AUSTRALIA – POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Morrison bid to fast track union bill

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 17-Sep-18

The Federal Government will make a new push for the Senate to pass its Ensuring Integrity Bill, which was shelved earlier in 2018. Industrial Relations Minister Kelly O’Dwyer has urged Opposition Leader Bill Shorten to support the bill, stressing that the proposed reforms are needed to protect workers and small businesses. Amongst other things, the bill would allow union officials to be disqualified for repeated breaches of civil law while it would become easier to deregister a union. The bill is supported by employer groups, but the ACTU has called for crossbenchers to vote against it.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF JOBS AND SMALL BUSINESS, ACTU, AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, COUNCIL OF SMALL BUSINESS ORGANISATIONS OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED, MASTER BUILDERS AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Direct Action back on the agenda

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Original article by Graham Lloyd
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 17-Sep-18

Environment Minister Melissa Price has indicated that the Federal Government will revive key elements of the Direct Action climate change policy of former prime minister Tony Abbott. Price says she supports the Direct Action policy but stresses that the government’s stance does not signal a return to Abbott-era policies. Amongst other things, Price will seek additional funding for the Emissions Reduction Fund, of which around $250m of its original funding has not yet been spent. Price has also proposed reactivating the Green Army program, which ended on 30 June.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, CLIMATEWORKS PTY LTD, GREAT BARRIER REEF FOUNDATION, ADANI MINING PTY LTD

Scott Morrison tells Malcolm Turnbull to back off

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Original article by Simon Benson,{SHARE}Ben Packham
The Australian – Page: Online : 14-Sep-18

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has called on predecessor Malcolm Turnbull and his supporters to stop trying to undermine his government, stating they are putting its future at risk. Turnbull tweeted recently that Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton should be referred to the High Court over his interest in two child care centres that received over $5.5 million in taxpayer-funded rebates in eight years, while former deputy Liberal leader Julie Bishop has hinted she might cross the floor should a motion to refer Dutton to the High Court be put to the House of Representatives.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET,{SHARE}AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HOME AFFAIRS,{SHARE}LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA,{SHARE}HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA

Frydenberg mourns death of NEG

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Original article by Tom McIlroy
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 10-Sep-18

Prime Minister Scott Morrison will ask Cabinet on 10 September to dump the emissions reduction targets contained in the now defunct National Energy Guarantee. Josh Frydenberg says he is disappointed by the NEG’s scrapping, but he denies suggestions it was the cause of Malcolm Turnbull’s demise as Prime Minister. Business groups want the "reliability component" of the NEG to be included in any future energy policy, while Labor climate spokesman Mark Butler accused Morrison of giving in to the Liberal Party’s conservative wing.

CORPORATES
LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, BLUESCOPE STEEL LIMITED – ASX BSL, ORORA LIMITED – ASX ORA

Bishop condemns culture of bullying

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Original article by Stephen Brook
The Australian – Page: 5 : 6-Sep-18

Former foreign minister Julie Bishop said on 5 September that she has witnessed some appalling behaviour in federal parliament. Bishop, who was speaking at the "Australian Women’s Weekly" Women of the Future awards lunch, said that parliament’s workplace culture, which includes bullying and intimidation, would not be tolerated in any other Australian workplace. She says that parliament’s adversarial nature impacts on the political process, while she urged the Liberal Party to take steps to lift the number of its MPs who are women.

CORPORATES
LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE

Morrison resists milk levy

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

Agriculture Minister David Littleproud has proposed the adoption of a temporary $0.10 per litre on milk to help dairy farmers who are struggling with the drought and low milk prices. He says that Woolworths has indicated it was willing to support such a levy, which would raise around $250 million a year, provided that Coles did. Littleproud says he has spoken to the Coles CEO, who indicated to Littleproud that he is not so favourably disposed to the idea. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has indicated he is reluctant to support Littleproud’s proposal.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF AGRICULTURE AND WATER RESOURCES, WOOLWORTHS GROUP LIMITED – ASX WOW, COLES SUPERMARKETS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Cosgrove to retire, G-G the PM’s pick

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Original article by Sam Buckingham-Jones
The Australian – Page: 1 & 9 : 5-Sep-18

Sir Peter Cosgrove has indicated he intends to retire as Governor-General when his five-year term ends in March. With the next federal election due before May, Bill Shorten recently asked Prime Minister Scott Morrison to extend Sir Peter’s term in office for six months or until after the election, stating this would allow an incoming prime minister to appoint a successor. However, Sir Peter’s comments indicate it will be the current government that makes that decision.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN, AUSTRALIAN CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY, AUSTRALIAN RUGBY FOOTBALL UNION

Shorten: extend Hayne probe

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Original article by Tom McIlroy
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 9 : 5-Sep-18

Labor leader Bill Shorten has called on Prime Minister Scott Morrison to extend the banking royal commission’s current reporting deadline. The commission, which is headed by former High Court Judge Kenneth Hayne, is due to present an interim report in October, and to present its final report by 1 February 2019. Shorten, who was speaking on 4 September, says the victims of banking misconduct must be given more opportunity to have their grievances heard, and that as well as giving the commission more time, it should also travel to regional centres.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO MISCONDUCT IN THE BANKING, SUPERANNUATION AND FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

PM’s $3.6b corporate tax cuts

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 5-Sep-18

The federal government recently announced its intention to bring forward previously legislated tax cuts for small and medium businesses with turnover of $50 million or less. The government’s preferred option for companies in this category is for their tax rate to drop to 25 per cent by 2021-22. Internal Treasury papers indicate that this option would cost the budget $3.6 billion over the four-year, forward estimates period. It would allow the government to achieve its self-imposed plan that tax revenue not exceed 23.9 per cent of GDP by 2020-21, a year earlier than intended.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Paris targets still on despite exemption

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 31-Aug-18

Environment Minister Melissa Price rather than Energy Minister Angus Taylor has been given responsibility for meeting Australia’s carbon emission reductions target under the Paris climate agreement. Price has expressed confidence that the target will be achieved, noting that the nation is on track to exceed its emissions reduction target for 2020. Policies aimed at reducing electricity prices will be a priority for Taylor, who has indicated that the federal government will adopt many of the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission’s recommendations in its review of retail electricity prices.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN ENERGY REGULATOR, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY