O75 Public Administration

New fees still cut it, says QUT

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Original article by Julie Hare
The Australian – Page: 6 : 5-Dec-14

Queensland University of Technology vice-chancellor Peter Coaldrake says the cost of living is just as much a concern for Australian universities students as tuition fees. Professor Coaldrake is in favour of the Federal Government’s proposal to deregulate university fees. QUT estimates that the cost of its 5.5-year double degree in business and law would rise by $A17,300 to a total of $A78,500 if the Government’s reforms proceed

CORPORATES
QUEENSLAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Cancer drug gives hope but is still on the waiting list

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Original article by Julia Medew
The Age – Page: 13 : 5-Dec-14

Some 300 Australians annually, or 5% of all who are suffering from lung cancer, can benefit substantially from Pfizer’s Crizotinib drug. It can boost the life expectancy of the patients, which is especially important as the non-small cell lung cancer variant tends to affect young people more. However the cost of the treatment is $A90,000 per year, and the Federal Government may not approve the drug for subsidies under the pharmaceutical benefits scheme in late 2014

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. PHARMACEUTICAL BENEFITS ADVISORY COMMITTEE, PFIZER PTY LTD, PETER MACCALLUM CANCER INSTITUTE

Judges slam Victorian govt on gambling reform

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Original article by Jessica Gardner
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 : 5-Dec-14

Tabcorp and Tatts were in 1994 granted licences for 18 years by the then Victorian government to operate poker machines in the state. However, the rights were then transferred to pubs and clubs in 2008. Tatts launched a compensation suit for $A540m over the loss of its licence and Tabcorp sought $A687m. The Court of Appeal has now ruled in favour of the former but against the latter. Tatts won as its claim was based on a contractual rather than statutory argument

CORPORATES
TABCORP HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TAH, TATTS GROUP LIMITED – ASX TTS, COURT OF APPEAL (VICTORIA), AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, CROWN RESORTS LIMITED – ASX CWN, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA, SUPREME COURT OF VICTORIA, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX

Fears spur rethink on tax transparency

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Original article by Nassim Khadem
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 5-Dec-14

The Australian Government will consider concerns raised by privacy groups and wealthy individuals about the new tax disclosure laws. Under the changes, which will come into effect in July 2015, the Australian Taxation Office will publish information about the taxes paid by 1,600 public and private companies with $A100 million or more in annual turnover. Wealthy business owners oppose the new laws because they fear they could be kidnapped if criminals find out how wealthy they are

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, CLAYTON UTZ, ERNST AND YOUNG, APPLE INCORPORATED, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT, DELOITTE TOUCHE TOHMATSU LIMITED

Labor plan on Link compo

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Original article by Josh Gordon, Mark Hawthorne
The Age – Page: 6 : 4-Dec-14

The companies contracted to build the East West Link may seek compensation if the new Victorian Government abandons the project. The Australian Labor Party warned before the election that it would stop the toll road. The consortium formed to build the East West Link includes Acciona Infrastructure, Lend Lease, Capella Capital and Bouygues Travaux Publics. The Government may offer them alternative contracts

CORPORATES
LEND LEASE GROUP LIMITED – ASX LLC, LEIGHTON HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX LEI, BOUYGUES SA, CAPELLA CAPITAL PTY LTD, ACCIONA SA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, VICTORIA. DEPT OF TREASURY AND FINANCE

Doubt over mental health plan

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Original article by Cathy O’Leary
The West Australian – Page: 11 : 4-Dec-14

The Western Australian Government will seek submission on its mental health plan until March 2015. Mental Health Minister Helen Morton estimates that at most the reforms will cost $A600m. The Australian Medical Association notes that the 10-year plan fails to resolve the state’s shortage of psychiatrists, while Alison Xamon of the WA Mental Health Association believes that additional mental health services should be made available more quickly

CORPORATES
WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HEALTH, AUSTRALIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION (WESTERN AUSTRALIA), WESTERN AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATION FOR MENTAL HEALTH INCORPORATED

Hockey warns living standards could fall

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Original article by Jacob Greber
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 4-Dec-14

Australia’s economic growth slowed to just 0.3 per cent in the September 2014 quarter, and by 2.7 per cent year-on-year. Economic growth contracted in all states except New South Wales. The national accounts also show that Australia has entered an "income recession", with real net disposable income contracting in the last two quarters. Treasurer Joe Hockey has urged opposition parties to support government policy in the Senate, warning that a decline in living standards is likely if reforms are not implemented

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, GOLDMAN SACHS AND PARTNERS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, PALMER UNITED PARTY, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA

Treasury: Tax stuck in the ’50s

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Original article by Patrick Durkin
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 8 : 4-Dec-14

Federal bureaucrat Dr Martin Parkinson says Australia’s tax system is outdated and is adversely affecting the nation’s international competitiveness. He argues that tax reform is essential as the tax regime has not changed significantly since the 1950s. The outgoing head of the Treasury says that reducing the personal and corporate rate rates in particular is needed. Meanwhile, business leader Tony Shepherd has called for changes to the GST

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. NATIONAL COMMISSION OF AUDIT, PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS AUSTRALIA (INTERNATIONAL) PTY LTD

Doctors warn against selling hospital land

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Original article by Harriet Alexander
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: 10 : 3-Dec-14

Doctors at Sydney’s Royal North Shore Hospital are calling on New South Wales (NSW) Health Minister Jillian Skinner to honour a previously made promise not to divest part of the institution’s grounds. The real estate may generate a gain of $A97m for the NSW Government, but according to the medical practitioners will leave the facility unable to cope with growing demand as the population increases. Medical Staff Council representative Bruce Cooper notes that the hospital will exceed its current capacity in between three and four decades

CORPORATES
ROYAL NORTH SHORE HOSPITAL, NEW SOUTH WALES. MINISTRY OF HEALTH

University package goes down

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 5 : 3-Dec-14

Australian Education Minister Christopher Pyne has been unsuccessful in his effort to sway sufficient numbers of senators to secure passage through the upper house of his higher education reforms. Compromise offers failed to avoid the defeat of the relevant bills by 33 votes to 31 on 2 December 2014. Of the minor party and independent senators, only Ricky Muir, John Madigan, David Leyonhjelm and Bob Day were in favour, while those against were Nick Xenophon, Jacqui Lambie, Glenn Lazarus and Dio Wang. The Federal Government will now suffer a setback worth $A5bn to its goal of returning the Budget to surplus. The Universities Australia lobbying body also seems to have withdrawn its backing

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EDUCATION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, PALMER UNITED PARTY, AUSTRALIAN MOTORING ENTHUSIAST PARTY, DEMOCRATIC LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY, NICK XENOPHON GROUP, UNIVERSITIES AUSTRALIA LIMITED, FAMILY FIRST PARTY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, UNIVERSITY OF TASMANIA, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION