AUSTRALIA – POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

SBS ad boost ‘will cost networks $198m’

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Original article by David Crowe
The Australian – Page: 2 : 19-Nov-14

The Australian Subscription Television & Radio Association has criticised the Federal Government’s plan to allow more advertising on SBS. The public broadcaster will be able to show 10 minutes of ads per hour during prime time if the reforms proceed. Mark Pejic of MediaCom estimates that this will boost SBS’s revenue by $A198.7m over five years, largely at the expense of the free-to-air commercial networks

CORPORATES
SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS), AUSTRALIAN SUBSCRIPTION TELEVISION AND RADIO ASSOCIATION (ASTRA) INCORPORATED, MEDIACOM AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FREE TV AUSTRALIA LIMITED, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, SOUTHERN CROSS AUSTEREO PTY LTD, FOXTEL COMMERCIAL PRODUCTIONS, DISCOVERY CHANNEL, WALT DISNEY COMPANY, VIACOM AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Gulf too wide for RET deal, says Labor

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Original article by Joanna Heath
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 12-Nov-14

The Australian Government’s refusal to compromise on its proposes changes to the Renewable Energy Target (RET) has prompted the Opposition to abandon negotiations over the reforms. Shadow environment minister Mark Butler says the Australian Labor Party will not support the savage reduction in the RET that is being sought by the Government. Private sector investment in renewable energy has been put on hold for most of 2014 due to uncertainty about the future of the RET

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, PALMER UNITED PARTY

Turnbull tops leader vote

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 4-Nov-14

A national Fairfax/Ipsos poll shows that 24 per cent of voters prefer Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull as Liberal leader, ahead of Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop. The poll, which was carried out from 30 October to 1 November 2014, found that Turnbull is also the preferred Liberal leader for 48 per cent of Australian Labor Party supporters. Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten is the preferred Labor leader for 30 per cent of voters

CORPORATES
FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, IPSOS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, THE NIELSEN COMPANY (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF IMMIGRATION AND BORDER PROTECTION

PM claws back from budget lows

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 3-Nov-14

A national Fairfax/Ipsos poll has found that the Australian Labor Party has 51 per cent support on a two-party preferred basis, ahead of the Coalition with 49 per cent. However, the Coalition leads 42 per cent to 37 per cent on the primary vote, while the approval rating of Prime Minister Tony Abbott has increased by four per cent to 42 per cent. The poll, which was carried out from 30 October to 1 November 2014, also shows that Abbott’s rating as preferred prime minister is steady at 41 per cent

CORPORATES
FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, IPSOS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, THE NIELSEN COMPANY (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, PALMER UNITED PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS

Costello warns on GST change

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 29-Oct-14

The issue of the goods and services tax (GST) rate is again under scrutiny, with Prime Minister Tony Abbott renewing his push for tax reform. However, former treasurer Peter Costello believes that any change in the scope or rate of the GST should be conditional on the scrapping of other taxes, rather than merely being used to increase government revenue. Abbott says he will only proceed with changes to the GST if it is fully supported by the states

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Abbott puts GST hike on the table

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Original article by Laura Tingle, Simon Evans
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 27-Oct-14

Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten says he will oppose any push by Prime Minister Tony Abbott to increase the GST rate. Abbott has indicated that tax reform may be on the agenda for the next federal election, including an increase in the state governments’ indirect tax base. The states currently derive about $A54bn of their annual income from the GST, but some have urged a more equitable distribution of GST revenue

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET, SOUTH AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET, NEW SOUTH WALES. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET

Student ‘acted in public interest’

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Original article by Louise Hall
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: 13 : 24-Oct-14

A former employee of the Whitehouse Institute of Design has pleaded guilty to accessing restricted data. She leaked information about a $A60,000 "chairman’s scholarship" awarded to Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s daughter, Frances Abbott. A sentencing hearing took place on 23 October 2014. The woman will be sentenced on 25 November

CORPORATES
WHITEHOUSE SCHOOL OF FASHION AND INTERIOR DESIGN, DISTRICT COURT OF NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, SYDNEY

L-NP gains ground on ALP after Abbott threatens to ‘shirt-front’ Putin at G20

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Morgan Poll Update – Page: Online : 20-Oct-14

A multi-mode Morgan Poll on Federal voting intention has found that support for the Coalition on a two-party preferred basis has risen by one per cent to 48 per cent. The poll, which was carried out on the weekends of 11-12 and 18-19 October 2014, also shows that support for the Australian Labor Party has fallen by one per cent to 52 per cent. Roy Morgan Research executive chairman Gary Morgan says Labor’s lead is the narrowest in six months, after Prime Minister Tony Abbott promised to "shirt-front" Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Group of 20 Leaders’ summit in Brisbane in November

CORPORATES
MORGAN POLL, ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, PALMER UNITED PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, GROUP OF TWENTY (G-20), AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, MALAYSIAN AIRLINE SYSTEMS

Telstra NBN deal delayed to 2015

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Original article by David Ramli
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 & 20 : 15-Oct-14

The Australian Government had expected to finalise a revised deal with Telstra regarding the national broadband network by mid-2014. Telstra CEO David Thodey is hopeful that much of the negotiations can be concluded by Christmas, but concedes that a final deal is unlikely before 2015. The Coalition’s decision to adopt a fibre to the node model has required renegotiation of the original $A11.2bn deal with the Australian Labor Party

CORPORATES
TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS, NBN CO LIMITED, TPG TELECOM LIMITED – ASX TPM, IINET LIMITED – ASX IIN, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION

Credit card bank licences to go

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Original article by Shaun Drummond
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 : 14-Oct-14

The Australian Government has accepted the Reserve Bank’s recommendation to scrap the requirement for companies that issue credit cards to hold a bank licence. Finance Minister Mathias Cormann says the move will increase competition by attracting new entrants to the credit card market and result in lower fees for consumers and retailers. However, some experts doubt that the reforms will lead to greater competition

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, VISA INTERNATIONAL, MASTERCARD AUSTRALIA LIMITED, RFI CONSULTING PTY LTD, GE CAPITAL AUSTRALIA, COLES GROUP LIMITED, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, TYRO PAYMENTS, SQUARE PTY LTD, PAYVISION, AIRPLUS INTERNATIONAL