AUSTRALIA – POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Government flags heavy-handed crackdown on black economy

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Original article by Mike Bruce
The New Daily – Page: Online : 21-Aug-19

Gary Pflugrath of CPA Australia says the federal government should reconsider proposed legislation to restrict cash payments between businesses and individuals to no more than $10,000. It was one of the recommendations of the government’s Black Economy Taskforce, but Pflugrath contends that there are sufficient "checks and balances" to counter criminal activity. Kurt Wallace from the Institute of Public Affairs says restricting cash payments would have little impact on the cash economy, while reducing the freedoms of ordinary Australians. Individuals could face big fines and imprisonment for breaching the proposed laws.

CORPORATES
CPA AUSTRALIA, INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS LIMITED, H&R BLOCK LIMITED, ONE NATION PARTY, UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE

Climate failures cost us: ALP poll review

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Original article by Troy Bramston
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 21-Aug-19

A submission to Labor’s review of its 2019 federal election campaign has contended that lack of sufficient detail of the party’s climate change policy contributed to its surprise defeat on 18 May. The Labor Environment ­Action Network’s submission notes that the Opposition’s climate change action plan did not outline how much it would cost, how it would be funded or what economic benefits it would have. LEAN members also argue that Labor’s franking credits policy and its stance on Adani’s Carmichael coal mine also contributed to its election loss.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ADANI MINING PTY LTD

Gillard’s IR laws need rework: Lib MPs

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 20-Aug-19

Liberal MPs Tim Wilson, Jason Falinski and Andrew Bragg have called for changes to unfair dismissal laws that were introduced when Julia Gillard was the Labor government’s industrial relations minister. The trio argues that Labor’s Unfair Dismissal Code has also been ineffective, and the number of unfair dismissal cases heard by the Fair Work Commission has risen sharply under Labor’s reforms. A recent review of the code by Small Business Ombudsman Kate Carnell recommended 15 changes to it.

CORPORATES
LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE AUSTRALIAN SMALL BUSINESS AND FAMILY ENTERPRISE OMBUDSMAN

Transacting $10,000 or more in cash could make you a criminal under proposed law

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Original article by Nassim Khadem
abc.net au – Page: Online : 20-Aug-19

The 2018-19 federal Budget included a proposal that would restrict cash payments to businesses to no more than $10,000. The measure was recommended by the federal government’s Black Economy Taskforce; those who infringe the proposed measure if it is legislated could be fined up to $25,000 or jailed for two years. One Nation has indicated that it will vote against legislation, while the Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry is among a number of organisations that oppose the measure.

CORPORATES
ONE NATION LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

Backbench push unfair dismissal

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 12-Aug-19

The business sector is calling for changes to industrial relations laws, and Coalition backbenchers are also pressuring the federal government for action in this area. The Business Council of Australia has called for the replacement of the ‘better off overall test’ with a new test that would only require each class of employee, rather than each individual employee, not to be worse off when the Fair Work Commission is asked to approve an enterprise agreement. Meanwhile, Liberal National party senator Amanda Stoker claims unfair dismissal laws as they apply to small and medium businesses represent a "block to growth", while she also says the modern award system is too complicated.

CORPORATES
BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, LIBERAL-NATIONAL PARTY OF QUEENSLAND

Union campaign forgot voters

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 2 : 9-Aug-19

Former Labor executive Evan Moorhead has undertaken a review of the ACTU’s ‘Change the Rules’ campaign, which is estimated to have cost about $10m. The confidential review has concluded that the campaign did not resonate with voters because its policy objectives were too complex and it was ‘swamped’ by competing messages from the Coalition, Clive Palmer’s United Australia Party and Labor’s own election campaign. Moorhead also found that many union organisers did not fully embrace the ACTU campaign due to complacency that Labor would win the election.

CORPORATES
ACTU, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, UNITED AUSTRALIA PARTY

US-China trade war to rage for decades

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Original article by Glenda Korporaal, Rosie Lewis, Ben Packham
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 9-Aug-19

The Department of the Prime Minister & Cabinet’s secretary Martin Parkinson says the US-China trade war is unlikely to be resolved in the near-term, and it could last for decades. He has also used an Asia Society briefing to note that the trade tensions have already undermined confidence in the rules-based trade system. Meanwhile, Business Council of Australia CEO Jennifer Westacott says that handling the trade war requires a delicate balancing act, given that the US is Australia’s biggest ally and China is the nation’s largest trading partner.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, JOHN CURTIN RESEARCH CENTRE

Costello defies PM, urges super debate

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Original article by Greg Brown
The Australian – Page: 4 : 8-Aug-19

The legislated increase in the superannuation guarantee continues to attract scrutiny, with former treasurer Peter Costello calling for the issue to be "thoroughly debated" in the Coalition’s partyroom. He says increasing the guarantee from 9.5 per cent at present to 12 per cent by mid-2025 will have "very significant ramifications", although he has stopped short of declaring his own position on the issue. A number of Coalition backbenchers oppose increasing the super guarantee.

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

Skills crisis at critical level: CEOs

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Original article by Ewin Hannan, Sascha O’Sullivan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 8-Aug-19

Australian Industry Group CEO Innes Willox has urged the federal government to take action to address the nation’s skilled labour shortage. Willox says the situation is particularly urgent given the number of major infrastructure projects that will be undertaken in coming years. He has written to Prime Minister Scott Morrison arguing the need for a national approach to the issue, noting that the number of people undertaking apprenticeship and traineeship programs fell to 259,385 in 2018, compared with 446,000 in 2012.

CORPORATES
THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENTS

Treasurer in bid to allay surplus fears

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 8-Aug-19

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has downplayed concerns about the US-China trade war, stressing that it will not affect the federal government’s timetable for returning the Budget to surplus. Frydenberg has acknowledged that financial market volatility following China’s move to devalue the yuan was a concern, but he has cautioned against an overreaction. Labor has urged the government to bring forward income tax cuts and infrastructure spending in order to stimulate the economy.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA