AUSTRALIA – POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Joyce’s hold on power at risk: Nat

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Original article by Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 12-Feb-18

Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg says National Party leader Barnaby Joyce still has strong support within the Coalition and will lead the Nationals to the next federal election. However, there is growing concern within the National Party about a voter backlash over Joyce’s affair with a former staff, particularly among rural voters. The Government’s decision to move Joyce’s lover to a series of well-paid civil service positions has also attracted scrutiny.

CORPORATES
NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND SCIENCE

Cut tax and see wages grow

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Original article by Simon Benson, Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 12-Feb-18

The Federal Government’s legislation for an across-the-board reduction in the company tax rate will be put before the Senate in the week beginning 12 February. BHP Billiton Andrew Mackenzie, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce and Woodside Petroleum’s chairman-elect Richard Goyder have urged the Senate crossbenchers to pass the bill, warning that failure to do so will reduce Australia’s international competitiveness and deter investment. They also argue that reducing the tax rate for all companies will encourage businesses to hire more staff and increase wages.

CORPORATES
BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN, WOODSIDE PETROLEUM LIMITED – ASX WPL, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, NICK XENOPHON TEAM, ONE NATION PARTY, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, AMERICAN AIRLINES INCORPORATED, FEDERAL EXPRESS CORPORATION, AT&T CORPORATION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, VISY INDUSTRIES AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Federal agencies to dodge union deals

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 2 : 9-Feb-18

Australian Public Service Commissioner John Lloyd says smaller government agencies are most likely to ditch enterprise agreements under the Coalition’s new policy on public sector bargaining. It allows departments and agencies to opt for alternative workplace arrangements such as common law employment contracts. Lloyd notes that unions tend to have greater influence on workplace negotiations in larger agencies, where enterprise agreements will most likely continue to prevail. The new policy has been criticised by Labor, which has raised the spectre of a return to the WorkChoices era.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, COMMUNITY AND PUBLIC SECTOR UNION

PM switches to plan B on tax reform

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Original article by Joe Kelly, Simon Benson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 8 : 9-Feb-18

The Senate is set to reject the Federal Government’s corporate tax cuts package after One Nation and the Nick Xenophon Team advised that they will vote against it. The two minor parties have a combined six seats in the Senate, and just three cross-benchers currently support the tax reforms. The lower house passed the company tax cuts bill on 8 February, and Treasurer Scott Morrison says the Government remains committed to getting the tax cuts through the Senate. However, the package’s looming defeat in the upper house will allow the Government to focus on personal income tax cuts in the May 2018 Budget.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, ONE NATION PARTY, NICK XENOPHON TEAM, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY, AMP LIMITED – ASX AMP

Laundy’s bid to toughen IR rules

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 9-Feb-18

Workplace Relations Minister Craig Laundy has signalled that the Federal Government may consider amendments to the Fair Work Act aimed at providing greater protection to workers in the enterprise bargaining process. Laundy says there may be a case for strengthening existing provisions of the Act that require workers to be fully informed of the pay and conditions in an enterprise agreement before they vote for it. He has also warned of the potential for huge job losses if a future Labor government were to implements the ACTU’s proposals regarding the minimum wage and workplace laws.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ACTU, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, COLES SUPERMARKETS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, WOOLWORTHS SUPERMARKETS, McDONALD’S AUSTRALIA LIMITED, KFC

Labor backs changes to protect journalists

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Original article by Greg Brown
The Australian – Page: 2 : 9-Feb-18

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has welcomed the Federal Government’s decision to provide greater protection for journalists in its proposed espionage laws. Attorney-General Christian Porter has indicated that journalists will not face prosecution for publishing classified information if they had believed that doing so was in the public interest. The media industry had expressed concern that journalists could face criminal prosecution for receiving classified information.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT

Use tax cuts to boost wages: ex-BCA boss

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Original article by Simon Benson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 8-Feb-18

Former Business Council of Australia president Tony Shepherd says employees and shareholders of large companies should directly benefit from any reduction in the corporate tax rate via higher wages and increased dividend payouts. Many large companies in the US have announced wage rises in response to the Trump administration’s tax package. However, Treasurer Scott Morrison and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten have questioned the merits of a "social contract" in Australia if across-the-board corporate tax cuts are passed by federal parliament.

CORPORATES
BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, WOOLWORTHS GROUP LIMITED – ASX WOW, McDONALD’S AUSTRALIA LIMITED, BLUESCOPE STEEL LIMITED – ASX BSL, SPOTLESS GROUP HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX SPO, NICK XENOPHON TEAM, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. NATIONAL COMMISSION OF AUDIT

Spy laws: New A-G concedes ground

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Original article by Simon Benson, Nicola Berkovic
The Australian – Page: 1 & 8 : 8-Feb-18

The Federal Government has responded to the media industry’s concerns about its proposed foreign interference laws by agreeing to some safeguards for journalists. Attorney-General Christian Porter has advised that journalists who receive classified information will only face criminal prosecution under certain circumstances, such as if reporting on the information could potentially affect public safety or pose a threat to national security. However, commonwealth officers who leak confidential information will not receive any such exemption.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, LAW COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN SECURITY INTELLIGENCE ORGANISATION, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, ASHURST AUSTRALIA

Do not resuscitate: enterprise bargaining deserves a burial

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Original article by Judith Sloan
The Australian – Page: 12 : 6-Feb-18

The enterprise bargaining system is largely defunct in Australia, with the exception of the public sector and a few private companies. The proportion of employees covered by enterprise agreements has been declining since it peaked in 2010, while the proportion of workers covered by industry awards has risen from 15 per cent to around 25 per cent since then. The Federal Government should pursue reforms such as ensuring that enterprise agreements are no longer allowed to continue beyond their expiry date, because it is almost certain that Labor will seek to revive enterprise bargaining if it wins the next election.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, COLES SUPERMARKETS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, ALDI STORES SUPERMARKETS PTY LTD, DOMINO’S PIZZA ENTERPRISES LIMITED – ASX DMP, RETAIL AND FAST FOOD WORKERS UNION INCORPORATED

Lib MP growls over layer of BEAR red tape

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 6-Feb-18

The Greens will seek amendments to the Federal Government’s Banking Executive Accountability Regime in the Senate, after the legislation was passed by the lower house on 5 February. Liberal MP Nicolle Flint opposed the BEAR regime, arguing that it will further increase the compliance burden for the financial sector, noting that it has been subject to a spate of new rules and regulations in recent years. The BEAR regime, which is slated to take effect in July, has the support of the Australian Labor Party.

CORPORATES
LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY