S9551 Business and Professional Association Services

Call to keep lid on wage claims

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Mathew Dunckley
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 9-Jan-15

Coles, Woolworths and Billabong International are among the Australian retailers that will negotiate new workplace agreements in 2015. Other sectors in which enterprise agreements are due to be renegotiated include banking, insurance and telecommunications. Kate Carnell, the CEO of the Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry, notes that companies in many sectors cannot afford to grant pay rises that exceed the CPI

CORPORATES
WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, COLES GROUP LIMITED, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, BILLABONG INTERNATIONAL LIMITED – ASX BBG, DAVID JONES LIMITED, SUPER RETAIL GROUP LIMITED – ASX SUL, PROUDS JEWELLERS PTY LTD, LUXOTTICA AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, DAN MURPHY’S, BIG W DISCOUNT STORES, SHOP, DISTRIBUTIVE AND ALLIED EMPLOYEES’ ASSOCIATION, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, QBE INSURANCE GROUP LIMITED – ASX QBE, INSURANCE AUSTRALIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX IAG, MEDIBANK PRIVATE LIMITED – ASX MPL, CSL LIMITED – ASX CSL, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, HEALTHSCOPE LIMITED – ASX HSO, CSL LIMITED – ASX CSL, AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, AUSTRALIAN RETAILERS ASSOCIATION, AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION, ACTU

Co-pay fight in waiting rooms

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Joanna Heath
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 11 : 19-Dec-14

The Australian Medical Association opposes the introduction of a $A5 co-payment for visits to the doctor. It intends to send campaign posters and pamphlets to doctors around the country. The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners has also expressed its opposition to the proposed changes

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION LIMITED, THE ROYAL AUSTRALIAN COLLEGE OF GENERAL PRACTITIONERS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HEALTH, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HUMAN SERVICES. MEDICARE AUSTRALIA, THE PHARMACY GUILD OF AUSTRALIA

Business plea to fix budget mess

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 16-Dec-14

The Australian Government’s mid-year economic and fiscal outlook forecasts an increase in the Budget deficit and the unemployment rate. The deficit is expected to rise to $A40.4bn in 2014-15, compared with the May 2014 Budget forecast of $A29.8bn. The jobless rate is now expected to top 6.5 per cent in 2015. The Business Council of Australia and the Australian Industry Group say bipartisan support in Parliament is needed to ensure that necessary reforms are implemented

CORPORATES
BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Retailers slam new Aust Post US service

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Eli Greenblat
The Australian – Page: 17 : 15-Dec-14

Australia Post has launched its new ShopMate service, which allows consumers to order goods from US online retailers that ship only to domestic addresses. The parcels are being sent to a warehouse in the US and then forwarded to Australia. The move has been sharply criticised by the Australian National Retailers Association, which says it exacerbates the problem of no goods and services tax being charged for items shoppers buy over the internet from overseas. The lobby group is especially disappointed as Australia Post is a Federal Government business

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA POST, AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL RETAILERS ASSOCIATION LIMITED, COLES GROUP LIMITED, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, DAVID JONES LIMITED, WOOLWORTHS HOLDINGS LIMITED, WESFARMERS BUNNINGS LIMITED, PREMIER INVESTMENTS LIMITED – ASX PMV, JUST GROUP LIMITED, HARVEY NORMAN HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX HVN, MYER HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX MYR, NATIONAL ONLINE RETAILERS ASSOCIATION LIMITED

Business pans power abuse test

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Katie Walsh
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 23 : 9-Dec-14

A submission to the Harper competition review panel by the Business Council of Australia has criticised proposed changes to regulations governing abuse of market power. The employer’s group argues that the reforms would create uncertainty, result in significant cost to the economy and could potentially lead to lengthy litigation. The Australian Industry Group and large corporations such as Telstra and Coles have also expressed concern about the proposed reforms

CORPORATES
BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, COLES GROUP LIMITED, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, ORIGIN ENERGY LIMITED – ASX ORG, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. COMPETITION TRIBUNAL, MASTER GROCERS’ AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, GLENCORE COAL HOLDINGS LIMITED, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, RAMSAY HEALTH CARE LIMITED – ASX RHC, FORD MOTOR COMPANY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, CITY OF MELBOURNE

Banks lobbied to ‘feather nests’

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Anthony Klan
The Australian – Page: 31 : 4-Dec-14

It has emerged that nine financial services industry bodies lobbied the Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC) in mid-2013 against the proposed Consultation Paper 212 regulations. They were meant to raise the standard of professional qualifications to be held by financial planners. ASIC chair Greg Medcraft has sharply criticised the industry, and noted the impact flawed advice has on clients. Meanwhile the Association of Independently Owned Financial Professionals argues the lobbying effort was indicative of the major banks and their aligned planning groups trying to defend their market share

CORPORATES
ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENTLY OWNED FINANCIAL PLANNERS INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, FINANCIAL PLANNING ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN BANKERS’ ASSOCIATION, FINANCIAL SERVICES COUNCIL, CPA AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PRESS CLUB (AUSTRALIA)

ASIC forced to fold on reform plan

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Anthony Klan
The Australian – Page: 22 : 3-Dec-14

The Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC) will not go ahead with the proposed Consultation Paper 212 regulations, which were designed to lift the level of professional qualifications to be held by financial planners. ASIC maintains that the decision is due to the Federal Government failing to get amendments to the Future of Financial Advice laws passed by the Senate, making the issue less urgent. However it has emerged that nine industry bodies wrote to the watchdog in 2013 and argued against the push

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, FINANCIAL PLANNING ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN BANKERS’ ASSOCIATION, FINANCIAL SERVICES COUNCIL, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Boycott safeguards ‘inadequate’: Boral

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Annabel Hepworth
The Australian – Page: 21 : 26-Nov-14

The draft report of Ian Harper from his review of competition law for the Australian Government does not recommend changes to secondary boycott provisions. These had been called for in the submission of building materials group Boral, which also told the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance & Corruption that the current legislation was insufficient to deal with the Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union. The latter is now the target of Federal Court proceedings launched by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission

CORPORATES
BORAL LIMITED – ASX BLD, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION

Doctors criticise parties for vague poll bed promises

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Kate Hagan
The Age – Page: 5 : 26-Nov-14

Tony Bartone, president in Victoria of the Australian Medical Association, has said neither major political party is convincing on health in the campaigns for the 29 November 2014 state election. He criticised the Government’s failure to issue details on where a supposed 800 new hospital beds have been allocated. Meanwhile the pledge to invest $A200m in under-utilised hospitals by the Australian Labor Party was also not addressing the longer-term issue of an ageing population. The Coalition has vowed to open a further 800 beds if re-elected

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION (VICTORIA) LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF HEALTH AND WELFARE, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, ANGLISS HOSPITAL, CASEY HOSPITAL, MONASH MEDICAL CENTRE, NORTHERN HOSPITAL, BALLARAT HEALTH SERVICES

Free TV gets back on the licence fee warpath

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Lara Sinclair
The Australian – Page: online : 25-Nov-14

Free TV Australia CEO Julie Flynn has revived the lobbying body’s campaign for the Federal Government to significantly reduce the licence fees paid by commercial free-to-air TV networks. The trigger this time is a plan by the Government to allow public broadcaster SBS to lift the length of advertising slots by 100%, and gain as much as $A200m extra in half a decade. That decision had been meant by Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull to compensate SBS for funding cuts worth $A53.7m

CORPORATES
FREE TV AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS, SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS), NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION