ELECTIONS – AUSTRALIA

Shorten pitches jobs growth

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 : 20-Jun-16

The Australian Labor Party officially launched its 2016 federal election campaign on 19 July. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten announced an additional $A3.1bn worth of spending commitments, including $A1.7bn for public transport projects. Labor has also revealed a $A257m program that will provide small businesses with tax breaks for hiring mature-age workers, mothers and carers who are seeking to re-enter the workforce, and people under the age of 25. Shorten also ruled out privatising Medicare.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HUMAN SERVICES. MEDICARE AUSTRALIA, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Directors face new penalties

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 20-Jun-16

The Australian Government will increase the maximum civil penalty for breaches of the Corporations Act if wins the 2016 federal election. Company directors will face fines of up to $A216,000 for serious breaches of the Act, compared with $A200,000 at present. The registered organisations bill will also impose the same penalty on union officials, who can be fined a maximum of $A10,800 at present. Unions will also be prohibited from paying the fines of officials who breach the law.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION, ACTU, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA

Labor forces Medicare retreat

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 : 20-Jun-16

The future of Medicare was on the agenda for both major political parties on 19 June 2016. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull ruled out the privatisation of Medicare or any of its services. The Federal Government had previously flagged plans to outsource Medicare’s back-office functions. However, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten claims that the Government still plans to dismantle the existing Medicare system. He has also committed to blocking a proposal to reduce bulk-billing incentive payments for pathology and radiology services.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HUMAN SERVICES. MEDICARE AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HEALTH, AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION, PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS AUSTRALIA (INTERNATIONAL) PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, AUSTRALIA POST, NORTHROP GRUMMAN CORPORATION, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS

Roy Morgan State of the Nation 24: Focus on Politics the 2016 Federal Election

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: online : 17-Jun-16

Roy Morgan Research has presented the latest Australia State of the Nation, with the focus on the 2016 Federal Election. Economic issues are still the main concern for Australians. The 7-Eleven wage exploitation scandal and a Fair Work Commission ruling against Coles have made voters sensitive to problems related to industrial relations. Australia’s real unemployment level is much higher than suggested by official figures. Roy Morgan’s unemployment & under-employment rate is at 18.1 per cent, versus the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ unemployment figure of 5.7 per cent. Australians’ voting intentions suggest that Malcolm Turnbull will to be re-elected as Prime Minister on 2 July 2016.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, 7-ELEVEN STORES PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, COLES GROUP LIMITED, REPUBLICAN PARTY (UNITED STATES), AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, AUSTRALIAN ELECTORAL COMMISSION, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, VICTORIA. COUNTRY FIRE AUTHORITY, NICK XENOPHON TEAM, PALMER UNITED PARTY, JACQUI LAMBIE NETWORK, GLENN LAZARUS TEAM, JOHN MADIGAN’S MANUFACTURING AND FARMING PARTY, DERRYN HINCH’S JUSTICE PARTY, FAMILY FIRST PARTY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY

Nick Xenophon Team looks likely to nick L-NP seats of Mayo & Grey

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: online : 17-Jun-16

The popularity of the Nick Xenophon Team (NXT) in South Australia (SA) has changed the political scene in that state. NXT is likely to pose a serious challenge to bigger parties at the 2016 Federal election. Roy Morgan Research executive chairman Gary Morgan says extensive analysis of Roy Morgan voting trends in SA seats over the past two months shows NXT is likely to win two seats held by the Coalition – Grey and Mayo. NXT is also likely to influence the results in SA’s nine other seats.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, NICK XENOPHON TEAM, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS

Labor’s proposed environmental approval laws a ‘disaster’

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Primrose Riordan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 16-Jun-16

The Federal Opposition has been criticised over its proposal to reverse reforms that gave state governments increased responsibility for granting environmental approval for major projects. Northern Territory Treasurer David Tollner warns that the policy would result in job losses in industries such as agriculture and construction. New South Wales Environment Minister Mark Speakman has also expressed concern about the policy, although it is supported by Queensland Environment Minister Steven Miles.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, NORTHERN TERRITORY. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, NEW SOUTH WALES. DEPT OF PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENT, QUEENSLAND. DEPT OF ENVIRONMENT AND HERITAGE PROTECTION, TASMANIA. DEPT OF PRIMARY INDUSTRIES, WATER AND ENVIRONMENT, MINERALS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT

No deal vow as Tanya takes aim at Greens

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by David Crowe, Mark Coultan
The Australian – Page: 8 : 16-Jun-16

The Federal Government has launched a new advertising campaign in which it claims that the Opposition will seek an alliance with the Australian Greens and independents to form government. However, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has ruled out an alliance with the Greens, while Deputy Leader Tanya Plibersek says the Greens’ election campaign is actively targeting the Australian Labor Party rather than the Coalition. She adds that there is lack of agreement within the Greens on some key issues.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, DEMOCRATIC LABOR PARTY

Turnbull under pressure to give Abbott a ministry

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 16-Jun-16

Conservatives within the Liberal Party of Australia are likely to insist on playing a bigger role in government if the Coalition is re-elected on 2 July 2016. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said he would not give a ministerial portfolio to former prime minister Tony Abbott, and the latter stated that he did not expect such an offer. However, his colleagues say that Abbott will accept a ministerial position if offered.

CORPORATES
LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF DEFENCE, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Unis call time on uncapped places

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Julie Hare
The Australian – Page: 5 : 15-Jun-16

Australia’s Group of Eight universities have urged the major political parties to reconsider the funding model for the nation’s tertiary institutions. Group of Eight chairman Michael Spence notes that while abolishing the cap on university places has increased the participation rate, it has not improved equality of access, as students from middle-class backgrounds account for the bulk of the increased demand for university places.

CORPORATES
THE GROUP OF EIGHT LIMITED, UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Voters are bored and cynical

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 15-Jun-16

Focus group research in the western Sydney seat of Lindsay has found that many swing voters have lost interest in the 2016 federal election campaign. The research by Visibility also shows that there is growing discontent and cynicism regarding politics, with negative perceptions of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in particular. The same voters were generally positive about Turnbull in an earlier focus group that was conducted after he became Prime Minister in September 2015.

CORPORATES
VISIBILITY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, JWS RESEARCH PTY LTD