PARLIAMENTARY PRACTICE – AUSTRALIA

PM wins battle over tax cuts

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Original article by Simon Benson, Rosie Lewis
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 4-Jul-19

Senior federal government sources have indicated that independent senator Jacqui Lambie has agreed to support the Coalition’s full income tax cuts package. Lambie had pushed for the government to waive the $157m public housing debt of her home state of Tasmania in return for backing the tax bill. Fellow independent Cory Bernardi and Centre Alliance’s Rex Patrick and Stirling Griff will also support the full tax package, giving the Coalition sufficient numbers in the Senate to pass it. Labor will decide its stance on the tax package before it is put before the Senate on 4 July.

CORPORATES
CENTRE ALLIANCE, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, ONE NATION PARTY

Tax cut row blunting attacks, ALP MPs warn

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Original article by Geoff Chambers, Rosie Lewis
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 2-Jul-19

The federal government will introduce its income tax cuts package to the lower house on 2 July before putting it to the Senate, where the Coalition needs the support of four crossbenchers if it is opposed by Labor and the Greens. Centre Alliance is open to supporting the tax package if the government agrees to measures aimed at addressing the issue of high domestic gas prices, while independent senator Jacqui Lambie may also be open to backing the tax cuts. Meanwhile, shadow treasurer Jim Chalmers says Labor may be willing to support the tax package if the Senate rejects its proposed amendments to the bill.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, CENTRE ALLIANCE, ONE NATION PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Morrison tax assault on Labor arrogance

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Original article by Simon Benson, Rosie Lewis
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 1-Jul-19

Prime Minister Scott Morrison expects Labor to pass the federal government’s income tax cuts package in the lower house on 2 July, and he says it would be an act of "belligerent arrogance" for Labor to then block it in the Senate. A senior Labor source has indicated that the party will wait until it knows if the Coalition has the support of crossbenchers before deciding whether to pass the tax package in the Senate. Labor continues to have concerns about the third stage of the tax cuts package, but the Coalition has ruled out splitting the tax bill.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, CENTRE ALLIANCE, ONE NATION PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Coalition to strike amid Setka strife

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 13-Jun-19

Labor has been urged to support the federal government’s Ensuring ­Integrity Bill in the wake of the controversy surrounding Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining & ­Energy Union official John Setka. Labor opposed the bill – which amongst other things would allow courts to disqualify union officials for repeated breaches of civil law – in the previous parliament. Setka has refused to stand down as the CFMMEU’s Victorian secretary in the wake of comments he allegedly made about domestic violence campaigner Rosie Batty, while Labor leader Anthony Albanese is seeking to have him expelled from the party.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ACTU, MARITIME UNION OF AUSTRALIA, ELECTRICAL TRADES UNION, UNITED VOICE

Big stick returns in power fight

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Original article by Simon Benson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 29-May-19

Energy Minister Angus Taylor says legislation aimed at forcing power companies to reduce electricity prices will be a priority for the federal government when parliament resumes. The so-called ‘big stick’ bill was put on hold in March after being rejected by parliament, and the CEOs of major energy companies still have concerns about the proposed legislation. Taylor also says the federal government will encourage its state counterparts to take action to increase electricity and gas supply.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, ORIGIN ENERGY LIMITED – ASX ORG, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, CENTRE ALLIANCE, AUSTRALIAN CONSERVATIVES, ONE NATION PARTY

Fightback on penalty rates

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Original article by Ben Packham, Dennis Shanahan, Alice Workman
The Australian – Page: 1 & 5 : 22-Apr-19

Labor plans to reconvene federal parliament before 30 June if it wins the election, in order to capitalise on a Senate that may be more amenable to its proposed industrial relations reforms. Amongst other things, Labor intends to reverse cuts to penalty rates within its first 100 days in office. However, Australian Industry Group CEO Innes Willox has written to Senate crossbenchers warning that Labor’s workplace reforms would require more extensive consultation than would be possible by the end of June.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, CENTRE ALLIANCE

Coalition to fast-track post-election tax cuts

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Original article by Michael Roddan, Rosie Lewis
The Australian – Page: 6 : 9-Apr-19

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg says the timing of the election will not affect the federal government’s plans to provide tax relief via the low- and middle-income tax offset. He says that if the government wins the election, it will reconvene parliament in June to vote on its tax cuts so they can take effect from the start of the new financial year. A spokesman for the Australian Taxation Office stresses that the tax offset will only be available to taxpayers lodging their 2018-19 tax returns if the legislation is passed by 30 June.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Move to block raids on worker funds

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Original article by Brad Norington
The Australian – Page: 16 : 3-Apr-19

The federal government is hoping to persuade the Senate to pass legislation to prevent unions from taking profits from workers’ entitlement funds before parliament rises for the election. One such fund called Protect is currently at the centre of an industrial dispute between the Maritime Union of Australia and stevedoring firm DP World; the latter wants to end its participation in the fund as part of a new enterprise bargaining agreement. With Labor unlikely to support the legislation, Industrial Relations Minister Kelly O’Dwyer will try to lobby crossbenchers for their backing.

CORPORATES
PROTECT, MARITIME UNION OF AUSTRALIA, DP WORLD, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF JOBS AND SMALL BUSINESS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ELECTRICAL TRADES UNION, UNITED FIREFIGHTERS’ UNION OF AUSTRALIA, THE NATIONAL ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS’ ASSOCIATION

Poor timing for media laws: Labor

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Original article by Andrew Tillett
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 8 : 2-Apr-19

Attorney-General Christian Porter has rejected Labor’s claims that the federal government has refused to show it a draft of proposed social media legislation. A spokesperson for Porter says the bill has been sent to Labor. Under the legislation, social media executives could go to jail for up to three years if they fail to remove terrorist-related content from their platforms sufficiently quickly. The government wants the legislation passed in the three sitting days before the federal election is called, with shadow attorney-general Mark Dreyfus accusing the government of setting a "ridiculous timetable" for getting the legislation through parliament.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Follow-up to bank probe

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Original article by John Kehoe, Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 14-Feb-19

Labor’s push to recall parliament for an additional two weeks in March seems unlikely to succeed after three crossbenchers signalled that they will oppose the motion. Meanwhile, the federal government has told banks and industry regulators that it will hold another inquiry in three years’ time to make sure that the misconduct exposed by the financial services royal commission is not being repeated. Labor in turn has proposed harsher penalties for misconduct in the sector.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO MISCONDUCT IN THE BANKING, SUPERANNUATION AND FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY, AUSTRALIAN BANKING ASSOCIATION, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC