O75 Public Administration

Turnbull lays path to tax reform

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Original article by Sid Maher
The Australian – Page: 4 : 5-Nov-15

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will use the Rebuilding Foundations for Reform conference on 5 November 2015 to outline the Federal Government’s reform agenda, which will include changes to the tax system. Treasurer Scott Morrison will also address the conference, and he will emphasise the need for changes to an "inefficient and costly" tax regime that will eventually hinder jobs growth and Australia’s attraction as an investment destination. Morrison’s speech will also embrace issues such as competition laws and innovation policy.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE. INSTITUTE OF APPLIED ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RESEARCH, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION

Tourism jobs outlook sparks visa debate

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 5-Nov-15

Deloitte Access Economics states in a report written for Austrade that the tourism industry will experience a shortage of 38,000 workers if no appropriate measures are taken to alleviate it. More than 120,000 extra workers will be needed by the end of the decade. Martin Ferguson, the chairman of Tourism Accommodation Australia, has called for changes to visa rules that would make it easier for foreigners to apply for working-holiday visas.

CORPORATES
TOURISM ACCOMMODATION AUSTRALIA, DELOITTE ACCESS ECONOMICS PTY LTD, AUSTRADE, TTF AUSTRALIA LIMITED TOURISM AND TRANSPORT FORUM, ACTU

In October: Real unemployment in Australia is 8.8% (up 0.5% in a month); but down 0.3% from a year ago (9.1%)

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 4-Nov-15

A Roy Morgan Research survey on Australia’s labour market has found that the real unemployment rate was 8.8 per cent in October 2015, compared with 9.1 per cent 12 months earlier. The number of people in the workforce now totals 12,663,000 (up 654,000 since October 2014), while the number of people who are under-employed has fallen by 29,000 in the last 12 months to 1,088,000 (8.6 per cent of the workforce). The official unemployment rate was 6.2 per cent in September 2015. Roy Morgan Research executive chairman Gary Morgan says the Federal Government’s main priority must be to eliminate the sizeable "cash economy" in Australia, which will free-up the labour market and have a much bigger impact on increasing productivity and employment growth than a simple increase in the GST.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, 7-ELEVEN STORES PTY LTD, UNITED PETROLEUM PTY LTD, BAKER’S DELIGHT HOLDINGS LIMITED, DOMINO’S PIZZA ENTERPRISES LIMITED – ASX DMP, NANDO’S AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, SUBWAY SANDWICHES PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION

Is climate change man’s fault? That depends on your politics

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Original article by Peter Hannam
The Age – Page: 3 : 4-Nov-15

The CSIRO has released the results of a survey which shows that almost 80 per cent of respondents agree that climate change is an issue and human activity is responsible for 62 per cent of the change in the climate. However, the survey also shows that more than 75 per cent of Australian Greens supporters and 59 per cent of Australian Labor Party voters believe that human activity is primarily responsible for climate change. In contrast, 52 per cent of Liberal Party voters and 42 per cent of National Party voters believe that climate change is a natural phenomenon.

CORPORATES
CSIRO, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND SCIENCE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES, UNITED NATIONS

Tax take for 2014-15 falls short by $9.4b

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Original article by Fleur Anderson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 3-Nov-15

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) collected $A336.8 billion in net tax in 2014-15. This figure is $A15.2 billion or 4.7 per cent higher than tax collected in 2013-14 but still $A9.4 billion, or 2.7 per cent, smaller than the amount expected on budget night in 2014. The ATO explained in its 2015 annual report that tax collections were negatively affected by lower growth in profits and wages.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE

Fresh food, banking likely GST targets

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 : 3-Nov-15

Treasurer Scott Morrison has signalled that a rise in the GST rate would not apply to health and education. He said on 2 November 2015 that there were "very practical reasons" for excluding those two sectors, including the involvement of the state through funding and regulation. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull indicated that he would like the next federal election to be held in September or October 2016.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, SOUTH AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET

Federal Voting Intention virtually unchanged – L-NP (56.5%) leads ALP (43.5%) – biggest lead for L-NP since April 2013

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Morgan Poll Update – Page: Online : 3-Nov-15

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 is at 56.5 per cent (up 0.5 per cent) compared to the Australian Labor Party’s 43.5 per cent (down 0.5 per cent). If a Federal Election were held now the Coalition would win easily. The poll, which was carried out on the weekends of 24-25 October 2015 and 31 October – 1 November 2015, also shows that the Roy Morgan Government Confidence Rating is unchanged at 112, with 48 per cent (up one per cent) of Australians saying Australia is "heading in the right direction" and 36 per cent (up one per cent) saying Australia is "heading in the wrong direction". Roy Morgan Research executive chairman Gary Morgan says the Turnbull Government’s honeymoon continues.

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, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Budget bottom line to take $5b hit

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Original article by Laura Tingle
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 2-Nov-15

The Australian Government’s mid-year Budget review is expected to include lost revenue and spending costs of about $A5bn over the next four years. Some informed sources have suggested that this figure could even be within the range of $A6bn to $A8bn. Much of the cost blowout is expected to be included in the 2015-16 Budget.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, DELOITTE ACCESS ECONOMICS PTY LTD, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

Penalty rates are real money for real people

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Original article by Jo-Anne Schofield
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 63 : 29-Oct-15

There is pressure from employers in Australia’s hospitality and tourism sectors to reduce weekend penalty rates, but such a move would be unfair to workers. They often earn close to the minimum wage. Employers claim that the reduction in penalty rates would have beneficial effects, but their arguments are flawed.

CORPORATES
ACTU, VICTORIAN TRADES HALL COUNCIL, AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, TOURISM ACCOMMODATION AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, UNITED VOICE

Union membership slumps to record low, ABS finds

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 28-Oct-15

Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that just 1.6 million people across the economy are members of a union. The proportion of workers who are union members fell from 17 per cent to 15 per cent in the year to August 2014. Union membership in the private and public sectors has fallen to 11.1 per cent and 39 per cent respectively. However, ACTU secretary Dave Oliver estimates that about 1.8 million Australians are union members.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, ACTU, AUSTRALIAN MINES AND METALS ASSOCIATION (INCORPORATED), AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY