POLITICAL PARTIES – AUSTRALIA – PLATFORMS

Leaders vie to score goals in women’s sport

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Original article by Sarah Martin, Rosie Lewis
The Australian – Page: 8 : 30-May-16

Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten notes that women’s sports events account for just seven per cent of Australian TV networks’ overall sports coverage. Shorten aims to address this imbalance by committing an extra $A21m in funding for the ABC to provide greater coverage of women’s sports. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has indicated that the Government will provide an additional $A60m in funding for the Sporting Schools program.

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

Shorten backs WA Metronet

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Original article by Tess Ingram, Julie-anne Sprague
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 24-May-16

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has promised to provide $A1bn worth of funding for the Metronet rail project in Western Australia if the Australian Labor Party wins the 2016 federal election. Shorten intends to utilise funding that was previously allocated to the state’s Perth Freight Link road project. State Opposition Leader Mark McGowan intends to proceed with the Metronet project if his party wins the state election in March 2017.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, CURTIN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF TREASURY AND FINANCE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE

Stop digging, we’re deep enough in this fiscal hole

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Original article by Judith Sloan
The Weekend Australian – Page: 24 : 21-May-16

The Australian Government’s policies means the nation faces cumulative budget deficits of $A85bn over the next four years, although this is based on GDP and revenue projections that are unlikely to be realised. The May 2016 Budget papers also show that the deficit will blow out to $A584bn in 2019-20, compared with $A499bn in 2016-17. Australia is almost certain to lose its triple-A credit rating long before 2025-26, when the deficit will top $A647bn. However, the Australian Labor Party’s election policies would ensure that the Budget is even worse off than under a Coalition government.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENTS

Labor’s $8b budget drag

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Original article by Laura Tingle
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 23-May-16

The Federal Opposition estimates that its proposal to abolish the pharmaceutical co-payment will cost nearly $A1bn over four years. The co-payment was outlined in the Australian Government’s 2014 Budget but has been stalled in the Senate. The Opposition has now announced some $A8bn worth of election promises in the areas of health and education. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has called on Opposition Leader Bill Shorten to outline how the Australian Labor Party will fund its spending promises, arguing that it cannot do so without tax increases.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. PARLIAMENTARY BUDGET OFFICE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Labor to end doctors’ pay freeze

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 2 : 19-May-16

The Australian Labor Party intends to scrap the freeze on the Medicare rebate for visits to a GP if it wins the federal election. The rebate was slated to remain at around $A38 until 2020, but Labor proposes to abolish it the start of 2017. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has indicated that this policy will be partially funded by not proceeding with some of the company tax cuts that were outlined in the Federal Government’s May 2016 Budget.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HUMAN SERVICES. MEDICARE AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION LIMITED, THE ROYAL AUSTRALIAN COLLEGE OF GENERAL PRACTITIONERS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Greens canned for failure to take fight to IR umpire

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Original article by Sid Maher, Mark Coultan
The Australian – Page: 6 : 18-May-16

Australian Greens MP Adam Bandt has defended the party after revelations that it did not make a submission to the Fair Work Commission on the issue of weekend penalty rates. Bandt says it is unusual for political parties to make submissions to the FWC, and he has suggested that the Opposition made a submission merely to be seen to have done something on the issue. The Greens have vowed to introduce legislation to protect weekend penalty rates if the FWC recommends reducing them.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, TASMANIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION-FEDERATION OF INDUSTRIAL, MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING EMPLOYEES

Super limit to hit retirees, Costello says

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Original article by Sally Patten, Jonathan Shapiro
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 18-May-16

Future Fund chairman and former federal treasurer Peter Costello says the superannuation policies of both the Coalition and the Australian Labor Party are unlikely to be introduced due to opposition from the Greens. He has also warned that the Government’s proposal to limit tax-free super savings to $A1.6m will not provide retirees with the amount of income it expects, as the forecasts are based on a rate of return of 5.5 per cent. In contrast, the yield on 10-year Australian government recently fell to a record low of 2.2 per cent.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FUTURE FUND MANAGEMENT AGENCY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS

Double hit for Shorten on penalties

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Original article by Sid Maher, Joe Kelly, Mark Coultan, Paige Taylor
The Australian – Page: 1 : 17-May-16

Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has ruled out introducing legislation to protect penalty rates if the Fair Work Commission rules that Sunday rates in sectors such as retailing and hospitality should be reduced. Shorten has reiterated his position that the Australian Labor Party will not oppose the FWC’s ruling, despite pressure from the Australian Greens and the union movement to take action to safeguard penalty rates.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, ACTU, 3AW SOUTHERN CROSS RADIO PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, SHOP, DISTRIBUTIVE AND ALLIED EMPLOYEES’ ASSOCIATION, AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURING WORKERS’ UNION

Pressure on Shorten over penalty rates

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 16-May-16

The Fair Work Commission is likely wait until after the 2016 federal election to issue its ruling on weekend penalty rates. Unions have urged Opposition Leader Bill Shorten to introduce greater protection for employees who receive penalty rates, although the Australian Labor Party has previously indicated that it will not oppose the FWC’s ruling if it recommendations a reduction in Sunday penalty rates.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, ACTU

Greens put high price on power

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Original article by Sid Maher
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 16-May-16

Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has again stressed that his party will not seek to form government with the Australian Greens in the event of a hung parliament. However, Greens leader Richard Di Natale believes that Shorten would not give up the opportunity to become prime minister, even if it required an alliance with the Greens. He also says any such deal would require the Australian Labor Party to change its policies on issues such as climate change and asylum seekers.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA