AUSTRALIA – POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Government’s anti-union bill retrospective

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 : 25-Sep-19

ACTU president Michele O’Neil has told a Senate inquiry that some provisions of the federal government’s Ensuring Integrity Bill are retrospective. She says the requirement that a court must be satisfied that the deregistration of a union or the disqualification of an official is unjust would allow the court to take into account industrial breaches that occurred before the legislation took effect. This would have implications for the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining & Energy Union, which has a long history of breaching workplace laws.

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ACTU, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP

Tax cuts, not surpluses, key to growth

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Original article by Adam Creighton
The Australian – Page: 5 : 24-Sep-19

Returning the Budget to surplus has been a priority for the federal government since it won office in 2013, and it is on track for a surplus in 2019-20 after posting a deficit of less than $700m for 2018-19. However, documents released under Freedom of Information laws show that the Treasury is of the view that tax cuts may be the best way to stimulate the economy. The Treasury papers note that the government’s income tax cuts package will boost household disposable income by 0.75 per cent over three years, while delaying or reversing future tax cuts would reduce the efficiency of the economy and the tax system.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

PM push to wind back China’s trade benefits

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 24-Sep-19

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has called for an overhaul of the global trading system in response to the economic rise of China. He said China should now be recognised as a newly-developed economy and it should no longer be entitled to concessions under World Trade Organization rules for developing nations. Speaking in Chicago during his official visit to the US, Morrison stressed that global trade rules are outdated and are no longer "fit for purpose", particularly with regard to digital trade. He also emphasised the importance of Australia’s alliance with the US, and said Australia will never take it for granted.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION, CHICAGO INSTITUTE FOR GLOBAL AFFAIRS, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, UNITED NATIONS. GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Solitude warning for Australia

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Original article by Michael Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 10 : 23-Sep-19

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has stated that his visit to Washington will lay the foundation for another century of friendship between Australia and the US. However, Chinese academic Yu Lei has stated in ‘The Global Times’ that Australia risks straining its relationship with Asian nations if it boosts military ties with the US, and that this could leave it in solitude. US President Donald Trump stated during Morrison’s visit that the trade war with China could run until the presidential election in November 2020, while he stated during a joint news conference with Morrison that China represents a "threat to the world".

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

PM urges China to settle

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Original article by Dennis Shanahan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 23-Sep-19

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has urged the US and China to take action to resolve their trade dispute as quickly as possible. Following a meeting with President Donald Trump, Morrison stated that he had a "clear sense" that Trump is also keen for a resolution to the trade war. He added that any deal must be sustainable and address issues such as breaches of intellectual property and forced technology transfer. Morrison has downplayed recent comments by former prime minister Kevin Rudd, who suggested that the G20 leaders’ summit in November will be the last opportunity for the US and China to resolve the trade war.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, GROUP OF TWENTY (G-20), AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

After decade of deficits, budget ‘back to balance’, says Frydenberg

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Original article by Adam Creighton, Michael Roddan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 20-Sep-19

Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg unveiled a budget deficit of $700 million for the 2018-19 financial year on 19 September. Frydenberg noted that the federal government had kept spending under the long-run average of 24.7 per cent of GDP for the second year running, while he said the creation of 300,000 jobs in 2018-19 had meant increased tax collections and reduced welfare expenses. The $700 million deficit was a $14 billion improvement on what had been predicted in May 2018, while a budget surplus is likely for 2019-20 if high commodity prices and strong employment growth continue to boost the government’s tax coffers.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

PM lashes Liu security risk claims as racism

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 13-Sep-19

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has told Parliament he is satisfied Gladys Liu is not a national security risk, while claiming those who questioned her fitness to serve in parliament were racist. Liu has been under the spotlight recently over allegations regarding her connections to organisations in China, one of which is Beijing’s propaganda arm, and Labor and Centre Alliance have both called for her to be investigated. Morrison has declined to answer what steps he took to assure himself that Liu was not a security risk, while Victorian Liberal president Michael Kroger said he knew nothing about suggestions raised in a newspaper that ASIO had advised the Liberal Party against pre-selecting Liu.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Test for Labor as PM eyes victory

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Original article by Simon Benson, Rosie Lewis
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 9-Sep-19

The federal government looks set to get bills that would see drug testing for welfare recipients introduced and its cashless welfare card expanded passed, after independent senator Jacquie Lambie indicated she would support them. In return for her support, the federal government will waive the $157 million housing debt that Tasmania owes the commonwealth. Labor caucus is said to be divided over Labor leader Anthony Albanese’s decision to enforce a ‘no vote’ on both bills, while manager of opposition business Tony Burke claims the two bills will not create any more jobs but will just "humiliate" people.

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AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

PM rejects fears on press freedom

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Original article by Greg Brown
The Australian – Page: 2 : 6-Sep-19

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has stressed that the Coalition is "absolutely" committed to press freedom. He has also expressed his view that there are sufficient protections for whistleblowers, while he has defended the Australian Federal Police over the recent raid on the Canberra home of Australian Signals Directorate officer Cameron Gill. News Corp Australia executive Campbell Reid has claimed that the AFP raid was aimed at intimidating potential whistleblowers into not approaching the media.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, AUSTRALIAN SIGNALS DIRECTORATE, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, LAW COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA

Morrison spruiks infrastructure as key

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Original article by Richard Ferguson
The Australian – Page: 4 : 6-Sep-19

Prime Minister Scott Morrison hopes the federal government’s massive infrastructure investment program will help stimulate the economy. The government will spend some $100bn on infrastructure projects over the next decade, including $48.2bn over the next four years. However, shadow infrastructure minister Catherine King contends that the government failed to meet its infrastructure spending commitments in its first five Budgets.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY