O75 Public Administration

L-NP lead over ALP narrows – now 55% (down 1%) cf. 45% (up 1%). Nick Xenophon outpolls Labor in South Australia – again.

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Morgan Poll Update – Page: Online : 25-Jan-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 one per cent to 55 per cent. The poll, which was carried out on the weekends of 16-17 and 23-24 January 2016, also shows that the Coalition’s primary vote has fallen by 3.5 per cent to 43.5 per cent, and the Roy Morgan Government Confidence Rating has fallen by 3.5 points to 113. Roy Morgan Research executive chairman Gary Morgan says that former prime minister Tony Abbott’s decision to stand again for his seat of Warringah at this year’s Federal Election will not be appreciated by current Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. It has the potential to derail the Liberal Party in the same way as Kevin Rudd did for Labor. Many believe that Abbott "wasted" his two years as prime minister and was unable to successfully implement any meaningful reforms to improve business conditions to the degree he had promised prior to winning the 2013 Federal Election. As PM Abbott showed no interest in reforming Australia’s out-dated and costly industrial relations laws. His legacy will only be truly apparent this year as the end of the mining boom and an uncertain global economic outlook lead to more Australians becoming unemployed.

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

Restaurant closes to avoid holiday costs

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Original article by Meredith Booth, Michael Owen
The Australian – Page: 5 : 27-Jan-16

Kitchen staff at Adelaide restaurant Parlamento are paid $A20 an hour on normal weekdays. However, the restaurant elected not to open on the 2016 Australia Day public holiday as penalty rates would have increased wages to $A48 an hour. Co-owner Daniel Rattenni says any profits made on the day would have been so small as to not be worth it. Rob Lucas, the South Australian Opposition’s industrial relations spokesman, notes that penalty rates are deterring businesses from hiring staff.

CORPORATES
PARLAMENTO, LIBERAL PARTY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, RESTAURANT AND CATERING INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED

Turnbull blocks republic push

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Original article by Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 4 : 27-Jan-16

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says there are more urgent issues for Australia to address than whether the nation should become a republic. Although Turnbull himself is firmly in favour of a republic, he warns that pushing the issue too soon could result in another failed referendum on the question of ditching the monarchy. Western Australian Premier Colin Barnett supports Australia becoming a republic, but believes that the nation should wait for the 25th anniversary of the 1999 referendum on the issue before holding another one.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, ALLIANCE DEFENDING FREEDOM, AUSTRALIAN REPUBLICAN MOVEMENT

Business leaders take top accolades

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Original article by Marianna Papadakis, Michael Xu
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 27-Jan-16

Business executives, media personalities and sports stars were among the recipients of 2016 Australia Day awards. Former Minerals Council of Australia CEO Mitch Hooke and former Westpac CEO Bob Joss have both been made a Companion of the Order of Australia. Former Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick and Village Roadshow’s Robert Kirby have been made an Officer of the Order of Australia. Newly minted Members of the Order of Australia include Nine Network presenter Lisa Wilkinson and tennis legend Lleyton Hewitt.

CORPORATES
MINERALS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, AUSTRALIA. SEXUAL DISCRIMINATION COMMISSION, VILLAGE ROADSHOW LIMITED – ASX VRL, NINE PINES PTY LTD, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, MALE CHAMPIONS OF CHANGE, AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE FORCE, AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, MUSEUM OF OLD AND NEW ART, PLATINUM ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED – ASX PTM

Cabinet looks at workplace changes in growth package

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

Strategies for lifting economic growth and employment will be on the agenda at the first meeting of federal Cabinet ministers for 2016. Industrial relations reforms may be part of the Federal Government’s election package, which could include a Productivity Commission recommendation to introduce enterprise contracts for companies that have at least 20 employees. The Government is also believed to favour increasing the GST and widening its scope to include fresh food. This would be accompanied by a reduction in the personal income and corporate tax rates.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION

Abbott saddles up for another run

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Original article by Sid Maher
The Australian – Page: 4 : 25-Jan-16

Former prime minister Tony Abbott has advised that he wants to contest the 2016 federal election. He has held the New South Wales seat of Warringah since 1994, and has nominated for pre-selection for another term in parliament. Abbott has downplayed recent speculation that his former chief of staff Peta Crudlin has urged him to make another bid for the prime ministership.

CORPORATES
LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, LIBERAL PARTY OF NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, NEW SOUTH WALES. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, SYDNEY HARBOUR FEDERATION TRUST, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, SUTHERLAND SHIRE COUNCIL

Takeaways from 7-Eleven wage fraud inquiry must stop the rot

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Original article by Adele Ferguson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 40 : 25-Jan-16

The wage exploitation scandal has embroiled a number of franchise-based companies, including 7-Eleven, United Petroleum, Subway, Pizza Hut and Baker’s Delight. With a Senate inquiry due to release its recommendations in February 2016, the Australian Government should action to address the issue prior to the federal election. A range of reforms are needed, including changes to industrial relations laws, ensuring that financial penalties for wage fraud are sufficient to deter the practice, and increasing the powers of the Fair Work Ombudsman.

CORPORATES
7-ELEVEN STORES PTY LTD, UNITED PETROLEUM PTY LTD, SUBWAY SANDWICHES PTY LTD, PIZZA HUT AUSTRALIA, BAKER’S DELIGHT HOLDINGS LIMITED, DOMINO’S PIZZA ENTERPRISES LIMITED – ASX DMP, NANDO’S AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, EAGLE BOYS DIAL A PIZZA AUST PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK OMBUDSMAN, AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, MAI PTY LTD, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, FEDERAL CIRCUIT COURT OF AUSTRALIA

Treasury against debt tax trade-off

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Original article by Joanna Mather, Primrose Riordan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 25-Jan-16

Federal Treasurer Scott Morrison says that reducing tax deductions will not generate sufficient revenue to fund tax reforms. However, the Treasury’s submission to parliament’s economics committee has argued against financing a corporate tax cut via the abolition of tax deductions for corporate debt. This view is shared by the Business Council of Australia and companies such as CSL and Inpex, which have also made submissions to the inquiry.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, CSL LIMITED – ASX CSL, INPEX CORPORATION, KPMG AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. PARLIAMENTARY BUDGET OFFICE, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

National lead down slightly over Labour/Greens opposition in New Year. TPP signing ceremony set for Auckland in two weeks a coup for PM John Key.

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Morgan Poll Update – Page: Online : 22-Jan-16

A New Zealand Roy Morgan Poll on voting intention has found that support for the ruling National Party has fallen by two per cent to 47 per cent in January 2016. Support for the Labour Party has fallen by one per cent to 27.5 per cent, while support for a potential Labour/Greens alliance is unchanged at 41.5 per cent. Meanwhile, the New Zealand Roy Morgan Government Confidence Rating has risen by three points to 131.5 points. Roy Morgan Research executive chairman Gary Morgan says that in a coup for Prime Minister John Key, Trade Minister Todd McClay has confirmed that the signing ceremony for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) will be in Auckland in early February. The TPP agreement to lower trade barriers should provide a significant boost to the New Zealand economy over the next few years, despite the continuing worries about a global economic slowdown.

CORPORATES
MORGAN POLL, 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, UNITED FUTURE PARTY (NEW ZEALAND), NEW ZEALAND FIRST PARTY, ACT NEW ZEALAND, INTERNET PARTY, MANA PARTY, NEW ZEALAND. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, NEW ZEALAND. MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP

Morrison vows strong changes to tax system

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Original article by Primrose Riordan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 22-Jan-16

The GST and superannuation tax concessions may be the Australian Government’s tax reform agenda, while Treasurer Scott Morrison has indicated that the corporate tax rate may also be under scrutiny. Meanwhile, Morrison says recent financial market volatility is likely to influence the timing of the 2016 federal election, and will most likely rule out an early poll. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has warned that increasing the GST in the wake of the sharemarket rout would hurt consumer confidence.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, SOUTH AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET