O75 Public Administration

Speed-up plan for Japan deal

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Original article by Greg Earl, Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 14-Oct-14

The free trade agreement between Australia and Japan was slated to begin on 1 April 2015. Both nations are keen for the trade deal to begin earlier, possibly in February. This could result in the tariff on beef exports being reduced on the starting date for the deal and again at the beginning of Japan’s financial year on 1 April. Japan is the biggest export market for Australian beef

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA-JAPAN BUSINESS CO-OPERATION COMMITTEE

Credit card bank licences to go

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Original article by Shaun Drummond
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 : 14-Oct-14

The Australian Government has accepted the Reserve Bank’s recommendation to scrap the requirement for companies that issue credit cards to hold a bank licence. Finance Minister Mathias Cormann says the move will increase competition by attracting new entrants to the credit card market and result in lower fees for consumers and retailers. However, some experts doubt that the reforms will lead to greater competition

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, VISA INTERNATIONAL, MASTERCARD AUSTRALIA LIMITED, RFI CONSULTING PTY LTD, GE CAPITAL AUSTRALIA, COLES GROUP LIMITED, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, TYRO PAYMENTS, SQUARE PTY LTD, PAYVISION, AIRPLUS INTERNATIONAL

Tax breaks to be reintroduced

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 13-Oct-14

The Australian Government will unveil its National Industry Investment and Competitiveness Agenda on 14 October 2014. The policy includes unwinding the Australian Labor Party’s changes to regulations governing employee share schemes and changes to the significant investor scheme to ensure that money is invested in sectors of the economy where it is needed. The Government will also encourage greater co-operation between the business and education sectors

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE CHIEF SCIENTIST

Bullish Hockey has faith in boom

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Original article by David Crowe
The Australian – Page: 20 : 10-Oct-14

Opinion is divided on whether the resources boom has ended and export-focused nations must restructure their economies accordingly. During a forum staged in the US by the International Monetary Fund, Australian Treasurer Joe Hockey argued that demand for commodities such as iron ore and gas would continue to be healthy and underpin the nation’s prosperity. He pointed to the emergence of the middle class as consumers in the Asian region. The assessment was in contrast with those given by South African Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene, Indonesian Finance Minister Muhamad Chatib Basri and Nigerian Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND, WORLD BANK, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Parties pledge to open new heart hospital in Clayton

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Original article by Kate Hagan, Julia Medew, Richard Willingham
The Age – Page: 12 : 10-Oct-14

Victorian Opposition Leader Dan Andrews says the Australian Labor Party will also build a new hospital that is an election campaign pledge of the State Government. Health Minister David Davis and Premier Denis Napthine have announced plans for a new specialist heart hospital occupying five levels at the Monash Medical Centre in Clayton. Under the Coalition, the funding mix will be $A70m from the Government and $A50m that Monash Health sources from philanthropists. The overall number of cardiac beds will rise by 57 to 100

CORPORATES
MONASH MEDICAL CENTRE, MONASH HEALTH, VICTORIA. DEPT OF HEALTH, VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN NURSING AND MIDWIFERY FEDERATION, AUSTRALIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION (VICTORIA) LIMITED

Schools brace for surge in enrolments

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Original article by Bethany Hiatt
The West Australian – Page: 11 : 8-Oct-14

Schools in Perth are expected to face a sharp increase in student numbers in coming years due to rising population levels in inner-city suburbs. Development of new housing in established suburbs is driving much of the growth, and Western Australia’s Department of Education has begun to examine ways to address the growing demand for places at the state’s schools

CORPORATES
WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF PLANNING, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. PLANNING COMMISSION

Labor pledge to boost jobs and reduce payroll tax

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Original article by Richard Willingham
The Age – Page: 2 : 7-Oct-14

Victorian Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews has unveiled some policy initiatives ahead of the November 2014 election. He says an Australian Labor Party givernment will provide companies with incentives to hire the unemployed, including payroll tax rebates. Andrews aims to create 100,000 new jobs via these measures, but Treasury Michael O’Brien warns that Labor policies such as plans to scrap the East West Link project will cost jobs

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, VICTORIA. DEPT OF TREASURY AND FINANCE, ACTU, VICTORIAN EMPLOYERS’ CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, VICTORIAN FARMERS FEDERATION

L-NP gains ground on ALP as Australia enters new war in Iraq

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Morgan Poll Update – Page: Online : 6-Oct-14

A multi-mode Morgan Poll on Federal voting intention has found that support for the Coalition on a two-party preferred basis has risen by 1.5 per cent to 47 per cent. The poll, which was carried out on the weekends of 27-28 September and 4-5 October 2014, also shows that support for the Australian Labor Party has fallen by 1.5 per cent to 53 per cent. Roy Morgan Research executive chairman Gary Morgan says Labor’s lead is the narrowest in six months, noting that support for the Coalition has increased after Australia joined the new Middle Eastern war and Parliament passed tough new anti-terrorism laws

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MORGAN POLL, ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, PALMER UNITED PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF IMMIGRATION AND BORDER PROTECTION

Nahan’s hit list of key projects

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Original article by Shane Wright
The West Australian – Page: 1 : 7-Oct-14

The Western Australian (WA) Government has indicated that the funding of infrastructure projects will be affected by the decline in the iron ore price, which has fallen below $US80 per tonne. Treasurer Mike Nahan says the downturn has reduced the state’s revenue by at least $A1.5bn. Nahan has also called for changes to the allocation of goods and services tax revenue among the states to ensure a fairer deal for WA

CORPORATES
WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF TREASURY AND FINANCE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, PALMER UNITED PARTY

Synergy puts case to be split

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Original article by Daniel Mercer
The West Australian – Page: 3 : 6-Oct-14

State-owned power utility Synergy has made a submission to the Western Australian Government arguing the case for its structural separation. It favours the creation of at least two companies that are engaged in both electricity generation and retailing, in order to boost competition in the energy sector and lead to a reduction in electricity prices over the long-term. Synergy was merged with generation company Verve Energy at the start of 2014

CORPORATES
SYNERGY POWER CORPORATION PTY LTD, VERVE ENERGY, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF ENERGY