backbencher George Christensen voted with the Opposition.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, LIBERAL-NATIONAL PARTY OF QUEENSLAND

Morrison bank levy gets over the line

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Original article by Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 4 : 20-Jun-17

The Senate has passed a bill to impose a levy on the nation’s five largest banks, after the Australian Labor Party voted for it. However, One Nation opposed the levy, with Senator Brian Burston describing it as a "lazy, ugly, cheap solution". The Senate’s eco­nomics legislation committee has recommended that the levy should be reviewed within two years. Australian Bankers’ Association CEO Anna Bligh says any future review should consider adding a sunset clause to the legislation, but this has been ruled out by Treasurer Scott Morrison.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ONE NATION PARTY, AUSTRALIAN BANKERS’ ASSOCIATION, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

PM urged to decide on Finkel

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Original article by Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 5 : 20-Jun-17

Council of Small Business of Australia CEO Peter Strong says many firms in the sector will collapse and jobs will be lost unless the Federal Government acts quickly on the Finkel review’s recommendations on energy policy. He says the Council of Australian Governments should hold an emergency meeting to discuss the findings of the review. Strong will release COSBOA’s energy policy on 20 June. The Small Business & Family Enterprise Ombudsman, Kate Carnell, has called for bipartisan political support for action on energy security.

CORPORATES
COUNCIL OF SMALL BUSINESS ORGANISATIONS OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE AUSTRALIAN SMALL BUSINESS AND FAMILY ENTERPRISE OMBUDSMAN, COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENTS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE CHIEF SCIENTIST

Online GST reprieve till next year

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Original article by Rachel Baxendale
The Australian – Page: 5 : 20-Jun-17

The application of the goods and services tax to imported goods that cost less than $A1,000 has been delayed by 12 months, and will now take effect as from 1 July 2018. The measure has been welcomed by Australian retailers such as Harvey Norman, but slammed by online retail providers such as EBay and Amazon, which have threatened to prevent Australian consumers from using their portals if they were compelled to collect the GST.

CORPORATES
HARVEY NORMAN HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX HVN, EBAY INCORPORATED, AMAZON.COM INCORPORATED, ETSY INCORPORATED, ALIBABA.COM CORPORATION, DHL CORPORATION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION