O75 Public Administration

States resist Turnbull offer to tax incomes

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 31-Mar-16

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Treasurer Scott Morrison will discuss fiscal matters at a meeting with their state counterparts on 1 April 2016. Turnbull will propose a new intergovernmental taxation arrangement. The proposal includes a cut of about two percentage points in income tax rates and the introduction of an income tax surcharge by states and territories to compensate for the negative effects of the income tax cut on their tax revenues. The states are divided in their opinions on the proposal.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, SOUTH AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET, COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENTS, VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, NEW SOUTH WALES. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET, QUEENSLAND. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. NATIONAL COMMISSION OF AUDIT

Crossbenchers open to negotiate stricter IR laws

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 30-Mar-16

Seven of the eight crossbench senators say they are willing to hold talks with the Australian Government regarding its proposed industrial relations reforms. The Government requires the support of at least six crossbenchers for its reforms to be passed by the upper house. Senator Glenn Lazarus has indicated that he will support the bill to reinstate the Australian Building & Construction Commission provided its powers are broadened to cover other industries. Senator Jacqui Lambie is the only crossbencher to have ruled out negotiating with the Government.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS

Tax bracket creep to hit poorer half the hardest

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Original article by David Uren
The Australian – Page: 6 : 30-Mar-16

Economic modelling suggests that by 2020 so-called "bracket creep" is likely to wipe out Australian households’ gains from a series of tax cuts since 2004. The Australian Nat­ional University’s modelling indicates that unless the Federal Government’s May 2016 Budget includes income tax cuts, Australians on the lowest incomes may face the largest increase in their tax burden in the next four years. Treasurer Scott Morrison has ruled out personal income tax cuts.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY. CENTRE FOR SOCIAL RESEARCH, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Mining sector backs 20pc company rate

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

A report produced by Canadian academic Jack Mintz has concluded that Australia’s corporate tax rate is uncompetitive, and proposes a progressive reduction from 30 per cent to just 20 per cent. The report was commissioned by the Minerals Council of Australia. The Federal Government’s May 2016 Budget is widely tipped to include a reduction in the company tax rate.

CORPORATES
MINERALS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT

PM seeks deal to avoid DD election

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 29-Mar-16

The Australian Government requires the support of at least six crossbench senators for its industrial relations reforms to be passed by the upper house. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has asked Family First Party’s Bob Day to intervene and persuade the other crossbenchers to negotiate with the Government. Turnbull has indicated that he is willing to broaden the legislation to address corruption in sectors other than the construction industry in order to avert a double dissolution election.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, FAMILY FIRST PARTY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL, NEW SOUTH WALES. INDEPENDENT COMMISSION AGAINST CORRUPTION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Greens’ Brown praises Turnbull’s energy shift

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Original article by Rachel Baxendale
The Australian – Page: 1 & 7 : 24-Mar-16

The Australian Greens’ former leader Bob Brown has welcomed the decision of the Federal Government to retain the Clean Energy Finance Corporation. The current leader of the party, Richard Di Natale, is not impressed. He described Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s move as a "con job". The Australian Labor Party stressed that Turnbull has cut funding to the Australian Renewable Energy Agency by $A1.3 billion.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIA. CLEAN ENERGY FINANCE CORPORATION, CLEAN ENERGY INNOVATION FUND, AUSTRALIAN RENEWABLE ENERGY AGENCY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT

Voters missing full picture on ABCC

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 8 : 24-Mar-16

Voters are confused about the Federal Government’s plans to reinstate the Australian Building & Construction Commission. The Australian Labor Party opposes the creation of the ABCC, whose role would be limited to monitoring one industry sector. Yet when Labor was in power, former prime minister Julia Gillard argued at the ACTU Congress in Brisbane in 2009 that such a body was necessary. Her government subsequently established the Fair Work Building & Construction inspectorate.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, FAIR WORK BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE FAIR WORK BUILDING INDUSTRY INSPECTORATE, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, ACTU, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION

Coles boss wants enterprise law ‘rethink’

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Original article by Catie Low
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 63 : 24-Mar-16

A leading retail executive says Australia’s workplace laws are too complex and outdated. Coles MD John Durkan told an American Chamber of Commerce in Australia event on 23 March 2016 that the company’s latest enterprise agreement was hijacked by a casual worker who challenged it in court, despite overwhelming support for the agreement among Coles workers.

CORPORATES
COLES GROUP LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, ALDI STORES SUPERMARKETS PTY LTD, AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IN AUSTRALIA, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, AMAZON.COM INCORPORATED, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA

Show of force as Aussies fly for Easter

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Original article by Paul Maley
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 24-Mar-16

Australian airport security staff have cancelled proposed strike action in the wake of the Muslim terrorist attacks in Brussels. Australian Federal Police will ramp up security at the nation’s airports during the Easter long weekend, which is traditionally a popular time for Australians to travel by air. Meanwhile, Homeland Security Asia-Pacific director Roger Henning has warned that Sydney Airport’s design is almost identical to Zaventem airport in Brussels, which was targeted by the Islamic extremists.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, HOMELAND SECURITY PTY LTD, SYDNEY AIRPORT – ASX SYD, BRUSSELS AIRPORT, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN SECURITY INTELLIGENCE ORGANISATION, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF IMMIGRATION AND BORDER PROTECTION

ALP & L-NP now too close to call as electors react to Government forcing Senate voting changes last week as Turnbull today recalls Parliament in April for Double Dissolution Election showdown

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Original article by Gary Morgan
Morgan Poll Update – Page: Online : 22-Mar-16

This week’s Morgan Poll shows that the ALP (50.5 per cent, up 3.5 per cent) is now just in front of the L-NP (49.5 per cent, down 3.5 per cent) on a two-party preferred basis, after a chaotic week in which the Coalition Government with the help of the Greens forced contentious electoral changes through the Senate against the wishes of the ALP and the cross-benchers, who face losing their seats under the new system. Following on from last week’s Senate voting reform, Turnbull has turned up the heat on the Senate cross-benchers by deciding to recall Parliament in four weeks’ time to debate the reintroduction of the Australian Building & Construction Commission (ABCC). Turnbull has explicitly told the Senate cross-benchers to either pass the Bill restoring the ABCC or face a Double Dissolution Election on 2 July. To facilitate the potential calling of a Double Dissolution Election – which would have to be done by 11 May – Turnbull has also brought forward this year’s Federal Budget by a week, to the first Tuesday in May. Although the restoration of the ABCC is being used as a potential trigger to call an early election, the election will be fought on economic issues and taxation.

CORPORATES
MORGAN POLL, ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET