O75 Public Administration

Senate split on China trade deal

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 21-Aug-15

The Australian Greens and four crossbench senators voted for a motion demanding the government change or abandon the China Australia Free Trade Agreement. Their opposition to the landmark deal in its present form put it at the mercy of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), which helped defeat the motion. But the ALP, under pressure from the trade unions, is insisting the Federal Government deliver on its promise to put Australian jobs first.

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

High-risk super funds put on ATO watch list

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Original article by Kate Cowling
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 9 : 21-Aug-15

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) is investigating self-managed super funds (SMSFs) engaging in aggressive tax strategies. SMSFs considered high risk will be placed on a watch list and the trustee could be fined for breaches of the Superannuation Industry Supervision Act. Assistant commissioner Kasey Macfarlane warned that individuals "looking to play the system" would be identified through new data capture techniques adopted by the ATO.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, THE TAX INSTITUTE, RP DATA LIMITED, AUSTRACK PTY LTD

Coalition thinks corporate tax disclosure about right

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Original article by Neil Chenoweth
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 11 : 20-Aug-15

The interim report of the Senate inquiry into corporate tax avoidance demonstrates philosophical differences between the Australian Government and the opposition parties. The Australian Labor Party and Australian Greens want more transparency, while the government thinks current disclosure rules are about right. The two government members of the committee, which is headed by Labor’s Sam Dastyari, believe a voluntary disclosure code strikes a balance between the need for transparency and the privacy and competitiveness concerns of business.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. SENATE STANDING COMMITTEE ON ECONOMICS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, AUSTRALIA. BOARD OF TAXATION

The long wait for Adani

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Original article by Phillip Coorey, Mark Ludlow, Primrose Riordan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 : 20-Aug-15

Attorney-General George Brandis has challenged the Australian Labor Party (ALP) to support workers instead of the green movement in repealing section 487 of the Environment Protection & Biodiversity Conservation Act. It is the section which has allowed activists to tie up mining projects, such as the giant Adani coal mine in Queensland, in the courts. Brandis said passing the repeal through the Senate was a matter for the ALP, not the Australian Greens or crossbench senators.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, QUEENSLAND. DEPT OF MINES AND ENERGY, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, ADANI ENTERPRISES LIMITED, PALMER UNITED PARTY, MACKAY CONSERVATION GROUP INCORPORATED, ASSOCIATION OF MINING AND EXPLORATION COMPANIES, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT

‘Kidnap’ exemption to be introduced to Parliament

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Original article by Joanna Mather
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 11 : 20-Aug-15

Assistant Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has convinced some crossbench senators to support legislation that will exempt about 1,000 private companies from revealing their tax affairs. Independent senator Nick Xenophon is the latest to agree to the "kidnap" exemption, so called because some owners of private companies fear they will be crime targets if their fortunes are revealed. With the Australian Labor Party and Australian Greens opposing the change, the government needs six of the eight crossbenchers to support its bill.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, TEYS BROS (HOLDINGS) PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT

RBA moves to cool housing will take time

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Original article by Jacob Greber
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 19-Aug-15

Reserve Bank of Australia’s minutes of the July 2015 board meeting suggest that the central bank is likely to continue to keep the official interest rate at its current record low. The fall in the Australian dollar of five per cent against the US currency in June 2015 is expected to stimulate exports. The central bank noted that low interest rates had led to house price inflation.

CORPORATES
RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY, BARCLAYS BANK PLC

Labor steps up push to oust Heydon

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Original article by Phillip Coorey, Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 19-Aug-15

The Australian Labor Party (ALP) will petition Governor-General Peter Cosgrove to remove Dyson Heydon from the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance & Corruption. A motion to that effect will be debated in the Senate as early as 19 August 2015. The ALP objects to Heydon’s role in the commission on the grounds of political bias and conflict of interests. Heydon is also under pressure from the labour movement to resign from the commission.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ACTU, AUSTRALIAN MINES AND METALS ASSOCIATION (INCORPORATED)

Liberals play to strengths with army candidate

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Original article by Jonathan Barrett
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 18-Aug-15

The 19 September 2015 by-election in the federal electorate of Canning in Western Australia will be a referendum on Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s performance, the Australian Labor Party says. It is regarded as a safe Liberal seat but a swing against the government is expected. Captain Andrew Hastie, an Afghanistan war veteran, has been selected to represent the Liberals in the by-election triggered by the death of Don Randall.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, SPECIAL AIR SERVICE REGIMENT, UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES, EDITH COWAN UNIVERSITY, LAW SOCIETY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA, PALMER UNITED PARTY

Uber and Airbnb to face grilling over tax practices

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Original article by Fleur Anderson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 18-Aug-15

The Senate committee on corporate tax avoidance has turned its attention to Uber and Airbnb, its chairman claiming tens of millions of dollars might be lost to the government if it failed to establish proper tax settings for sharing economy companies. Senator Sam Dastyari said he did not want Uber and similar companies setting a precedent in which they avoided Australian tax by sending profits offshore.

CORPORATES
UBER GLOBAL PTY LTD, AIRBNB AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. SENATE ECONOMICS LEGISLATION COMMITEE, IBISWORLD PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, SANTOS LIMITED – ASX STO, CHEVRON CORPORATION, EXXONMOBIL CORPORATION, CALTEX AUSTRALIA LIMITED – ASX CTX, BP PLC, WOODSIDE PETROLEUM LIMITED – ASX WPL, ORIGIN ENERGY LIMITED – ASX ORG, VIVA ENERGY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, APPLE INCORPORATED, MICROSOFT CORPORATION, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, NOVARTIS AG, PFIZER INCORPORATED

Heydon gives unions four days

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Original article by Ewin Hannan, Phillip Coorey, Lucille Keen
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 : 18-Aug-15

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has defended the integrity of Justice Dyson Heydon, head of the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance & Corruption, who is at the centre of a political brawl for agreeing to speak at a Liberal Party dinner. Abbott accused the Australian Labor Party and the trade unions of trying to smear the former High Court judge to distract attention from the findings of the royal commission. Justice Heydon has said he overlooked the Liberal Party link with the dinner when agreeing to be guest speaker.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, OXFORD UNIVERSITY, THE RHODES TRUST, UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY