AUSTRALIA – POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

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.

CORPORATES
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.

CORPORATES
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.

CORPORATES
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.

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

Call for fresh Morrison probe over Robodebt

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Original article by Rhiannon Down
The Australian – Page: 5 : 9-Aug-23

Greens MP Stephen Bates says former prime minister Scott Morrison appears to have deliberately made false statements about the robodebt scheme in order to mislead parliament. Bates contends that Morrison allowed robodebt to remain in place despite clear advice that the scheme was illegal. The Greens have introduced a motion in the lower house to refer Morrison to the privileges committee over his role in the robodebt scandal. A royal commission into the robodebt scheme made a number of adverse findings against Morrison.

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AUSTRALIAN GREENS

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.

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

Push for Cup public holiday alarms business

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 9-Aug-23

Australian Industry Group CEO Innes Willox is among the business leaders who have expressed concern about a proposal for a public holiday if the Matildas win the FIFA Women’s World Cup. He says businesses will face additional costs at a time when the economy is already under pressure. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese intends to raise the issue of a public holiday at the national cabinet meeting next week, and is confident that state and territory leaders will support the proposal. The World Cup final will be held in Sydney on 20 August.

CORPORATES
FEDERATION INTERNATIONALE DE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION, MATILDAS, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Labor’s left turn on Israel

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Original article by Ben Packham
The Australian – Page: 1 & 5 : 9-Aug-23

The federal government has revealed a change in its official policy on Israel ahead of Labor’s upcoming national conference in Brisbane. A caucus meeting endorsed the policy change on Tuesday, with Labor to now recognise the West Bank and Gaza as ‘Occupied Palestinian Territories’; Israeli settlements will in turn be described as ‘illegal’ under international law. Foreign Minister Penny Wong says the policy shift is in line with previous federal governments and UN Security Council resolutions, while she adds that Australia remains a "committed friend of Israel". Labor has previously reversed the former Coalition government’s decision to recognise West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE

‘Steps to treaty this term’: Labor’s actual agenda

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Original article by Sarah Ison, Rosie Lewis
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 2-Aug-23

The federal government is under growing scrutiny over its policy agenda if the referendum on an Indigenous voice to parliament succeeds. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese recently stated that the voice is not about a treaty with Indigenous Australians. However, Labor’s latest draft national policy platform states that the party supports all elements of the Uluru Statement from the Heart – including a Makarrata commission for agreement-making – in the current term of government. An earlier draft did not include any time frame or a specific reference to the Makarrata commission. Opposition leader Peter Dutton says Labor will have to implement the Uluru Statement from the Heart in full, given that Albanese has committed to doing so at least 34 times.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Labor’s IR push driven by myths, slogans: AiGroup

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 2-Aug-23

Australian Industry Group CEO Innes Willox contends that the federal government’s second tranche of industrial relations reforms will not help to boost productivity. He will use a National Press Club speech on Wednesday to argue that many of the proposed reforms are in fact "anti-productivity". Willox will also argue that the government’s IR agenda is focused on slogans such as ‘get wages moving’ and ‘same job, same pay’, when its priority should be to reduce the complexity of the IR system. Willox says a simpler and more transparent workplace system should be the goal.

CORPORATES
THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, NATIONAL PRESS CLUB (AUSTRALIA)