BUSINESS AND POLITICS – AUSTRALIA

Banks blasted for holding back on cuts

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Original article by Joyce Moullakis
The Australian – Page: 17 & 20 : 3-Oct-19

Westpac has reduced its mortgage interest rates by 15 basis points in response to the latest official interest rate cut, while the ANZ Bank has cut its rates by 14 basis points. Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Treasurer Josh Frydenberg have criticised the four major banks for failing to reduce their mortgage rates in line with the 25 basis point reduction in the cash rate. Meanwhile, analysts warn that the banks’ margins will come under pressure due to official interest rate cuts.

CORPORATES
WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, REGAL FUNDS MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, MORGAN STANLEY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, SUNCORP BANK, MACQUARIE BANK LIMITED – ASX MBL, ATHENA HOME LOANS PTY LTD, RATECITY PTY LTD

‘We’re here to help’ pledge challenged

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Original article by Zoe Samios
The Australian – Page: 23 : 30-Sep-19

Australia’s commercial free-to-air TV networks argue that regulation of digital giants such as Google and Facebook is necessary. Nine Entertainment’s group director of regulatory affairs, Clare Gill, has stressed the need for a regulated response from the federal government, to ensure a level playing field for traditional media companies and digital platforms. Ten’s COO Annabelle Hird has expressed concern that digital platforms’ behaviour will not change unless they are subject to a code of conduct or monitoring by the ACCC.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, CBS CORPORATION, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED, INTERNATIONAL NEWS MEDIA ASSOCIATION

BHP backs government over Kyoto loophole

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Original article by James Fernyhough
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 20 : 24-Sep-19

BHP CEO Andrew Mackenzie is said to have expressed support for the Coalition’s proposal to use Kyoto carryover credits to meet Australia’s carbon emissions reduction targets under the Paris agreement. Sources have confirmed that Mackenzie did so in a private call with institutional investors on 20 September, although a BHP spokesman has declined to comment. The Minerals Council of Australia and the Business Council of Australia also support the use of carryover credits. Mackenzie had advocated greater action to address climate change earlier in 2019.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, MINERALS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, THE AUSTRALIAN CENTRE FOR CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY, VISION SUPER PTY LTD, INVESTOR GROUP ON CLIMATE CHANGE, UNITED NATIONS

Albo to dump class war and try to charm business

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Original article by Geoff Chambers
The Australian – Page: 6 : 18-Sep-19

Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese will speak at the Business Council of Australia annual forum at Parliament House on 18 September. It will be his first major speech to big business since he replaced Bill Shorten as Labor leader. His speech will indicate a desire by Albanese to work with big business, and will see him dump Shorten’s anti-corporate rhetoric. Albanese will also defend the right of big business to speak out on social issues, despite recent calls by the federal government for corporate Australia to "stick to its knitting".

CORPORATES
BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Always independent? Lapping it up with the Libs has Fairfax throwbacks foaming

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Original article by Lilly Vitorovich
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 4-Sep-19

Nine Entertainment Company’s newspaper journalists have criticised the media group for hosting a fundraising event for the Liberal Party. They contend that the event has undermined the newspapers’ charters of editorial independence, arguing that ‘The Sydney Morning Herald’, ‘The Age’ and ‘The Australian Financial Review’ had been politically impartial under the ownership of Fairfax Media. Senior federal government ministers and business leaders were amongst those who attended the event, which raised $700,000 for the Liberal Party.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, MEDIA, ENTERTAINMENT AND ARTS ALLIANCE

Business cash flow tax would lift investment

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Original article by John Kehoe
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 9 : 3-Sep-19

Economist Ross Garnaut has called on the federal government to adopt a business cash flow tax that would incorporate a full deduction for corporate expenditure. He says a full tax write-off for business expenditure provides a significant incentive for investment, and is in line with Treasurer Josh Frydenberg’s recent call for companies to boost productivity by increasing capital investment in preference to share buybacks and special dividends. Garnaut and former federal Labor minister Craig Emerson have undertaken economic modelling on a possible switch from the traditional profit-based company tax to a tax based on cash flow.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP

CEOs to PM: support long-term growth

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Original article by Patrick Durkin, Simon Evans
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 2-Sep-19

Business leaders have put forward suggestions for boosting the Australian economy, amid expectations that upcoming GDP data will show that growth slowed to a 10-year low of 1.4 per cent in the year to June. JB Hi-Fi CEO Richard Murray has emphasised the need for policy initiatives that support long-term economic growth, rather than merely stimulating the economy. Woolworths CEO Brad Banducci and Flight Centre CEO Graham Turner agree that further easing monetary policy is unlikely to be sufficient to boost the economy, while Cardo CEO Ian Ball has called for increased investment in transport infrastructure.

CORPORATES
JB HI-FI LIMITED – ASX JBH, WOOLWORTHS GROUP LIMITED – ASX WOW, FLIGHT CENTRE TRAVEL GROUP LIMITED – ASX FLT, CARDNO LIMITED – ASX CDD, COLES GROUP LIMITED – ASX COL, VIRGIN AUSTRALIA HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX VAH, CSL LIMITED – ASX CSL, BORAL LIMITED – ASX BLD, LINK ADMINISTRATION HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX LNK, WORLEYPARSONS LIMITED – ASX WOR, COCA-COLA AMATIL LIMITED – ASX CCL, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

Grow business or be swamped: SEEK boss

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Original article by Damon Kitney, Joyce Moullakis
The Australian – Page: 2 : 29-Aug-19

SEEK CEO Andrew Bassat­ and Macquarie Group CEO Shemara Wikramanayak have backed a recent call by Treasurer Josh Frydenberg for Australian companies to lift productivity by reinvesting in their business rather than returning capital to shareholders. Bassat says Australian companies will be less competitive internationally if their level of capital investment continues to lag that of their global peers. However, Boral CEO Mike Kane is amongst the business leaders who have rejected Frydenberg’s comments.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, SEEK LIMITED – ASX SEK, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, BORAL LIMITED – ASX BLD, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG

Proposed tax reforms a betrayal of small business

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Original article by Robert Gottliebsen
The Australian – Page: 25 : 28-Aug-19

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has stressed the need for incentives for businesses to invest by reducing taxes and red tape. However, the federal government’s actions are in fact contrary to its stated intentions. Amongst other things, the Coalition proposes to make directors personally liable for their company’s GST payments and empower the Australian Taxation Office to freeze GST refunds. Likewise, the government wants to introduce criminal penalties for making cash payments of $10,000 or more to any company that has an Australian Business Number. While these measures have the worthy aim of cracking down on phoenix companies and the cash economy, the government’s approach to their implementation has been a complete disaster and could ensure its loss at the next election.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Treasurer tells CEOs: get positive

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Original article by Michael Roddan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 26-Aug-19

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg will use a Business Council of Australia speech on 26 August to stress the need for the corporate sector to take action to boost productivity and wages. He will argue that lifting the nation’s average annual rate of productivity growth from about 1.1 per cent at present to 1.5 per cent would boost the economy by $70bn over the next decade and increase real wages by four per cent. Frydenberg will also urge business leaders to increase capital investment, including in new technologies, rather than focusing on returning capital to investors via share buybacks and special dividends.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA