AUSTRALIA – POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Turnbull and Hanson back penalty pay cut

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Original article by Laura Tingle
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 6-Mar-17

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says the Coalition accepts and supports the Fair Work Commission’s decision to reduce Sunday penalty rates. He also favours reducing penalty rates over a period of time to offset the impact on after-tax pay. One Nation founder Pauline Hanson also says she supports lower penalty rates "in principle". Hanson argues that small food retailers cannot compete with big chains whose employees’ union-negotiated enterprise bargaining agreements do not include penalty rates.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, ONE NATION PARTY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, McDONALD’S AUSTRALIA LIMITED

Abbott: PM must sell penalty rates cut harder

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Original article by Joe Kelly, David Crowe, Ewin Hannan, Rosie Lewis
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 3-Mar-17

Some Coalition MPs have urged Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to more actively promote the economic benefits of the Fair Work Commission’s decision on Sunday penalty rates. Former prime minister Tony Abbott has also urged Turnbull to place more emphasis on the potential for job creation as a result of the ruling, and says a proposal by Coalition backbencher Eric Abetz to "grandfather" the new penalty rates regime has merit. However, this is opposed by employers’ groups and the Australian Labor Party.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE AUSTRALIAN SMALL BUSINESS AND FAMILY ENTERPRISE OMBUDSMAN, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Shorten pays penalty as IR attack undermined

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 24-Feb-17

The ACTU estimates that employees affected by the Fair Work Commission’s ruling on Sunday penalty rates face a reduction of between $1,800 and $A6,600 in their take-home pay. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has committed to overturning the FWC’s decision, but Employ­ment Minister Michaelia Cash notes that the FWC was given powers to review penalty rates when Shorten was workplace relations minister. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in turn noted that Shorten has previously said he would accept the FWC’s ruling on penalty rates.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, ACTU, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, TOURISM ACCOMMODATION AUSTRALIA, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION

Reforms face stiff test from Hanson

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Original article by Mitchell Bingemann
The Australian – Page: 23 : 13-Feb-17

The Federal Government’s cross-media ownership reforms will require the support of Senate crossbenchers. However, One Nation senator Pauline Hanson is said to be concerned about foreign ownership of Australian media assets, while Nick Xenophon advocates imposing a "super profits" tax on Google and Facebook due to their growing dominance of the online advertising market. Communications Minister Mitch Fifield is tipped to introduce the media reform bill in the upper house in mid-February 2017.

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

Donald Trump slams ‘dumb’ refugee deal with Australia after ‘worst’ phone call

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Original article by Stephanie Anderson, Henry Belot
abc.net.au – Page: Online : 3-Feb-17

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says US President Donald Trump has committed to honouring a deal made by predecessor Barack Obama to accept refugees being held on Manus Island and Nauru. However, Trump has used Twitter to criticise what he has branded a "dumb deal", just hours after discussing the issue in a telephone call to Turnbull. The Australian National University’s Professor Donald Rothwell says the Trump Administration has no legal obligation to accept the refugee deal, as it did not constitute a treaty.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, UNITED STATES. DEPT OF STATE, TWITTER INCORPORATED

PM’s push for clean coal power

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

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says the focus of the nation’s energy policy must be on ensuring a reliable supply of low-cost energy. He has called for the abolition of state-based bans on coal-seam gas projects and argued that clean coal should be part of the nation’s energy mix. Turnbull has also stressed the need for investment in storage technology for renewable energy. Industry Minister Arthur Sinodinos has raised the possibility that the Clean Energy Finance Corporation could help finance the development of a clean-coal power station.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND SCIENCE, AUSTRALIA. CLEAN ENERGY FINANCE CORPORATION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN RENEWABLE ENERGY AGENCY, CLIMATE INSTITUTE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

It’s time to raise GST, says Proust

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Original article by Glenda Korporaal
The Australian – Page: 19 & 22 : 2-Feb-17

Australian Institute of Company Directors president Elizabeth Proust says the Federal Government should pursue comprehensive tax reform. She argues that this should include increasing the goods and services tax from 10 per cent to 15 per cent, and adds that reducing personal income tax rates should also be a higher priority than company tax cuts. The AICD released a position paper in 2016 which noted that the average GST rate among OECD countries is 19.2 per cent.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPANY DIRECTORS, ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

Hanson set to scupper ownership laws

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 26 : 30-Jan-17

There is speculation that One Nation will vote against the Federal Government’s cross-media ownership reforms when Parliament resumes in February. One Nation founder Pauline Hanson has declined to comment on her party’s intentions, although the Government is likely to need its support to pass the bill in the Senate. Meanwhile, Senator Nick Xenophon will push for amendments to the bill, as well as the introduction of a "super tax" on digital players Google and Facebook.

CORPORATES
ONE NATION PARTY, NICK XENOPHON TEAM, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS

Unions pressure Shorten on TPP

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Original article by Joanna Mather
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 18-Jan-17

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull believes that the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal can proceed without the US. However, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has questioned why Turnbull is still supporting the TPP when it is unlikely to go ahead. ACTU president Ged Kearney has urged Shorten to state whether the Australian Labor Party will vote against the TPP legislation if it is put before Parliament. Shorten has only indicated that Labor will consider the bill.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ACTU, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, REPUBLICAN PARTY (UNITED STATES)

$200b ‘Google tax’ could snare innocent businesses

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Original article by Joanna Mather
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 18-Jan-17

Chartered Accountants Australia & New Zealand has warned that the Federal Government’s Diverted Profits Tax will deter investment in Australia, while discouraging local multinational companies from pursuing overseas expansion. Greenwoods & Herbert Smith Freehills has expressed concern about the scope of the draft legislation compared with the British version of the tax. The tax, which aims to combat profit-shifting by multinationals, is forecast to raise about $A200m over four years and is slated to take effect from mid-2017.

CORPORATES
CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND, GREENWOODS AND HERBERT SMITH FREEHILLS PTY LTD, CORPORATE TAX ASSOCIATION, AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT