O75 Public Administration

Crackdown on tax could backfire

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Original article by Ben Potter, Joanna Heath
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1-Dec : 7-Nov-14

The Group of 20 (G20) will soon discuss the global anti-tax avoidance proposals of the OECD. Australia and the US have become cautious about the plans. There are concerns among business figures and some governments that the OECD’s efforts against base erosion and profit shifting by multinationals could have unforeseen effects. For instance Richard Goyder, head of Wesfarmers, warns that measures to curb tax avoidance by multinationals could unintentionally weigh heavily on Australian tax revenue from mining exports to Asia

CORPORATES
WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT, GROUP OF TWENTY (G-20), AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, AMAZON WEB SERVICES LLC, KPMG AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIA. FUTURE FUND MANAGEMENT AGENCY, APPLE INCORPORATED, ASX LIMITED – ASX ASX, BUSINESS 20 (B20), AMP LIMITED – ASX AMP, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, LEND LEASE GROUP LIMITED – ASX LLC, GOODMAN GROUP – ASX GMG

Fewer Australians work or look for work as workforce shrinks to just over 12 million in October

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 6-Nov-14

A Roy Morgan Research survey on Australia’s labour market has found that the real unemployment rate fell by 0.8 per cent to 9.1 per cent in October 2014. The workforce fell by 215,000 to 12,00,000 in total, and the number of people who were underemployed rose by 102,000 to 9.3 per cent. The official unemployment rate was 6.2 per cent in September. Roy Morgan Research executive chairman Gary Morgan notes that October was the 29th straight month in which more than one million Australians were unemployed, as well as the 35th successive month in which more than two million people have been either unemployed or underemployed

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ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

Jobless rate at 13-year high as poll looms

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Original article by Peter Martin, Josh Gordon
The Age – Page: 4 : 7-Nov-14

Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that the unemployment rate in Victoria was 6.8 per cent in October 2014. It has remained at around this level for the last four months, and compares with a national jobless rate of 6.2 per cent. The jobs data presents a challenge for the State Government ahead of the election on 29 November. The state’s unemployment rate was just 4.9 per when the Coalition was elected in 2010

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, VICTORIA. DEPT OF TREASURY AND FINANCE, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, IPSOS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Birth of municipal bond market for local councils

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Original article by James Eyers
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 7-Nov-14

Thirty of the 79 local councils in Victoria will join forces to issue $A200m worth of bonds via the Local Government Funding Vehicle, which has an "Aa2" rating from Moody’s Investors Service. The councils will offer both five- and seven-year notes, which will be priced on 7 November 2014. However, the indicative pricing margins are lower than those of the major banks

CORPORATES
LOCAL GOVERNMENT FUNDING VEHICLE, MOODY’S INVESTORS SERVICE INCORPORATED, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ

Public servants offered 0% pay rises

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Original article by Markus Mannheim
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: 12 : 6-Nov-14

The Australian Crime Commission and the Australian Research Council are among the Federal Government agencies that are seeking to exclude staff pay rises from new enterprise agreements. Given that inflation is forecast to be between 2.5 and 2.75 per cent annually, these staff face the prospect of effectively having their pay cut. Military personnel have been offered a pay rise of 1.5 per cent

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN CRIME COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN RESEARCH COUNCIL, AUSTRALIAN PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION, COMMUNITY AND PUBLIC SECTOR UNION

Vic election too close to call

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Original article by Lucille Keen, Ben Potter
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 9 : 6-Nov-14

Nick Economou of Monash University says the Australian Labor Party will win the 2014 Victorian election if it wins four bayside seats in Melbourne. He forecasts that Labor will win 49 seats in the lower house of state parliament, while the Coalition will win 39. Meanwhile, Labor and the Coalition have been actively campaigning in the marginal seat of Wendouree, outlining a range of spending commitments

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MONASH UNIVERSITY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF VICTORIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, CMI INDUSTRIAL PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, COMMITTEE FOR MELBOURNE, PALMER UNITED PARTY, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, IPSOS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET

Mate’s death leads to cancer cluster probe

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Original article by Phoebe Wearne
The West Australian – Page: 9 : 5-Nov-14

Western Australia’s Department of Fire & Emergency Services will investigate the high incidence of kidney cancer among staff at the Success fire station. Four firefighters have been diagnosed with the disease over a six-year period, prompting concerns about a cancer cluster. The United Firefighters Union has suggested that the cancer problems could be linked to the nearby Water Corporation water treatment facility

CORPORATES
WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FIRE AND EMERGENCY SERVICES, UNITED FIREFIGHTERS’ UNION OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA, WATER CORPORATION OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Australia to send Ebola volunteers

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Original article by Peter Hartcher
The Age – Page: 11 : 5-Nov-14

Insiders say the Australian Government will on 5 November 2014 reveal an initiative to help the fight against the Ebola virus disease outbreak in Africa. Australian volunteers will be given assistance to travel to Sierra Leone and staff a field hospital being constructed by the UK Government. Any of the medical personnel who contract the virus will be treated in the UK or Germany. The Australian Medical Association and the Australian Nursing & Midwifery Federation report that many of their members are ready to make the trip to Africa

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AUSTRALIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN NURSING AND MIDWIFERY FEDERATION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Labor vows to put end to political ads

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Original article by Richard Willingham, Clay Lucas
The Age – Page: 7 : 4-Nov-14

The Australian Labor Party has promised to impose restrictions on political advertising in Victoria if it wins the state election on 29 November 2014. Advertisements will be restricted to the promotion of workplace health and safety, community matters and changes in personal behaviour

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, VICTORIA. TRANSPORT ACCIDENT COMMISSION, PUBLIC TRANSPORT VICTORIA (PTV), VICTORIA. AUDITOR-GENERAL’S OFFICE

Senator offers plan to freeze HECS bills for mothers

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Original article by Matthew Knott
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: 3 : 4-Nov-14

Independent Victorian senator John Madigan has proposed to freeze student debts for five years for primary caregivers. The Australian Government needs the support of independent senators for its legislation deregulating student fees. Independent South Australian senator Nick Xenophon said Madigan’s proposal was worth considering. Education Minister Christopher Pyne is continuing negotiations with independent senators over the proposed changes to higher education

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EDUCATION, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, NICK XENOPHON GROUP, IPSOS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD