AUSTRALIA – POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Shorten locks in penalty rates as key election issue

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Original article by Misa Han
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 9 : 6-Oct-15

Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has refuted suggestions that penalty rates contribute to unemployment in Australia. He has vowed to make penalty rates a major issue for the next federal election, after Workplace Relations Minister Michaelia Cash indicated that the Federal Government is likely to use the election to seek a mandate for changes to penalty rates and the industrial relations regime.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

L-NP (56%) leads ALP (44%) – biggest lead for L-NP since June 2013 – a vote of confidence in Turnbull’s new Ministry

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Morgan Poll Update – Page: Online : 5-Oct-15

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 one per cent to 56 per cent. The poll, which was carried out on the weekends of 26-27 September and 4-5 October 2015, also shows that the Coalition’s primary vote has risen by one per cent to 47 per cent, while the Roy Morgan Government Confidence Rating has risen by six points to 109 points.

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, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, 7-ELEVEN STORES PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION

Reform back on the agenda

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Original article by Sharri Markson
The Australian – Page: 23 : 5-Oct-15

The Australian Government is believed to be open to reviewing the list of sporting events for which free-to-air networks must be given first right of refusal. The Government may agree to relax the anti-siphoning list in return for industry support for changes to cross-media ownership rules. Seven West Media opposes changes to both cross-media laws and the anti-siphoning list, while News Corp favours reviewing the latter as part of a broader overhaul of media laws.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, PRIME MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX PRT, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, GOOGLE INCORPORATED

Start-ups may avoid all capital gains tax

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Original article by Fleur Anderson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 5-Oct-15

The Parliamentary Budget Office estimates that a proposal to abolish capital gains tax for investing in business start-ups would cost the budget about $A30m annually by 2018-19. A Federal Government taskforce is considering the proposal, which was put forward by backbencher David Coleman and had the support of former treasurer Joe Hockey. The tax break would apply to investments in companies that have been in business for less than two years and whose annual revenue is less than $A1m.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. PARLIAMENTARY BUDGET OFFICE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, NINEMSN PTY LTD, PUBLISHING AND BROADCASTING LIMITED, STARTUPAUS, KPMG AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

BCA keen to promote tax revamp ideas

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 11 : 1-Oct-15

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will discuss economic policy with business, union and community organisation leaders on 1 October 2015. Business Council of Australia (BCA) CEO Jennifer Westacott says there is an urgent need for economic reform, which cannot be delayed until after the next federal election. Westacott adds that the BCA will shortly launch an advertising campaign to promote the need for tax reform, while a subsequent campaign will focus on particular tax that should be changed.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, ACTU, AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL OF SOCIAL SERVICE, KPMG AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Sunday penalties hurt businesses, cost jobs

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 1-Oct-15

Federal Employment Minister Michaelia Cash stresses that any changes to weekend penalty rates will be entirely up to the Fair Work Commission. However, she says Australia’s ability to be globally competitive is being hindered by Sunday penalty rates, which force many businesses in the tourism and hospitality sector to remain closed on weekends due to high wage bills. Cash notes that many women and university students would welcome the opportunity to work on Sundays.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION

Morrison: GST hike could ease worker tax burden

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 5 : 30-Sep-15

Treasurer Scott Morrison has indicated that the Australian Government will ensure that there is no overall increase in the tax burden. He has told Sky News that income tax cuts would be implemented to offset any increase in other taxes, such as the GST. The corporate tax rate and superannuation tax breaks are also likely to be on the agenda when Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and key government ministers meet with business, union and community organisation leaders on 1 October 2015.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND SCIENCE, SKY NEWS, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, ACTU, AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL OF SOCIAL SERVICE, COUNCIL ON THE AGEING, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, KPMG AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Tasmanian MP joins call to rein in penalty rates

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 30-Sep-15

Federal MP Andrew Nikolic says the Australian Government must engage in debate about the need for changes to the penalty rates regime. Nikolic notes that penalty rates is a politically sensitive issue, but argues that the current system is a disincentive for tourism and hospitality businesses in his Tasmanian seat of Bass to trade on weekends and public holidays. A number of his Coalition colleagues have also called for the issue to be reviewed.

CORPORATES
LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, PIERRE’S CAFE, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

TV networks split on reform

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Original article by Dominic White
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 18 : 29-Sep-15

The issue of Australia’s cross-media ownership laws is again under scrutiny, with further dissent among major TV broadcasters. Nine Entertainment Company and Prime Media Group say they will support relaxing the rules governing sports broadcasts in return for changes to the ownership regime. However, Seven West Media and Ten Network oppose any move to reduce the number of sports on the anti-siphoning list. Communications Minister Mitch Fifield plans to review the list.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, PRIME MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX PRT, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, SOUTHERN CROSS AUSTEREO PTY LTD, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL, FREE TV AUSTRALIA LIMITED, CROSBY TEXTOR RESEARCH STRATEGIES RESULTS PTY LTD, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, IMPARJA TELEVISION PTY LTD

Coalition looks to insurance rebate tweak

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 29-Sep-15

The Australian Government may consider changes to the private health insurance rebate. Health Minister Sussan Ley says feedback from consumers shows that the introduction of means-testing for the rebate has resulted in higher out-of-pocket costs and forced some consumers to downgrade their insurance coverage. Income-based means-testing for the 30 per cent rebate was introduced by the former Australian Labor Party government.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HEALTH, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HUMAN SERVICES. MEDICARE AUSTRALIA