ELECTIONS – AUSTRALIA

Labor bracing for mid-year byelections

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Original article by Tom McIlroy
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 9-May-18

The High Court will hand down its determination on whether Labor senator Katy Gallagher is eligible to sit in parliament because of her dual citizenship on 9 May. Should its decision go against her, there would be pressure on fellow Labor MPs Susan Lamb, Justine Keay and Josh Wilson and Centre Alliance MP Rebekha Sharkie to resign from parliament or be referred to the High Court. Should Lamb, Keay and Wilson resign, it is likely that by-elections would be held on the same day as the one to replace Labor MP Tim Hammond, who resigned in early May.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, CENTRE ALLIANCE, HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, NICK XENOPHON TEAM, PROFESSIONALS AUSTRALIA

Greens fire up climate row

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Original article by Joe Kelly, Andrew Burrell, Rachel Baxendale
The Australian – Page: 1 & 7 : 20-Mar-18

Australian Greens leader Richard Di Natale has been criticised for suggesting that a cyclone in Darwin and recent bushfires in two states were due to the Federal Government’s policy on climate change. A total of 69 homes were destroyed in the New South Wales town of Tathra, and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says it is inappropriate to politicise such events. Di Natale’s leadership is also under scrutiny in the wake of the Greens’ loss in the Batman by-election.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, GREENS (WESTERN AUSTRALIA), AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, BEGA VALLEY SHIRE COUNCIL, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NORTHERN TERRITORY. DEPT OF THE CHIEF MINISTER

Distrust driving rise in minor party vote

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Original article by Laura Tingle
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 13-Mar-18

The proportion of votes received by minor political parties in Australia has continued to increase in recent years, according to a study by the Grattan Institute. The study contends that if the major parties want to reverse this trend they need to come up with policies that help to restore voters’ trust in government, rather than resort to populist policies. The Grattan Institute notes that while an increase in support for minor parties overseas has tended to coincide with economic problems, this has not been the case in Australia.

CORPORATES
GRATTAN INSTITUTE, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, ONE NATION PARTY, NICK XENOPHON TEAM

Shorten faces factions showdown

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Original article by Troy Bramston, Geoff Chambers
The Australian – Page: 1 & 7 : 2-Feb-18

The Australian Labor Party faces the potential loss of the seat of Batman in Victoria following the resignation of David Feeney over dual citizenship concerns. Some Labor insiders believe that the Greens will win the by-election. Meanwhile, there are growing tensions between Labor’s left and right factions ahead of the party’s national conference in July. Frontbencher Mark Butler wants another term as national president, but he may face a challenge from the Transport Workers Union’s Tony Sheldon, who has argued that the role should not be open to members of the frontbench.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, TRANSPORT WORKERS’ UNION, AUSTRALIAN GREENS

AEC criticised over election security

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Original article by Tom McIlroy
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 9 : 23-Jan-18

Auditor-General Grant Hehir has accused the Australian Electoral Commission of misleading voters about the level of polling security at the 2016 federal election. Hehir also found that the amount that the AEC paid contractors to transport voters’ ballot papers was higher than it had budgeted for, and that it had made a last-minute decision to manually count more than 14 million large Senate ballot papers. The AEC had spent $A27.2 million on scanning systems, but it determined that they were not accurate enough.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN ELECTORAL COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE AUDITOR-GENERAL, AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL AUDIT OFFICE, AUSTRALIAN SIGNALS DIRECTORATE

Labor wants Bennelong vote to rattle PM

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Original article by Aaron Patrick
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 20-Nov-17

Labor launched its campaign for the seat of Bennelong on 19 November, with the by-election for the seat to be held on 16 December. The by-election has been prompted by John Alexander’s discovery that he held British nationality. Former New South Wales Premier Kristina Keneally, who is running for Labor in Bennelong, urged voters to send a message to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull that they are tired of his "awful government". Alexander, who has represented Bennelong since 2010, currently holds it with a margin of 9.7 per cent.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NBN CO LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HUMAN SERVICES. MEDICARE AUSTRALIA

I won’t vote on any bills, vows Culleton

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Original article by Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 4 : 7-Nov-16

One Nation senator Rod Culleton has indicated that he will abstain from voting in the Senate while the constitutional validity of his election in July remains uncertain. The High Court may be asked to determine whether Culleton was entitled to be elected, as he had been convicted of a criminal offence at the time of the 2016 federal election. Meanwhile, there has been speculation of a rift between Culleton and One Nation leader Pauline Hanson.

CORPORATES
ONE NATION PARTY, HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA

Reform plans in peril as second senator in strife

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Original article by David Crowe
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 3-Nov-16

The Australian Government has become even more reliant on the support of Senate crossbenchers to pass its industrial relations bills. It will need eight crossbenchers to vote for the bills, with One Nation’s Rod Culleton advising that he will not vote in the upper house until uncertainty regarding the validity of his election is resolved. The issue will be referred to the High Court, which will also be asked to determine whether the election of Family First’s Bob Day was constitutionally valid. Day has resigned from the Senate, but the High Court’s ruling could determine with the party retains his seat.

CORPORATES
FAMILY FIRM INSTITUTE, ONE NATION PARTY, HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, NICK XENOPHON TEAM

Senate chaos as Day challenged

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 2-Nov-16

The High Court will be asked to rule on the validity of Family First senator Bob Day’s re-election, due to concerns about the receipt of rent payments from the Federal Government for his electoral office. Day has a pecuniary interest in the property in question, and the court may order a recount if his re-election is deemed to have been unconstitutional. This could affect the Coalition’s prospects of passing its industrial relations reforms in the Senate, as Day has generally sided with the Government. Meanwhile, Day has resigned from the Senate with immediate effect, after a deal to bail out his home building firm collapsed.

CORPORATES
FAMILY FIRST PARTY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA, COURT OF DISPUTED RETURNS, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT PARTY

Business Confidence lower in July – down 2.8% to 116.1 during month of political uncertainty

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 9-Aug-16

Roy Morgan Research’s Business Confidence fell 2.8% to 116.1 in July 2016 following the inconclusive Australian Federal Election at the start of July. The fall in Business Confidence comes despite an upward trend on the Australian sharemarket in July – the All Ordinaries closed the end of July at 5,644 (up 6.3% (or 334pts) from June 30, 5310). This was the highest close for exactly a year since July 31, 2015 (5,681). The fall in Business Confidence in July means Business Confidence has dipped just below the 6yr average of 116.7.

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ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED