O75 Public Administration

Federal Voting Intention virtually unchanged: L-NP 53% maintain clear 2PP lead over ALP 47% as Parliament debates Senate reform

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Morgan Poll Update – Page: Online : 7-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 risen by 0.5 per cent to 53 per cent. The poll, which was carried out on the weekends of 27-28 February and 5-6 March 2016, also shows that the Coalition’s primary vote has fallen by 0.5 per cent to 43 per cent, while the Roy Morgan Government Confidence Rating has fallen by three points to 102. Roy Morgan Research executive chairman Gary Morgan says this week’s strong result for the L-NP comes after a good week for the Australian economy. GDP for the December 2015 quarter came in above expectations at 0.6 per cent, for an annual GDP growth rate of three per cent. In addition, last week the All Ordinaries Index increased by 4.2 per cent to close at 5,151.10 on Friday and the Australian dollar increased to over $US0.74- its highest since July 2015.

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

Ciobo chases HK, Taiwan FTAs

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Original article by Rowan Callick
The Australian – Page: 2 : 7-Mar-16

Trade and Investment Minister Steve Ciobo says the Australian Government is keen to secure more free trade agreements with Asian countries. They include Taiwan and Hong Kong, which are Australia’s eighth and 15th-largest export markets respectively. Ciobo also says predecessor Andrew Robb will continue to hold talks with India regarding an FTA, after negotiations stalled in 2015. Robb concluded FTA deals with China, Japan and South Korea during his tenure as trade minister.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, HONG KONG ECONOMIC AND TRADE OFFICE

Building firms running unlawful ‘closed shop’, says watchdog

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 2 : 7-Mar-16

The director of Fair Work Building & Construction, Nigel Hadgkiss, has warned that a growing number of Australian employers are engaging in unlawful conduct. Some 18 of the 69 investigations being undertaken by the agency concern the conduct of employers. Hadgkiss notes that employers are frequently forcing subcontractors off building sites if they do not have enterprise agreements with the militant Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union.

CORPORATES
FAIR WORK BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, FEDERAL CIRCUIT COURT OF AUSTRALIA, FOREST MEIERS CONSTRUCTION PTY LTD, MASTER BUILDERS AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED

Labor’s crackdown on negative gearing ‘a threat to small business’

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Original article by David Uren
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 7-Mar-16

CPA Australia’s senior tax counsel Paul Drum has warned that the Federal Opposition’s proposed changes to the negative gearing regime could adversely affect small business owners, particularly sole proprietors. The Australian Labor Party proposes to restrict negative gearing to new properties if it wins the 2016 federal election, but shadow treasurer Chris Bowen rejects suggestions that the reforms would affect business financing.

CORPORATES
CPA AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, COUNCIL OF SMALL BUSINESS ORGANISATIONS OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, NSW BUSINESS CHAMBER LIMITED, CRYSTAL WEALTH PARTNERS LIMITED, OMNIWEALTH PTY LTD

Union mergers a failure, says ex-ACTU official

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 11 : 4-Mar-16

The ACTU’s former assistant secretary Tim Lyons says mergers between trade unions have failed to arrest a decline in union membership. He argues that most mergers have been unsuccessful, and unions should develop strategies to ensure that the outcomes of future mergers meet expectations.

CORPORATES
ACTU, PER CAPITA AUSTRALIA LIMITED

Abbott attacks fuel fears of election loss

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 4-Mar-16

Former prime minister Tony Abbott is increasingly perceived among his colleagues as a burden. Coalition MPs are concerned about his potential to alienate voters. Abbott’s contribution to the public discourse on issues such as tax cuts and the submarine contract has been judged to be damaging the chances of the Coalition for re-election.

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

Wrong way to do tax: key adviser

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Original article by Joanna Mather, Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 8 : 4-Mar-16

More resources should be allocated to the bodies engaged in the tax reform process, says Board of Taxation chairman Michael Andrews. He told a tax conference in Melbourne on 3 March 2016 that the debate about tax is highly politicised, which is regrettable. The timing of the debate is not auspicious because people are distracted by political considerations during an election year.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. BOARD OF TAXATION, BIS SHRAPNEL PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, KPMG AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

PM urges business to seize China opportunity

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Original article by Jacob Greber
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 3-Mar-16

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says Australian companies should seek to capitalise on the opportunities created by China’s transition to a consumer-focused economy. Turnbull has identified industries such as tourism and service as ones that can benefit from Australia’s growing trade relations with China, particularly as China’s demand for industrial commodities declines.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA CHINA BUSINESS COUNCIL, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

Spending spree lifts economy to highest speed in two years

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Original article by Adam Creighton
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 3-Mar-16

The latest GDP data shows that the Australian economy grew by 0.6 per cent in the December 2015 quarter, and by three per cent year-on-year. The general consensus of economists was for annual growth of just 2.5 per cent. Economic growth was boosted by an increase in government and consumer spending, although the household savings rate fell to a post-global financial crisis low of 7.6 per cent. The stronger-than-expected economic growth rate will reduce the chances of further official interest rate cuts in the near-term.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, GROUP OF SEVEN (G-7), ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT

Cutting company tax good for workers, business leaders insist

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Original article by Laura Tingle
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 8 : 2-Mar-16

Business Council of Australia president Catherine Livingston has told a roundtable forum of the need for structural reform of the tax system to stimulate economic growth. She also argued the case for reducing the corporate tax rate to bring it in line with the tax rate for small businesses. The roundtable was organised by "The Australian Financial Review" and the BCA. The other participants included Commonwealth Bank CEO Ian Narev, Qantas CEO Allan Joyce and Wesfarmers CEO Richard Goyder.

CORPORATES
BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, COCA-COLA AMATIL LIMITED – ASX CCL, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, ASX LIMITED – ASX ASX, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET