O75 Public Administration

Tribunal driven onto fast track to oblivion

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Original article by Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 6 : 19-Apr-16

The Australasian Convenience & Petroleum Marketers Association has welcomed the Senate’s passing of legislation to abolish the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal. The Australian Labor Party, which had established the tribunal in 2012, opposed its abolition, but the legislation was narrowly passed with the support of crossbench senators. The Federal Government intends to provide the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator with an additional $A4m in annual funding for safety initiatives in the trucking industry.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. ROAD SAFETY REMUNERATION TRIBUNAL, AUSTRALASIAN CONVENIENCE AND PETROLEUM MARKETERS ASSOCIATION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. NATIONAL HEAVY VEHICLE REGULATOR, TRANSPORT WORKERS’ UNION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INFRASTRUCTURE AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT

PM rolls DD poll dice

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Original article by David Crowe
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 19-Apr-16

The Senate’s rejection of a bill to reinstate the Australian Building & Construction Commission means a double-dissolution election on 2 July 2016 is almost certain. However, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is unlikely to seek the dissolution of Parliament until after the Budget is handed down on 3 May. Four of the crossbench senators voted against the ABCC bill, which was defeated by just two votes. Meanwhile, both houses of parliament have passed legislation to abolish the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. ROAD SAFETY REMUNERATION TRIBUNAL, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF DEFENCE, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, NEWSPOLL

Brexit would be ‘regrettable for Australia’

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Original article by James Chessell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 2 : 18-Apr-16

BHP Billiton CEO Andrew Mackenzie says there would be few implications for the resources giant if the UK votes to leave the European Union. However, he warns that it would deter future Australian companies from listing on the London stock exchange, as they would not have the same level of access to the broader European market. Rio Tinto chairman Jan du Plessis also believes that the UK should remain in the European Union. The referendum will be held on 23 June 2016.

CORPORATES
BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE

CFMEU fights Lendlease to fly flags

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 15-Apr-16

The removal of union flags from cranes at Lend Lease’s apartment project in Brisbane has triggered a strike by construction workers. Lawyers for the Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union argued before the Fair Work Commission that Lend Lease’s action was an attack on "a workplace right", but the commission rejected this argument and ordered workers to return to work.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, LEND LEASE GROUP LIMITED – ASX LLC, MASTER BUILDERS OF AUSTRALIA, BUILDERS’ LABOURERS, PAINTERS’ AND PLASTERERS’ UNION, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION

Spending and taxing failures risk AAA: Moody’s

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Original article by Jacob Greber
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 15-Apr-16

Ratings agency Moody’s expects Australia’s debt to rise to about 38 per cent of GDP, compared with 35 per cent at present. Moody’s analyst Marie Diron notes that this has risen from just 11.6 per cent over the last decade, while the debt of other countries with a triple-A credit rating has averaged 41 per cent over this period. Diron adds that the Federal Government is unlikely to return the Budget to surplus by 2021 unless there is an increase in taxes.

CORPORATES
MOODY’S INVESTORS SERVICE INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Axe state governments, says Freelancer’s Barrie

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Original article by Misa Han
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 12 : 15-Apr-16

Freelancer CEO Matt Barrie is a radical thinker. He shared his views on a number of topics with the audience at the Knowledge Nation summit on 14 April 2016. He said Australia’s state governments should be abolished because the current federal system encourages regulatory duplication, populism and bureaucratic excesses. He also advocated adding more technology subjects to the school curriculum.

CORPORATES
FREELANCER LIMITED – ASX FLN

Doubts over iron ore boost to budget

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Original article by David Uren
The Australian – Page: 4 : 14-Apr-16

The Treasury has estimated that each $US10 rise or fall in the iron ore price has a $A6.5bn impact on government revenue over two years. The spot price of iron ore is trading at close to $US60/per tonne. The Budget bottom-line would be bolstered by around $A14.3bn over two years if the recent price gains are sustained. Justin Smirk of Westpac warns this is not certain, noting that global supply will be boosted by new mines, while some mothballed mines may resume production.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC

Toll joins chorus to kill off truckies tribunal

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 14-Apr-16

Australian logistics group Toll Holdings supports the Federal Government’s push to abolish the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal. A spokesman says the company has had concerns about the RSRT since it was first proposed in 2010 and notes that Toll deals with many owner-drivers, who will be affected by the "safe rates" regime. Meanwhile, crossbench senator John Madigan has indicated that he may vote in favour of legislation to scrap the RSRT.

CORPORATES
TOLL HOLDINGS LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. ROAD SAFETY REMUNERATION TRIBUNAL, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. NATIONAL HEAVY VEHICLE REGULATOR, LINFOX PROPERTIES, TRANSPORT WORKERS’ UNION, NATROAD LIMITED

Charities caught in staff pay inquiry

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Original article by Elizabeth Colman, Kylar Loussikian
The Australian – Page: 3 : 14-Apr-16

The Fair Work Ombudsman will investigate the underpayment of staff at call-centre operator MonDial Telephone Fundraising. The Sydney-based company, which is used by charities such as Greenpeace and Oxfam in their fund-raising activities, has conceded that its staff were not paid award rates. Tim Gunstone of the National Union of Workers says charities must ensure that third parties which provide fundraising support services do not exploit their employees. The NUW is keen for the for-profit charitable fundraising sector to be unionised.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK OMBUDSMAN, MONDIAL TELEPHONE FUNDRAISING, NATIONAL UNION OF WORKERS, GREENPEACE, OXFAM, AUSTRALIAN MARINE CONSERVATION SOCIETY INCORPORATED, THE WILDERNESS SOCIETY, UNITED NATIONS. INTERNATIONAL CHILDRENS’ EMERGENCY FUND

Budget cuts needed for AAA: JPMorgan

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Original article by Jacob Greber
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 2 : 14-Apr-16

Australia’s credit rating has not been downgraded since 1986, but Sally Auld of JP Morgan warns that the nation’s Budget deficit, national debt and current account deficit are now at similar or higher levels. She says Australia’s coveted triple-A credit rating may be at risk unless the May 2016 Budget includes additional reductions in government expenditure. Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund says export-focused countries must reduce government spending in anticipation that commodity prices will remain low for some time.

CORPORATES
JP MORGAN AUSTRALIA LIMITED, INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC