AUSTRALIA – POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Greens amid top spenders on flights

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Original article by Rachel Baxendale
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 13-Jan-17

The travel expenses of federal politicians have come under further scrutiny amid revelations that Australian Greens leader Richard Di Natale spent $A56,526 on travel during the first half of 2016. The Greens’ community services spokeswoman Rachel Siewert submitted claims for $A63,934 worth of travel expenses during the period. The Greens have criticised the high travel expenses of members of the major political parties, and Di Natale stresses that his team’s travel expenses were solely work-related.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF SOCIAL SERVICES, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HEALTH, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF IMMIGRATION AND BORDER PROTECTION

Shorten family election travel bill triple PM’s

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Original article by Rachel Baxendale
The Australian – Page: 2 : 12-Jan-17

The travel costs of Australia’s political leaders has come under scrutiny in the wake of the expenses scandal that has embroiled Health Minister Sussan Ley. It has been revealed that Opposition Leader Bill Shorten claimed $A51,531 in travel expenses for himself and his family in the first half of 2016. In contrast, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was reimbursed just $A14,441 in travel expenses during the period. Meanwhile, Turnbull is tipped to receive the findings of the inquiry into Ley’s travel expenses in coming days.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HEALTH, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE

Culleton to fight Senate axing

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Original article by Rosie Lewis
The Australian – Page: 2 : 12-Jan-17

Former One Nation senator Rod Culleton has been formally disqualified from holding a seat in the upper house after a court ruled that he was an undischarged bankrupt. Culleton intends to challenge the ruling, arguing that he was not insolvent and a lawyers’ trust held sufficient funds to meet his debt obligations. Culleton was declared bankrupt over $A280,000 owed to businessman Dick Lester. His eligibility to contest the 2016 election is yet to be determined by the Court of Disputed Returns.

CORPORATES
ONE NATION PARTY, COURT OF DISPUTED RETURNS, HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

Fifield turns to crossbench support to force media reform over the line

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 18 : 12-Jan-17

The Australian Government’s cross-media ownership bill was passed by the lower house in November 2016. However, the support of cross-benchers may be crucial to the Government’s chances of the bill being passed by the Senate. The Australian Labor Party opposes abolition of the "two out of three rule", but the majority of cross-benchers are said to be generally supportive of the bill in its present form. Cross-benchers may seek some compromises in negotiations with the Government.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, ONE NATION PARTY, NICK XENOPHON TEAM

Targeted tax strike on digital economy

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Original article by David Crowe, David Uren
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 11-Jan-17

The Australian Government plans to overhaul the tax system in response to the transition from a cash-based economy to digital payments. Treasurer Scott Morrison has stressed the need to ensure that the nation’s tax base is modern as well as comprehensive and reflects the shift to a digital economy. The Government also intends to crack down on the so-called "black economy", while 2017 will also see the broadening of the GST to include online purchases and new measures to counter profit-shifting by multinationals.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HUMAN SERVICES. CENTRELINK, CSIRO

New year headache hits PM

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Original article by Sid Maher, Simon Benson, Rosie Lewis
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 10-Jan-17

Some Coalition MPs expect that embattled Health Minister Sussan Ley will be forced to resign over the controversy regarding travel expenses. Ley’s future is uncertain after she was temporarily stood down from the ministry pending two separate inquiries into her use of travel expenses. Cabinet Secretary ­Arthur Sinodinos will assume responsibility for her portfolio until the inquiries are completed. The Opposition has called for Ley to be sacked, while a number of Coalition MPs believe that Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull should pursue a ministerial reshuffle.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HEALTH, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, AUSTRALIA. REMUNERATION TRIBUNAL, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF DEFENCE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INFRASTRUCTURE AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HUMAN SERVICES

Jet-setting Ley fights to keep career flying

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Original article by Rachel Baxendale
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 9-Jan-17

The future of federal Health Minister Sussan Ley remains under scrutiny amid new revelations about her reimbursement for travel expenses. It has been disclosed that Ley submitted claims for the cost of travelling to the Gold Coast on New Year’s Eve in both 2013 and 2014. Ley has agreed to repay the expenses she incurred in May 2015 for travelling from Brisbane to the Gold Coast, where she bought an apartment. She had been in Brisbane on official ministerial business at the time. The Opposition has argued that she should be sacked.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HEALTH, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, THE PHARMACY GUILD OF AUSTRALIA

Growth-sapping GST must face overhaul: miners

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Original article by Sid Maher
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 9-Jan-17

The Minerals Council of Australia has used its submission to the Productivity Commission’s five-year productivity review to urge changes to the system for distributing goods and services tax revenue. The MCA argues that the current system redirects GST revenue from states that have encouraged the development of natural resources to states that place strictures on mining and energy projects. The MCA has also called for a reduction in the corporate tax rate and action to address the power of unions under the Fair Work Act.

CORPORATES
MINERALS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. COMMONWEALTH GRANTS COMMISSION, ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT

Wikipedia at heart of Indonesia spat

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Original article by Joanna Mather
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 6-Jan-17

Indonesia’s decision to suspend military co-operation with Australia seems to be related to teaching materials found by Indonesian soldiers on a base in Perth. Apparently, the soldiers objected to the Indonesian national philosophy Pancasila not being treated with due reverence. Indonesians also believe that Australians are inclined to support an irredentist movement in West Papua. Australian Defence Minister Marise Payne is keen to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF DEFENCE, AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, RMIT UNIVERSITY

Pension cuts biting marginal Lib seats

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Original article by Rachel Baxendale
The Australian – Page: 4 : 6-Jan-17

The Federal Government’s changes to the Age Pension assets test may prompt angry pensioners to vent their anger at seats held by the Liberal Party of Australia. Seats that may be vulnerable include Kevin Andrews’s seat of Menzies (Victoria), Jason Falinski’s seat of Mackellar (NSW), Scott Morrison’s seat of Cook (NSW), Paul Fletcher’s seat of Bradfield (NSW), Tim Wilson’s seat of Goldstein (Victoria), and Greg Hunt’s seat of Flinders (Victoria).

CORPORATES
LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY