NEW SOUTH WALES – POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Towering loophole: taxpayer may foot the bill for defects

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Original article by Sam Buckingham-Jones
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 11-Jan-19

The troubled-plagued Opal Tower is built on land that is owned by the Sydney Olympic Park Authority rather than the apartment building’s developer, Ecove. Legal experts say that under changes to the Home Building Act in 2010, the New South Wales Government may have to bear the costs associated with fixing the tower’s structural defects, as the SOPA is regarded as the developer of the building. The government will receive the report of an independent investigation into Opal Tower on 11 January.

CORPORATES
SYDNEY OLYMPIC PARK AUTHORITY, ECOVE GROUP PTY LTD, ICON CO PTY LTD, NEW SOUTH WALES. DEPT OF PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENT, AUSTRALIA AVENUE DEVELOPMENTS PTY LTD, NEW SOUTH WALES. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, WSP GROUP, CHAMBERS RUSSELL LAWYERS, HOMEBUSH BAY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, SUPREME COURT OF NEW SOUTH WALES, BROOKFIELD MULTIPLEX LIMITED

State surpluses on the slide as spending lifts

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Original article by Anthony Klan, Brad Norington
The Australian – Page: 5 : 19-Dec-18

The New South Wales government’s mid-year budget review shows that it now expects to post a surplus of $1.1bn for 2018-19, compared with a forecast surplus of $1.4bn in the June 2018 Budget. The government has also scaled back the projected surpluses for the following three financial years. A $4.04bn increase in government spending over the next four years is the major contributor to the lower surplus forecasts. The downturn in Sydney’s property market is expected to result in stamp duty revenue falling $2.5 billion over four years.

CORPORATES
NEW SOUTH WALES. THE TREASURY

Shorten at Chinese fundraiser behind ICAC’s raid

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Original article by Brad Norington
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 19-Dec-18

The Independent Commission Against Corruption raided the Sydney headquarter of Labor’s New South Wales branch on 18 December. The raid is believed to relate to a Chinese Friends of Labor fundraising dinner that was held prior to the 2015 state election. Several federal Labor MPs were at the function, including Opposition Leader Bill Shorten. Chinese property developer Huang Xiangmo was also present at the dinner. He later attracted scrutiny over his links to former Labor senator Sam Dastyari. Property developers were banned from making donations to NSW political parties at the time of the dinner.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, CHINESE FRIENDS OF LABOR, NEW SOUTH WALES. INDEPENDENT COMMISSION AGAINST CORRUPTION, ELECTORAL COMMISSION OF NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIAN ELECTORAL COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN SECURITY INTELLIGENCE ORGANISATION

Premier shrugs off Victorian poll impact

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Original article by Jacob Saulwick
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: 4 : 26-Nov-18

New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian expects the next few months will be "incredibly tough" in the lead-up to the state election in March. Her comments follow the big swings against conservative parties in recent by-elections and the Victorian election on 24 November, while Berejiklian says she does not want to see her government impacted by "outside influences". One NSW Liberal insider says the campaign it will run at the upcoming state election will be nothing like the one that the Victorian Liberals ran.

CORPORATES
NEW SOUTH WALES. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, LIBERAL PARTY OF NEW SOUTH WALES, LIBERAL PARTY OF VICTORIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Lib accuses Nats of treachery in Wagga

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Original article by Andrew Clennell
The Australian – Page: 6 : 11-Sep-18

A spokesperson for New South Wales Deputy Premier John Barilaro has denied claims he helped independent candidate Joe McGirr win the seat of Wagga Wagga. The Liberal party lost the seat after incurring a 29 per cent primary vote swing against it. Its loss has cut Premier Gladys Berejiklian’s majority to just six seats, with the next NSW election due in March. Upper house Liberal MP Matthew Mason-Cox had accused Barilaro of undermining the Liberal’s campaign by giving National members the "green light to "hand out" for McGirr

CORPORATES
LIBERAL PARTY OF NEW SOUTH WALES, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Berejiklian fails to sell a message

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Original article by Andrew Clennell
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 10-Sep-18

The New South Wales Liberal government suffered a 30 per cent primary vote swing against it in the Wagga Wagga by-election, held on 8 September. The seat had been held by Daryl Maguire, who resigned over corruption allegations. Latest counting in the seat has independent candidate Joe McGirr with 25.5 per cent of the primary vote, followed by Liberal candidate Julia Ham on 25.3 per cent and Labor on 23.8 per cent. McGirr is expected to win with the help of Labor preferences. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian sought to blame much of the swing against her government on the federal Liberal leadership spill.

CORPORATES
LIBERAL PARTY OF NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

NSW bans high-content PE cladding over fire risk

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Original article by Michael Bleby
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 33 : 14-Aug-18

The New South Wales Government has cracked down on the use of combustible cladding materials in the construction industry. The use of aluminium panels with a core of more than 30 per cent polyethylene will be banned outright, with the regulation to apply to both new and existing buildings. Building certifier David Blackett has expressed reservations about the government’s decision to give local councils responsibility for the risk assessment process.

CORPORATES
NEW SOUTH WALES. DEPT OF COMMERCE. OFFICE OF FAIR TRADING, VICTORIA. DEPT OF ENVIRONMENT, LAND, WATER AND PLANNING

Union bid for three strikes penalties

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 7 : 28-Jun-18

The New South Wales state conference of the Australian Labor Party will be presented with a motion to hold lead contractors on public projects liable for breaches of workplace laws across their supply chain. The motion will be put forward by the Transport Workers’ Union and the Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union. They will propose that head contractors have their contracts terminated if three separate breaches of workplace laws are identified. The unions also intend to put the motion to Labor’s national conference.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, TRANSPORT WORKERS’ UNION, AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURING WORKERS’ UNION, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION

Treasurer’s $1bn in sweeteners for voters

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Original article by Andrew Clennell, Sam Buckingham-Jones
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 20-Jun-18

The New South Wales Government’s June 2018 Budget has forecast a surplus of $A3.9bn in 2017-18, and surpluses of at least $A1.4bn in each of the next four financial years. However, spending on transport infrastructure projects will see the state’s net debt blow out to $A28.6bn in 2021-22. The government has also announced a raft of spending measures aimed at families, while it has unveiled plans for a sovereign wealth fund that will own a 49 per cent stake in WestConnex after the balance of the toll road is privatised.

CORPORATES
NEW SOUTH WALES. THE TREASURY, NEW SOUTH WALES. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, NEW SOUTH WALES. DEPT OF TOURISM, SPORT AND RECREATION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. FUTURE FUND MANAGEMENT AGENCY

Labor faces motion to bring back compulsory unionism

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Original article by Troy Bramston
The Australian – Page: 6 : 31-May-18

Members of the New South Wales branch of the Australian Labor Party will vote on a number of motions to be put forward by unions at its upcoming state conference. Amongst other things, Labor-affiliated unions will push for the reinstatement of compulsory union membership for all party members, a policy that was abandoned in 2015. Meanwhile, some Labor branches will propose that people be offered free membership of the party when they join an affiliated union.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURING WORKERS’ UNION, UNITED SERVICES UNION, MARITIME UNION OF AUSTRALIA, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, COMMUNITY AND PUBLIC SECTOR UNION, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA