AUSTRALIA – POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Backbench MPs now on $225k a year

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Original article by Rhiannon Down
The Australian – Page: 6 : 30-Aug-23

The Remuneration Tribunal has approved a pay rise of four per cent for federal MPs; it will take effect from 1 September and will be backdated to 1 July. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will receive a pay rise of $22,573 a year, lifting his salary to $586,929. The base salary for cabinet ministers will rise by $14,977 to $389,406, while the base salary of backbench MPs will rise from $217,060 a year to $225,742. The independent tribunal has described the increase in MPs’ salaries as ‘conservative’, given that wages for public sector workers have grown much faster over the last decade.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. REMUNERATION TRIBUNAL, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Howard calls on No supporters to maintain their rage

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Original article by Paige Taylor
The Australian – Page: 4 : 30-Aug-23

Former prime minister John Howard has reiterated his view that the proposed constitutional amendment to establish an Indigenous Voice to parliament will divide Australia by race. He says the proposal for an Indigenous advisory body goes against what makes people Australian, and notes that former Labor PM Bob Hawke stated in 1988 that the only thing that defines someone as an Australian is their commitment to Australia. Howard hopes the voice is defeated in every state, while he contends that the notion of establishing a treaty with Indigenous people is absurd because treaties are made between sovereign nations.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, SOUTH AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET

Qatar turbulence worsens as PM washes his hands of flights decision

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Original article by Joe Kelly, Robyn Ironside, Glen Norris
The Australian – Page: 1 & 7 : 30-Aug-23

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the decision to reject Qatar Airlines’ application for additional flights into Australia was made solely by Transport Minister Catherine King, and that he had no role in it. However, Albanese contends that the former Coalition government had made similar decisions. It has also been revealed that King did not consult with her colleagues prior to rejecting Qatar Airways’ request. King has stated that the decision was made in the national interest, while Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones recently said Labor did not want to drive airfares down to a level where it is unsustainable for the existing Australia-based carrier. ANZ Bank CEO Shane Elliott says he is "disturbed" by reports that Qatar had been rebuffed in order to protect the profits of Qantas.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, QATAR AIRWAYS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT, REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT, COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ

Voice poll: PM set to name the day

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Original article by Rosie Lewis
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 23-Aug-23

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is expected to reveal the date of the referendum on an Indigenous Voice to parliament during a visit to Adelaide next week. The referendum has been widely tipped to be held on 14 October, which would allow for a six-week official campaign. Parliament is scheduled to sit during the first two weeks of September, although Albanese is also slated to visit Indonesia, The Philippines and India during this period. Albanese says Australia will be stronger as a nation if the referendum succeeds, and he stresses that the Voice interfere with the way that the government operates on a day-to-day basis.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Fears of a slow-economy China contagion

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Original article by Patrick Commins, Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 23-Aug-23

The federal government’s latest Intergenerational Report will show that Australia faces slower growth and higher taxes due to an ageing population and lower productivity. The Treasury has also forecast that quarterly economic growth will be ‘marginal’ over the next year, leaving Australia vulnerable to domestic and overseas shocks. The deteriorating Chinese economy is a key potential risk to Australia’s growth outlook, with the Chinese government appearing to be reluctant to pursue further stimulus measures at this stage. Meanwhile, Treasury officials expect the projected Budget surplus of more than $20bn for 2022-23 to be a one-off, with the prospect of deficits for at least the next decade.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Labor shuns calls for bold tax reform

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Original article by Phillip Coorey, Michael Read
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 23-Aug-23

The federal government is expected to pursue an incremental approach to tax reform due to the perception that large-scale changes would be politically challenging. Sources have indicated that Labor will not seek major tax changes during its current term in office, and it will adopt a similar approach if it is re-elected in 2025. The government’s agenda for its current term includes changes to the petroleum resource rent tax and an increase in the tax rate for superannuation accounts exceeding $3m; however, it is believed to have ruled out changes to the company tax rate, the goods and services tax and the legislated stage-three income tax cuts. The Business Council of Australia recently called for an overhaul of the tax system.

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AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA

No legislated Voice if vote fails

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Original article by Joe Kelly, Sarah Ison
The Australian – Page: 4 : 16-Aug-23

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has reiterated that enshrining an Indigenous Voice to parliament in the Constitution is a "modest request". He adds that the federal government will not seek to legislate a Voice to parliament if the upcoming referendum is rejected by voters, arguing that Indigenous Australians have not asked for this. Meanwhile, Indigenous leader Warren Mundine has rejected suggestions that the ‘No’ campaign is using the issue of a treaty to wage a scare campaign against the Voice. Mundine opposes the Voice but says he has been a supporter of the treaty process for more than three decades.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Premiers cool on PM’s holiday plan

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Original article by Andrew Tillett
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 16-Aug-23

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has emphasised that state and territory leaders will ultimately decide whether to declare a public holiday if the Matildas win the FIFA Women’s World Cup. However, South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas has indicated that he will oppose a public holiday when the national cabinet meets in Brisbane on Wednesday. He estimates that a holiday would cost the state’s economy about $18m; his government will instead provide a "lasting legacy" by investing the same amount of money into women’s sporting facilities.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, SOUTH AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET, FEDERATION INTERNATIONALE DE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION, MATILDAS

IR laws to help workers by closing loopholes

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 2 : 16-Aug-23

Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show that wages increased by 0.8 per cent in the June quarter, the same pace as the two previous quarters. Wages growth eased to 3.6 per cent in the year to June. Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke says that after 11 quarters of wages not keeping up with prices, the moderating inflation rate has caught up with wages growth. He adds that while the federal government’s first tranche of industrial relations reforms in 2022 were aimed at lifting wages across the board, the second tranche is aimed at closing loopholes that affect the wages of individual workers. Burke says the reforms will have a "very modest" economy-wide impact on wages.

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AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT AND WORKPLACE RELATIONS

Labor leaders aiming for national plan to boost renters’ rights

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Original article by David Crowe
Brisbane Times – Page: Online : 9-Aug-23

The upcoming national cabinet meeting in Brisbane will discuss a proposal to increase the rights of rental housing tenants. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will put the national plan to state and territory leaders next week, although each jurisdiction would ultimately determine their own rules based on a broad framework. Albanase will also seek other options for addressing the housing crisis due to a stalemate with the Greens over the federal government’s Housing Australia Future Fund.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN GREENS