Turnbull faces Liberal revolt

Original article by Dennis Shanahan, David Crowe
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 4-Jul-16

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has held preliminary talks with key crossbenchers, who could determine the outcome of the federal election. However, Coalition ministers and backbenchers will insist on being consulted by Turnbull regarding any deals with the crossbenchers. Meanwhile, Turnbull has attracted criticism over the Coalition’s election campaign, but senior Coalition MPs have expressed support for him.

CORPORATES
LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND SCIENCE, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN ELECTORAL COMMISSION, NICK XENOPHON TEAM, SKY NEWS, RADIO NATIONAL

Labor preferences agreement splits conservatives

Original article by David Crowe
The Australian – Page: 6 : 23-Jun-16

The Liberal Democratic Party has secured a preferences deal with the Australian Labor Party in a number of marginal seats that are currently held by the Coalition. The LDP’s Senator David Leyonhjelm says the Liberal Party has not directed preferences to him, despite the fact that he voted with the Coalition more than any other crossbencher during the last Parliament. Meanwhile, the Family First Party is directing its preferences to the Coalition in all of the seats in which it has a candidate.

CORPORATES
LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, FAMILY FIRST PARTY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NICK XENOPHON TEAM, CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATIC PARTY, SHOOTERS, FISHERS AND FARMERS PARTY

Nick Xenophon Team looks likely to nick L-NP seats of Mayo & Grey

Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: online : 17-Jun-16

The popularity of the Nick Xenophon Team (NXT) in South Australia (SA) has changed the political scene in that state. NXT is likely to pose a serious challenge to bigger parties at the 2016 Federal election. Roy Morgan Research executive chairman Gary Morgan says extensive analysis of Roy Morgan voting trends in SA seats over the past two months shows NXT is likely to win two seats held by the Coalition – Grey and Mayo. NXT is also likely to influence the results in SA’s nine other seats.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, NICK XENOPHON TEAM, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS

Turnbull under pressure to give Abbott a ministry

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

Conservatives within the Liberal Party of Australia are likely to insist on playing a bigger role in government if the Coalition is re-elected on 2 July 2016. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said he would not give a ministerial portfolio to former prime minister Tony Abbott, and the latter stated that he did not expect such an offer. However, his colleagues say that Abbott will accept a ministerial position if offered.

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

Labor and Greens swap deal ‘a danger’

Original article by David Crowe
The Australian – Page: 9 : 14-Jun-16

The Australian Labor Party and the Greens have secured a deal to swap preference votes in many electorates. However, the Greens have excluded 11 electorates from the preferences deal, and the party will direct first preferences to minor parties in the Senate. Labor and the Greens will also have an open ticket in South Australia in order to avoid directing second preferences to the Nick Xenophon Team. The Coalition recently announced that it will direct its preferences to Labor.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, NICK XENOPHON TEAM, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, ANIMAL JUSTICE PARTY, MARRIAGE EQUALITY PARTY, SECULAR PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, PIRATE PARTY AUSTRALIA, RENEWABLE ENERGY PARTY

Undue payments under scrutiny

Original article by Grace Collier
The Weekend Australian – Page: 22 : 11-Jun-16

Wesfarmers CEO Richard Goyder has criticised the Australian Labor Party for opposing plans to reduce the company tax rate. However, many of Wesfarmers employees are covered by the Shop, Distributive & Allied Employees’ Association’s enterprise bargaining agreement. The SDA in turn contributes more to Labor’s coffers than any other union. While Labor is widely seen as being "anti-big business", it in fact ultimately receives much of its funding from the large end of town. Furthermore, a lot of this funding is sourced from what the trade union royal commission labelled "corrupting payments".

CORPORATES
WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, SHOP, DISTRIBUTIVE AND ALLIED EMPLOYEES’ ASSOCIATION, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION, COLES SUPERMARKETS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, TARGET AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, KMART AUSTRALIA LIMITED, BUNNINGS GROUP LIMITED, ACTU, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT

Captain’s call ‘a bid to sink Greens’

Original article by Sid Maher, Sarah Martin
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 13-Jun-16

The Federal Government will direct preferences to the Australian Labor Party, rather than smaller parties such as the Greens and the Nick Xenophon Team. Labor in turn has indicated that it will not direct preferences to Xenophon’s party in South Australian seats. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has defended the Coalition’s decision to direct preferences to its arch rival, arguing that it is in the national interest to avoid another minority government in which the Greens and minority parties have significant influence.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, NICK XENOPHON TEAM, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Company levy ‘just 4.3pc of total take’

Original article by Annabel Hepworth
The Australian – Page: 6 : 1-Jun-16

Analysis by Deloitte Access Economics suggests that the Australian Government will collect some $A1.11trn in corporate tax revenue between 2016-17 and 2026-27. It is estimated that the Government’s proposed company tax cuts will account for no more than 4.3 per cent of this revenue, and just 0.8 per cent of the Government’s overall revenue during this period. Minerals Council of Australia CEO Brendan Pearson says the Deloitte figures demonstrate that the proposed tax cuts are justified.

CORPORATES
DELOITTE ACCESS ECONOMICS PTY LTD, MINERALS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, MMG LIMITED – ASX MMG

Election now too close to call: ALP 51% cf. L-NP 49%. Minor Parties ‘won’ last night’s Leaders’ debate.

Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Morgan Poll Update – Page: Online : 30-May-16

A multi-mode Morgan Poll on Federal voting intention has found that support for Australia’s ruling Liberal-National Coalition on a two-party preferred basis has risen by 1.5 per cent to 49 per cent. The poll, which was carried out on the weekends of 21-22 and 28-29 May 2016, also shows that the Coalition’s primary vote has risen by one to 37.5 per cent, while the Roy Morgan Government Confidence Rating has fallen by 2.5 points to 102. Roy Morgan Research executive chairman Gary Morgan notes that support for the minor parties is at a massive 30 per cent (up 8.9 per cent from the 2013 Federal Election), and support for the minor parties will only rise after the uninspiring Leader’s debate. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull did not explain how the unemployed and under-employed (18.1 per cent, or 2.322 million) will get jobs and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten gave no indication on how a Labor Government would create more private sector jobs by massive increases in public sector spending. However, Turnbull and Shorten still have time to present believable policies which tackle Australia’s booming "cash economy" and reduce real unemployment and under-employment.

CORPORATES
MORGAN POLL, ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, PALMER UNITED PARTY, NICK XENOPHON TEAM, FAMILY FIRST PARTY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Party’s all but over for Palmer

Original article by Rosie Lewis, Sarah Elks
The Australian – Page: 6 : 24-May-16

Businessman and federal MP Clive Palmer has advised that he will not recontest the seat of Fairfax in the 2016 election. Palmer has also indicated that he will not seek a seat in the upper house. Zhenya Wang is currently the Palmer United Party’s only representative in the Senate. Palmer’s nephew, Martin Brewster, will be the party’s sole candidate for the lower house. He will contest the seat of Herbert, in which Palmer’s failed Queensland Nickel is based. The company was wound up in April.

CORPORATES
PALMER UNITED PARTY, QUEENSLAND NICKEL PTY LTD, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, LIBERAL-NATIONAL PARTY OF QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION