Coalition declines more IR changes

Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 1-Jul-16

Cabinet secretary Arthur Sinodinos has indicated that the Coalition will consider the Productivity Commission’s recommendations on workplace reform if it wins the federal election. The Coalition has in the past expressed its intention to respond to the recommendations prior to the poll, but Sinodinos said the Coalition will consult with all interested parties before issuing a formal response. Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry CEO James Pearson says the business sector will continue to push for industrial relations reform.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. ROAD SAFETY REMUNERATION TRIBUNAL, ACTU

PM puts tax cuts on first day agenda

Original article by David Crowe
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 1-Jul-16

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says the Coalition is a united team and is committed to implementing its economic plan. In his last major speech of the election campaign, Turnbull identified tax cuts for employees and small businesses as the Coalition’s top priority if it is re-elected. Industrial relations will also be a priority, including legislation to reinstate the Australian Building & Construction Commission. Turnbull also emphasised that a strong economy is essential for the delivery of government services such as healthcare and education.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HUMAN SERVICES, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, IPSOS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, VICTORIA. COUNTRY FIRE AUTHORITY, NATIONAL PRESS CLUB (AUSTRALIA)

‘US has Trump, you’ve got me’: Hanson ready to rock the boat

Original article by Michael McKenna
The Australian – Page: 7 : 29-Jun-16

One Nation Leader Pauline Hanson has identified immigration and foreign investment as her key priorities if she is elected to the Senate on 2 July 2016. Hanson is confident of winning a Queensland seat in the Senate, and some public opinion polls suggest that she will be elected to the upper house two decades after she first made her present felt in the nation’s parliament. Hanson is critical of Coalition policies such as the national broadband network and the construction of a new submarine fleet, while she has reservations about the proposed company tax cuts.

CORPORATES
ONE NATION PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Coalition fuels Brexit sentiment: Shorten

Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 29-Jun-16

Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten gave a speech at the National Press Club on 28 June 2016. He warned that the Coalition’s policies will lead to the social discontent that has led to the UK’s vote to leave the European Union and the popularity of US presidential candidate Donald Trump. In particular, Shorten noted the Coalition’s plan to progressively scale back the company tax rate while reducing funding for health, education and welfare services. He added that the political and economic lesson from "Brexit" must not be ignored.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, NATIONAL PRESS CLUB (AUSTRALIA), LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

TNS and Opinium (& Boris Johnson) big winners out of UK’s ‘Brexit’ Referendum

Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Morgan Poll Update – Page: Online : 24-Jun-16

The majority of pollsters predicting the result of the UK’s referendum on whether to remain a member of the European Union got the result wrong with their final polls released in the week before the referendum. The final result shows that 51.9 per cent of Britons opted to leave the EU, while 48.1 per cent wanted to remain in the EU. This was a close result, but of the six polls released on the day before the referendum only two correctly predicted that the majority of Britons would vote for so-called ‘Brexit’. TNS and Opinium produced poll results of 51 per cent for Leave and 49 per cent for Remain when those who were undecided or not voting are excluded. Both of these polls were conducted online. Of the four polls that predicted a victory for Remain, two were conducted online and two were conducted via telephone. The final results of the referendum show that using a methodology that provides the most accurate possible measure of a population’s key demographics – which includes polling people who may not be easily reached by traditional polling methods such as the landline telephone – is the key to producing an accurate representation of the people’s feelings on a matter. Roy Morgan believes that its multi-mode polling methodology that utilises an addressed based probability sample including face-to-face interviewing, landline telephones and mobile telephones, and can incorporate online polling as well, is the best way to provide an accurate representation of how the population thinks about a given matter.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, TNS, OPINIUM

Developers will cut jobs if Labor wins

Original article by Michael Bleby
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 27-Jun-16

Research by the Urban Development Institute of Australia has found that the Federal Opposition’s proposed changes to the negative gearing regime would prompt many residential property developers to shed staff and build fewer homes. The survey also found that 72 per cent of respondents expect that rents would rise as a result of the changes to negative gearing, while more than 50 per cent expect that house prices would fall.

CORPORATES
URBAN DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, SQM RESEARCH PTY LTD, PROPERTY COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED, THE REAL ESTATE INSTITUTE OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED, STOCKLAND – ASX SGP, NATIONAL SHELTER

Find that extra faith as true believers: Shorten

Original article by Rosie Lewis
The Australian – Page: 7 : 27-Jun-16

The Australian Labor Party held its second federal campaign launch on 26 June 2016, on the same day that the Coalition officially launched its election campaign. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said the future of Medicare will be a key theme for Labor during the remainder of the election campaign, and he warned of the risks of re-electing a "divided" Coalition government.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HUMAN SERVICES. MEDICARE AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, QUEENSLAND. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET

PM’s Brexit pitch for stability

Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 27-Jun-16

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull officially launched the Coalition’s election campaign on 26 June 2016. He warned that voting for minor political parties could result in the Opposition forming a minority government, arguing that the economic and financial market uncertainty created by the UK’s vote to leave the European Union means the Coalition is best-placed to manage the Australian economy. Turnbull also announced some $A390m of new spending measures.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HUMAN SERVICES. MEDICARE AUSTRALIA

Cartel fines up $45.7m as ACCC bares teeth

Original article by Leo Shanahan
The Australian – Page: 21 : 24-Jun-16

The competition watchdog has become more active in pursuing companies engaged in uncompetitive behaviour. The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission has imposed fines of $A45.7 million in total for breaches of cartel and competition laws since January 2016. This figure is rather surprising, considering that the commission found no evidence of the same offences and issued no fines at all in calendar 2015.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, EGR PTY LTD, PALRAM AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AMPELITE, CEMENT AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

$123bil Green splurge

Original article by Annika Smethurst, Ellen Whinnett
Herald Sun – Page: 1 & 10 : 24-Jun-16

The Australian Greens have announced a range of election policies that will collectively cost some $A123bn. In contrast, the Coalition and the Australian Labor Party have respectively announced $A10.5bn and $A20bn worth of new spending measures during the election campaign. The Greens’ policies include an increase in the pension, which has been costed at $A10bn. The party also proposes the introduction of a tax on soft drinks, a new carbon tax, a tax on banks and a reduction in university fees. Greens leader Richard Di Natale says the policies will be funded via revenue measures and spending cuts.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA