POLITICAL PARTIES – AUSTRALIA – PLATFORMS

Coalition manoeuvres to keep union bill alive

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 4-Dec-19

The federal government will reintroduce the Ensuring Integrity Bill to the lower house on 4 December, after it was recently voted down in the Senate. The bill includes the amendments that were requested by Centre Alliance and One Nation, and Industrial Relations Minister Christian Porter has indicated that the government may be open to further changes in order to secure the bill’s support in the Senate. Porter has rejected suggestions that the bill would enable unions to be deregistered for minor breaches of workplace laws, such as administrative errors.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, SKILLS, SMALL AND FAMILY BUSINESS, CENTRE ALLIANCE, ONE NATION PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Porter rejects Lambie’s call to alter union bill

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 2 : 28-Nov-19

The federal government remains hopeful that One Nation will support its Ensuring Integrity Bill, with the minor party’s two votes being crucial to its passage through the Senate. Meanwhile, independent senator Jacqui Lambie has proposed a number of last-minute amendments to the bill in return for her support; they include a provision that unprotected industrial action cannot be used as grounds for disqualifying a union official. Attorney-General Christian Porter has ruled out supporting the amendments, arguing that they are unworkable.

CORPORATES
ONE NATION PARTY, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, CENTRE ALLIANCE, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA

Labor may revive negative gearing

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 8 : 27-Nov-19

Shadow housing minister Jason Clare has warned that the housing affordability crisis has not eased since Labor lost the 18 May election, adding that it may get worse. He has raised the prospect that Labor could go into the next federal election with a modified version of its proposed changes to the capital gains and negative gearing regimes that were rejected by voters in May.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, MASTER BUILDERS AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED

Hanson not sold on union bill

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 4 : 25-Nov-19

Centre Alliance senator Rex Patrick has indicated that he will support the federal government’s Ensuring Integrity Bill. He says unions are "very useful organisations" that stand up for workers’ rights, but stresses that they are not above the law. The bill now only requires the support of One Nation or independent senator Jacqui Lambie. One Nation leader Pauline Hanson says her party will consider the government’s final amendments to the bill and consult with unions before deciding its stance.

CORPORATES
CENTRE ALLIANCE, ONE NATION PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, SKILLS, SMALL AND FAMILY BUSINESS, ACTU

One Nation backtracks on unions

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 22-Nov-19

The federal government is expected to release proposed amendments to the Ensuring Integrity Bill on 22 November. It is believed to have backed Centre Alliance’s proposal for a demerit points system for unions and officials who breach workplace laws, as well as amendments put forward by One Nation. However, One Nation has withdrawn proposed amendments that would have allowed unions to be deregistered over unprotected industrial action that could have a ‘substantial adverse effect’ on the economy.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, SKILLS, SMALL AND FAMILY BUSINESS, CENTRE ALLIANCE, ONE NATION PARTY, ACTU, AUSTRALIAN MINES AND METALS ASSOCIATION (INCORPORATED), CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA

Forget tax and spend, go for productivity: Albanese

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 22-Nov-19

Labor leader Anthony Albanese will emphasise the need to prioritise increased productivity in a speech on 22 November. He will identify microeconomic reform, fiscal management, infrastructure, and investment in people through skills and training as the key policy initiatives to lift productivity. He will also argue that the legislated increase in the superannuation guarantee must proceed, as it will encourage super funds to invest in productivity-boosting infrastructure.

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

One Nation bill changes get nod

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 2 : 21-Nov-19

Attorney-General Christian Porter says the federal government is open to One Nation’s proposed amendments to the Ensuring Integrity Bill. One Nation wants to increase the threshold for banning union officials under Centre Alliance’s proposed demerits points system. One Nation leader Pauline Hanson argues that sanctions such as the deregistration of a union should not apply for minor breaches of workplace laws. One Nation’s two votes in the Senate would give the government sufficient numbers to pass the bill before parliament rises for the year.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, ONE NATION PARTY, CENTRE ALLIANCE, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ACTU

Union-buster bill faces delay

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 6 : 14-Nov-19

The federal government is likely to put the Ensuring Integrity Bill on hold until the Senate resumes later in the month unless it secures a deal with crossbenchers on 14 November. Independent senator Jacqui Lambie and One Nation leader Pauline Hanson have reservations about the proposed demerit points system. Meanwhile, the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining & Energy Union has been fined $38,000 for unlawful industrial action at a building site in Melbourne in April 2015. Two CFMMEU officials have in turn been fined $12,500 in total.

CORPORATES
ONE NATION PARTY, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, CENTRE ALLIANCE, ACTU, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION

Union integrity bill in doubt as senators waver

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 13-Nov-19

Industrial Relations Minister Christian Porter is confident that the federal government can reach a "sensible compromise" with Senate crossbenchers regarding the Ensuring Integrity Bill. The government had hoped to put the bill to a vote on 13 November, but independent senator Jacqui Lambie has reservations about the proposed demerit points system for unions. She is concerned that the bill would make it harder to deregister "union thugs" than officials who make minor administrative errors. One Nation leader Pauline Hanson also has concerns about the proposed system.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, SKILLS, SMALL AND FAMILY BUSINESS, ONE NATION PARTY, CENTRE ALLIANCE, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA

Greens playing with fire

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Original article by Greg Brown, Andrew Clennell, Craig Johnstone, Olivia Caisley, Ean Higgins
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 12-Nov-19

Greens leader Richard Di Natale has attracted criticism for attempting to link the bushfires in New South Wales and Queensland to the major political parties’ climate change polices. National Party leader Michael McCormack has labelled the comments as disgraceful and disgusting, while shadow agriculture minister Joel Fitzgibbon has accused the Greens of hypocrisy given that they opposed Labor’s carbon pollution reduction scheme. Meanwhile, NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro says the state’s National Parks Service should have undertaken more backburning before the bushfire season commenced.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN GREENS, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, NEW SOUTH WALES. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, NEW SOUTH WALES. NATIONAL PARKS AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, UNIVERSITY OF WOLLONGONG, NEW SOUTH WALES RURAL FIRE SERVICE, SHINE ENERGY