O75 Public Administration

Radical plan for tourism

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Original article by Joanna Mather
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 30-Oct-14

Senator David Leyonhjelm has proposed a number of measures to stimulate growth in Australia’s tourism sector. He would like the age limit on working holiday visas to be raised or removed. Holiday-makers who work in tourism jobs should be able to extend their visas by 12 months. He believes that people employed in restaurants should not be paid more when they work on a Saturday or Sunday

CORPORATES
RESTAURANT AND CATERING INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY

Poll points to Labor win in Victoria

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Original article by Lucille Keen, Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 30-Oct-14

A Fairfax/Ipsos poll on voting intentions in Victoria has found that the Australian Labor Party has 56 per cent support on a two-party preferred basis, compared with 44 per cent for the Coalition. Labor’s primary vote has increased by two per cent to 37 per cent, while the Coalition’s has fallen by two per cent to 39 per cent. However, Liberal Party leader Denis Napthine has a 45 per cent rating as preferred premier, ahead of Labor leader Daniel Andrews on 36 per cent

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FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, IPSOS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, LIBERAL PARTY OF VICTORIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, PALMER UNITED PARTY, BOMBARDIER TRANSPORTATION AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, VICTORIA. DEPT OF TRANSPORT, PLANNING AND LOCAL INFRASTRUCTURE, VICTORIA. DEPT OF TREASURY AND FINANCE, VICTORIAN FARMERS FEDERATION, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION

Red tape war raises the bar for regulators

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Original article by Damon Kitney
The Australian – Page: 19 : 29-Oct-14

The Australian Government will on 29 October 2014 issue its response to the Productivity Commission’s review of the relationship between regulators and small business. There will be half a dozen new performance indicators against which agencies such as the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission, Australian Securities & Investments Commission, Australian Taxation ­Office and Australian Prudential Regulation Authority will be gauged. The Business Council of Australia and Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry had lodged submissions to the inquiry

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AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Costello warns on GST change

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 29-Oct-14

The issue of the goods and services tax (GST) rate is again under scrutiny, with Prime Minister Tony Abbott renewing his push for tax reform. However, former treasurer Peter Costello believes that any change in the scope or rate of the GST should be conditional on the scrapping of other taxes, rather than merely being used to increase government revenue. Abbott says he will only proceed with changes to the GST if it is fully supported by the states

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Andrews makes pitch to parents

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Original article by Richard Willingham, Steve Lillebuen
The Age – Page: 4 : 27-Oct-14

The Australian Labor Party on 26 October 2014 staged its official campaign launch for the Victorian state election in November. Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews made increased spending on education a major plank in his platform, pledging $A1.3bn in total. Many of the measures consist of assistance payments to school students from low-income households. However $A320m will also be allocated to supporting and relaunching TAFE colleges. Meanwhile federal Labor leader Bill Shorten mocked Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s failure to campaign with Premier Denis Napthine in Victoria

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, VICTORIA. DEPT OF TREASURY AND FINANCE, HOLMESGLEN INSTITUTE OF TAFE

Tax Office forced to build Gosford offices

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Original article by Noel Towell
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: 4 : 27-Oct-14

Finance Minister Mathias Cormann stresses that the Australian Government is honouring an election pledge by opening a new office building in the regional New South Wales town of Gosford for the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). The move has been criticised by the Opposition as it comes at a time of major job cuts at the ATO and as it has a surplus of 6,200 seats across its premises nationwide. There has also been neither a business case nor cost-benefit analysis, in breach of the Finance Department’s requirements for new property leases by civil service agencies

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AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Abbott puts GST hike on the table

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Original article by Laura Tingle, Simon Evans
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 27-Oct-14

Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten says he will oppose any push by Prime Minister Tony Abbott to increase the GST rate. Abbott has indicated that tax reform may be on the agenda for the next federal election, including an increase in the state governments’ indirect tax base. The states currently derive about $A54bn of their annual income from the GST, but some have urged a more equitable distribution of GST revenue

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET, SOUTH AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET, NEW SOUTH WALES. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET

Student ‘acted in public interest’

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Original article by Louise Hall
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: 13 : 24-Oct-14

A former employee of the Whitehouse Institute of Design has pleaded guilty to accessing restricted data. She leaked information about a $A60,000 "chairman’s scholarship" awarded to Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s daughter, Frances Abbott. A sentencing hearing took place on 23 October 2014. The woman will be sentenced on 25 November

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WHITEHOUSE SCHOOL OF FASHION AND INTERIOR DESIGN, DISTRICT COURT OF NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, SYDNEY

Limbo leads to turbine layoffs

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Original article by Joanna Heath, Lucille Keen
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 24-Oct-14

Keppel Prince is to close its wind turbine division, which will result in 100 job losses. The retrenchments are the first to arise from the Australian Government’s review of the renewable energy target (RET). Keppel Prince’s Steve Garner says no orders for wind turbines have been received in 14 months, which would not have been the case had the RET be left unchanged. The sackings came one day after Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane said the Government will pursue a close to 40 per cent drop in the RET in absolute terms

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KEPPEL PRINCE ENGINEERING PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, PACIFIC HYDRO LIMITED, INDUSTRY FUNDS MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, IFM RENEWABLE ENERGY PTY LTD, ALCOA INCORPORATED – ASX AAI

Minister’s backflip spares Whitlam house

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Original article by Mark Hawthorne
The Age – Page: 9 : 24-Oct-14

Victorian Planning Minister Matthew Guy has intervened to prevent the demolition of "Ngara". The house in Kew is the birthplace of former prime minister Gough Whitlam. The Heritage Council has granted Guy’s request for an interim protection order, which will prevent the current owner of the historic home from carrying out further demolition work. Guy stepped in after a furore erupted over plans to demolish the home

CORPORATES
VICTORIA. DEPT OF TRANSPORT, PLANNING AND LOCAL INFRASTRUCTURE, HERITAGE COUNCIL OF VICTORIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, 3AW SOUTHERN CROSS RADIO PTY LTD, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, AUSTRALIA. FOREIGN INVESTMENT REVIEW BOARD, VICTORIA. CIVIL AND ADMINISTRATIVE TRIBUNAL