O77 Public Order Safety and Regulatory Services

Petrol chains gouge country motorists

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Original article by Patrick Durkin
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 15-Jan-15

The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission will investigate allegations that the cost of petrol remains much higher in regional and rural areas than in metropolitan regions. The average price of unleaded petrol is currently around $A1.197 per litre in the five main capital cities. However, motorists in regional cities and towns are paying between $A0.18 and $A0.44 per litre more. This includes Canberra and Hobart

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, COMMONWEALTH SECURITIES LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF PETROLEUM LIMITED, QUEENSLAND. TREASURY, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, COLES GROUP LIMITED, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, BP AUSTRALIA LIMITED, CALTEX AUSTRALIA LIMITED – ASX CTX, 7-ELEVEN STORES PTY LTD, INFORMED SOURCES PTY LTD

Chinese coal quality rules may hit exporters

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Original article by Sarah-Jane Tasker
The Australian – Page: 18 : 13-Jan-15

The ANZ Bank’s Mark Pervan says China’s move to impose quality-control restrictions on coal shipments may adversely affect Australian coal producers. China plans to crack down on the importation of coal whose ash content exceeds 16 per cent. Some 92 per cent of the 40.3 million tonnes of coal imported from Australia in the first 10 months of 2014 exceeded this threshold. Pervan notes that it is costly for producers to subject coal to greater processing in order to reduce its ash content

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, CHINA. NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND REFORM COMMISSION

Watchdog to beef up markets surveillance

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Original article by Annabel Hepworth
The Australian – Page: 18 : 8-Jan-15

The Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC) in late 2013 launched its market analysis intelligence system, used to monitor the securities sector for insider trading and other misconduct. The cost of $A44m will now be added to with up to $A4m per annum until 2019, to enable ASIC to also crack down on problems in the areas of equity derivatives and contracts for difference. However interest rate, commodities, foreign exchange and credit derivatives traded over-the-counter will not be covered

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, NICK XENOPHON GROUP

Wholesalers defend fuel pricing strategies

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 21 : 8-Jan-15

The Australian Government has ordered a review of Australia’s fuel pricing system. The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission will monitor oil companies for three years. Viva Energy CEO Scott Wyatt said on 7 January 2015 that the pricing system works well. It is transparent and fast enough to ensure that savings resulting from lower oil prices are promptly passed on to retailers and motorists, he argued

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AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, VIVA ENERGY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF PETROLEUM LIMITED, EXXONMOBIL AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, 7-ELEVEN STORES PTY LTD, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, COLES GROUP LIMITED, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, ROYAL AUTOMOBILE CLUB OF VICTORIA (RACV) LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY

Mine probe over poisoned fruit

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Original article by Alex Massey
The West Australian – Page: 17 : 19-Dec-14

Western Australian police are investigating allegations that fruit supplied to workers at the Roy Hill iron ore mine was poisoned. A contractor on the site reported that a piece of fruit he was eating looked discoloured and had a bad taste, although he suffered no ill-effects. Several workers have claimed that the fruit was laced with cyanide, which is not used at the site, although police have yet to confirm the nature of the chemical involved

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ROY HILL IRON ORE PTY LTD, WESTERN AUSTRALIAN POLICE SERVICE, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HEALTH

Drunk? Intoxicated? Police seek clarity

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Original article by Nino Bucci
The Age – Page: 9 : 19-Dec-14

Victorian police want to bring the state in line with New South Wales on laws regarding drunkenness. At present Victoria’s Liquor Control Reform Act makes a distinction between drunkenness and intoxication, while there is no such distinction in NSW. The Act includes a definition of intoxication but does not define what constitutes drunkenness. Victoria is the only state in which public drunkenness is still a criminal office

CORPORATES
VICTORIA POLICE, VICTORIAN COMMISSION FOR GAMBLING AND LIQUOR REGULATION

Fears prompt thinning of the blue line

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Original article by Rania Spooner
The Age – Page: 4 : 15-Dec-14

A series of assaults have occurred in Victorian courts against police prosecutors, who in response have begun to appear in plain clothes rather than in uniform. The staff are not armed, and Police Association secretary Ron Iddles notes that the state’s WorkSafe authority has recommended boosting security at the Moorabbin Justice Centre. Victoria Police may soon deploy protective services officers, as the existing employees of private contractor Wilson Security at the facility lack arrest powers

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VICTORIA POLICE, THE POLICE ASSOCIATION OF VICTORIA, VICTORIAN WORKCOVER AUTHORITY, WILSON SECURITY SERVICES, MELBOURNE MAGISTRATES’ COURT, COUNTY COURT OF VICTORIA, SUPREME COURT OF VICTORIA, VICTORIA. CIVIL AND ADMINISTRATIVE TRIBUNAL, CHILDREN’S COURT

Violent nurse suspended after assaults

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Original article by Elle Farcic
The West Australian – Page: 7 : 15-Dec-14

Western Australia’s State Administration Tribunal has suspended Michael Cummins’ registration as a nurse for 16 months. He pleaded guilty to charges of professional misconduct arising from incidents at two nursing homes. He had been accused of assaulting a dementia patient and a patient care assistant, as well as falsifying medical records and failing to give medication to patients. Cummins had previously been given a suspended jail sentence after pleading guilty to charges of assault

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WESTERN AUSTRALIA. STATE ADMINISTRATIVE TRIBUNAL, GREAT SOUTHERN, MEDISERVE NURSING AGENCY

State government moots ban on sale of raw milk

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Original article by Beau Donelly, Kate Hagan, Marissa Caligeros
The Age – Page: 8 : 12-Dec-14

A three-year old child died and four young children became seriously ill after drinking unpasteurised cow’s milk. Victoria’s Chief Health Officer, Rosemary Lester, warned that raw milk is not fit for human consumption. It is being sold as bath milk but consumers rarely buy it for this purpose and most of them drink it. Better labelling or even a ban may be necessary

CORPORATES
UPPER GULLY ORGANICS, VICTORIA. DEPT OF HEALTH, UNITED STATES. FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, VICTORIA. DEPT OF JUSTICE. CONSUMER AND BUSINESS AFFAIRS VICTORIA

Reforms to cut through red tape

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Original article by Andrew White
The Australian – Page: 20 : 11-Dec-14

National Australia Bank’s Angela Mentis has suggested to the Federal Government that it could reduce red tape for small businesses by scrapping business activity statements. This is one of the recommendations that Mentis has made to the Minister for Small Business, Bruce Bilson. She argues that technology solutions could be used to assist small business owners to compile data for the monthly statements

CORPORATES
NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION, COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENTS, AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY