POLITICAL PARTIES – AUSTRALIA – PLATFORMS

PM, Nats work on coal peace plan

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Original article by Phillip Coorey, Aaron Patrick
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 7 : 25-Mar-19

The National Party performed poorly in the New South Wales election on 23 March. This appears likely to re-ignite tensions within the Coalition at the federal level over issues such as coal-fired power stations, with former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce calling for the federal government to support coal-fired power stations. Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Nationals leader Michael McCormack are understood to be working on a "peace deal" over the issue.

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

Labor push on minimum wage will hurt those it’s meant to help

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Original article by Kurt Wallace
The Australian – Page: 14 : 22-Mar-19

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has committed to raising the minimum wage to become a "living wage" if Labor wins the 2019 election. The ACTU has stated that a living wage is needed so that no full-time worker is living in poverty, but under its definition of what is poor, someone earning $42,000 a year would be deemed to be living in poverty; many would take issue at this definition. Research based on the annual Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey suggests that poverty is on the decline, while introducing a living wage will result in less jobs and fewer hours worked.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ACTU, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS LIMITED, UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE. INSTITUTE OF APPLIED ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RESEARCH

Labor’s climate of catastrophe

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Original article by John Anderson
The Australian – Page: 14 : 21-Mar-19

Australia accounts for just 1.15 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, yet the nation is set to exceed its 2020 abatement target by 367 million tonnes. Meanwhile, global emissions are increasing at a rate of about two per cent annually. Labor’s proposal to reduce Australia’s carbon emissions by 45 per cent will in fact increase global emissions, as it will force industries such as aluminium manufacturing to shift production to countries that have lower efficiency standards. Labor’s policy would also have a much bigger negative impact on Australia’s GDP than the Coalition’s target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by about 27 per cent.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, INTERGOVERNMENTAL PANEL ON CLIMATE CHANGE

SQM urges phasing in of gearing reforms

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Original article by Michael Bleby
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 35 & 38 : 21-Mar-19

SQM Research MD Louis Christopher says Labor should implement its proposed negative gearing and capital gains tax reforms gradually if it wins the federal election, to avoid a "shock" to the broader economy. Research by SQM suggests that Labor’s reforms could potentially result in a 12 per cent decline in residential property prices over three years, while rents could rise sharply as supply is reduced. SQM adds that two official interest rate cuts by January 2020 would see housing prices fall by just 4-8 over three years, as well as lower rent increases.

CORPORATES
SQM RESEARCH PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Business wants more detail on ALP’s emissions reduction policy

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Original article by Mark Ludlow
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 9 : 20-Mar-19

Business Council of Australia CEO Jennifer Westacott has urged both major political parties to reveal details of how their greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets will be achieved. She notes that a report by former bureaucrat Brian Fisher shows that the policies of both Labor and the Coalition will have an impact on the economy. Minerals Council of Australia CEO Tania Constable has called for a measured response to meeting Australia’s emissions reduction target to avoid any negative economic impact.

CORPORATES
BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, MINERALS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY. CRAWFORD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY

Labor tax breaks not enough

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Original article by John Kehoe
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 8 : 18-Mar-19

Canadian economist Jack Mintz has produced a report on behalf of the Minerals Council of Australia. He concludes that reducing the company tax rate from 30 per cent to 25 per cent would do more to ensure that the nation remains internationally competitive than Labor’s proposal to provide businesses with a 20 per cent tax write-off for capital expenditure exceeding $20,000. The report also argues that the manufacturing sector would gain more benefit from Labor’s policy than industries such as mining.

CORPORATES
MINERALS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Greens’ $20m man now says no more tax breaks

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Original article by Chip Le Grand, Christine Lacy
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 15-Mar-19

Prominent barrister and Greens candidate Julian Burnside has declined to disclose whether he used negative gearing to build a property portfolio that is estimated to be worth about $20m. The Greens want to abolish negative gearing on all future residential property purchases, while its policy would restrict existing investors to negatively gearing just one property. Burnside says it is not fair that the system benefits wealthy people such as himself at the expense of first-home buyers. The Greens policies will not affect his investment portfolio.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, MELBOURNE SAVAGE CLUB, MARITIME UNION OF AUSTRALIA, PATRICK STEVEDORES HOLDINGS PTY LTD

Dated media policies need fixing: Labor

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Original article by Zoe Samios
The Australian – Page: 7 : 15-Mar-19

Shadow communications minister Michelle Rowland has accused the federal government of adopting a piecemeal approach to media policy, claiming that it lacks a "coherent reform agenda". She adds that Australia’s media policy and industry regulation is a legacy of the analogue era and needs to be updated to take into account the rise of digital platforms.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS

Kelty warns ALP on wages

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Original article by Troy Bramston, Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 15-Mar-19

Labor will use its submission to the Fair Work Commission’s review of the minimum wage to push for an above-inflation increase in 2019. Meanwhile, former ACTU secretary Bill Kelty says any increase in the minimum wage must reflect the economy’s capacity to absorb it. He adds that a rise in the minimum wage must be linked to productivity gains. Kelty also supports Labor’s proposal for a living wage, stating that it would benefit the economy and make enterprise bargaining more effective.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, ACTU, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, NATIONAL RETAIL ASSOCIATION LIMITED

Emissions target will cut wages, ACTU told

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Original article by Joe Kelly, Greg Brown
The Australian – Page: 4 : 15-Mar-19

Unions have criticised Energy Minister Angus Taylor after he warned them of the potential impact of Labor’s greenhouse gas policy on wages. Taylor has written to unions claiming that wages could be reduced by $9,000 under Labor’s proposed 45 per cent emissions reduction target. The Electrical Trades Union has accused Taylor of "rank political opportunism" in targeting its members shortly before a federal election. Meanwhile, Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton says taxpayers’ funds should not be used to build new coal-fired power stations. He says this would result in less funding for infrastructure such as roads.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ELECTRICAL TRADES UNION, ACTU, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HOME AFFAIRS, GETUP LIMITED, BAECONOMICS PTY LTD, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA