AUSTRALIA – POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Turnbull is winning despite polls

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 24-May-16

Strategists for both the Liberal-National Coalition and the Australian Labor Party agree that the outcome of the federal election on 2 July 2016 remains too close to call. Although most public opinion polls suggest that Labor will win the election, analysis shows that the Coalition would in fact win if the election were held now, as the swing to Labor has not been sufficient in the seats it needs to win in order to take office. The Coalition won the 2013 election with 53.5 per cent of the vote on a two-party preferred basis.

CORPORATES
LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, IPSOS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, REACHTEL PTY LTD, NEWSPOLL, LABOUR PARTY (GREAT BRITAIN), LIBERAL PARTY OF VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Shorten backs WA Metronet

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Original article by Tess Ingram, Julie-anne Sprague
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 24-May-16

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has promised to provide $A1bn worth of funding for the Metronet rail project in Western Australia if the Australian Labor Party wins the 2016 federal election. Shorten intends to utilise funding that was previously allocated to the state’s Perth Freight Link road project. State Opposition Leader Mark McGowan intends to proceed with the Metronet project if his party wins the state election in March 2017.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, CURTIN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF TREASURY AND FINANCE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE

Stop digging, we’re deep enough in this fiscal hole

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Original article by Judith Sloan
The Weekend Australian – Page: 24 : 21-May-16

The Australian Government’s policies means the nation faces cumulative budget deficits of $A85bn over the next four years, although this is based on GDP and revenue projections that are unlikely to be realised. The May 2016 Budget papers also show that the deficit will blow out to $A584bn in 2019-20, compared with $A499bn in 2016-17. Australia is almost certain to lose its triple-A credit rating long before 2025-26, when the deficit will top $A647bn. However, the Australian Labor Party’s election policies would ensure that the Budget is even worse off than under a Coalition government.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENTS

Labor’s $8b budget drag

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Original article by Laura Tingle
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 23-May-16

The Federal Opposition estimates that its proposal to abolish the pharmaceutical co-payment will cost nearly $A1bn over four years. The co-payment was outlined in the Australian Government’s 2014 Budget but has been stalled in the Senate. The Opposition has now announced some $A8bn worth of election promises in the areas of health and education. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has called on Opposition Leader Bill Shorten to outline how the Australian Labor Party will fund its spending promises, arguing that it cannot do so without tax increases.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. PARLIAMENTARY BUDGET OFFICE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Double-dippers stand by rules

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Original article by Jared Owens, Rebecca Puddy, Sid Maher
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 23-May-16

Some 52 past and current MPs have declared a financial interest in residential properties in Canberra since the 2013 federal election. While the majority have not replied to enquiries as to whether they had claimed a travel allowance for staying in their Canberra home, Australian Labor Party MP Brendan O’Connor is the only one to have stated that he did not make such a claim. Five MPs have acknowledged that they have claimed both the travel allowance and a tax deduction associated with their Canberra home.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, AUSTRALIAN GREENS

Call for changes gets legal support

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 25 : 23-May-16

Corrs Chambers Westgarth CEO John Denton and Norton Rose Fulbright managing partner Wayne Spanner are among the lawyers who believe that Australia’s cross-media ownership laws are outdated. The Federal Government’s proposed reforms include abolishing the "reach rule" and the "two-out-of three rule", but Denton says the anti-siphoning list for sports broadcasts should also be included in the reform process.

CORPORATES
CORRS CHAMBERS WESTGARTH, NORTON ROSE FULBRIGHT AUSTRALIA, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Unions break ranks in fight to maintain penalty rates

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 2 : 20-May-16

Victorian Trades Hall Council secretary Luke Hilakari favours adding penalty rates to the National Employment Standards if the Fair Work Commission reduces weekend rates. The Australian Greens have proposed legislation to protect penalty rates if they are cut by the FWC, although this is opposed by both the Federal Opposition and the ACTU. Employment Minister Michaelia Cash has stressed that governments should not intervene on penalty rates.

CORPORATES
VICTORIAN TRADES HALL COUNCIL, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ACTU, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION-FEDERATION OF INDUSTRIAL, MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING EMPLOYEES, ELECTRICAL TRADES UNION

Business to push Turnbull tax cuts

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 10 : 20-May-16

The Business Council of Australia will spearhead a campaign by business groups to promote the Australian Government’s proposal to progressively reduce the company tax rate to 25 per cent. The BCA has not become directly involved in a federal election campaign since 2007. The advertising campaign is expected to embrace traditional and online media, and be launched at around the mid-point of the election campaign.

CORPORATES
BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF IMMIGRATION AND BORDER PROTECTION, AUSTRALIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HUMAN SERVICES. MEDICARE AUSTRALIA, JWS RESEARCH PTY LTD

AFP raids Conroy’s office, ALP adviser’s house

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Original article by David Crowe
The Australian – Page: 1 & 9 : 20-May-16

The Opposition’s legal affairs spokesman Mark Dreyfus says an Australian Federal Police raid on the office of senator Stephen Conroy may be unprecedented. Police are believed to have been seeking leaked documents concerning the national broadband network. The raids also included the home of Andy Byrne, an adviser to Labor communications spokesman Jason Clare and a former aide of Conroy during his tenure as communications minister.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, NBN CO LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE

Labor to end doctors’ pay freeze

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 2 : 19-May-16

The Australian Labor Party intends to scrap the freeze on the Medicare rebate for visits to a GP if it wins the federal election. The rebate was slated to remain at around $A38 until 2020, but Labor proposes to abolish it the start of 2017. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has indicated that this policy will be partially funded by not proceeding with some of the company tax cuts that were outlined in the Federal Government’s May 2016 Budget.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HUMAN SERVICES. MEDICARE AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION LIMITED, THE ROYAL AUSTRALIAN COLLEGE OF GENERAL PRACTITIONERS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY