ELECTIONS – AUSTRALIA

Tax policy and poll to come early

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 29-Feb-16

The federal Cabinet’s expenditure review committee is likely to discuss the Australian Government’s tax reform policy in the first week of March 2016, with the aim of releasing details of the tax package in early April. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says tax reforms cannot be rushed, and details of the proposed changes will be announced ahead of the Budget in May. There is growing speculation that the Government will opt for a double-dissolution election in July.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. EXPENDITURE REVIEW COMMITTEE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

GST pitch just in time for election

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 5 : 2-Feb-16

The Australian Government is believed to favour lifting the GST to 15 per cent without broadening the scope of the tax. However, it is said to be looking at postponing the release of its tax reform package until shortly before the 2016 election rather than timing it to coincide with the Budget in May. The Howard Government adopted a similar strategy in 1999, when it outlined plans to introduce the GST just before the election.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, NEWSPOLL, IPSOS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, NEW SOUTH WALES. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET

Abbott saddles up for another run

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Original article by Sid Maher
The Australian – Page: 4 : 25-Jan-16

Former prime minister Tony Abbott has advised that he wants to contest the 2016 federal election. He has held the New South Wales seat of Warringah since 1994, and has nominated for pre-selection for another term in parliament. Abbott has downplayed recent speculation that his former chief of staff Peta Crudlin has urged him to make another bid for the prime ministership.

CORPORATES
LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, LIBERAL PARTY OF NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, NEW SOUTH WALES. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, SYDNEY HARBOUR FEDERATION TRUST, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, SUTHERLAND SHIRE COUNCIL

Morrison vows strong changes to tax system

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Original article by Primrose Riordan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 22-Jan-16

The GST and superannuation tax concessions may be the Australian Government’s tax reform agenda, while Treasurer Scott Morrison has indicated that the corporate tax rate may also be under scrutiny. Meanwhile, Morrison says recent financial market volatility is likely to influence the timing of the 2016 federal election, and will most likely rule out an early poll. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has warned that increasing the GST in the wake of the sharemarket rout would hurt consumer confidence.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, SOUTH AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Senate’s warning to PM over rush to early election

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Original article by David Crowe
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 8-Jan-16

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has been warned against calling an early election. Some Coalition politicians believe that a double-dissolution election would destabilise the Opposition. Rosemary Laing, the clerk of the Senate, fears that such a move would antagonise voters and weaken their support for the Coalition.

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

Fresh food, banking likely GST targets

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 : 3-Nov-15

Treasurer Scott Morrison has signalled that a rise in the GST rate would not apply to health and education. He said on 2 November 2015 that there were "very practical reasons" for excluding those two sectors, including the involvement of the state through funding and regulation. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull indicated that he would like the next federal election to be held in September or October 2016.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, SOUTH AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET

Both sides claim victory in Canning, 7-point swing

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 11 : 21-Sep-15

Opinion is divided within the Liberal Party regarding the effect that the leadership change had on the Canning by-election. The seat has been won by Liberal candidate Andrew Hastie, albeit with a seven per cent swing to the Australian Labor Party. Senator Arthur Sinodinos says this would have been much larger if Tony Abbott had not been dumped as prime minister, although Finance Minister Mathias Cormann says this may not necessarily have been a factor in the outcome of the by-election.

CORPORATES
LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, PALMER UNITED PARTY

Liberals lead in Canning as threat to PM grows

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 14-Sep-15

There is growing speculation that Prime Minister Tony Abbott will face a leadership spill either before or just after the 19 September 2015 by-election in the seat of Canning. A Fairfax Media/Ipsos poll has found that Liberal Party would have narrowly won the by-election if it had been held on 12 September, albeit with a swing against it of about 10 per cent. Some Liberal insiders have suggested that a leadership challenge is likely if the swing against the party is greater than five per cent.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, IPSOS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, PALMER UNITED PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Liberals play to strengths with army candidate

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Original article by Jonathan Barrett
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 18-Aug-15

The 19 September 2015 by-election in the federal electorate of Canning in Western Australia will be a referendum on Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s performance, the Australian Labor Party says. It is regarded as a safe Liberal seat but a swing against the government is expected. Captain Andrew Hastie, an Afghanistan war veteran, has been selected to represent the Liberals in the by-election triggered by the death of Don Randall.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, SPECIAL AIR SERVICE REGIMENT, UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES, EDITH COWAN UNIVERSITY, LAW SOCIETY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA, PALMER UNITED PARTY

Abbott dared to call double dissolution

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1-Apr : 6/19/2014

The Senate has for a second time rejected the Australian Government’s bill to scrap the Clean Energy Finance Corporation. This has provided the Government with a trigger for a double dissolution election, although Deputy Liberal Party leader Julie Bishop has downplayed such talk. She argues that voters do not want the instability and uncertainty that characterised the previous administration. The Government’s poor showing in recent public opinion polls also makes an election unlikely

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. CLEAN ENERGY FINANCE CORPORATION, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT, INFRASTRUCTURE PARTNERSHIPS AUSTRALIA, THE ASSOCIATION OF SUPERANNUATION FUNDS OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED