AUSTRALIA – POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Minister rebuffs ACTU pay push

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 2 : 3-Nov-17

The ACTU is seeking to have the minimum wage increased to 60 per cent of the median wage. This would equate to an $A80-per-week rise in the minimum wage, which ACTU secretary Sally McManus says should be phased in as quickly as possible. However, employers’ groups warn that a sharp rise in the minimum wage would deter businesses from taking on more staff, while Employment Minister Michaelia Cash has ruled out any changes to the existing minimum wage regime.

CORPORATES
ACTU, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Parry makes brexit from Senate

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 2-Nov-17

Former senator Richard Colbeck is expected to replace the Liberal Party’s Stephen Parry in the upper house, after the latter advised that he will resign after receiving confirmation that he has British citizenship by descent. Meanwhile, acting Prime Minister Julie Bishop and acting Opposition Leader Tanya Plibersek have both dismissed a push by the Greens and some Liberals for an audit of the citizenship status of all federal parliamentarians.

CORPORATES
LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL, GREAT BRITAIN. HOME OFFICE, ONE NATION PARTY, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND SCIENCE

NBN needs subsidies: Sims

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 9 : 1-Nov-17

The national broadband network’s uniform pricing policy means capital city users are effectively subsidising the provision of NBN’s fixed wireless and satellite services in regional and rural areas. ACCC chairman Rod Sims argues that these unprofitable services should instead be subsidised via the Budget, adding that the Federal Government should make a decision on whether to do so in mid-2018. Sims adds that it may be appropriate to write down the value of the NBN.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, NBN CO LIMITED, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS

British link drops top Lib in crisis

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Joe Kelly, Rosie Lewis
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 1-Nov-17

Federal Parliament’s dual citizenship crisis has deepened after Senate president Stephen Parry revealed that he may hold British citizenship by descent. He is the first Liberal whose eligibility for parliament has come under scrutiny, after the party had previously criticised its Coalition partner for the citizenship crisis. Senator Parry has indicated that he will resign from parliament if he is deemed to be a British citizen, rather than allow the matter to be referred to the High Court. Other parliamentarians may attract greater scrutiny in the wake of Parry’s revelation.

CORPORATES
LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY, GREAT BRITAIN. HOME OFFICE

Unions to take attack on Cash to marginals

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 4 : 31-Oct-17

ACTU secretary Sally McManus says growth in wages has reached a record low since Michaelia Cash became the Employment Minister. The union movement intends to highlight Cash’s ministerial record in an advertising campaign that will focus on Coalition-held marginal seats in Western Australia. Cash has continued to attract scrutiny after her office leaked details of a police raid on Australian Workers’ Union offices.

CORPORATES
ACTU, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION-FEDERATION OF INDUSTRIAL, MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING EMPLOYEES, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Labor to target Nats’ decisions

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 9 : 30-Oct-17

A study of the Constitution suggests that any ministerial decisions made by the National Party’s Barnaby Joyce and Fiona Nash after 20 October 2016 could be legally challenged after the High Court ruled that they are not eligible to sit in parliament. Labor has made no secret of the fact that it plans to make life difficult for the Federal Government during Joyce’s absence from the House of Representatives. Joyce will have recontest his seat of New England in a by-election on 2 December.

CORPORATES
HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIAN PESTICIDES AND VETERINARY MEDICINES AUTHORITY, ONE NATION PARTY, QUEENSLAND. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, AUSTRALIA. JOINT STANDING COMMITTEE ON ELECTORAL MATTERS

Cash staves off calls to quit, calls in cops

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Phillip Coorey, David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 27-Oct-17

Employment Minister Michaelia Cash continues to attract scrutiny over allegations that her office leaked details of a police raid on the offices of the Australian Workers’ Union. She has suggested that the Australian Federal Police should investigate the source of the leak, and raised the possibility that it may have been the Registered Organisations Commission. Meanwhile, the Opposition has accused Cash of misleading Parliament after stating that her office was not the source of the leak. Her media adviser subsequently resigned after admitting that he had given the media advance notice of the raids.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION-FEDERATION OF INDUSTRIAL, MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING EMPLOYEES, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, AUSTRALIA. REGISTERED ORGANISATIONS COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK OMBUDSMAN

Is the low-wage tide about to turn? Signals look good, Treasury says

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Jacob Greber
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 10 : 26-Oct-17

Treasury secretary John Fraser has told a Senate estimates hearing that there are indications that wages growth is gaining pace in some sectors of the economy and some geographical areas. Fraser noted that many workers have been reluctant to press for pay rises in the wake of the global financial crisis, which he adds has resulted in the longest business cycle he has experienced.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Senate inquiry to look at job hit from robotics

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 26-Oct-17

Labor’s Murray Watt will chair a Senate inquiry that will examine the impact of technologies such as automation and robotics on the Australian labour market, society and the broader economy. Ed Husic, the shadow minister for the future of work and the digital economy, has estimated that these technologies will affect the jobs of some 3.5 million Australians. He has warned that the Coalition is not doing enough to prepare the nation for the impact of technology-driven change.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, NEW SOUTH WALES. DEPT OF EDUCATION AND COMMUNITIES, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION

AWU refusal ‘triggered raids’

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Brad Norington, Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 26-Oct-17

A senior adviser to Employment Minister Michaelia Cash has resigned after admitting that he leaked details of a police raid on Australian Workers’ Union offices to the media. The Opposition has called for Cash to resign after she had told a Senate estimates committee that her office was not responsible for the leak. Meanwhile, Registered Organisations Commissioner Mark Bielecki has told the committee that the police raids were prompted by concerns that AWU document could be destroyed. He also said an ROC investigation into the AWU may not have been needed if the union had complied with a request to provide the documents in August.

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