AUSTRALIA – POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Miners seek assurance on fuel tax break

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 21-Apr-20

The resources sector is lobbying the federal government not to touch the diesel excise rebate as it looks at ways to repay the cost of the COVID-19 pandemic. The rebate is worth around $2 billion to the resources sector; it is also received by other industries, including fishing and agriculture. Minerals Council of Australia CEO Tania Constable contends that imposing higher taxes to pay for the cost of COVID-19 will harm jobs and curtail growth, while she notes that both the Henry tax review and Treasury are of the view that the fuel tax credit is sound economic policy.

CORPORATES
MINERAL COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Labor launches Senate push to reverse IR changes

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 21-Apr-20

Shadow industrial relations minister Tony Burke has questioned the need for reforms which reduce the amount of time employees are given to vote on proposed changes to workplace agreements from seven days to just one. The reform was prompted by the pandemic, but Burke argues that any such changes to enterprise agreements will remain in place after the coronavirus abates and will need to be removed via another vote by employees. Labor will put a disallowance motion to the Senate when parliament resumes, and it intends to seek the support of crossbenchers.

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AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

No dirty tactics, ACCC tells tech giants

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Original article by Leo Shanahan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 8 : 21-Apr-20

Australian Competition & Consumer Commission chairman Rod Sims has warned that technology companies will face significant financial penalties if they fail to comply with the mandatory code of conduct. He adds that 8-14 per cent of Google’s search results include news stories, so the company is unlikely to block such content in response to the federal government’s decision to make digital platforms pay news publishers for their content. The ACCC has been given responsibility for developing the payment model.

CORPORATES
GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Coalition pressure to rescue Virgin

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Original article by Simon Benson, Sarah Elks
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 20-Apr-20

It is understood that Virgin Australia could be placed into voluntary administration within days unless the federal government steps in to save the airline or it can be rescued by the private sector. Former Queensland premier Peter Beattie, who gave Virgin $10 million to base its headquarters in Brisbane in 2000, says the tourism sector would be "devastated" if the airline goes under. Federal Liberal MP Jason ­Falinski believes that Virgin needs to be kept afloat, and that the federal government and taxpayers may end up being the "buyer of last resort".

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VIRGIN AUSTRALIA HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX VAH, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

BCA plan aims to accelerate recovery

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Original article by Tom McIlroy
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 20-Apr-20

The Business Council of Australia has developed a three-tier plan for restarting the domestic economy when coronavirus lockdown restrictions start to be eased. Amongst other things, the discussion paper proposes a gradual resumption of office-based work, with appropriate health and safety measures to protect workers. The BCA has also called for regulatory and industrial relations reforms to boost economic activity, while it says the focus of government assistance should shift to accelerating the economy rather than keeping it on ‘life support’.

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BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA

Bipartisan call to investigate China’s role in spread of virus

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Original article by Richard Ferguson
The Australian – Page: 4 : 20-Apr-20

Foreign Minister Marise Payne has called for an independent investigation into how China and the World Health Organization handled the first stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, along with the role of China’s wet markets in the virus’s creation. Shadow health minister Chris Bowen says Labor would support such an investigation, while Peter Jennings from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute says the G20 might be an appropriate body to conduct the type of investigation that the federal government is calling for.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN STRATEGIC POLICY INSTITUTE LIMITED, GROUP OF TWENTY (G-20)

Big tech made to pay for news

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 20-Apr-20

The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission has been directed to set up a mandatory code of conduct under which Google and Facebook will be required to pay news publishers for using their content. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg says it is only reasonable that those who create content are rewarded for it. Facebook and Google had initially been directed to set up a voluntary code of conduct for content payment by November, but the two technology companies had been accused by media firms of not genuinely engaging in negotiations on the issue. Nine Entertainment CEO Hugh Marks has praised the government for taking "taking swift and decisive action" on the issue.

CORPORATES
FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC

PM flags business growth plan

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 17-Apr-20

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has told a meeting of the national cabinet that pro-growth economic policy measures will be required in the post-coronavirus environment. He has stressed that business rather than government will lead the economic recovery, so there will be a need for policies that encourage employers to invest in their business and to hire people. Morrison has also raised the prospect that some of the policies that the Coalition took to the May 2019 election might need to be shelved. Business Council of Australia CEO Jennifer Westacott has expressed support for Morrison’s pro-business focus.

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

Record bond deal shows confidence in Australia: PM

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Original article by Sarah Turner, Vesna Poljak, Jonathan Shapiro
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 29 : 17-Apr-20

The Australian Office of Financial Management has revealed that domestic investors accounted for 68.1 per cent of the federal government’s $13bn bond deal. Banks in turn bought more than 50 per cent of the new bonds, while investment managers accounted for 25 per cent of the issuance. Prime Minister Scott Morrison says the strong support for the bond deal demonstrates that investors are confident that Australia will be able to repay its debt.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY. OFFICE OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

IMF jumped the gun with dire forecasts: Frydenberg

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Original article by Patrick Commins
The Australian – Page: 4 : 16-Apr-20

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has downplayed the International Monetary Fund’s latest economic growth and unemployment forecasts for Australia. He argues that they were made prior to pandemic stimulus measures such as the $130bn JobKeeper scheme. New figures show that more than 838,000 businesses have applied for the wage subsidy to date. The IMF has forecast that the domestic economy will contract by 6.7 per cent in 2020, although Alan Oster of National Australia Bank expects GDP growth to fall by just 4.3 per cent.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB