BUSINESS AND POLITICS – AUSTRALIA

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

Big business says Chalmers must reign in welfare for the wealthy

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Original article by John Kehoe
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 21-Apr-26

The Business Council of Australia has used its pre-budget submission to urge the federal government to cap real spending growth at per cent a year. Government spending currently comprises nearly 27 per cent of GDP – its highest level in four decades excluding the pandemic – and the BCA warns that it will reach a record high within a decade if action is not taken. The BCA notes that untargeted government spending that supports wealthy Australians and middle-income earners is increasing, while more targeted income support payments for the unemploy and people on the age pension are declining.

CORPORATES
BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA

Crisis needs recall of national cabinet

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Original article by Sarah Ison,Eli Greenblat
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 18-Mar-26

The federal government is under pressure to convene an emergency meeting of the national cabinet amid growing concern about fuel supply. Minerals Council of Australia CEO Tania Constable says action is needed to ensure that fuel is available in regional areas; she notes that in addition to farmers, industries such as mining and fishing also need fuel. The Australian Trucking Association’s policy director Bill McKinley in turn says the average diesel price has increased by more than $0.80 per litre since the Iran war started, and trucking firms "cannot keep going the way they’re going". The Australian Institute of Petroleum has warned that oil companies are already seeking alternative countries from which to import fuel, which will cost a lot more.

CORPORATES
MINERALS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA,AUSTRALIAN TRUCKING ASSOCIATION LIMITED,AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF PETROLEUM LIMITED

Big business urges $50b spending cut

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Original article by Lea Jurkovic
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 3-Feb-26

The Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry has used its pre-budget submission to call for federal government spending to be scaled back in order to combat inflation. It contends that government spending should be reduced to 25 per cent of GDP, compared with the Treasury’s own forecast of about 27 per cent over the next two years. The ACCI has suggested that the NDIS, childcare, aged care, health and defence should have funding reduced; CEO Andrew McKellar warns that failing to address inflation could undermine Labor’s economic agenda to improve productivity. The Reserve Bank is widely tipped to increase official interest rates today, in response to the latest inflation data.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

Profits easier offshore: O’Neill

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Original article by Colin Packham
The Australian – Page: 13 & 17 : 6-Nov-25

Woodside Energy has forecast that its net cash flow from operations will rise to around $US9bn by 2032, compared with about $US5bn in 2024. CEO Meg O’Neill says this growth will be driven by factors such as the start-up of projects such as Scarborough LNG in Western Australia and Trion oil in Mexico, as well as tighter capital management. O’Neill has also warned that the regulatory burden in Australia is making countries such as the US and Mexico more attractive as investment destinations, which is why Woodside is directing more capital to them.

CORPORATES
WOODSIDE ENERGY GROUP LIMITED – ASX WDS