AUSTRALIA – POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

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

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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

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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’

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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

Codes baulk at national sports court

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Original article by Chip Le Grand
The Australian – Page: 3 : 25-Oct-17

The Coalition of Major Professional & Participation Sports has rejected the Federal Government’s proposal to establish a national sports integrity tribunal. The CMPPS has argued that key sports codes are likely to favour resolving cases of corruption, doping and match-fixing via their own tribunals. Sports codes’ involvement in the national sports court would be on an "opt-in" basis rather than being compulsory. A review panel is also looking at issues such as imposing criminal penalties for match-fixing and increasing the powers of the National Sport Integrity Unit.

CORPORATES
COALITION OF MAJOR PROFESSIONAL AND PARTICIPATION SPORTS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HEALTH, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE, AUSTRALIAN RUGBY FOOTBALL UNION, FOOTBALL FEDERATION AUSTRALIA LIMITED, CRICKET AUSTRALIA, NETBALL AUSTRALIA, ESSENDON FOOTBALL CLUB, COURT OF ARBITRATION FOR SPORT, AUSTRALIAN SPORTS COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN SPORTS ANTI-DOPING AGENCY, AUSTRALIAN ATHLETES ASSOCIATION, WORLD ANTI-DOPING AGENCY, RACING NSW

Australia ‘must commit to one emission target’

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Original article by Andrew White
The Australian – Page: 4 : 25-Oct-17

The Australian Greens have welcomed the release of a Productivity Commission report which advocates the adoption of a carbon price. The commission has also recommended the introduction of a national renewable energy target rather than having separate state-based schemes. It argues that a national approach would make it easier for Australia to meet its emission reduction target under the Paris agreement and do more to encourage investment in new power generation.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

‘Citizenship seven’ have Friday on their minds

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Original article by Rosie Lewis
The Australian – Page: 7 : 25-Oct-17

The High Court’s ruling on the eligibility of seven MPs and senators to be in federal parliament will be handed down on 27 October. A by-election in Barnaby Joyce’s seat of New England is slated for 2 December if the court rules that his dual citizenship at the time of the 2016 election disqualifies him from being in parliament. George Williams, the dean of law at the University of New South Wales, expects the court to disqualify at least some of the parliamentarians.

CORPORATES
HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, NICK XENOPHON TEAM, UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES

PC report urges fed-state tax revamp

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 25-Oct-17

The Productivity Commission has released a report which notes that the federal government is responsible for raising 80 per cent of all tax revenue. The report, which is titled "Shifting the Dial", advocates giving the states greater power to raise revenue for the provision of government services instead of being so reliant on the federal government for funding. The report will be on the agenda when Treasurer Scott Morrison meets with his state and territory counterparts on 27 October.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, VICTORIA. DEPT OF TREASURY AND FINANCE, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Raids over Shorten donations

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Original article by Brad Norington, Ewin Hannan, Simone Fox Koob
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 25-Oct-17

Australian Workers’ Union offices in Sydney and Melbourne have been the subject of simultaneous police raids. Australian Federal Police officers executed warrants issued to the Registered Organisations Commission as part of its investigation into donations the union made when Opposition Leader Bill Shorten was the head of the AWU. Police are believed to have seized documents relating to the 2006 and 2008 financial years, including the minutes of AWU meetings. The raids are said to have been prompted by concerns that the documents could be destroyed. The AWU intends to challenge the validity of the warrants in court.

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

ALP’s $200 power bill shock

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Original article by Simon Benson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 24-Oct-17

Labor has stated that it will seek to have 50 per cent of electricity produced from renewable sources by 2030. It will also seek to reduce carbon emissions by 45 per cent. However, modelling by the Climate Change Authority has concluded that achieving its 50 per cent target would increase the average household’s power bill by $A200 a year, as well as requiring 17,000 megawatts of coal-fired power generation to be taken out of the National Electricity Market. Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg has claimed Labor is trying to conceal the cost of its energy policy.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. CLIMATE CHANGE AUTHORITY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA

Shorten faces ‘donation’ probe

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Original article by Brad Norington
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 23-Oct-17

The Registered Organisations Commission is believed to be investigating a $A25,000 donation by the Australian Workers’ Union to the 2007 election campaign of current Opposition Leader Bill Shorten. He had been the head of the AWU at the time. The union also made large donations to the election campaigns of two other Labor candidates. The ROC recently began a separate probe into the AWU’s donation to activist group GetUp in 2006, whose board members at the time included Shorten. Labor MP Brendan O’Connor alleges that the ROC investigations are part of a smear campaign against Shorten.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. REGISTERED ORGANISATIONS COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION-FEDERATION OF INDUSTRIAL, MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING EMPLOYEES, GETUP LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION, AUSTRALIAN ELECTORAL COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, HEALTH SERVICES UNION OF AUSTRALIA