BUDGET – AUSTRALIA

RBA: road and rail a house price fix

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Original article by Jacob Greber, Mark Ludlow
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 5-May-17

The Australian Government’s May 2017 Budget is tipped to include funding for road and rail infrastructure, as part of its policy on housing affordability. Reserve Bank governor Philip Lowe says improved transport infrastructure is the best way to making housing more affordable. He adds that the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority’s move to crack down on lending to property investors is intended to provide "breathing space" to allow the supply-demand imbalance to correct itself, rather than being aimed at reining in house price growth.

CORPORATES
RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY

Budget to quell Labor’s Mediscare

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Original article by Fleur Anderson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 5 : 4-May-17

The Australian Government’s May 2017 Budget will include a reduction in the cost of generic drugs under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. The freeze on Medicare rebates will also be progressively abolished from the start of 2017-18. This will initially apply primarily to visits to GPs, and the freeze on rebates for visits to a range of specialists will be phased out over the following two years. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten argues that the freeze should be lifted immediately for all medical services.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HEALTH, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HUMAN SERVICES. MEDICARE AUSTRALIA, GRATTAN INSTITUTE

Badgerys airport plan: build, operate and sell

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 3-May-17

The Australian Government’s May 2017 Budget will include funding for the proposed Western Sydney Airport at Badgerys Creek, which is slated to cost between $A5bn and $A6bn. The Government has also signalled that it will seek a buyer for the new airport after it becomes operational. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has emphasised the airport’s contribution to the economy and growth in jobs. Australian-listed Sydney Airport has ruled out developing the airport, citing the high level of risk associated with the project.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, SYDNEY AIRPORT – ASX SYD, KINGSFORD SMITH AIRPORT, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INFRASTRUCTURE AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, NEW SOUTH WALES. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, NBN CO LIMITED

Coalition out for big uni savings

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Original article by Tim Dodd
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 1-May-17

Education Minister Simon Birmingham will reveal changes to the Federal Government’s policy on higher education on 1 May 2017. The changes, which are understood to include a tightening of the HELP loan system and a moderate increase in student fees, are expected to result in savings of around $A1 billion a year. Birmingham will then have the tough job of trying to persuade the Senate to pass the changes.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ONE NATION PARTY, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

Deficit repair slips even with profit surge: Access

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Original article by Laura Tingle
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 5 : 1-May-17

Chris Richardson of Deloitte Access Economics is predicting a 2016-17 federal Budget deficit of more than $A38.3 billion, which is $A1.8 billion worse than predicted in the Government’s mid-year forecast. Richardson says that while a rise in company profits will eventually result in improved corporate tax collection, poor wages and jobs growth means that there will not be a comparable rise in personal tax collection. He forecasts that tax revenue will grow by 6.2 per cent in real terms in 2017-18.

CORPORATES
DELOITTE ACCESS ECONOMICS PTY LTD, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

Government considering $100m TV licence fee cuts

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 29 : 1-May-17

The Australian Government’s May 2017 Budget may include broadcasting licence fee relief for free-to-air TV networks. Options that are said to be under consideration include abolishing the existing revenue-based licence fee or replacing it with a flat fee. The licence fee reforms are intended to offset the impact of a proposed ban on gambling advertisements during live sports broadcasts. The anti-siphoning list may also be revised to compensate pay-TV groups for the loss of gambling ad revenue.

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

Budget debt will finance airport, rail

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 28-Apr-17

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has identified the proposed inland rail link between Melbourne and Brisbane as a "very high priority". He has also given indications that the rail link and Sydney’s second airport will be at least partially funded by the government via "good" debt. The May 2017 Budget will make a distinction between "good" and "bad" debt. Treasurer Scott Morrison notes that while the former generates income that can be used to repay debt, the latter is still needed to provide essential services.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HUMAN SERVICES. MEDICARE AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, NBN CO LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INFRASTRUCTURE AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT, SYDNEY AIRPORT – ASX SYD

Abolish TV licence fees, tax Google and Facebook: Xenophon

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 26-Apr-17

The Australian Government’s May 2017 Budget is tipped to include a further reduction in TV broadcasting licence fees. Independent senator Nick Xenophon says the fees are "anachronistic" and should be scrapped for free-to-air networks. Xenophon supports increased restrictions on gambling advertisements during live sports broadcasts, but he rejects suggestions that he has struck a deal with the Government on the issue. Xenophon also favours imposing a turnover tax on Google and Facebook.

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

Students face higher ed budget cuts

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 19-Apr-17

The Australian Government’s May 2017 Budget could include new measures that target university students and graduates. Stalled measures in the 2014 Budget are tipped to be abandoned, prompting speculation that the Government will seek to offset the failed $A7bn worth of spending cuts. These could potentially include an increase in students’ fees and a reduction in the income threshold for the repayment of HECS-HELP debts. At present, graduates must begin repaying their student debt when their annual income reaches $A54,869.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

Turnbull to face clash on housing

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Original article by Simon Benson, David Uren, Rachel Baxendale, David Crowe
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 13-Apr-17

A number of federal cabinet ministers and backbenchers support a proposal to allow first-home buyers to access their superannuation. They will lobby Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to consider adopting the initiative as part of the May 2017 Budget’s policy on housing affordability. However, Turnbull has reiterated his view that super should be solely used to provide an income stream in retirement. Chris Richardson of Deloitte Access Economics has expressed a similar opinion.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, DELOITTE ACCESS ECONOMICS PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND SCIENCE, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PRESS CLUB (AUSTRALIA)