AUSTRALIA – POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Cash to fight subpoena over union raid tip-off

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 31-May-18

Shadow workplace relations minister Brendan O’Connor has repeated his call for Jobs Minister Michaelia Cash to resign over police raids on the offices of the Australian Workers’ Union in 2017. Cash has been issued with a subpoena to give evidence in the AWU’s legal action over the raids, which were undertaken as part of an investigation into the union’s political donations. Cash has described the subpoena as a "stunt" that is aimed at protecting Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, who was the AWU’s national secretary when the donations were made.

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

MP deserts Hanson to back tax cut

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Original article by Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 31-May-18

The Federal Government’s hopes of passing its company tax cuts in the Senate have been bolstered after One Nation’s Brian Burston indicated that he will support the package in defiance of party leader Pauline Hanson. Burston suggests that the upcoming by-election in the seat of Longman in Queensland may have influenced Hanson’s decision to withdraw her party’s support for the tax cuts. Burston also says he only became aware of Hanson’s decision when he read about it in the media. The Government requires the support of eight crossbenchers to pass the legislation.

CORPORATES
ONE NATION PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, CENTRE ALLIANCE, AUSTRALIAN CONSERVATIVES, LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Labor open to strip super from Fair Work

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Original article by Joanna Mather, Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 31-May-18

Sources have suggested that the Australian Labor Party will continue to oppose a move to require the majority of superannuation funds’ board members to be independent. However, shadow treasurer Chris Bowen is said to be willing to support the Productivity Commission’s recommendation to shift responsibility for selecting default super funds from the Fair Work Commission to an expert panel. Meanwhile, the PC’s deputy chair Karen Chester has downplayed concerns that the super industry would be dominated by the 10 funds on the expert panel’s list.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION, ACTU, INDUSTRY SUPER AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY, FINANCIAL SERVICES COUNCIL

Greens minimum wage cost comes in at $630m

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Original article by Ben Packham
The Australian – Page: 5 : 30-May-18

The Australian Greens have proposed permanently setting the minimum wage at 60 per cent of the median wage. Greens MP Adam Bandt says this would increase the minimum wage to around $A757 per week, compared with $A695 at present. However, the policy would cost employers an additional $A630m a year. The ACTU has also advocated pegging the minimum wage to average earnings, while Labor considered but ultimately rejected such a proposal due to its likely impact on jobs.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN GREENS, ACTU, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION

ALP urged to clarify company tax plan

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 30-May-18

The tax rate of businesses whose turnover is within the range of $A25m-$A50m will be reduced from 30 per cent to 27.5 per cent from 1 July, under the next stage of the Federal Government’s company tax cuts package. Council of Small Business Australia CEO Peter Strong says Labor should state whether it intends to reverse the tax cuts that have been legislated if it wins the next federal election, arguing that businesses need certainty with regard to tax policy.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, COUNCIL OF SMALL BUSINESS ORGANISATIONS OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. PARLIAMENTARY BUDGET OFFICE

Banking inquiry risks credit crunch

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Original article by Adam Creighton
The Australian – Page: 4 : 30-May-18

Treasury secretary John Fraser appeared before the Senate economics committee on 29 May. He said the banking royal commission may lead to stricter lending standards in the sector, which could in turn potentially result in a "credit crunch". Meanwhile, Finance Minister Mathias Cormann has told the committee that there is no reason for the government to provide year-by-year costings for its personal income tax cuts package. He argued that Labor did not provide such costings for the National Disability Insurance Scheme when it was in office.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, AUSTRALIA. SENATE STANDING COMMITTEE ON ECONOMICS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO MISCONDUCT IN THE BANKING, SUPERANNUATION AND FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY, BANK OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA LIMITED, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA

Labor’s $2000 tax sting for average workers

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Original article by Simon Benson, David Uren
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 30-May-18

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says 10 million Australians will receive an income tax cut in the first year of the Federal Government’s three-stage tax package. However, Shadow treasurer Chris Bowen says analysis by the Treasury shows that the top 20 per cent of income earners will benefit most from the tax package. Meanwhile, analysis of data from the Australian Taxation Office suggests that Labor’s alternative tax plan will increase the average worker’s annual tax bill by between $A500 and $A2,000 by 2024-25.

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

PM wants tax stoush before Super Saturday

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Original article by Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 4 : 29-May-18

The Federal Government aims to have its proposed corporate and personal income tax cuts passed by the Senate prior to the five by-elections on 28 July. Finance Minister Mathias Cormann has advised that the tax packages will be put to the upper house before the end of June, despite the fact that the government currently has insufficient support for either of them. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has ruled out supporting the company tax cuts package, while One Nation leader Pauline Hanson argues that the full reduction in the corporate tax rate should be implemented immediately.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ONE NATION PARTY, NEWSPOLL

Labor leader vows to end great divide, revive wages

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Original article by Samantha Hutchinson, John Ferguson, Ben Potter
The Australian – Page: 4 : 28-May-18

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten told Victorian Labor’s state conference on 27 May that inequality is increasing in Australia. With federal Labor due to face five by-elections on 28 July, Shorten flagged plans to reduce national debt, cut income taxes, and boost education and health funding if Labor wins the next election. The previous day had seen Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews promised to impose jail terms on employers who underpay staff or whose employees are killed on the job.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA

Two banks warn of big payouts if grandfathered deal ends

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Original article by Joanna Mather
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 18 : 28-May-18

Certain commissions paid to financial advisers were banned as part of the Future of Financial Advice reforms in 2013. However, other types of commissions were "grandfathered". Michael Wright of Westpac subsidiary BT Financial Group has told the banking royal commission that grandfathered commissions should also be banned, but the ANZ Bank and AMP disagree. They have suggested that the federal government might have to pay compensation to advisers if grandfathered commissions were banned, while they have also suggested that a ban could be in breach of the Constitution.

CORPORATES
BT FINANCIAL GROUP PTY LTD, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO MISCONDUCT IN THE BANKING, SUPERANNUATION AND FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, AMP LIMITED – ASX AMP, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY