O75 Public Administration

Swan admits MRRT revenue failure

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 19-Aug-14

The former Australian Government revealed details of its proposed Resources Super Profit Tax on 2 May 2010. However, a book written by ex-treasurer Wayne Swan shows that the mining sector was only told about plans for the tax several days earlier. Swan also notes that generous deductions granted to mining companies for investing in their mining operations were a major contributor to the lower-than-expected revenue from the minerals resource rent tax

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, XSTRATA AG

High cost of ‘green tape’ to economy

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Original article by Annabel Hepworth
The Australian – Page: 19 : 18-Aug-14

A new study has been commissioned from BAEconomics by the Minerals Council of Australia. The special interest group will argue that the research shows so-called green tape will hold up developments that could otherwise add some 69,000 jobs to the economy by 2015, unless state and federal governments act to reduce the bureaucratic burden. The Department of Employment recently also forecast that 16,000-plus workers would be made redundant in the half-decade to 2018 in the areas of exploration as well as metal ore and coal mining, after 106,700 positions had been created in the previous five years

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MINERALS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, BAECONOMICS PTY LTD, ORIGIN ENERGY LIMITED – ASX ORG, BG GROUP PLC, QUEENSLAND GAS COMPANY LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION

Energy report urges job reform

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Original article by Amos Aikman
The Australian – Page: 18 : 18-Aug-14

A new study, "Heading North: The Importance of Labour Mobility in Developing Northern Australia", has been commissioned by the Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association special interest group. It will argue before the federal parliament’s Joint Select Committee on Northern Australia on 18 August 2014 that state and federal governments must do more to support flexible staffing solutions. These include "fly in, fly out" rosters, more skilled immigration and the use of "457" visas. Such measures could unlock a potential $A180bn in capital investments

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AUSTRALIAN PETROLEUM PRODUCTION AND EXPLORATION ASSOCIATION LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. JOINT SELECT COMMITTEE ON NORTHERN AUSTRALIA

Abbott’s plan to axe RET

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1/ & 4 : 18-Aug-14

The Australian Government is believed to planning to abolish the Renewable Energy Target (RET), and will get Dick Warburton to examine this option. Warburton’s review of the RET recommended that it be scaled back, but any such move would be opposed by the Palmer United Party, which does not want changes to the RET before the next federal election. Infigen Energy MD Miles George has expressed concern about the potential impact of any changes to the RET

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, PALMER UNITED PARTY, INFIGEN ENERGY LIMITED – ASX IFN, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, CLIMATE INSTITUTE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED

Call for review of safety laws

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Original article by Annabel Hepworth
The Australian – Page: 19 : 15-Aug-14

The Council of Australian Governments in 2008 announced a push to streamline workplace health and safety legislation nationally. However the state governments in Victoria and Western Australia have still not joined the framework in 2014, and the Business Council of Australia has now commented on the issue. In a submission lodged with the Federal Department of Employment, the employer body argues the model laws should be watered down in order to persuade all states to adopt them. The Master Builders Australia lobby group had also recently called for reform of the laws

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BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, MASTER BUILDERS AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENTS

Qantas under attack in air wars dogfight

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Original article by Jamie Freed
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 16 : 15-Aug-14

The Australian Government insists on reciprocity in traffic rights for airlines of Australia and Hong Kong. Cathay Pacific argues that Qantas Airways’ Jetstar Hong Kong will not comply with Hong Kong’s Basic Law, because the new budget carrier business of the Australian airline will be effectively controlled from Australia. Mike Mrdak, the secretary of the Australian Department of Infrastructure & Regional Development, commented on the matter in mid-August 2014. He said Cathay Pacific and other Hong Kong carriers will not be given increased traffic rights into Australia unless Australian carriers are given the same rights in Hong Kong

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QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN, JETSTAR AIRLINES PTY LTD, JETSTAR HONG KONG AIRWAYS LIMITED, CATHAY PACIFIC AIRWAYS LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INFRASTRUCTURE AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT, CHINA EASTERN AIRLINES CORPORATION LIMITED, SHUN TAK HOLDINGS LIMITED

ATO chasing multi dippers

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Original article by Nassim Khadem
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 10 : 14-Aug-14

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) intends to crack down on taxpayers who engage in so-called "dividend washing". The tax agency issued warning letters in March 2014, which prompted some 1,300 recipients to make voluntary disclosures. It will shortly follow this up with further letters to taxpayers who failed to respond. The ATO has warned that taxpayers who ignore the letter could be audited and face large tax penalties

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AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Co-payment faces battle in Senate

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 13-Aug-14

The Palmer United Party continues to oppose the Australian Government’s $A7 Medicare co-payment. However, Health Minister Peter Dutton says the current bulk-billing rate of 83 per cent is unsustainable and needs to be addressed. He has also foreshadowed exempting more people from the co-payment. Meanwhile, Treasurer Joe Hockey has urged the Senate to support the proposed reintroduction of fuel indexation

CORPORATES
PALMER UNITED PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HUMAN SERVICES. MEDICARE AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HEALTH, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. NATIONAL COMMISSION OF AUDIT, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

ALP increases its lead over L-NP (56%:44%)

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Morgan Poll Update – Page: Online : 11-Aug-14

A multi-mode Morgan Poll on Federal voting intention has found that support for the Coalition on a two-party preferred basis has fallen by 1.5 per cent to 44 per cent. The poll, which was carried out on the weekends of 2-3 and 9-10 August 2014, also shows that support for the Australian Labor Party has risen by 1.5 per cent to 56 per cent. Roy Morgan Research executive chairman Gary Morgan says that an analysis of voting trends by age group shows that support for Labor is rising among those in the 18-24 and 25-34 age demographics

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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 FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, MALAYSIAN AIRLINE SYSTEMS, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS

AGL granted CSG fracking licence

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Original article by Geoff Winestock
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 9 : 7-Aug-14

The New South Wales (NSW) Government in 2012 ended a ban on hydraulic fracturing for coal seam gas wells that had been imposed in 2011, provided that companies use new and safer technology. The first such approval has now been issued by NSW Energy Minister Anthony Roberts to AGL Energy, which must also however relinquish the licence it held for a quarter of the previous exploration area

CORPORATES
AGL ENERGY LIMITED – ASX AGK, NEW SOUTH WALES. DEPT OF ENERGY, UTILITIES AND SUSTAINABILITY, METGASCO LIMITED – ASX MEL, THE GREENS NSW INCORPORATED