AUSTRALIA – POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Coalition to beef up Fair Work

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Adele Ferguson, Sarah Danckert
The Age – Page: 2 : 19-May-16

The Australian Government will strengthen the powers of the Fair Work Ombudsman if it wins the 2016 election. It will also significantly increase the financial penalties for employs who underpay their staff. The FWO will also receive a $A20m increase in funding, while a Migrant Worker Taskforce will be established within the FWO in the wake of the 7-Eleven wage exploitation scandal. The taskforce will be led by Professor Allan Fels, who headed 7-Eleven’s now-defunct independent compensation panel.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK OMBUDSMAN, 7-ELEVEN STORES PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE

Low wage growth sparks bleak outlook

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by David Uren
The Australian – Page: 7 : 19-May-16

The Department of the Treasury will release its pre-election economic and fiscal outlook on 20 May 2016. It is not expected to make any significant changes to the forecasts in the May 2016 Budget, although the outlook report is likely to highlight the risks to the Budget if the forecasts are not met. Slowing wages growth is looming as a key risk for the Budget, which has forecast wages growth of 2.25 per cent in 2015-16 and 2.5 per cent in 2016-17. Wages grew by just 2.1 per cent over the last year.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AMP LIMITED – ASX AMP, JP MORGAN AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

SDA canvasses penalty cut

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 18-May-16

The Shop, Distributive & Allied Employees’ Association does not support a push to reduce penalty rates for working on weekends. However, its submission to the Fair Work Commission’s review of weekend penalty rates proposes that workers be given the right to refuse to work on Sundays if the FWC rules that Sunday penalty rates should be reduced to the level that applies for working on Saturdays.

CORPORATES
SHOP, DISTRIBUTIVE AND ALLIED EMPLOYEES’ ASSOCIATION, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, TRANSPORT WORKERS’ UNION, AUSTRALIA. ROAD SAFETY REMUNERATION TRIBUNAL

Greens canned for failure to take fight to IR umpire

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Sid Maher, Mark Coultan
The Australian – Page: 6 : 18-May-16

Australian Greens MP Adam Bandt has defended the party after revelations that it did not make a submission to the Fair Work Commission on the issue of weekend penalty rates. Bandt says it is unusual for political parties to make submissions to the FWC, and he has suggested that the Opposition made a submission merely to be seen to have done something on the issue. The Greens have vowed to introduce legislation to protect weekend penalty rates if the FWC recommends reducing them.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, TASMANIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION-FEDERATION OF INDUSTRIAL, MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING EMPLOYEES

Super limit to hit retirees, Costello says

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Sally Patten, Jonathan Shapiro
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 18-May-16

Future Fund chairman and former federal treasurer Peter Costello says the superannuation policies of both the Coalition and the Australian Labor Party are unlikely to be introduced due to opposition from the Greens. He has also warned that the Government’s proposal to limit tax-free super savings to $A1.6m will not provide retirees with the amount of income it expects, as the forecasts are based on a rate of return of 5.5 per cent. In contrast, the yield on 10-year Australian government recently fell to a record low of 2.2 per cent.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FUTURE FUND MANAGEMENT AGENCY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS

Morgan Poll finds: ALP grabs election winning lead after first week of the campaign – ALP 52.5% cf. L-NP 47.5%

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Gary Morgan, Roy Morgan Research
Morgan Poll Update – Page: Online : 16-May-16

The ALP 52.5% (up 1.5%) has an election-winning two-party preferred lead over the L-NP 47.5% (down 1.5%) after the first week of official campaigning. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull called the Federal Election just over a week ago and today’s Morgan Poll shows the first week has been won by Opposition Leader Bill Shorten. The ALP increased support strongly in Western Australia ALP 54% (up 5%) cf. L-NP 46% (down 5%) and Tasmania ALP 57% (up 5%) cf. L-NP 43% (down 5%) after the first week and there were also smaller swings to the ALP in Victoria and Queensland. However, there is still a long way to go in the Federal Election campaign and the massive vote (30.5%) for the minor parties shows the minor parties will definitely hold the balance of power in the Senate and led by the Greens and the Nick Xenophon Team (NXT) could also control the balance of power in the House of Representatives. The strong performance of the minor parties in today’s Morgan Poll shows that neither Turnbull nor Shorten has successfully articulated clear policies and a plan that minor party supporters will vote for.

CORPORATES
MORGAN POLL, ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, NICK XENOPHON TEAM, KATTER’S AUSTRALIAN PARTY, PALMER UNITED PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Double hit for Shorten on penalties

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Sid Maher, Joe Kelly, Mark Coultan, Paige Taylor
The Australian – Page: 1 : 17-May-16

Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has ruled out introducing legislation to protect penalty rates if the Fair Work Commission rules that Sunday rates in sectors such as retailing and hospitality should be reduced. Shorten has reiterated his position that the Australian Labor Party will not oppose the FWC’s ruling, despite pressure from the Australian Greens and the union movement to take action to safeguard penalty rates.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, ACTU, 3AW SOUTHERN CROSS RADIO PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, SHOP, DISTRIBUTIVE AND ALLIED EMPLOYEES’ ASSOCIATION, AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURING WORKERS’ UNION

Pressure on Shorten over penalty rates

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 16-May-16

The Fair Work Commission is likely wait until after the 2016 federal election to issue its ruling on weekend penalty rates. Unions have urged Opposition Leader Bill Shorten to introduce greater protection for employees who receive penalty rates, although the Australian Labor Party has previously indicated that it will not oppose the FWC’s ruling if it recommendations a reduction in Sunday penalty rates.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, ACTU

Greens put high price on power

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Sid Maher
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 16-May-16

Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has again stressed that his party will not seek to form government with the Australian Greens in the event of a hung parliament. However, Greens leader Richard Di Natale believes that Shorten would not give up the opportunity to become prime minister, even if it required an alliance with the Greens. He also says any such deal would require the Australian Labor Party to change its policies on issues such as climate change and asylum seekers.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Murdoch’s clout the big query

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Aaron Patrick
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 36 : 16-May-16

Media mogul Rupert Murdoch has traditionally been regarded as having a significant influence on the political landscape in Australia and abroad. However, some experts believe that the power of the Murdoch press to influence election outcomes is waning amid the rise of digital disruptors, and the 2016 federal election may reinforce this perception. Former News Limited CEO Kim Williams argues that all newspapers are losing their power to influence election outcomes.

CORPORATES
NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL-NATIONAL PARTY OF QUEENSLAND, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, BUZZFEED PTY LTD, TWITTER INCORPORATED, LABOUR PARTY (GREAT BRITAIN), CONSERVATIVE PARTY (GREAT BRITAIN), UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE, UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES, SKY NEWS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY