BILL DRAFTING – AUSTRALIA

Dutton slams tech giants over encryption laws

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Andrew Tillett
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 8 : 11-Oct-18

The federal government continues to face opposition to its proposed digital encryption laws. However, Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton argues that the laws are necessary due to the growing use of encryption services by criminals and terrorists, adding that existing laws are inadequate to deal with such technologies. Dutton has also noted that Silicon Valley-based technology companies are among the biggest critics of the proposed laws, despite their poor track record in protecting personal data.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HOME AFFAIRS, NATIONAL PRESS CLUB (AUSTRALIA), AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, GOOGLE INCORPORATED

Union laws facing Senate stumbling block

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 19-Sep-18

The crossbenchers may determine the fate of the federal government’s Ensuring Integrity Bill, which will be put to the Senate on 19 September. Centre Alliance senator Rex Patrick says the party may support the bill, although this would be conditional on certain amendments. Other independent senators are also still considering their stance on the bill, although Tim Storer has ruled out supporting it. He is particularly concerned about the provisions that allow union officials to be disqualified for misconduct, noting that the sanctions are tougher than those for company directors under the Corporations Act.

CORPORATES
CENTRE ALLIANCE, LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY, AUSTRALIAN CONSERVATIVES, UNITED AUSTRALIA PARTY, ONE NATION PARTY, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Morrison bid to fast track union bill

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 17-Sep-18

The Federal Government will make a new push for the Senate to pass its Ensuring Integrity Bill, which was shelved earlier in 2018. Industrial Relations Minister Kelly O’Dwyer has urged Opposition Leader Bill Shorten to support the bill, stressing that the proposed reforms are needed to protect workers and small businesses. Amongst other things, the bill would allow union officials to be disqualified for repeated breaches of civil law while it would become easier to deregister a union. The bill is supported by employer groups, but the ACTU has called for crossbenchers to vote against it.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF JOBS AND SMALL BUSINESS, ACTU, AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, COUNCIL OF SMALL BUSINESS ORGANISATIONS OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED, MASTER BUILDERS AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Foreign spy threat to by-elections

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Simon Benson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 8-Jun-18

The joint committee on intelligence and security has made 60 recommendations in its report on the Federal Government’s Espionage and Foreign Interference Bill. Attorney-General Christian Porter says the committee should also report immediately on the Foreign Influence and Transparency Scheme Bill. He argues that both bills must be passed by Parliament prior to the five by-elections on 28 July, to ensure that the outcome of the polls is not affected by the actions of foreign agents. He says the threat of foreign interference has increased in recent months.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. JOINT PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, AUSTRALIAN SECURITY INTELLIGENCE ORGANISATION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, COMMUNIST PARTY (CHINA)

Tough laws to put terror heat on tech titans

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Simon Benson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 6-Jun-18

The Federal Government has proposed legislation that would require telcos and technology companies to provide law enforcement and intelligence agencies with access to the encrypted data of suspected terrorists and cyber-criminals. Cyber Security Minister Angus Taylor notes that at present telcos are not required to co-operate in providing access to such data. He stresses that the legislation – which will also apply to digital companies such as Google and Facebook – will not result in the creation of so-called "backdoor keys" that would allow law enforcement agencies to decrypt such data.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HOME AFFAIRS, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, WHATSAPP INCORPORATED, APPLE INCORPORATED, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, VODAFONE AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN SECURITY INTELLIGENCE ORGANISATION, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, GROUP OF TWENTY (G-20)

One Nation split boosts union clout

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 4-Jun-18

Further dissent within One Nation has emerged amid allegations concerning the Federal Government’s failure to pass legislation to subject union mergers to a public interest test. One Nation senator Brian Burston claims that his colleague Peter Georgiou opposed the Ensuring Integrity Bill in defiance of Burston and party leader Pauline Hanson. Burston says the latter then agreed to oppose the bill to ensure that the party was not viewed as being divided. A government source has backed Burston’s claim, stating that the government would have had sufficient support for the bill if Georgiou had voted for it.

CORPORATES
ONE NATION PARTY, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, MARITIME UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF JOBS AND SMALL BUSINESS, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP

Split tax cut bill, senators warn PM

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 4 : 14-May-18

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson says the Federal Government must legislate income tax cuts proposed for 2018-19 separately from future tax relief outlined in the May 2018 Budget. Hanson argues that there could be a recession before all three phases of the seven-year tax cuts package take effect. Centre Alliance also supports splitting the tax cuts bill. Both parties, which have five seats in the Senate, also oppose any move by Opposition Leader Bill Shorten to wind back company tax cuts that have already been legislated.

CORPORATES
ONE NATION PARTY, CENTRE ALLIANCE, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

New whistleblower bill unworkable

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Chris Merritt
The Australian – Page: 23 & 25 : 16-Apr-18

Griffith University’s Professor A.J. Brown has criticised proposed laws that aim to protect whistleblowers. He says a major flaw is that a whistleblower would essentially have to reveal themselves to be the source of information that was leaked to journalists in order to be protected by the legislation. He adds that as presently drafted, such protection would still only apply if they had gone public about an "imminent risk" of danger to public health or safety or to the financial system. Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance CEO Paul Murphy has also questioned the merits of the proposed laws.

CORPORATES
GRIFFITH UNIVERSITY, MEDIA, ENTERTAINMENT AND ARTS ALLIANCE, TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, SECURENCY INTERNATIONAL PTY LTD

A-G’s swipe at media for opposing spy laws

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Paul Maley
The Australian – Page: 2 : 28-Mar-18

Attorney-General Christian Porter has criticised the media and other special-interest groups for opposing the Federal Government’s proposed foreign interference and espionage laws. He noted that the introduction of similar laws in the US generally attracted consideration of whether they were in the national interest. Media companies have expressed concern about the potential implications of the proposed laws on journalists, although ASIO has argued that they should not be exempt.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, AUSTRALIAN SECURITY INTELLIGENCE ORGANISATION, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS

Union merger test abandoned

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 27-Mar-18

The Federal Government will not seek to block a merger between the Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union and the Maritime Union of Australia. The Government has shelved plans to introduce a public interest test for union mergers after failing to secure sufficient support for the bill among crossbenchers. Australian Mines & Metals Association CEO Steve Knott and Master Builders Australia CEO Denita Wawn have expressed disappointment with the decision.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, MARITIME UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN MINES AND METALS ASSOCIATION (INCORPORATED), MASTER BUILDERS AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF JOBS AND SMALL BUSINESS, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, ACTU