AUSTRALIA – POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Morrison risks Jakarta’s ire on Israel

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Original article by Primrose Riordan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 5 : 17-Oct-18

The federal government has attracted criticism in Indonesia after Prime Minister Scott Morrison signalled that it may be open to relocating Australia’s embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. However, the issue is not expected to affected negotiations for an Australia-Indonesia free-trade agreement unless the embassy is actually moved. Arab diplomats in Australia have criticised the federal government’s lack of consultation, but Jewish groups have welcomed the change in the Coalition’s policy regarding Israel.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, UNITED NATIONS. GENERAL ASSEMBLY, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, INDONESIA. MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, AUSTRALIA-ISRAEL AND JEWISH AFFAIRS COUNCIL, EXECUTIVE COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIAN JEWRY

Miners warn Labor over Indonesia FTA

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Original article by John Kehoe, Ronald Mizen
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 17-Oct-18

Australian mining companies argue that a proposed free-trade agreement with Indonesia must include an investor-state dispute settlement clause, given the Indonesian government’s recent policy of requiring resources projects to have majority ownership. The mining sector accounts for about one-third of Australia’s foreign direct investment in Indonesia. However, Labor opposes the federal government’s plans to include an ISDS clause in the FTA, a stance that is backed by unions.

CORPORATES
NEWCREST MINING LIMITED – ASX NCM, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, BLUESCOPE STEEL LIMITED – ASX BSL, COCA-COLA AMATIL LIMITED – ASX CCL, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, AUSTRALIA-INDONESIA BUSINESS COUNCIL LIMITED, FREEPORT-McMORAN COPPER AND GOLD INCORPORATED, CHURCHILL MINING PLC, PLANET MINING, AUSTRALIA. EXPORT FINANCE AND INSURANCE CORPORATION, INDONESIA-AUSTRALIA BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP GROUP, LAW COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, PHILIP MORRIS INTERNATIONAL INCORPORATED, WHITE INDUSTRIES AUSTRALIA LIMITED

Guthrie, Milne in sights of senators

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Original article by Rosie Lewis
The Australian – Page: 3 : 17-Oct-18

The Senate will hold an inquiry into the recent leadership turmoil at the ABC, which led to the dismissal of MD Michelle Guthrie and the resignation of chairman Justin Milne. The terms of reference for the inquiry include investigating allegations of political interference at the ABC. The Greens will push for Guthrie, Milne and Communications Minister Mitch Fifield to appear before the inquiry, which is slated to report its findings in late March.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Barnaby’s coal plan powers up detractors

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Original article by Ean Higgins
The Australian – Page: 5 : 16-Oct-18

National Party MP Keith Pitt has questioned the viability of the federal government’s Snowy Hydro expansion plan. He argues that investing in coal-fired power stations may be a better option if Snowy 2.0’s cost per megawatt hour is very high. The issue of energy policy has come under renewed scrutiny after former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce advocated coal-fired power in preference to Snowy 2.0. However, the University of Queensland’s Professor Tor Hundloe says pumped hydro is much more cost-effective than coal-fired power generation.

CORPORATES
NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND

ALP looks to loosen reins on strike action

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 4 : 16-Oct-18

Labor is understood to be planning changes to the Fair Work Act to make it easier for workers and unions to undertake sector-wide pay claims. However, to ease employers’ concerns over the prospect of allowing industry-wide industrial action, Labor is believed to be considering giving the Fair Work Commission more powers to stop or cease industrial action where a number of companies are being targeted. University of Adelaide law professor Andrew Stewart says it would seem reasonable to allow industry-wide bargaining in sectors where enterprise bargaining is not easy to access.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE, ACTU

PM open to embassy in Jerusalem

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Original article by Simon Benson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 5 : 16-Oct-18

Prime Minister Scott Morrison will announce closer defence relations with Israel in a foreign policy statement to be released on 16 October. He has also indicated that the federal government may consider relocating Australia’s embassy from Tel Aviv to West Jerusalem, adding that the issue has been raised in a meeting of cabinet’s national security committee. Morrison has stressed that the government’s stance on Israel is not linked to the by-election in the seat of Wentworth, which has a large Jewish community.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

Budget could balance this financial year

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 15-Oct-18

Finance Minister Mathias Cormann has indicated that the Budget bottom line was $6.6bn ahead of expectations in the first two months of 2018-19. The federal government has forecast a Budget deficit of $14.5bn for 2018-19, and the deficit was $8.9bn for the 12 months to 31 August. The government expects to achieve a surplus in 2019-20, but economist Chris Richardson says it could potentially do so in 2018-19. However, he says this will depend on the health of the economy and spending restraint by the government.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Don’t vote for Libs: Turnbull’s son

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Original article by Andrew Clennell
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 12-Oct-18

Alex Turnbull has urged voters in Wentworth not to vote for the Liberal Party at the upcoming by-election. The son of former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull claims that the Liberal Party has been taken over by the "hard right", and that voters need to send a message to the federal government on climate change. Liberal candidate Dave Sharma is regarded as slightly ahead of independent candidate Dr Kerryn Phelps in polling. The government needs to win the by-election to retain its one-seat majority in the House of Representatives.

CORPORATES
LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, NEW SOUTH WALES. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET

No targets, Taylor warns states

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Original article by Michael Roddan
The Australian – Page: 8 : 12-Oct-18

Federal Energy Minister Angus Taylor says Australia is on track to achieve a 26 per cent reduction in carbon emissions by 2030. He says a priority now is to stabilise the national electricity grid, and with this in mind he intends to push for the states and territories to support a "reliability obligation" at the upcoming Council of Australian Governments’ meeting. Taylor also said the states should not press for the adoption of an emissions target at the meeting, arguing that it would only be necessary if Australia sought to reduce emissions by more than 26 per cent.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENTS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. ENERGY SECURITY BOARD

Labor flags flip on small biz tax cuts

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 12-Oct-18

Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has signalled that Labor remains open to backing legislation to bring forward tax cuts for small and medium enterprises. He says a prerequisite would be that there is no impact on government funding for hospitals and schools. The tax cuts for businesses with turnover of up to $50m have already been legislated, but the federal government wants to reduce the tax rate to 25 per cent in 2021-22 rather than 2026-27.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, CENTRE ALLIANCE, AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA