AUSTRALIA – POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

‘Labor won’t lead revolution of reform’

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Michael Roddan, Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 6 : 9-May-19

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has indicated that Labor will "modernise the economy" if it wins the federal election. Former IFM Investors chairman Garry Weaven says a Labor government would not pursue significant economic reform, adding that "revolutionary" reform is not necessary. Robert Carling of the Centre for Independent Studies agrees that a Shorten government would not seek to undertake reforms on the scale of those implemented by Labor under former prime ministers Bob Hawke and Paul Keating.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, IFM INVESTORS PTY LTD, THE CENTRE FOR INDEPENDENT STUDIES LIMITED, ACTU, GRATTAN INSTITUTE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Final leaders’ debate: Shorten slams climate inaction as Morrison focuses on tax

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Sarah Martin
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 9-May-19

Climate change and tax policy are among the issues that dominated the third and final leaders’ debate on 8 May. Prime Minister Scott Morrison challenged Opposition Leader Bill Shorten to disclose the cost of Labor’s climate change policy, and stressed the need for a "responsible approach" to addressing the issue of climate change. Shorten in turn said the Coalition’s leadership instability over the last six years was due in part to its policy on climate change. Meanwhile, Morrison criticised Labor’s proposed tax reforms, arguing that higher taxes will result in slower economic growth.

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

State of the Nation – Election 2019 a photo finish

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Michele Levine
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 9-May-19

What seemed like a foregone conclusion after the Liberal Party Leadership upheaval late last year has suddenly become a competitive contest between the L-NP Government led by Prime Minister Scott Morrison and the Bill Shorten-led ALP Opposition. After Malcolm Turnbull was ‘turfed out’ from his job as Prime Minister in August 2018, and replaced by the then largely unknown among the public Scott Morrison, the Roy Morgan Poll showed the ALP two-party preferred vote spiking to what seemed an unbeatable lead with the Federal Election set to be called within the next few months: ALP 58% cf. L-NP 42% (October 2018). Following the leadership change former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull immediately resigned from his seat of Wentworth causing a by-election in his seat which was won by Independent candidate Dr. Kerryn Phelps, and Liberal MP Julia Banks resigned from the Government and joined the cross-bench. At this time the Morrison Government was beset by instability and appeared to be on the verge of collapse at any moment. Many media commentators (from afar) advised new Prime Minister Morrison to call an early Federal Election to put the political uncertainty to rest. As we now know PM Morrison ignored these calls and pledged to take the Government ‘full-term’ until May 2019, which he has done, and the last three Roy Morgan Polls conducted since mid-April 2019 show a very close contest with the ALP just ahead: ALP 51% cf. L-NP 49%. A number of key factors will determine who wins this year’s Federal Election.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, MORGAN POLL, ROY MORGAN LIMITED

ABC boss busy playing politics

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Lilly Vitorovich
The Australian – Page: 4 : 8-May-19

The ABC’s MD David Anderson recently rejected claims of political bias at the public broadcaster. However, former chairman Maurice Newman says it was inappropriate for Anderson to use his first interview in his new role to suggest that if electors care for the ABC, they should not vote for the Coalition on 18 May. Anderson warned that the ABC will need to reduce its services due to the funding freeze in the May 2019 Budget.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Plan to silence enemies in media

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Chris Merritt
The Australian – Page: 8 : 8-May-19

Media lawyer Kevin Lynch says the Australian Greens’ communications policy appears to be targeting the party’s real or perceived enemies in the media sector. Amongst other things, the policy advocates an inquiry to address the issue of media concentration and the introduction of a public interest veto regarding acquisitions in the sector. Greens leader Richard Di Natale has also confirmed that the party’s proposal for new criminal laws on hate speech is aimed at the broader media industry rather than just the three broadcasters who have been named.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIAN COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA AUTHORITY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

We can withstand a downturn: Frydenberg

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 8-May-19

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg is confident that the Australian economy would be resilient in the event of a significant downturn in the global economy. Frydenberg notes amongst other things that the tax cuts in the April 2019 Budget will boost consumer spending and economic activity, and he believes that the Coalition’s policy settings are sufficient without having to pursue stimulatory measures such as bringing forward the full tax cuts package. Frydenberg also dismisses suggestions that legislating the tax cuts is the Coalition’s only real policy agenda.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, CENTRE ALLIANCE, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, ADANI MINING PTY LTD

No guarantee for PM’s $158b income tax cuts

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 8-May-19

The support of Senate crossbenchers may be crucial for the government to pass its signature tax cuts package if it wins the federal election. Centre Alliance has committed to supporting the first two stages of the tax cuts, although Senator Griff Stirling has indicated that the party may be open to backing the third stage. Senate aspirant Clive Palmer says his party’s support for the tax cuts is subject to several conditions. The government may have to split the tax bill to secure its passage through the upper house, given that Labor supports only the stage one tax cuts.

CORPORATES
CENTRE ALLIANCE, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, ONE NATION PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Childcare pay rise a carrot for union

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Rick Morton
The Australian – Page: 4 : 7-May-19

Shadow treasurer Chris Bowen has defended Labor’s proposal to provide early childhood educators with a taxpayer-funded pay rise, saying the policy has been costed by the Parliamentary Budget Office. Treasury Josh Frydenberg in turn has argued that the policy has been costed on giving a pay rise to 100,000 child care workers, whereas the sector employs 195,000 people. He has claimed that the policy is merely aimed at increasing union membership.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Labor weighs boosting union powers

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 8 : 7-May-19

Shadow workplace relations minister Brendan O’Connor has indicated that unions’ right to entry laws could be relaxed if Labor wins the federal election. The reforms could include recommendations made in the Boland review of workplace safety laws; amongst other things, the review proposed waiving the need for a union official to have a workplace entry permit if the visit is related to industrial safety. This would benefit the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining & Energy Union; some of its officials have been denied entry permits under the Fair Work Act’s ‘fit and proper person’ test.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, ACTU, HERBERT SMITH FREEHILLS PTY LTD, MASTER BUILDERS AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, SAFE WORK AUSTRALIA

Morrison and Shorten, take note: Trump shows what enterprising tax settings can do for jobs

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Robert Gottliebsen
The Australian – Page: 33 : 7-May-19

Between 2019 and 2025, the cumulative tax bill of people earning more than $200,000 a year will be more than $33,000 higher under Labor than the Coalition, according to a tax calculator on Self-Employed Australia’s website. Low-income earners who receive $15,000 worth of franking credits each year would also be worse off under Labor. The tax policies of Australia’s major political parties are in contrast to the personal and company tax cuts of US President Donald Trump. Some 263,000 jobs were created in the US in April and the unemployment rate fell to its lowest level since December 1969, while there has been average hourly earnings growth of 3.2 per cent over the last year.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, SELF-EMPLOYED AUSTRALIA, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT