O75 Public Administration

Return ABCC to save ourselves: business

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 23-Mar-16

Australian Industry Group CEO Innes Willox will use a National Press Club speech to highlight the importance of reinstating the Australian Building & Construction Commission. He will argue that a proposed construction code is necessary to protect companies from unlawful conduct by unions. Master Builders Australia CEO Wilhelm Harnisch has also expressed concern that at present unions can use threats of industrial action to secure pay rises for the members.

CORPORATES
THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, MASTER BUILDERS AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PRESS CLUB (AUSTRALIA), AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS

No option for state but to make switch too

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Original article by Rick Wallace
The Australian – Page: 8 : 22-Mar-16

The Victorian Government has been forced to change the date of its 2016 Budget from 3 May to 27 April, in response to a move to bring forward the Federal Budget by one week. However, the Opposition’s Budget reply is still scheduled for its original date in May, which has attracted criticism from treasury spokesman Michael O’Brien.

CORPORATES
VICTORIA. DEPT OF TREASURY AND FINANCE, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

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 Roy Morgan Research
Morgan Poll Update – Page: Online : 21-Mar-16

A multi-mode Morgan Poll on Federal voting intention has found that support for Australia’s ruling Liberal-National Coalition on a two-party preferred basis has fallen by 3.5 per cent to 49.5 per cent. The poll, which was carried out on the weekends of 12-13 and 19-20 March 2016, also shows that the Coalition’s primary vote has fallen by three per cent to 40 per cent, while the Roy Morgan Government Confidence Rating has risen by 1.5 points to 103.5. Roy Morgan Research executive chairman Gary Morgan says that to reduce Australia’s "real" level of unemployment and under-employment the Government must introduce comprehensive industrial relations reform that cuts "red tape" such as lowering or eliminating excessive penalty rates for working on weekends and public holidays and which would lead to higher productivity and wages across the whole workforce. The Government must also make an effort to deal with Australia’s large "cash economy" that undercuts legitimate businesses and facilitates massive tax avoidance.

CORPORATES
MORGAN POLL, ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, KATTER’S AUSTRALIAN PARTY, PALMER UNITED PARTY, NICK XENOPHON TEAM, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Triple fine threat looms as watchdog’s reach widens

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Original article by Elizabeth Colman
The Australian – Page: 5 : 22-Mar-16

ACTU secretary Dave Olive says the general public does not support the Federal Government’s push to reinstate the Australian Building & Construction Commission. The ABCC bill, which could be the trigger for a double dissolution election, would result in unions facing fines of up to $A180,000 for every breach of industrial relations laws, compared with just $A54,000 at present. The ABCC will also have the power to regulate non-building unions that are involved in the supply chain for building sites.

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

PM pulls the trigger

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Original article by David Crowe
The Australian – Page: 1& 4 : 22-Mar-16

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten says the Australian Labor Party and the general public are ready for the 2016 federal election. The Government is poised to use a bill to reinstate the Australian Building & Construction Commission as the trigger for a double-dissolution election on 2 July, after requesting that Parliament be recalled on 18 April to debate the bill. The Government will also hand down the Budget one week earlier than scheduled, on 3 May. The last double-dissolution election was in 1987.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL, AUSTRALIA. CLEAN ENERGY FINANCE CORPORATION

National lead cut to smallest since September as NZ First vote surges to 9% as Winston Peters takes strong stand on New Zealand Flag Referendum

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Morgan Poll Update – Page: Online : 18-Mar-16

A New Zealand Roy Morgan Poll on voting intention has found that support for the ruling National Party has fallen by 2.5 per cent to 46 per cent in March 2016. The poll also shows that support for a potential Labour/Greens alliance has risen by 0.5 per cent to 42 per cent, while the NZ Roy Morgan Government Confidence Rating has risen by four points to 132 points. Roy Morgan Research executive chairman Gary Morgan says the three per cent increase in support for NZ First (to nine per cent), means the centrist party could determine who will form New Zealand’s next government and be Prime Minister after the election in late 2017.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, NATIONAL PARTY OF NEW ZEALAND, LABOUR PARTY (NEW ZEALAND), GREEN PARTY OF AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND, CONSERVATIVE PARTY OF NEW ZEALAND, THE MAORI PARTY, ACT NEW ZEALAND, NEW ZEALAND FIRST PARTY, INTERNET PARTY, MANA PARTY

Senate vote reforms ‘will beat challenge’

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Original article by Rachel Baxendale, Phillip Hudson
The Australian – Page: 5 : 21-Mar-16

Special Minister of State Mathias Cormann is confident that the Australian Government’s changes to the voting system for the Senate will be upheld by the High Court. The Family First Party’s Senator Bob Day intends to challenge the validity of the reforms, which were passed by the Senate on 18 March 2016. Constitutional law expert Anne Twomey of Sydney University does not expect the High Court to support any challenge to the reforms.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, FAMILY FIRST PARTY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA, UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIAN MOTORING ENTHUSIAST PARTY

Miners fear fallout from clean-up laws

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Original article by Mark Ludlow
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 10 : 18-Mar-16

Businessman Clive Palmer has warned that the Environmental Protection (Chain of Responsibility) Amendment Bill could result in excessive costs of environmental clean-ups from failed mining projects. The Bill was introduced in Queensland’s Parliament by Environment Minister Steven Miles on 15 March 2016. Palmer also said that the laws would have detrimental effect on investment in Queensland.

CORPORATES
BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, QUEENSLAND RESOURCES COUNCIL LIMITED

Turnbull gets nod for early, double dissolution election

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Original article by
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 18-Mar-16

The Senate is likely to pass laws changing the Senate voting system. The purpose of the changes is to prevent micro parties using the preference system to win Senate seats. The passage of the proposed legislation would enable Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to call an early, double-dissolution election for 2 July 2016.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

100 CFMEU militants in court

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Original article by Elizabeth Colman
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 17-Mar-16

New figures show that the Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union, its state branches and union officials have been fined a total of $A6.98m since 2002 for failing to comply with industrial laws. Meanwhile, 100 of the union’s officials and delegates have been charged with more than 1,000 offences in total, including coercion, intimidation and unlawful industrial action. Federal Employment Minister Michaelia Cash has urged Opposition Leader Bill Shorten to support a bill to reinstate the Australian Building & Construction Commission.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, FAIR WORK BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, QUEENSLAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION, MASTER BUILDERS AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO THE BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE FAIR WORK BUILDING INDUSTRY INSPECTORATE