POLITICAL PARTIES – AUSTRALIA – PLATFORMS

Regions plan a thought bubble: ALP

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Original article by Rachel Baxendale
The Australian – Page: 2 : 10-Oct-18

Labor has criticised the federal government’s proposal to ban some immigrants from settling in major capital cities for up to five years. Shadow workplace relations minister Brendan O’Connor has described it as a "thought bubble", arguing that the government’s priority should be to take action on the issue of temporary work visa holders. He notes that 1.6 million people are now on such visas, while 1.8 million Australians are unemployed or underemployed and looking for more work.

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

Labor, Coalition square off in Reef election

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Original article by Ben Potter
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 8 : 9-Oct-18

Labor’s acting energy spokesperson, Penny Wong, has claimed that the federal government has given up on trying to tackle climate change. Wong was commenting on the release of an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report which warned that coral reefs would be wiped out by global warming of two degrees celsius. Wong said Labor is committed to its 45 per cent emissions reduction target, while Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he is confident Australia can easily meet its Paris emissions reduction target.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, WHITEHAVEN COAL LIMITED – ASX WHC, NEW HOPE CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX NHC, YANCOAL AUSTRALIA LIMITED – ASX YAL, INTERGOVERNMENTAL PANEL ON CLIMATE CHANGE, INTERNATIONAL ENERGY AGENCY, UNITED NATIONS

ALP launches fair go policy manifesto

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Original article by Tom McIlroy
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 8-Oct-18

Labor released a five-point plan that it will take to the next federal election at a rally in south-western Sydney on 7 October. The rally included speeches from Opposition leader Bill Shorten and deputy leader Tanya Plibersek, and was held on the same day as latest opinion polls showed that the federal government could lose up to 19 seats on the mainland at the next election. Shorten said that if Labor is elected, it would be the first time that Australia would have a government with 50 per cent female representation. He also stated that Labor is targeting 50 per cent of power to be generated from renewable energy by 2030.

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

Union threat to Labor over trade deals

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 4-Oct-18

The Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union has warned that it will reconsider financial support for federal Labor due to the party’s stance on the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership. The union has contributed some $367,000 to Labor’s federal and New South Wales branches in the last two years, but AMWU state secretary Steve Murphy has criticise federal Labor’s lack of consultation with the union movement in deciding to support the trade deal. The TPP’s provisions regarding labour market testing for imported workers is a key concern for unions.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURING WORKERS’ UNION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP, ELECTRICAL TRADES UNION, TRANSPORT WORKERS’ UNION, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, ONE NATION PARTY

Labor launches $1.8b plan to school kindies

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 4-Oct-18

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten will announce details of Labor’s early education policy on 4 October. Amongst other things, Labor will provide three-year-olds with 15 hours of subsidised pre-school education each week, or 600 hours a year. The subsidy currently only applies to four-year-olds, and was introduced by Labor when it was previously in office. The expanded scheme is estimated to cost $1.75bn over four years. Meanwhile, Shorten has criticised the federal government for failing to guarantee funding for the scheme beyond 2019.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Shorten commits: I’ll keep home affairs intact

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Original article by Rachel Baxendale
The Australian – Page: 2 : 3-Oct-18

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has ruled out breaking up the Department of Home Affairs if Labor wins the next federal election. Labor’s left faction has called for the "super-ministry" to be dismantled, but Shorten says it will be retained unless security agencies recommend changes to its structure. Shorten adds that Labor will not unwind the policies of the current federal government simply because they were Liberal initiatives.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HOME AFFAIRS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Shorten defies Left on security

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Original article by Simon Benson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 2-Oct-18

It is understood that Opposition Leader Bill Shorten will commit to keeping the Department of Home Affairs intact if Labor wins the next federal election. This is despite members of the party’s left and some unions wanting to see it dismantled. Shorten’s plan takes away a potential weapon from the federal government, which could have used any promise that Labor would break up Home Affairs as an opportunity to criticise it for being "soft" on border control and national security.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HOME AFFAIRS, AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION-FEDERATION OF INDUSTRIAL, MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING EMPLOYEES, MARITIME UNION OF AUSTRALIA, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Greens call for government energy retailer

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Original article by Andrew Tillett
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 9 : 26-Sep-18

The Australian Greens will propose increased government intervention in the electricity market to put downward pressure on prices, including the creation of a publicly-owned electricity retailer. Greens leader Richard Di Natale estimates that a taxpayer-funded electricity retailer could be established at cost of just $85m, while using it could save consumers around $200 a year on power costs. Di Natale will also advocate greater government intervention in other sectors in a National Press Club speech on 26 September.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, NATIONAL PRESS CLUB (AUSTRALIA), SNOWY HYDRO LIMITED, RED ENERGY PTY LTD, LUMO ENERGY AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION

PM ups the ante on small biz tax cuts

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 21-Sep-18

Federal government sources have indicated that the Coalition is likely to seek to pass legislation prior to the next election aimed at bringing forward tax cuts for businesses with turnover of up to $50m. The tax relief for small businesses has already been legislated, but additional legislation would be required for the cuts to take effect earlier than 2026-27. Labor opposes a further reduction in the small business tax rate, but it could face the prospect of having to go into the election with a policy of reversing the additional tax cuts.

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

ALP states to support Shorten if NEG revived

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Original article by Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 5 : 19-Sep-18

Queensland’s Energy Minister Anthony Lynham and Victorian counterpart Lily D’Ambrosio have indicated that they would back the national energy guarantee if Labor wins the next federal election. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten recently signalled that a Labor government would be open to adopting some aspects of the Coalition’s NEG. Lynham has also criticised the federal government’s lack of action regarding energy policy following its decision to abandon the NEG under new Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, QUEENSLAND. DEPT OF ENERGY AND WATER SUPPLY, VICTORIA. DEPT OF ENVIRONMENT, LAND, WATER AND PLANNING, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENTS