GOVERNMENTAL INVESTIGATIONS – AUSTRALIA

Commission exposes deals unions and bosses want to hide

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Original article by Grace Collier
The Australian – Page: 20 : 22-Aug-15

The Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance & Corruption has revealed that unions and companies act in collusion to extract money from workers. The unions and the Australian Labor Party (ALP) are trying to shut down the commission because they want to protect their financial interests. The Coalition could use the findings of the commission to portray the ALP as the party whose interests are not necessarily aligned with those of workers. Voters would no doubt support a political platform of eradicating business-union deals.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION

‘Kidnap’ exemption to be introduced to Parliament

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Original article by Joanna Mather
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 11 : 20-Aug-15

Assistant Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has convinced some crossbench senators to support legislation that will exempt about 1,000 private companies from revealing their tax affairs. Independent senator Nick Xenophon is the latest to agree to the "kidnap" exemption, so called because some owners of private companies fear they will be crime targets if their fortunes are revealed. With the Australian Labor Party and Australian Greens opposing the change, the government needs six of the eight crossbenchers to support its bill.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, TEYS BROS (HOLDINGS) PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT

Labor steps up push to oust Heydon

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Original article by Phillip Coorey, Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 19-Aug-15

The Australian Labor Party (ALP) will petition Governor-General Peter Cosgrove to remove Dyson Heydon from the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance & Corruption. A motion to that effect will be debated in the Senate as early as 19 August 2015. The ALP objects to Heydon’s role in the commission on the grounds of political bias and conflict of interests. Heydon is also under pressure from the labour movement to resign from the commission.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ACTU, AUSTRALIAN MINES AND METALS ASSOCIATION (INCORPORATED)

Uber and Airbnb to face grilling over tax practices

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Original article by Fleur Anderson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 18-Aug-15

The Senate committee on corporate tax avoidance has turned its attention to Uber and Airbnb, its chairman claiming tens of millions of dollars might be lost to the government if it failed to establish proper tax settings for sharing economy companies. Senator Sam Dastyari said he did not want Uber and similar companies setting a precedent in which they avoided Australian tax by sending profits offshore.

CORPORATES
UBER GLOBAL PTY LTD, AIRBNB AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. SENATE ECONOMICS LEGISLATION COMMITEE, IBISWORLD PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, SANTOS LIMITED – ASX STO, CHEVRON CORPORATION, EXXONMOBIL CORPORATION, CALTEX AUSTRALIA LIMITED – ASX CTX, BP PLC, WOODSIDE PETROLEUM LIMITED – ASX WPL, ORIGIN ENERGY LIMITED – ASX ORG, VIVA ENERGY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, APPLE INCORPORATED, MICROSOFT CORPORATION, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, NOVARTIS AG, PFIZER INCORPORATED

Heydon gives unions four days

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Original article by Ewin Hannan, Phillip Coorey, Lucille Keen
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 : 18-Aug-15

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has defended the integrity of Justice Dyson Heydon, head of the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance & Corruption, who is at the centre of a political brawl for agreeing to speak at a Liberal Party dinner. Abbott accused the Australian Labor Party and the trade unions of trying to smear the former High Court judge to distract attention from the findings of the royal commission. Justice Heydon has said he overlooked the Liberal Party link with the dinner when agreeing to be guest speaker.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, OXFORD UNIVERSITY, THE RHODES TRUST, UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY

ATO eyes Gorgon’s tax-free profits

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Original article by Neil Chenoweth
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1&8 : 17-Aug-15

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) is investigating tax arrangements of the companies involved in the Gorgon natural gas project. The ATO is concerned that the interest on loans provided by Chevron, ExxonMobil and Shell to their Australian arms is more than 10 times higher than the interest rate charged by third-party lenders in the US. The matter is also being investigated by the Senate inquiry into corporate tax avoidance, chaired by Senator Sam Dastyari, which will file an interim report in Parliament on 17 August 2015.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, CHEVRON CORPORATION, EXXONMOBIL CORPORATION, ROYAL DUTCH SHELL PLC, CONSOLIDATED PRESS HOLDINGS LIMITED, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

Senator urges crackdown on pushy SMSF spruikers

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Original article by Sally Rose
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 8 : 13-Aug-15

Senator John Williams, a member of the parliamentary committee on corporations and financial services, wants regulators to crack down on real estate agents who urge people to set up self-managed superannuation funds so they can borrow to buy investment properties. Williams will tell the Australian Securities & Investments Commission that the practice is dangerous and that real estate agents are not licenced to provide such advice.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. JOINT STATUTORY COMMITTEE ON CORPORATIONS AND FINANCIAL SERVICES, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, AMP LIMITED – ASX AMP, ELSTON PORTFOLIOS PTY LTD, FINDEX AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, 21ST CENTURY GROUP PTY LTD

Coalition to put ABCC bill to a Senate vote

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 11-Aug-15

Legislation to re-establish the Australian Building and Construction Commission will be put to the Senate following damaging allegations in the trade union royal commission. Employment Minister Eric Abetz says the activities of the Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union confirm the need for an industry watchdog. The bill requires the support of six of the eight crossbench senators.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, MASTER BUILDERS AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, ACTU

Taxpayers funded action to block Adani

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Original article by Mark Ludlow
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 10-Aug-15

A parliamentary inquiry into the tax deductibility status of environmental groups has found that government funds are often used to finance court actions against mining companies. A recent court case involving the Mackay Conservation Group and Indian energy company Adani has attracted the inquiry’s attention to the issue of transparency at environmental groups. Mackay Conservation Group co-ordinator Ellen Roberts said in early August 2015 that only donations were used to fund the case against Adani.

CORPORATES
FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, ADANI MINING PTY LTD, MACKAY CONSERVATION GROUP INCORPORATED, LIBERAL-NATIONAL PARTY OF QUEENSLAND, ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENDER’S OFFICE (NSW) LIMITED, TARKINE NATIONAL COALITION INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Payments linked to union

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 14-Jul-15

The Royal Commission into Trade Union Corruption & Governance has heard allegations of bribery involving the Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union (CFMEU). A Canberra-based contractor claims that he made cash payments in excess of $A135,000 to a former union organiser, Halafihi Kivalu, in return for securing work on a residential project. He was told that the CFMEU would shut down the site if he failed to make further payments. A second contractor has also claimed to have made cash payments to Kivalu.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, CLASS 1 FORM PTY LTD