BILL DRAFTING – AUSTRALIA

Heat on unions’ super cash

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Original article by Simon Benson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 11-Sep-17

The Federal Government will introduce legislation to increase the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority’s powers to force superannuation funds to disclose their payments to unions. The reforms will also allow fund members to be informed as to how their super contributions are being invested or redirected to unions or employers’ groups. It is estimated that super funds paid more than $A8m to unions in the form of "sponsorship" payments in 2016, with Cbus accounting for more than $A1m of these payments.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY, CONSTRUCTION AND BUILDING UNIONS’ SUPERANNUATION FUND, ACTU, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION-FEDERATION OF INDUSTRIAL, MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING EMPLOYEES, AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURING WORKERS’ UNION, ELECTRICAL TRADES UNION, PLUMBING TRADES EMPLOYEES UNION, TWUSUPER, TRANSPORT WORKERS’ UNION, AUSTRALIANSUPER PTY LTD, UNITED VOICE, AUSTRALIAN ELECTORAL COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE

Xenophon puts reform deal within reach

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Original article by Rosie Lewis
The Australian – Page: 3 : 7-Sep-17

The Federal Government’s prospects of getting its cross-media ownership reforms through the upper house have been bolstered by further negotiations with the Nick Xenophon Team. Communications Minister Mitch Fifield has offered a compromise deal regarding the NXT’s push to provide tax breaks for smaller media companies. Senator Nick Xenophon is still pursuing the tax breaks, although he adds that there are other options for increasing media diversity and job opportunities for journalists.

CORPORATES
NICK XENOPHON TEAM, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, ONE NATION PARTY

Team X keeps tax aid on agenda

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Original article by Rosie Lewis, Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 24 & 26 : 4-Sep-17

Independent senator Nick Xenophon remains optimistic that his party can secure a deal with the Federal Government regarding cross-media ownership reforms. However, he stresses that any deal would be conditional on the Government agreeing to provide tax breaks for smaller media outlets. The Nick Xenophon Team’s initial proposal for tax breaks was rejected by the Government, which requires the support of 10 Senate crossbenchers for its media reform bill.

CORPORATES
NICK XENOPHON TEAM, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, ONE NATION PARTY, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, CBS CORPORATION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

NXT considers further media compromise

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Original article by Rosie Lewis, David Crowe
The Australian – Page: 6 : 30-Aug-17

The Federal Government requires the support of 10 crossbench senators for its cross-media ownership reforms when Parliament resumes in early September. There are indications that the Nick Xenophon Team may be prepared to accept a compromise on its proposed tax break for smaller media companies in return for supporting the reforms. The Australian Labor Party has not changed its stance on opposing the abolition of the "two-out-of-three" rule.

CORPORATES
NICK XENOPHON TEAM, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, ONE NATION PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, CBS CORPORATION

Nick of time: negotiations stalling reform

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 24 : 21-Aug-17

Senator Nick Xenophon remains hopeful that the Federal Government will agree to provide tax breaks for small media companies in return for supporting its cross-media ownership reforms. Communications Minister Mitch Fifield has indicated that it would be inappropriate to extend such tax breaks to foreign-owned publications. The latest stalemate means that the media reform package will not be debated in the Senate for at least another two weeks.

CORPORATES
NICK XENOPHON TEAM, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, PRIVATE MEDIA PARTNERS PTY LTD, SCHWARTZ MEDIA PTY LTD, THE GUARDIAN AUSTRALIA, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA

‘Orwellian merger test an affront to democracy’

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 4 : 18-Aug-17

The Federal Government’s proposal to subject trade union mergers to a public interest test has been criticised by ACTU secretary Sally McManus. Factors such as a union’s history of compliance with workplace laws and the merger’s effect on businesses would be taken into account when deciding whether to approve it. McManus claims that the bill breaches the International Labour Organization’s conventions on freedom of association, and that the Government is using the bill as a distraction.

CORPORATES
ACTU, INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANIZATION, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, MARITIME UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT

Senate deadlock hits Ten’s rescue hopes

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Original article by David Crowe, Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 18-Aug-17

Cross-media ownership reforms are in doubt after the Federal Government rejected a proposal by Senator Nick Xenophon to provide tax incentives for small media companies. The tax offset would have been available for the Australian editions of foreign publications such as "The Guardian", which Communications Minister Mitch Fifield says is inappropriate. The stalled media reform bill will effectively prevent most Australian media companies from bidding for the Ten Network. The deadline to submit bids is 18 August.

CORPORATES
NICK XENOPHON TEAM, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, ANCHORAGE CAPITAL GROUP LLC, SKY NEWS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, PPB ADVISORY, AUSTRALIA. FOREIGN INVESTMENT REVIEW BOARD, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED

CFMEU target for laws against militant unions

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 17-Aug-17

Australian Mines & Metals Association CEO Steve Knott has welcomed the Federal Government’s move to crack down on unlawful conduct by unions. The legislation introduced to Parliament on 16 August would strengthen the Government’s powers to deregister unions and disqualify union officials. It would also subject union mergers to a public interest test, which could be used to block the Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union’s proposed merger with the Maritime Union of Australia.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN MINES AND METALS ASSOCIATION (INCORPORATED), CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, MARITIME UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIA. REGISTERED ORGANISATIONS COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY

Xenophon deal on media rules within reach

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Original article by Rosie Lewis
The Australian – Page: 4 : 17-Aug-17

The Australian Government is expected to put its media reform bill to the Senate in its current form in order to secure the support of the Nick Xenophon Team. The minor party opposes the Government’s deal with One Nation to impose new obligations on the ABC and SBS, and these amendments are likely to be put on hold due to lack of sufficient support in the upper house. The Government is also said to be assessing the cost of proposals put forward by Senator Nick Xenophon in return for supporting the media reforms.

CORPORATES
NICK XENOPHON TEAM, ONE NATION PARTY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS), LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY, AUSTRALIAN CONSERVATIVES, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED

Super reforms blasted for favouring banks

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Original article by James Frost
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 16 : 14-Aug-17

Industry Super Australia contends that proposed superannuation legislation favours retail funds at the expense of those that ISA represents. ISA is of the view that the legislation will impose less scrutiny on bank-owned funds than not-for-profit funds, even though it states that the latter sector has outperformed bank-owned funds in recent years. ISA also contends that the proposed legislation will increase compliance costs and is in conflict with the Corporations Act.

CORPORATES
INDUSTRY SUPER AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY