AUSTRALIA – POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

‘We won’t have a captain’s pick’

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 4-Aug-15

Tony Smith and Andrew Southcott are regarded as the leading contenders to succeed Bronwyn Bishop as the Speaker in the House of Representatives. A ballot will be held by Liberal Party MPs to choose her successor when Parliament resumes in mid-August 2015. Liberal MPs have insisted that Bishop’s replacement be chosen by the party room rather than Prime Minister Tony Abbott. Meanwhile, Abbott has announced a review of the parliamentary entitlements system in the wake of the expense scandal.

CORPORATES
LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. REMUNERATION TRIBUNAL, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

PM defiant, Speaker quits

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Original article by Phillip Coorey, Primrose Riordan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 3-Aug-15

Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten wants the Speaker of the lower house to be independent in future, in the wake of Bronwyn Bishop’s resignation over an expenses scandal. He also says Prime Minister Tony Abbott should reveal whether Bishop had been offered any incentives to step down. Meanwhile, Abbott has revealed plans for a sweeping review of parliamentary entitlements, while there is speculation that Bishop’s resignation may prompt a ministerial reshuffle in order to appoint a new Speaker.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE

Australians give their views on Tony Abbott & Bill Shorten

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Morgan Poll Update – Page: Online : 30-Jul-15

A recent Morgan Poll showed that Prime Minister Tony Abbott has a rating of 42 per cent as the "Better PM", compared with a 41 per cent rating for Opposition Leader Bill Shorten. Special qualitative and quantitative research conducted by Roy Morgan Research has examined Australians’ views on why they prefer Abbott or Shorten as PM, as well as the reasons why they either approve or disapprove of each leaders’ performance.

CORPORATES
MORGAN POLL, ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

L-NP support slumps amid Bronwyn Bishop travel expense ‘misconduct’ and as the ALP commits to renewable energy & ‘turn back the boats’ policy

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Morgan Poll Update – Page: Online : 27-Jul-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 fallen by three per cent to 46 per cent. The poll, which was carried out on the weekends of 18-19 and 25-26 July 2015, also shows that the Coalition’s primary vote has fallen by 2.5 per cent to 39 per cent, while the Roy Morgan Government Confidence Rating has risen by 0.5 points to 91 points. Roy Morgan Research executive chairman Gary Morgan says the Coalition Government has no alternative but to show the electorate how it will grow the economy and provide more jobs, and the answer is not a higher GST or an increase in the Medicare levy.

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. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION, NEW SOUTH WALES. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET

Shorten loss on gay marriage

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 27-Jul-15

The Australian Labor Party’s National Conference has endorsed the policy of Opposition Leader Bill Shorten to turn back asylum-seeker boats. Meanwhile, conference delegates have voted in favour of giving Labor MPs a conscience vote on the issue of same-sex marriage, although this will be limited to the current and next term of parliament. Shorten has committed to legalising same-sex marriage within 100 days if Labor wins the next federal election. Labor’s policy on a renewable energy target and an emissions trading scheme were also endorsed.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, NATIONAL UNION OF WORKERS, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF IMMIGRATION AND BORDER PROTECTION

New front in war over super governance

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Original article by Jennifer Hewett
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 2 : 27-Jul-15

The Federal Government’s proposed superannuation reforms have been criticised by Industry Super Australia in its submission to Assistant Treasurer Josh Frydenberg. The reforms will require one-third of super fund directors, and the chairman, to be independent, while employers and unions will no longer need to have representatives on the board. ISA argues that under the current governance model industry funds’ returns have generally been higher than those of retail funds.

CORPORATES
INDUSTRY SUPER AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, HOST-PLUS, NATIONAL SENIORS AUSTRALIA LIMITED, MASTER BUILDERS AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED

Surprise wins in TPP deal: Robb

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Original article by John Garnaut
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 27-Jul-15

Australia’s Trade Minister Andrew Robb is confident that a deal on the proposed Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) will be finalised in the last week of July 2015, after five years of negotiations. Robb says the nation’s agricultural sector is set to benefit from the TPP, but he adds that the biggest beneficiaries could include service industries such as the legal and education sectors. Robb also expects the mining equipment and services sector to benefit from the deal.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP, WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION, GENERAL AGREEMENT ON TARIFFS AND TRADE, NORTH AMERICAN FREE TRADE AGREEMENT, AUSTMINE LIMITED, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, GEKKO SYSTEMS PTY LTD, ORICA LIMITED – ASX ORI, MONADELPHOUS GROUP LIMITED – ASX MND, AUSDRILL LIMITED – ASX ASL, AUSENCO LIMITED – ASX AAX, WORLEYPARSONS LIMITED – ASX WOR, SINCLAIR KNIGHT MERZ PTY LTD

Number might be up for low-cost online imports

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Original article by Fleur Anderson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 24-Jul-15

GST revenue could rise by about $A1.7bn annually within five years after the Council of Australian Governments agreed to reduce the tax-exempt threshold for goods purchased from offshore websites from $A1,000 to just $A20. Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry CEO Kate Carnell says the move will reduce the unfair advantage that online retailers based overseas enjoy at the expense of local retailers.

CORPORATES
COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENTS, AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, RETAIL COUNCIL LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION

Australians are evenly divided over Tony Abbott or Bill Shorten as PM – both leaders unpopular

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Morgan Poll Update – Page: Online : 23-Jul-15

A special telephone Morgan Poll has found that Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s rating as the "Better PM" has fallen by two per cent to 42 per cent since April 2015. The poll, which was carried out from 20-22 July, also shows that Opposition Leader Bill Shorten’s rating as the "Better PM" has risen by two per cent to 41 per cent. The proportion of electors who disapprove of Abbott’s handling of his job as Prime Minister has risen by six per cent to 59 per cent. Roy Morgan Research executive chairman Gary Morgan notes that 60 per cent of electors now disapprove of Shorten’s handling of his job as Opposition Leader, while the number of electors who approve of his handling of the job has fallen to a record low of 24 per cent.

CORPORATES
MORGAN POLL, ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

ASIC set for full-scale review

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Original article by Sarah Thompson, Jonathan Shapiro, James Eyers
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 24-Jul-15

The Federal Government will complete a "capability review" of the Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC) by the end of 2015. The review will be carried out by an expert panel comprising Karen Chester, Mark Gray and lawyer David Galbally. The financial system inquiry’s recommendations included carrying out regular capability reviews of the nation’s key regulatory agencies. The Government provides ASIC with about $A300m in funding each year.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION, QUEENSLAND. TREASURY