O75 Public Administration

Government’s carbon rules all gums, no teeth, say experts

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Original article by Mark Ludlow
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 3-Sep-15

Environment Minister Greg Hunt says new carbon emissions rules strike a balance between tackling climate change and giving businesses flexibility in their operations. Big polluters can be fined up to $A1.8 million, but Hunt says the scheme is not a revenue raiser and he hopes no company is penalised. Critics say the rules are too soft.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT, GRATTAN INSTITUTE, REPUTEX AUSTRALIA PACIFIC PTY LTD

Worst growth rate since Coalition elected Hockey shrugs off bad news

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Original article by Jacob Greber
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 : 3-Sep-15

A spike in government spending, mainly on defence, helped prevent the economy shrinking for the first time in more than four years in the June quarter of 2015. Exports were down and investment was weaker, cutting GDP growth to 0.2 per cent from 0.9 per cent for the previous three months.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, VICTORIA UNIVERSITY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, DELOITTE ACCESS ECONOMICS PTY LTD, ALPHABETA, INDUSTRY SUPER AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Leaders call for gender balance

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Original article by Fiona Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 9 : 2-Sep-15

New South Wales Treasurer Gladys Berejiklian complains that there are too few women in business. She told a Women in Banking event in Sydney on 1 September 2015 that she insists on other women being present when she is invited to business events but this condition is not always observed by event organisers. Mirvac board director Sam Mostyn said diversity in business has a positive impact on the quality of decision-making.

CORPORATES
DEUTSCHE BANK AG, MIRVAC GROUP – ASX MGR, NEW SOUTH WALES TREASURY. OFFICE OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT, NEW SOUTH WALES TREASURY. OFFICE OF STATE REVENUE, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, ASX LIMITED – ASX ASX, QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, MALE CHAMPIONS OF CHANGE, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, GOLDMAN SACHS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, ENVATO PTY LTD, THE COCA-COLA COMPANY

Ban Transfield from detention centres: Greens

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Original article by Jenny Wiggins, Primrose Riordan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 1-Sep-15

Transfield Services and Wilson Security were not properly accountable to the Department of Immigration and Border Protection in the running of a detention centre on Nauru, a Senate inquiry has found. It said the centre was not run well, prompting the Australian Greens to call for Transfield and Wilson to be dumped as providers of government services there. However, Transfield’s shares rose nine per cent to $A1.17 after the company reported its contract for running the Nauru centre as well as one on Manus Island had been renewed for five years.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF IMMIGRATION AND BORDER PROTECTION, TRANSFIELD SERVICES LIMITED – ASX TSE, WILSON SECURITY SERVICES, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, SAVE THE CHILDREN, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE

Labor rallies as Heydon decides to stay

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Original article by Phillip Coorey, Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 1-Sep-15

Union leaders fighting the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance & Corruption have been likened to corrupt police who tried to shut down the Fitzgerald Royal Commission in Queensland in the 1980s. Attorney-General George Brandis said the Australian Labor Party and the unions were throwing mud at the royal commission because they had much to fear. The head of the royal commission, Justice Dyson Heydon, has refused to recuse himself.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL, ACTU, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Shazam me some faith because I’m losing it with the Liberals

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Original article by Grace Collier
The Australian – Page: online : 29-Aug-15

It is frustrating to observe how the Coalition is wasting political credit given to it by voters. The federal Government has made many mistakes, including failing to appoint more women to influential positions and not doing enough for ordinary Australians. Big business has too much influence on politics. Under pressure from big companies, the Government made changes to the Treasury Legislation Amendment (Small Business and Unfair Contract Terms) Bill 2015 which made the bill meaningless.

CORPORATES
SKY NEWS, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Pressure builds on Labor over ‘dud’ China trade deal

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Original article by Primrose Riordan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 31-Aug-15

Senator Jacqui Lambie has raised concerns about the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement. The fate of the deal is now uncertain. Growing opposition to the agreement has prompted the National Farmers’ Federation, the Minerals Council of Australia and the Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry to launch a TV advertising campaign which stresses the benefits of the deal.

CORPORATES
NATIONAL FARMERS’ FEDERATION LIMITED, MINERALS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE

McKibbin says climate target at ‘high end’

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Original article by Ben Potter
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 : 31-Aug-15

Warwick McKibbin has defended the Australian Government’s climate change policy. McKibbin, the head of the Centre for Applied Macroeconomic Analysis at Australian National University’s Crawford School of Public Policy, said on 30 August 2015 that the Government’s emissions reduction target of at least 26 per cent from 2005 levels by 2030 would result in gross domestic product being 0.6 per cent smaller than if there were no target.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY. CRAWFORD SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS AND GOVERNMENT, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. CLIMATE CHANGE AUTHORITY, MINERALS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA

GST to pay for income tax cuts

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Original article by Phillip Coorey, Primrose Riordan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 : 31-Aug-15

Federal Finance Minister Mathias Cormann has signalled that the goods and services tax (GST) might be raised to pay for income tax cuts. He said on 30 August 2015 that a tax reform package would be part of an election program to be developed before the next election. New South Wales Premier Mike Baird welcomed Cormann’s comments and agreed about the need to discuss the GST.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, NEW SOUTH WALES. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, SOUTH AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET

More in favour than against the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement. Key issue for Australians with ChAFTA is jobs

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Morgan Poll Update – Page: Online : 28-Aug-15

A telephone Morgan Poll conducted between 21 and 26 August 2015 has found that a large majority of Australians (78 per cent) are aware of the Free Trade Agreement Australia has negotiated with China. Only 21 per cent are not aware and one per cent cannot say. More Australians believe a Free Trade Agreement with China is a good thing (40 per cent) than not (31 per cent) and a large 29 per cent are undecided. Roy Morgan Research executive chairman Gary Morgan notes that full-time workers are clearly the most in favour of the agreement – 46 per cent say it is a good thing and 31 per cent say it is not. Among those who are either unemployed and looking for work or just do not work, only 18 per cent say the deal is a good thing compared to 40 per cent that say the deal is not a good thing.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS