POLITICAL PARTIES – AUSTRALIA – PLATFORMS

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

Labor to revive 12 per cent super guarantee

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 11-May-16

Shadow treasurer Chris Bowen has told the National Press Club that the Australian Labor Party will act quickly to release a mini-Budget if it wins the federal election on 2 July 2016. He also indicated that Labor will reinstate plans to lift the employer superannuation contribution to 12 per cent. The Australian Government put this policy on hold after abolishing the mining tax. The super guarantee has been increased from nine per cent to 9.5 per cent, but at present it is not slated to rise to 12 per cent until 2025.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, NATIONAL PRESS CLUB (AUSTRALIA)

Business lashes PM on super, tax

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Original article by Patrick Durkin, Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 5 : 11-May-16

Asciano chairman Malcolm Broomhead has questioned whether the Australian Government will act on its May 2016 Budget commitment to progressively reduce the company tax rate to 25 per cent. He says the Government has already broken its promise to make no changes to the superannuation regime, and criticised the retrospective nature of the super tax reforms. Treasurer Scott Morrison and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop have emphasised that the tax changes will only apply to future rather than past super earnings.

CORPORATES
ASCIANO LIMITED – ASX AIO, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, WHITEHAVEN COAL LIMITED – ASX WHC, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, HOST-PLUS, INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS LIMITED, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Tables turn: Now Labor promises to protect AAA rating

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 10-May-16

Shadow treasurer Chris Bowen will address the National Press Club on 10 May 2016, where he will deliver his reply to the Australian Government’s Budget. Bowen will indicate that if the Opposition wins the federal election it will release the mid-year budget update by October, rather than in December. He will stress the need to reduce the Budget deficit in order to ensure that Australia retains its coveted triple-A credit rating. He will also question the merits of the Government’s proposal to progressively reduce the corporate tax rate.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, NATIONAL PRESS CLUB (AUSTRALIA), AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, MOODY’S INVESTORS SERVICE INCORPORATED, STANDARD AND POOR’S CORPORATION, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

ALP’s climate policy ‘to leave some in dark’

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Original article by Rick Morton
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 29-Apr-16

Welfare groups are concerned about the Australian Labor Party’s new climate change policy on low-income households if it wins the 2016 federal election. Labor says the policy will have a limited impact on electricity prices, but Welfare Rights Network Sydney’s Gerard Thomas argues that compensation will be necessary and it must be more equitable than that provided under Labor’s carbon tax. The Labor policy includes an emissions trading scheme and sourcing 50 per cent of the nation’s electric power from renewable energy by 2030.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, WELFARE RIGHTS NETWORK SYDNEY, COUNCIL ON THE AGEING, COMBINED PENSIONERS AND SUPERANNUANTS ASSOCIATION OF NEW SOUTH WALES INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL OF SOCIAL SERVICE, AUSTRALIAN GREENS

Shorten leaves Gillard’s carbon policy behind

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 28-Apr-16

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten says the Federal Government’s Direct Action policy will be abolished if the Australian Labor Party wins the 2016 election. Labor will aim for a 45 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions reduction by 2030. Shorten’s policy is very different from the carbon price scheme of former prime minister Julia Gillard and quite similar to Malcolm Turnbull’s proposal when he was the opposition leader in 2009.

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

Labor tries again on carbon plan

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 27-Apr-16

The Federal Opposition will release details of its climate change policy on 27 April 2016. It will seek to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 45 per cent on 2005 levels by 2030. The Australian Labor Party will introduce a new domestic emissions trading scheme in two stages, which will have the ultimate goal of reducing the nation’s carbon emissions to zero by 2050. Labor also intends to introduce a separate emissions trading scheme for the electric power industry from 2018.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, CLIMATE INSTITUTE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. CLEAN ENERGY FINANCE CORPORATION, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Unions to push for penalty rates law

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 26-Apr-16

Unions have criticised Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten for indicating that he will support the Fair Commission’s decision if it rules in favour of reducing Sunday penalty rates. They argue that his comments undermines the union movement’s "Save Our Weekend" campaign, and the Victorian Trades Hall Council secretary Luke Hilakari says unions will seek to have minimum penalty rates included in the National Employment Standards if the Opposition wins the 2016 federal election.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, VICTORIAN TRADES HALL COUNCIL, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, ACTU, AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION