BUSINESS AND POLITICS – AUSTRALIA

Business to PM: Act now, act big

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Original article by Greg Brown, Matthew Cranston
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 11-Nov-26

Sources have indicated that the federal government is unlikely to pursue a major change of strategy in next month’s mid-year budget update. However, the Business Council of Australia has called for a range of measures in the budget update, including an annual real spending growth cap of two per cent and a 25 per cent reduction in red tape. The Australian Institute of Company Directors’ CEO Mark Rigotti in turn has urged Labor to accelerate its deregulation agenda in order to boost productivity. The AICD’s latest Director Sentiment Index shows that 90 per cent of company directors expect cost pressures to worsen over the next year, while ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence has fallen to its third-lowest point since the survey began in 1973.

CORPORATES
BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPANY DIRECTORS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ANZ GROUP HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX ANZ, ROY MORGAN LIMITED

MPs granting powerful political lobbyists unfettered access to Australia’s parliament, data reveals

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Original article by Tom McIlroy
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 4-Nov-26

More than 2,000 companies and lobby groups currently have passes that give them access to private areas of Parliament House in Canberra. New rules require two MPs to sponsor lobbyists to register for a pass, and the names of parliamentarians who do so must be disclosed on a public register. Analysis of the available data shows that both Labor and Coalition MPs have sponsored passes for companies such as Woodside Energy, ConocoPhillips and Alinta Energy, as well as lobby groups including the Minerals Council of Australia and Responsible Wagering Australia.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, WOODSIDE ENERGY GROUP LIMITED – ASX WDS, CONOCOPHILLIPS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, ALINTA ENERGY (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, MINERALS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, RESPONSIBLE WAGERING AUSTRALIA

Woodside to quit strait if reservation scheme tanks gas price

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Original article by Colin Packham
The Australian – Page: 13 & 19 : 14-Oct-26

The federal government is expected to release details of its domestic gas reservation policy within days. However, Woodside Energy’s chief operating officer Breyden Lonnie has warned that a proposed gas drilling program in Bass Strait will not proceed if the reservation scheme materially affects domestic gas prices. Shell Australia chair Cecile Wake in turn says the government must address some "fundamental flaws" in the gas reservation scheme, including the requirement for gas producers to supply 110 per cent of forecast domestic demand and the obligation to sell gas regardless of prevailing prices.

CORPORATES
WOODSIDE ENERGY GROUP LIMITED – ASX WDS, SHELL COMPANY OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED

No east coast gas crisis: Santos

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Original article by Colin Packham
The Australian – Page: 13 & 19 : 9-Sep-26

Santos CEO Kevin Gallagher will address the National Press Club in Canberra today; he will use the speech to contend that Australia’s east coast is not facing an imminent gas crisis and that it will have adequate supplies until at least 2030. He will also reject claims that Queensland’s LNG export industry has caused supply issues for the east coast market. Gallagher will in turn urge the federal government to make changes to its proposed domestic gas reservation scheme, arguing that the "must sell" clause on reserved gas should be replaced by an obligation for producers to offer gas to the domestic market on commercial terms.

CORPORATES
SANTOS LIMITED – ASX STO

Super tax puts SMSFs on red alert

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Original article by Matthew Cranston
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 5 : 26-Aug-26

The federal government is under growing pressure to make further changes to its tax reforms following revelations about their potential impact on superannuation funds that have exposure to managed investment trusts. The SMSF Association has warned that "hundreds of thousands" of self-managed super funds will face higher effective tax rates due to the new rules, which place restrictions on how managed investment trusts can offset capital gains and losses. CEO Peter Burgess notes that the latest data from the Australian Taxation Office shows that SMSFs allocated some $264bn to listed, unlisted and ‘other managed investments’ which could potentially be impacted by the tax changes.

CORPORATES
SMSF ASSOCIATION, AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE

Mediocre nation: business warns of competition crisis as Labor unrest grows

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Original article by Geoff Chambers, Sarah Ison
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 26-Aug-26

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese delivered the keynote speech at the Business Council of Australia’ annual dinner last night. He emphasised the need for business and the federal government to work together to keep the economy and democracy strong amid the rise of populism, and argued that Labor’s property tax reforms are the key to fighting populism and ensuring prosperity. Meanwhile, BCA president Geoff Culbert said every policy decision has consequences for business, investment and all Australians. Noting that the nation now ranks rank 21st out of 42 nations on the Competitiveness Index, he has called for action to reverse this, including more competitive tax rates, reduced red tape and government spending, and an overhaul of the planning system.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA

Santos boss warns investors are misreading energy crisis

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Original article by Colin Packham
The Australian – Page: 17 : 6-May-26

Santos CEO Kevin Gallagher has cautioned against further federal government intervention in response to the Iran war-induced energy crisis. He has told the Macquarie Australia Conference that it would be an "act of self-harm" to impose an additional tax burden on the oil and gas industry, arguing that the sector already contributes via royalties and the petroleum resource rent tax. Gallagher also warned that supply disruptions and elevated risk across global energy markets will persist for some time; he noted that the "unprecedented" release of strategic petroleum reserves globally will result in ongoing volatility as governments rebuild their stockpiles.

CORPORATES
SANTOS LIMITED – ASX STO

Plea for certainty on fuel excise as tourism braces for school holiday hit

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Original article by Sarah Ison
The Australian – Page: 4 : 1-May-26

Transport & Tourism Forum CEO Margy Osmond says the federal government must soon decide whether to extend the temporary fuel excise tax reduction beyond 30 June. Osmond says the tourism industry needs more certainty regarding the excise tax relief ahead of the mid-year school holidays. The TTF has also joined forces with Accommodation Australia and the Caravan Industry Association of Australia to urge the government to develop a ­national fuel dashboard, which would allow motorists to track fuel prices and shortages across state borders.

CORPORATES
TOURISM AND TRANSPORT FORUM, ACCOMMODATION AUSTRALIA, CARAVAN INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED

Axe hanging over 1300 smelter jobs

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian – Page: 15 & 21 : 1-May-26

The $135m joint federal and state assistance package for Nyrstar Australia’s zinc smelter in Hobart and its lead smelter in Port Pirie were announced in August 2025, but expired yesterday. Negotiations with the federal, South Australian and Tasmanian governments to extend the rescue package have stalled, and Nyrstar has advised that it will now consider all options for the smelters. This is likely to include closing the plants, which employ about 1,300 people. The Port Pirie smelter produced antimony for the first time earlier this year; Nystar plans to produce another critical mineral, germanium, at the Hobart plant.

CORPORATES
NYRSTAR AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

BHP tapped to advise on fuel crisis fix

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Original article by Perry Williams, Brad Thompson
The Australian – Page: 13 & 19 : 22-Apr-26

Resources Minister Madeleine King says the federal government has been working with companies across the economy to shore up the nation’s diesel fuel supplies since the Iran war began. It has been revealed that the government accepted an offer from BHP to provide expert advice on securing diesel supplies; Rio Tinto has also been assisting Labor to navigate the fuel market, although neither of procured physical supplies for the government. However, sources have indicated that Labor had been slow to accept assistance from the corporate sector.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, SCIENCE AND RESOURCES