AUSTRALIA – POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Shorten to promise full employment

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Laura Tingle
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 15-Mar-16

A commitment to achieving full employment will be part of the Australian Labor Party’s 2016 federal election platform. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten will address the National Press Club on 16 March, where he will highlight issues such as job security, wage fairness, under-employment and the high jobless rate in some parts of Australia. He will also criticise Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s lack of leadership in addressing issues facing the nation.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, NATIONAL PRESS CLUB (AUSTRALIA)

NDIS could kick-start a boom in jobs and business

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Laura Tingle
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 14-Mar-16

The National Disability Insurance Agency has estimated that the Australian Government’s National Disability Insurance Scheme will create almost 29,000 jobs and boost the value of the disability services market to $A6.8bn. This is in line with figures from Federal Social Services Minister Christian Porter and New South Wales Disability Services Minister John Ajaka. The full rollout of the NDIS will commence in NSW and Victoria from July 2016.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. NATIONAL DISABILITY INSURANCE AGENCY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF SOCIAL SERVICES, NEW SOUTH WALES. DEPT OF AGEING, DISABILITY AND HOME CARE, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Fifield hints anti-siphoning rules redundant

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Jake Mitchell
The Australian – Page: 23 : 14-Mar-16

Communications Minister Mitch Fifield has ruled out changes to the anti-siphoning list for sports events as part of the Australian Government’s cross-media ownership reforms. However, he has conceded that online streaming has made the anti-siphoning list less relevant, as the restrictions do not apply to companies that supply such services. Fifield also maintains that abolition of the "reach rule" and the "two-out-of-three rule" must be put to Parliament in a single bill.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, YOUTUBE INCORPORATED, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

PM ‘won’t blow’ iron ore bonus

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 11-Mar-16

The benchmark iron ore price has fallen below $US60 per tonne, although it remains significantly above the forecast of just $US39/tonne in the Australian Government’s mid-year Budget update. A sustained upturn in the price of the steel input could potentially boost government revenue by up to $A15bn over four years. However, government sources have indicated that the additional revenue will be used to reduce the deficit instead of financing larger tax cuts than the modest reduction that the Government is planning.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, RESERVE BANK OF NEW ZEALAND, EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF IMMIGRATION AND BORDER PROTECTION

Carnell laments IR reform inertia

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Patrick Durkin
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 8 : 11-Mar-16

Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry CEO Kate Carnell stepped down on 10 March 2016 after two years in the role. Carnell describes the Federal Government’s lack of action on the issue of industrial relations reform has her biggest failure during her tenure. She says the IR system is too complex, restrictive and inflexible, and it must be overhauled to reflect workplaces of the future. Carnell will become the federal small business ombudsman.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN FOOD AND GROCERY COUNCIL, AUSTRALIAN GENERAL PRACTICE NETWORK LIMITED, BEYOND BLUE AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

In hock to the world as debt tops $1 trillion

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Adam Creighton
The Australian – Page: 6 : 10-Mar-16

National accounts data shows that Australia’s total foreign debt has risen to more than 60 per cent of GDP, compared with just 37 per cent in 1996. Foreign debt has risen from $A180bn to more than $A1trn in the last two decades. The Australian Labor Party’s treasury spokesman, Chris Bowen, notes that public sector debt has blown out from $A90bn to $A250bn since Barnaby Joyce was dropped as finance spokesman when the Coalition was in opposition.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, LF ECONOMICS

Double-D plus six: PM’s poll options narrowing

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Phillip Hudson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 10-Mar-16

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is believed to favour 2 June as the date for the federal election if he opts for a double-dissolution poll. It is the day after changes to the voting system for the Senate are due to take effect. However, Turnbull is likely to have few alternative options for the election date, with 3 September regarded as the most likely date for a half-Senate election. Factors such as the Olympic Games and football grand finals will influence the timing of the poll.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, NEWSPOLL, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND SCIENCE, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Resources surge offers PM hope of budget boost

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by David Uren
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 9-Mar-16

The Australian Government’s Budget bottom line is expected to be boosted by the rebound in commodity prices. Iron ore and crude oil prices have rallied in recent weeks, which may help to offset the $A7bn in forgone government revenue due to the sharp downturn in commodity prices in 2015. The iron ore price has risen above $US60 per tonne in early March, compared with the Government’s revised forecast of just $US39/tonne in its mid-year Budget update in December.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ

Early budget talk, election options narrow

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 8-Mar-16

The Australian Government is considering moving the Budget forward one week to 3 May 2016. Should it opt to call a double-dissolution election, it must do so no later than 11 May in order to hold such an election on its preferred date of 2 July. A half-Senate election in August is also being considered. The bill to reinstate the Australian Building & Construction Commission remains a potential trigger for a double-dissolution election.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, LIBERAL PARTY OF NEW SOUTH WALES

Federal Voting Intention virtually unchanged: L-NP 53% maintain clear 2PP lead over ALP 47% as Parliament debates Senate reform

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Morgan Poll Update – Page: Online : 7-Mar-16

A multi-mode Morgan Poll on Federal voting intention has found that support for Australia’s ruling Liberal-National Coalition on a two-party preferred basis has risen by 0.5 per cent to 53 per cent. The poll, which was carried out on the weekends of 27-28 February and 5-6 March 2016, also shows that the Coalition’s primary vote has fallen by 0.5 per cent to 43 per cent, while the Roy Morgan Government Confidence Rating has fallen by three points to 102. Roy Morgan Research executive chairman Gary Morgan says this week’s strong result for the L-NP comes after a good week for the Australian economy. GDP for the December 2015 quarter came in above expectations at 0.6 per cent, for an annual GDP growth rate of three per cent. In addition, last week the All Ordinaries Index increased by 4.2 per cent to close at 5,151.10 on Friday and the Australian dollar increased to over $US0.74- its highest since July 2015.

CORPORATES
MORGAN POLL, ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, KATTER’S AUSTRALIAN PARTY, PALMER UNITED PARTY, NICK XENOPHON TEAM