POLITICAL PARTIES – AUSTRALIA – PLATFORMS

Living-wage bid could be death of businesses

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 2-Feb-18

Scott Barklamb of the Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry says small businesses in particular would face a big increase in wage costs if a future government adopted the ACTU’s proposal for a "living wage". The Federal Opposition has indicated that it may consider permanently setting the minimum wage at a proportion of the median wage, although it has not specified what this would be. The ACTU’s target for a living wage is 60 per cent of the median wage, and Workplace Minister Craig Laundy says implementing this target would force many businesses to close.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, ACTU, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE, THE WORLD BAR

PM’s tax cut drive for companies, workers

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Original article by Simon Benson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 1-Feb-18

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will use a speech on 1 February to push for broad-based tax reforms that provide tax cuts for individuals and companies. He will state that the Coalition will aim to deliver tax relief to middle-income earners while retaining its goal of returning the Budget to surplus in 2020-21. Turnbull has reiterated that company tax cuts will be at the top of the Coalition’s agenda when Parliament resumes, stressing that the issue has become more urgent in the wake of tax reforms in the US.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN ELECTORAL COMMISSION, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

Labor accused of posturing on ICAC

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Original article by Chris Merritt, Nicola Berkovic
The Australian – Page: 4 : 1-Feb-18

The Federal Government has urged Opposition Leader Bill Shorten to provide more details on his proposal to establish a national anti-corruption commission. Attorney-General Christian Porter argues that amongst other things, Shorten should state whether such an agency would hold public hearings and would be able to examine how former Labor senator Sam Dastyari obtained security intelligence ­information. He adds that some state-based anti-corruption agencies have at times breached the rights of individuals.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, NEW SOUTH WALES. INDEPENDENT COMMISSION AGAINST CORRUPTION, HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA

ALP eyes plan to set minimum wage increases

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 1-Feb-18

The Federal Opposition’s workplace relations spokesman Brendan O’Connor has indicated that a future Labor government could potentially mandate that the minimum wage be permanently fixed at a proportion of the median wage. He says this is among the options that will be considered, but employers’ groups warn that adopting a so-called "living wage" would reduce job opportunities for people on low wages and make small businesses less viable. The ACTU has suggested that a living wage should be set at 60 per cent of the median wage.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ACTU, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION

Shorten war on business

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 8 : 31-Jan-18

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has committed to establishing a national anti-corruption commission if Labor wins the next federal election. He has also signalled plans to either increase the minimum wage or replace it with a so-called "living wage". Meanwhile, business groups have expressed concern over Shorten’s proposal to rebalance enterprise bargaining laws in favour of workers. Private health insurance companies will also be targeted by Shorten, while he has ruled out supporting the Federal Government’s company tax cuts package.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, ACTU, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION

Labor’s Fair Work plan insane

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 4 : 25-Jan-18

Australian Mines & Metals Association CEO Steve Knott has criticised the Federal Opposition’s proposal to give Fair Work Commission more power to arbitrate industrial disputes. He argues that the FWC is already dominated by former union officials and Labor supporters, adding that it would be "insanity" to give it more power. Australian Industry Group CEO Innes Willox says the FWC’s existing powers to intervene are sufficient.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN MINES AND METALS ASSOCIATION (INCORPORATED), AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, ACTU

ALP’s Fair Work Commission power play

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 24-Jan-18

ACTU secretary Sally McManus has expressed support for the Federal Opposition’s proposal to give the Fair Work Commission more power to arbitrate industrial disputes. Labor’s workplace relations spokesman Brendan O’Connor says that while the parties to a dispute should always seek to resolve it themselves, an alternative is needed when one party has not acted in good faith. However, Australian Industry Group CEO Innes Willox has warned against any changes to the Fair Work Act that would give unions more bargaining power.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ACTU, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE

Reworked tax package to include personal cut

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Original article by David Uren
The Australian – Page: 2 : 12-Jan-18

The Australian Labor will again vote against a bill to reduce the tax rate for all companies if it is reintroduced to the Senate. Shadow treasurer Chris Bowen argues that there are greater priorities for the Budget. Financial Services Minister Kelly O’Dwyer has urged Labor to support the legislation, which will return to the Senate when parliament resumes in February. There is speculation that both company and personal income tax cuts will feature in the May 2018 Budget if the upper house rejects the legislation again.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, NICK XENOPHON TEAM

Company tax cuts benefit all: OECD

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Original article by David Uren
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 11-Jan-18

Treasurer Scott Morrison has signalled that company tax cuts will be a legislative priority for the Federal Government when parliament resumes in February. Labor, the Greens and Senate cross-benchers have previously opposed the Government’s push to provide tax relief for companies with turnover of more than $A50m. Meanwhile, a new study by the OECD has concluded that across-the-board corporate tax cuts result in increased business investment and "substantial" income gains for all wage and salary earners.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, ONE NATION LIMITED, NICK XENOPHON TEAM, ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT

Bernardi’s bid to lift bans on nuclear power

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Original article by Michael Owen
The Australian – Page: 6 : 13-Nov-17

Australian Conservatives leader Senator Cory Bernardi will table a bill on 13 November that would remove a ban on nuclear power plants, along with nuclear processing and enrichment. His bill follows on from a call by former prime minister Tony Abbott in October that the construction of nuclear power plants should be allowed. Bernardi notes that Australia has ample uranium supplies, but at the moment is just exporting it.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN CONSERVATIVES, SOUTH AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET