AUSTRALIA – POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Senate calls for limits to developments around airports

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Original article by Jenny Wiggins
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 14 : 23-Mar-18

A Senate committee has called for guidelines to be put in place to ensure that there are "public safety zones" around airports. Such zones permit aircraft to make emergency landings or take evasive action without the risk of hitting buildings, but no such guidelines are in place in Australia. The committee noted that commercial and housing developments near airports represents a significant safety risk, while the Australian & International Pilots Association notes that buildings near runways can cause turbulent wakes when the wind is strong.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN AND INTERNATIONAL PILOTS ASSOCIATION, AUSTRALIA. SENATE STANDING COMMITTEE ON RURAL AND REGIONAL AFFAIRS AND TRANSPORT, AUSTRALIAN TRANSPORT SAFETY BUREAU, AUSTRALIA. CIVIL AVIATION SAFETY AUTHORITY

Turnbull on the verge of tax victory

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Original article by Simon Benson, Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 23-Mar-18

One Nation has agreed to back the Federal Government’s company tax cuts package in return for a commitment to a pilot program for taxpayer-subsidised apprenticeships. The Government still requires the support of independent senators Tim Storer and Derryn Hinch, with the latter advising that he will back the tax package provided that it does not apply to the four major banks. Liberal Democrat David Leyonhjelm has vowed to withdraw his support for the tax cuts if the Government agrees to Hinch’s demands. Meanwhile, Labor has signalled that it may seek to reverse any reduction in the tax rate for larger companies if it wins the next election.

CORPORATES
ONE NATION PARTY, LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, ACTU

Calls for action on Facebook data privacy

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Original article by Tom McIlroy
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 22-Mar-18

The Australians Greens have sought support in the Senate for a motion which would require all political parties to reveal whether they had supplied any government data to Cambridge Analytica. Meanwhile, Communications Minister Mitch Fifield says laws regarding copyright and online activity need to be constantly reviewed in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Lawyer George Newhouse notes that Australians do not have a constitutional right to privacy, and the position regarding a common law right to privacy is unclear.

CORPORATES
CAMBRIDGE ANALYTICA LLC, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

ACTU demands changes to lift workers’ power

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 4 : 22-Mar-18

The Australian Industry Group has warned that a push by ACTU secretary Sally McManus for major changes to the industrial relations regime would result in job losses and reduced employment opportunities for young people. McManus has used a National Press Club speech to argue that restrictions on enterprise bargaining are hindering wages growth, and she has called for workers to be given the same bargaining rights as CEOs and multinational corporations. McManus has also claimed that the Fair Work Commission is no longer independent and the Fair Work Ombudsman has been politicised.

CORPORATES
ACTU, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK OMBUDSMAN, NATIONAL PRESS CLUB (AUSTRALIA), AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

Tax cut will lift wages: CEOs’ push

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Original article by Ben Packham
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 22-Mar-18

Ten of the nation’s largest companies have committed to increasing their investment in Australia if the Federal Government progressively reduces the corporate tax rate from 30 per cent to 25 per cent. They argue that increased investment will in turn result in the creation of more jobs and ultimately boost wages. Meanwhile, independent senator Steve Martin has agreed to support the Enterprise Tax Plan Bill, although fellow independent Tim Storer has yet to decide his position. The Government requires the support of nine Senate crossbenchers.

CORPORATES
BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, WOOLWORTHS GROUP LIMITED – ASX WOW, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN, ENERGYAUSTRALIA PTY LTD, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, ORIGIN ENERGY LIMITED – ASX ORG, MYOB GROUP LIMITED – ASX MYO, JBS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, WOODSIDE PETROLEUM LIMITED – ASX WPL, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, ONE NATION PARTY, NICK XENOPHON TEAM, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Regulator slams Facebook over breach

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Original article by Tom McIlroy
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 21-Mar-18

Australia’s Information Commissioner Timothy Pilgrim has advised that he is seeking clarification from Facebook as to whether the personal data of local users was compromised in the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Cambridge Analytica registered an Australian office in 2015, and it has been revealed that executives of the data analytics firm held meetings with Social Services Minister Dan Tehan and Liberal Party officials in April 2017. The firm is also believed to have met with Australian Labor Party officials. The Greens’ Jordon Steele-John says MPs should disclose any links with the firm.

CORPORATES
FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE FEDERAL PRIVACY COMMISSIONER, CAMBRIDGE ANALYTICA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF SOCIAL SERVICES, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, REPUBLICAN PARTY (UNITED STATES), BREITBART NEWS, SCL GROUP

Hanson ponders tax cuts switch

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Original article by Ben Packham
The Australian – Page: 4 : 21-Mar-18

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has indicated that she may be open to backing the Federal Government’s company tax cuts package. Hanson notes that many companies in the US are hiring additional staff in the wake of the corporate tax reforms of President Donald Trump. The Nick Xenophon Team, which boasts two senators, opposes the tax cuts, which will require the Government to gain the support of the other nine crossbench senators for its tax bill.

CORPORATES
ONE NATION PARTY, NICK XENOPHON TEAM, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, COMMITTEE FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, WOODSIDE PETROLEUM LIMITED – ASX WPL

New Senate push to kill union merger

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman, Andrew Tillett
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 21-Mar-18

The Federal Government hopes to secure the support of Senate crossbenchers for legislation to block a merger between the Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union and the Maritime Union of Australia. The Nick Xenophon Team has signalled that it is open to negotiations regarding amendments to the Ensuring Integrity Bill, while the Liberal Democratic Party’s David Leyonhjelm say he is holding talks with the Government. The CFMEU-MUA merger will proceed on 27 March unless the bill is amended.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, MARITIME UNION OF AUSTRALIA, NICK XENOPHON TEAM, LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY, ONE NATION PARTY, ACTU, AUSTRALIAN MINES AND METALS ASSOCIATION (INCORPORATED), AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF JOBS AND SMALL BUSINESS, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION

Flaw in Shorten’s $2.5m cash refund claim exposed

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Original article by Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 21-Mar-18

SMSF Association chair Deborah Ralston says that contrary to claims by Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, relatively few self-managed superannuation funds receive $A2.5m worth of cash refunds for excess dividend imputation credits each year. She adds that SMSFs would need to hold at least $A100m worth of Australian shares that pay fully franked dividends to qualify for such cash refunds. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has accused Shorten of targeting people on low incomes.

CORPORATES
SMSF ASSOCIATION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, RICE WARNER ACTUARIES PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE

Uber, Airbnb, Deliveroo urge labour law shake-up

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Original article by Patrick Durkin, David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 16 : 20-Mar-18

The Senate inquiry into the future of work has received more than 140 submissions, with sharing-economy businesses arguing that existing workplace laws are outdated. Deliveroo has used its submission to propose the creation of a new category of employment for people who work in the "gig economy", noting that regulations governing casual employees are not compatible with its business model. Meanwhile, Google has stressed the need to retrain up to 3.5 million workers whose jobs may be at risk due to digital disruption.

CORPORATES
DELIVEROO, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, UBER AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AIRBNB AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, SEEK LIMITED – ASX SEK, CENTRE FOR FUTURE WORK, FOODORA, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK OMBUDSMAN, AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION, ATLASSIAN CORPORATION PLC