AUSTRALIA – POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Games site hostage to union ‘ploy’

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Original article by Sarah Elks
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 26-Jul-16

The Federal Court has been told that stopwork action at a key 2018 Commonwealth Games construction site was unlawful and unconscionable. Fair Work Building & Construction claims that the industrial action by the Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union was designed to get lead contractor Hansen Yuncken to accept a new enterprise bargaining agreement. The CFMEU says the two-hour stopwork meetings – which were held twice a day – were needed to inform workers about the Coalition’s proposed industrial relations reforms in the lead-up to the federal election.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, FAIR WORK BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, HANSEN YUNCKEN PTY LTD, BROOKFIELD MULTIPLEX LIMITED, HUTCHINSON BUILDERS, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE FAIR WORK BUILDING INDUSTRY INSPECTORATE

Turnbull throws down the gauntlet on IR reform

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Original article by Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 26-Jul-16

The Fair Work Commission is tipped to announce the outcome of its review of weekend penalty rates in sectors such as hospitality and retail in September 2016. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has indicated that the Federal Government will abide by the FWC’s decision and will not intervene, despite being urged by Opposition Leader Bill Shorten to make a joint submission to the review. Turnbull in turn has called on Shorten to support proposed legislation to outlaw the payment of "corrupting benefits" by employers to unions in return for surrendering employee entitlements such as penalty rates.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, COLES SUPERMARKETS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, SHOP, DISTRIBUTIVE AND ALLIED EMPLOYEES’ ASSOCIATION, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION, VICTORIA. COUNTRY FIRE AUTHORITY, AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION-FEDERATION OF INDUSTRIAL, MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING EMPLOYEES, CLEANEVENT PTY LTD

Joyce cuts off LNP bid to split

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Original article by Michael McKenna, Sarah Martin
The Australian – Page: 1 & 5 : 22-Jul-16

The growing unrest within the Liberal-National Party of Queensland regarding its reduced representation in federal cabinet has prompted dissidents to push for a separate party-room in Canberra. The LNP has also proposed to negotiate its own coalition agreement with the Liberal Party of Australia. The state executive has rejected the motion by a margin of just four votes. A split between the National Party of Australia and the LNP would reduce the former’s party-room from 22 members to 14.

CORPORATES
LIBERAL-NATIONAL PARTY OF QUEENSLAND, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT

Draft super laws to be released before parliament sits

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Original article by David Crowe
The Australian – Page: 1 & 5 : 22-Jul-16

The Australian Government will release draft legislation for its proposed superannuation reforms prior to the resumption of Parliament on 30 August 2016. It will also consult with industry experts before the legislation is presented to the Coaltion’s party-room. The draft legislation is expected to largely reflect the super policies outlined in the May 2016 Budget. Treasurer Scott Morrison will resist efforts to drop measures such as the life-time cap on non-concessional contributions, but some crossbenchers argue that the policies that were taken to the federal election should be put before Parliament.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS LIMITED

Labor to reject mandate on IR

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Original article by Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 4 : 21-Jul-16

The Australian Government continues to be criticised over its failure to respond to the Productivity Commission’s review of industrial relations laws. The Opposition argues that the Coalition does not have a mandate to pursue workplace reforms during its second term in office as it did not respond to the report prior to the 2016 election. The report, which was released in late 2015, makes 70 recommendations on changes to workplace laws. Business groups have urged the Coalition to pursue IR reforms.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, VICTORIA. COUNTRY FIRE AUTHORITY

Super fix comes at cost

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 21-Jul-16

The Australian Government will allow exemptions to its proposed $A500,000 lifetime cap on non-concessional superannuation contributions, to take into account "life events" such as a divorce settlement or an inheritance. The cap had been expected to generate Budget savings of about $A550m over four years, but some estimates have suggested that the exemptions could potentially cost between $A300m and $A450m. Meanwhile, shadow treasurer Chris Bowen has stressed that any super reforms must not be retrospective. The Government plans to backdate the lifetime cap to 2007.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, FINANCIAL SERVICES COUNCIL, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

PC takes aim at rural protectionism

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 21-Jul-16

The Productivity Commission has recommended a number of changes to Australia’s agricultural policy. The commission states in a draft report that protectionist measures should be removed. It says the aim of liberalisation of the agricultural market necessitates the abolition of marketing agencies such as the New South Wales Rice Marketing Board and the Western Australian Potato Marketing Corporation. The Commission also says foreign investment in Australia’s agricultural sector should be encouraged rather than discouraged.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION, RICE MARKETING BOARD, POTATO MARKETING CORPORATION OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. FOREIGN INVESTMENT REVIEW BOARD, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Crossbench spurns super tax hike

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Original article by David Crowe
The Australian – Page: 4 : 20-Jul-16

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has signalled that the Coalition is open to some changes to its proposed superannuation reforms, amid unrest within its own ranks. Allowing exemptions to the lifetime cap on non-concessional contributions is believed to be under consideration. Meanwhile, the Opposition and the Greens have both indicated that they are open to negotiation regarding the super reforms, although Senator-elect Derryn Hinch says Turnbull must put the election policy reforms to parliament rather than bow to pressure from backbenchers.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, FINANCIAL SERVICES COUNCIL, NICK XENOPHON TEAM

Actuaries back $500,000 cap and call for government to push package

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Original article by Sally Rose
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 19-Jul-16

Guy Thornburn of Mercer says the Federal Government’s proposed superannuation reforms will make the system fairer and more flexible. He adds that the proposal to impose a lifetime cap of $A500,000 on non-concessional contributions is "reasonable" in the context of the broader super reforms, although he suggests that it could be backdated by just three years rather than to 2007. Lance Cunningham of BDO says the cap should be a minimum of $A1m.

CORPORATES
MERCER INVESTMENTS PTY LTD, BDO AUSTRALIA LIMITED, RICE WARNER ACTUARIES PTY LTD

Next election may be two years away

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 19-Jul-16

Federal Parliament will resume on 30 August 2016, but it will not run for the full three-year term. Indeed, the timing of state elections in Victoria in November 2018 and New South Wales in March 2019 means that Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull could potentially call an election in August 2018, which is the earliest possible date for a federal election. His decision to opt for a double-dissolution election means the next poll can be held no later than mid-May 2019.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET