AUSTRALIA – POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Tax rules in limbo leave expats on a knife-edge

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Ingrid Fuary-Wagner, Tom McIlroy
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 25-Feb-19

The federal government announced in the May 2017 Budget that it would remove a capital gains tax exemption for non-resident Australians who sell their main home while overseas. The government has given non-resident Australians until 30 June to sell their home under existing rules, although legislation to enact the measure is yet to pass into law, while Labor has indicated that it may amend the measures if it wins the 2019 election. Expatriates are in a dilemma, not knowing whether the new laws will come into effect, but many are selling their property anyway, at a time when the housing market is in decline.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, SOTHEBY’S AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Bishop bows out of politics, saying Coalition will win

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 9 : 22-Feb-19

Former foreign minister Julie Bishop is confident that the Coalition will win the upcoming federal election, citing its strong credentials regarding border protection and economic management. Bishop has ended speculation about her political future by confirming that she will not recontest the safe seat of Curtin in Western Australia. Bishop has been in federal parliament since 1998, and she served as deputy leader of the Liberal Party from 2007 to 2018.

CORPORATES
LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF JOBS AND SMALL BUSINESS, UNITED NATIONS. SECURITY COUNCIL

Taxpayers’ $830k legal bill for ROC hearings

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 2 : 21-Feb-19

Mark Bielecki, the head of the Registered Organisations Commission, has told a Senate estimates hearing that the legal costs arising from raids on Australian Workers’ Union offices have topped $550,000. This is in addition to the $288,000 that Small Business Minister Michaelia Cash has spent on legal representation. Cash came under scrutiny by Labor members of the committee over the evidence she gave to the Australian Federal Police after details of the raids were leaked to the media.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. REGISTERED ORGANISATIONS COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION-FEDERATION OF INDUSTRIAL, MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING EMPLOYEES, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF JOBS AND SMALL BUSINESS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

Coal collapse ‘a good thing’, Labor MP says

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Ben Packham, Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 21-Feb-19

Resources Minister Matt Canavan has criticised comments made by Labor MP Richard Marles about the coal industry. Marles said the decline of the global thermal coal industry is "a good thing" as it implies that action is being taken to address climate change. Canavan argues that both coal prices and demand for coal are strong, and he says Marles’ comments show that Labor wants to shut down Australia’s largest export industry with the loss of more than 50,000 jobs. Marles later sought to clarify his comments.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND SCIENCE, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, MINERALS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, NEW SOUTH WALES MINERALS COUNCIL, ADANAC MOLYBDENUM CORPORATION, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA

Our carbon cut apocalypse

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Simon Benson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 21-Feb-19

Former bureaucrat Brian Fisher has undertaken independent modelling of the economic impact of the climate change policies of Labor and the Coalition. The modelling suggests that Labor’s policy would result in cumulative economic losses of $472bn over the 10 years to 2030, compared with $70bn under the Coalition’s policy. Labor’s policy would also result in 336,000 fewer jobs in 2030 and an eight per cent fall in real wages; in contrast, there would be about 78,000 fewer jobs under the Coalition’s policy, while real wages would be two per cent lower. Fisher was the chief adviser on climate policy to both Labor and Coalition governments.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF AGRICULTURAL AND RESOURCE ECONOMICS AND SCIENCES, BAECONOMICS PTY LTD, INTERGOVERNMENTAL PANEL ON CLIMATE CHANGE

Labor waves new stick at big banks

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 20-Feb-19

Labor has unveiled draft laws to implement five recommendations of the Hayne royal commission which it believes can be implemented before the election. However, the federal goverment contends that Labor’s proposals are unworkable and have been rushed. The government is expected to release its own draft laws in coming days. Meanwhile, Labor proposes to require the CEOs of major banks to make twice-yearly reports to Parliament on their progress on implementing Hayne’s recommendations. The government in turn will give the Australian Financial Complaints Authority retrospective powers to hear financial complaints dating back to the start of 2008.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO MISCONDUCT IN THE BANKING, SUPERANNUATION AND FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY, AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL COMPLAINTS AUTHORITY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES STANDING COMMITTEE ON ECONOMICS

Labor split erupts over Adani coal mine

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Mark Ludlow
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 2 : 19-Feb-19

CFMMEU Mining and Energy Queensland president Steve Smyth has accused the state government of a "go-slow" on approving Adani’s $2 billion Carmichael coal mine. It has been suggested that the government is trying to delay approval of the mine until after the federal election, so as to minimise any potential political damage to Opposition Leader Bill Shorten. Smyth says people in regional Queensland want to see the mine proceed, while he contends that thousands of jobs in the Galilee Basin are at risk if the state government does not approve the mine.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ADANI MINING PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, QUEENSLAND. DEPT OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND MINES, WARATAH COAL PTY LTD, GVK INDUSTRIES LIMITED, QUEENSLAND. DEPT OF ENVIRONMENT AND HERITAGE PROTECTION

Last weekend’s Roy Morgan face-to-face poll shows: ALP 52.5%, L-NP 47.5%. L-NP jump 3% on 2PP after ALP vote to loosen border protection laws

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 19-Feb-19

An Australia-wide Roy Morgan face-to-face poll conducted over the weekend of 16-17 February shows that support for the ALP on a two-party preferred basis is 52.5%, compared with 47.5% for the L-NP. There has been a 3% swing to the L-NP on a two-party preferred basis following the ALP’s decision to back the medivac legislation. The L-NP’s primary vote has risen by 2.5% to 37%, while the ALP’s primary vote has fallen 1.5% to 34.5%. Roy Morgan’s executive chairman Gary Morgan says the results of the Roy Morgan poll show that the issue of border protection is a major strength for the L-NP; however, a lot can happen between now and the Federal Election in May.

CORPORATES
MORGAN POLL, ROY MORGAN LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Police wanted to prosecute at least one over AWU leak

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Andrew Tillett
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 8 : 19-Feb-19

The Australian Federal Police have disclosed that there seemed to be enough evidence to justify charging at least one person for leaking details of raids on the offices of the Australian Workers’ Union in October 2017. However, the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions ruled against any prosecutions. The AFP’s Deputy Commissioner Leanne Close has also revealed that former industrial relations minister Michaelia Cash and former justice minister Michael Keenan declined to provide witness statements on two separate occasions, and had instead submitted written letters to the AFP.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION-FEDERATION OF INDUSTRIAL, MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING EMPLOYEES, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, AUSTRALIA. DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC PROSECUTIONS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF JOBS AND SMALL BUSINESS, AUSTRALIA. REGISTERED ORGANISATIONS COMMISSION, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Morrison’s Tampa moment

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Rosie Lewis, Joe Kelly, Primrose Riordan, Paige Taylor
The Australian – Page: 1 & 5 : 18-Feb-19

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has highlighted the federal government’s border protection policies in a newspaper article which is targeted at migrant communities. In addition, Morrison has recorded a two-minute video clip aimed at people-smugglers, in which he stresses that the passage of the medivac legislation will not affect Australia’s tough stance on asylum-seekers. The video will be broadcast in 15 languages on YouTube. Meanwhile, Labor has criticised the government’s decision to re-open the detention centre on Christmas Island.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT