POLITICAL PARTIES – AUSTRALIA – PLATFORMS

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

Senator dubs Morrison plan attack on democracy

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Original article by Andrew Tillett
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 6-Nov-19

The federal government requires the support of four Senate crossbenchers for its legislative crackdown on protestors who engage in secondary boycotts that target mining companies. However, the proposed legislation has been criticised by Centre Alliance senator Rex Patrick, who has expressed concern about the increasing erosion of civil liberties under the Coalition. Labor and the Greens also oppose the legislation.

CORPORATES
CENTRE ALLIANCE, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, FOREST PRODUCTS ASSOCIATION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Union bill set to pass, with or without Setka

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Original article by Phillip Coorey, Joanna Mather
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 25-Oct-19

The federal government is believed to have secured Centre Alliance’s support for the Ensuring Integrity Bill after agreeing to some changes to the draft legislation. Independent senator Jacqui Lambie maintains that she will back the legislation unless John Setka resigns as the Victorian secretary of the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining & Energy Union. Industrial Relations Minister Christian Porter has in turn urged Labor to sever its ties with the militant union, arguing that the problem is "much bigger" than Setka.

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

Labor waves through FTAs

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 8 : 22-Oct-19

ACTU president Michele O’Neil has criticised Labor’s decision to support legislation to establish free trade agreements with Indonesia, Hong Kong and Peru. She says the trade deals breach Labor’s national policy platform. Unions’ concerns about the trade deals include the clauses regarding investor-state dispute settlement and labour market testing. The legislation was passed by the lower house on 21 October after the federal government agreed to a number of concessions. It is expected to be passed by the Senate in November.

CORPORATES
ACTU, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

‘You will pay’: unions threaten Labor over trade

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Original article by Ewin Hannan, Rosie Lewis
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 18-Oct-19

Labor has attracted criticism from union leaders after the party’s caucus voted to support the federal government’s proposed free-trade agreements with Indonesia, Hong Kong and Peru. Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining & Energy Union national secretary Michael O’Connor says the decision will cause ongoing tensions between sections of the union movement and Labor. Unions’ concerns about the trade deals include the clauses regarding investor-state dispute settlement clauses and labour market testing provisions.

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

Labor to support Indonesia, Peru and Hong Kong free trade deals

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 17-Oct-19

Labor’s caucus will shortly decide whether to support the federal government’s proposed free trade agreements with Indonesia, Hong Kong and Peru. Sources have indicated that Labor is unlikely to oppose the legislation, although it may seek a number of amendments. The ACTU will lobby Labor MPs to oppose the bill, due to concerns about issues such as the trade deals’ investor-state dispute settlement clauses and labour market testing provisions.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ACTU, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE

Coalition win as ALP backs big stick laws on energy

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Original article by Rosie Lewis
The Australian – Page: 4 : 16-Oct-19

Labor has agreed to support the federal government’s bill to force energy companies to divest assets if they fail to reduce electricity prices. However, Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese says the policy shift is not a backdown, as the proposed legislation has been changed significantly since it was rejected by the previous parliament. The government has agreed to some concessions sought by Labor in return for supporting the bill.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA