O75 Public Administration

Flexible labour laws saved jobs, says RBA

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 28-Sep-16

The Reserve Bank of Australia has released a discussion paper which concludes that labour market reforms such as putting a greater emphasis on enterprise bargaining may have reduced the impact of recent downturns in the economy. The paper’s authors suggest that more flexible workplace laws may have encouraged companies to reduce employees’ working hours in response to weaker economic growth – such as during the global financial crisis – instead of retrenching staff.

CORPORATES
RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Senate urged to pass tax reforms

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Original article by Annabel Hepworth
The Australian – Page: 19 & 23 : 28-Sep-16

The Federal Government’s bill to progressively reduce the company tax rate is being scrutinised by a Senate committee. The Business Council of Australia has used its submission to argue the case for Parliament to pass all of the tax reforms rather than restricting tax cuts to the small business sector. The Minerals Council of Australia and the Australian Industry Group also favour implementing the tax cuts in full, although the latter concedes that providing tax relief to small businesses would be better than having the entire bill reject by Parliament.

CORPORATES
BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, MINERALS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, ACTU, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT

TPP to tackle protectionism

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Original article by Annabel Hepworth
The Australian – Page: 2 : 27-Sep-16

Two federal parliament committees are examining the proposed 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership. Andrew Hudson of the Export Council of Australia has told the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties that Australia must ratify the trade agreement, as failure to do so would bolster the protectionist movement, which he noted is gaining support in many parts of the world. However, the Electrical Trades Union has argued against ratifying the trade deal.

CORPORATES
TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP, EXPORT COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. JOINT STANDING COMMITTEE ON TREATIES, ELECTRICAL TRADES UNION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION, GROUP OF TWENTY (G-20), FOOD AND BEVERAGE IMPORTERS ASSOCIATION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IN AUSTRALIA

Melbourne Lord Mayor Robert Doyle to take on ‘unholy alliance’ of opponents

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Original article by John Masanauskas
Herald Sun – Page: Online : 27-Sep-16

Team Morgan, Team Melbourne, the Greens and Phil Cleary have secured preference deals with each other in the lead-up to the Melbourne City Council election in October 2016. Lord Mayor Robert Doyle is seeking a record third term, and Team Doyle member Nick Reece says Melbourne could become "clown hall" if Doyle is defeated. However, lord mayoral candidate Gary Morgan says Melbourne is already "clown hall" under Doyle. The pollster argues that Doyle is not a suitable person to be lord mayor, noting that there are conflict of interest issues with Team Doyle.

CORPORATES
MELBOURNE CITY COUNCIL, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, PACIFIC BRANDS LIMITED

Labor says bank profits are too high

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Original article by Joanna Mather, Jonathan Shapiro
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 2 : 27-Sep-16

The profits of Australia’s four major banks will come under scrutiny when their CEOs front a parliamentary committee in early October 2016. Pat Conroy, an Australian Labor Party member of the committee, will seek an explanation for the banks’ high return on equity compared with their international peers. He notes that there has not been an influx of foreign banks despite the local industry’s high level of profitability. Labor and the Greens favour a royal commission into the banking sector.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES STANDING COMMITTEE ON ECONOMICS, FINANCE AND PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ

Big business carries hefty burden as world moves to reform tax structures

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Original article by David Uren
The Australian – Page: 4 : 27-Sep-16

A new report shows that company tax revenue accounts for 4.9 per cent of Australia’s GDP, compared with an average of just 2.9 per cent among OECD nations. The report also notes that 28 OECD countries have a company tax rate that is lower than Australia’s 30 per cent rate, compared with just 12 when the current tax rate was introduced in 2000. In addition, the average company tax rate among OECD member nations is now 24.7 per cent, down from 31.6 per cent in 2000.

CORPORATES
ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ACTU

‘Footy Friday’ a $1bn hit for firms

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 3 : 27-Sep-16

An Australian Industry Group survey has found that the Victorian Government’s Australian Football League grand final eve public holiday will cost respondents an average of $A16,000 in revenue. PricewaterhouseCoopers has previously estimated that the total cost of the public holiday across the state economy would be between $A717 million and $A898m each year, while the increased wages bill would cost employers up to $A286m a year. Hazeldene’s Chicken estimates that public holiday penalty rates will increase its wages bill by around $A195,000.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS AUSTRALIA (INTERNATIONAL) PTY LTD, HAZELDENE’S CHICKEN FARM PTY LTD, COLES SUPERMARKETS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, ALDI STORES SUPERMARKETS PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Hazelwood closure set to push up prices

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Original article by Mark Ludlow
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 26-Sep-16

France-based Engie could make a final decision on the mooted closure of Victoria’s Hazelwood coal-fired power station in October 2016. Some media reports have suggested that the power plant could be shut down in April 2017, but Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio says no decision has been made. Tony Wood of the Grattan Institute says the brown coal plant’s closure would result in higher electricity prices, while Federal Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg has questioned the need for states to have their own renewable energy targets.

CORPORATES
ENGIE SA, VICTORIA. DEPT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, JOBS, TRANSPORT AND RESOURCES, GRATTAN INSTITUTE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND SCIENCE, COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENTS, AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY. CENTRE FOR CLIMATE ECONOMICS AND POLICY

Euthanasia reform: ‘Go softly or law will fail’

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Original article by Paige Taylor, Greg Brown
The Australian – Page: 5 : 26-Sep-16

The Victorian Government may seek to legalise physician-assisted suicide, but Health Minister Jill Hennessy stresses that any such laws must reflect the views of the general public rather than euthanasia activists. A parliamentary committee has recommended that euthanasia should be restricted to people with terminal and incurable medical conditions.

CORPORATES
VICTORIA. DEPT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIAN SEX PARTY, DOCTORS FOR VOLUNTARY EUTHANASIA CHOICE

Unis need big shakeup: Labor elder

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Original article by Tim Dodd
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 8 : 26-Sep-16

Former federal education minister John Dawkins says his 1987 higher education reforms are no longer relevant and the sector needs a new reform process. Amongst other things, Dawkins has proposed the deregulation of fees, arguing that universities should not have to charge the same fees for courses that are not comparable. He has also urged greater competition in the sector and urged the Australian Labor Party to co-operate with the Coalition on higher education reform.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, THE GROUP OF EIGHT LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING