INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC RELATIONS

Private sector will lead the way: Birrell

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Annabel Hepworth, Andrew White
The Australian – Page: 6 : 17-Nov-14

The creation of a new global infrastructure hub is one of the key results of the Group of 20 leaders’ summit held in Brisbane on 15-16 November 2014. Mark Birrell, chair of the Federal Government’s Infrastructure Australia body, has welcomed the news and pledged his full support for the initiative. Similar comments have come from WestConnex Delivery Authority chair Tony Shepherd and IFM Invest­ors CEO Brett Himbury

CORPORATES
GROUP OF TWENTY (G-20), INFRASTRUCTURE AUSTRALIA, NEW SOUTH WALES. WESTCONNEX DELIVERY AUTHORITY, IFM INVESTORS PTY LTD, WORLD BANK, BUSINESS 20 (B20)

Trade action pivotal to G20

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Annabel Hepworth
The Australian – Page: 21 : 12-Nov-14

BHP Billiton chief executive Andrew Mackenzie is also the chair of the trade taskforce of Business 20 (B20), the body advising the Australian Government on the Group of 20 (G20) leaders’ summit in Brisbane in mid-November 2014. He argues that the G20 goal of additional global GDP growth worth $A2trn-plus relies heavily on increased investment in trade-related infrastructure. G20 nations such as India have pledged tariff reductions. GE Mining CEO and B20 human capital taskforce chair Steve Sargent also wants the leaders to roll out new job creation measures

CORPORATES
GROUP OF TWENTY (G-20), BUSINESS 20 (B20), BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, GE MINING SERVICES HOLDINGS PTY LTD, DELOITTE ACCESS ECONOMICS PTY LTD, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, ORIGIN ENERGY LIMITED – ASX ORG, SANTOS LIMITED – ASX STO, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION

Goyder pleads for action on new trade deal

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Annabel Hepworth
The Australian – Page: 19 : 7-Nov-14

Richard Goyder, CEO of Wesfarmers, also chairs the Business 20 (B20) body advising the Australian Government on the Group of 20 (G20) leaders’ summit in November 2014. He urges G20 nations to adopt the recommendations of B20 on issues such as global free trade and investment in infrastructure projects to boost the economy. Goyder also backs comments by International Monetary Fund MD Christine Lagarde that industrial relations reforms are needed. Robert Milliner, the B20 sherpa, says G20 members must roll out free trade initiatives agreed to at a meeting in Indonesia in late 2013

CORPORATES
WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, BUSINESS 20 (B20), GROUP OF TWENTY (G-20), INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND, WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION, MALLESONS STEPHEN JAQUES, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Hockey sees progress on G20 growth target

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Laura Tingle
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 10 : 18-Jul-14

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott on 17 July 2014 addressed a meeting of the Business 20 (B20) forum that is helping the Government prepare for the Group of 20 (G20) summit in November. Australia is pushing the G20 member nations to adopt an economic growth target of 2% by 2019, and Australian Treasurer Joe Hockey has reportedly been given assurances by EU finance ministers that they will commit to the goal. A major focus of the advice by B20 will be investment in infrastructure. Hockey will speak to the delegates on 18 July

CORPORATES
BUSINESS 20 (B20), GROUP OF TWENTY (G-20), AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, UNITED STATES. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT, GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, SEB ASSET MANAGEMENT AG, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO

‘Murky’ barriers must be cleared

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Annabel Hepworth
The Australian – Page: 19 : 16-Jul-14

Andrew Mackenzie, CEO of BHP Billiton, is also the co-ordinating chair of the trade taskforce at the Business 20 (B20) forum that flanks the Group of 20 (G20) summit later in 2014. He has called on the Australian Government to put trade barriers on the agenda for the G20, during its presidency of the body. A B20 gathering is being held in Sydney in mid-July 2014, ahead of a G20 trade ministers’ meeting. Mackenzie has commented that in the last seven years, 1,500-plus new trade impediments that are not tariffs have been created

CORPORATES
BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, BUSINESS 20 (B20), GROUP OF TWENTY (G-20), AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF AGRICULTURE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INFRASTRUCTURE AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT

PwC chairman punches hole in G20 tax agenda

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Agnes King
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 16-Jul-14

It is futile for Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott to pursue the policy of preventing multinational corporations from shifting profits between tax jurisdictions. Dennis Nally, global chairman of PricewaterhouseCoopers, says resistance to a global tax treaty, in the US in particular, is strong enough to defeat the OECD proposal. Governments have different tax and economic policies and it is impossible to harmonise them

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT, GROUP OF TWENTY (G-20), PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS

Business says free up rules

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Ben Potter, Mathew Dunckley
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 15-Jul-14

The Business 20 (B20) summit will be staged in Sydney in the week starting 14 July 2014. B20 is a forum designed to help business leaders lobby the Australian Government as it prepares for the Group of 20 (G20) summit in Brisbane later in the year. The B20 delegates headed by Richard Goyder and Robert Milliner want the Government to use the G20 agenda as a tool for boosting economic growth. The focus will be on free trade, infrastructure investment and reduced regulation. The latter applies in particular to the banking sector

CORPORATES
BUSINESS 20 (B20), GROUP OF TWENTY (G-20), KPMG AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY, BANK FOR INTERNATIONAL SETTLEMENTS. BASEL COMMITTEE ON BANKING SUPERVISION, FINANCIAL STABILITY BOARD, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, LOWY INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL POLICY

Make or break for summit

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Ben Potter, Mathew Dunckley
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 14-Jul-14

The Business 20 (B20) forum will accompany the Group of 20 (G20) leaders’ summit in Australia in late 2014. A preparatory meeting of the B20 is being staged in mid-July, and the participants have set a new focus on financing growth, human capital, infrastructure and trade. Experts such as International Monetary Fund ex-deputy MD John Lipsky argue that the November summit will be crucial in setting the path for the G20 for years to come, and failure to achieve meaningful outcomes will be a major missed opportunity. They urge Prime Minister Tony Abbott to be forceful in setting the agenda

CORPORATES
BUSINESS 20 (B20), GROUP OF TWENTY (G-20), AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, KPMG AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, LOWY INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL POLICY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND, WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION, ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT, FINANCIAL STABILITY BOARD