POLITICIANS – AUSTRALIA

Coal collapse ‘a good thing’, Labor MP says

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Original article by Ben Packham, Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 21-Feb-19

Resources Minister Matt Canavan has criticised comments made by Labor MP Richard Marles about the coal industry. Marles said the decline of the global thermal coal industry is "a good thing" as it implies that action is being taken to address climate change. Canavan argues that both coal prices and demand for coal are strong, and he says Marles’ comments show that Labor wants to shut down Australia’s largest export industry with the loss of more than 50,000 jobs. Marles later sought to clarify his comments.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND SCIENCE, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, MINERALS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, NEW SOUTH WALES MINERALS COUNCIL, ADANAC MOLYBDENUM CORPORATION, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA

Police wanted to prosecute at least one over AWU leak

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Original article by Andrew Tillett
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 8 : 19-Feb-19

The Australian Federal Police have disclosed that there seemed to be enough evidence to justify charging at least one person for leaking details of raids on the offices of the Australian Workers’ Union in October 2017. However, the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions ruled against any prosecutions. The AFP’s Deputy Commissioner Leanne Close has also revealed that former industrial relations minister Michaelia Cash and former justice minister Michael Keenan declined to provide witness statements on two separate occasions, and had instead submitted written letters to the AFP.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION-FEDERATION OF INDUSTRIAL, MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING EMPLOYEES, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, AUSTRALIA. DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC PROSECUTIONS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF JOBS AND SMALL BUSINESS, AUSTRALIA. REGISTERED ORGANISATIONS COMMISSION, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Raid leak designed to damage Shorten

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 2 : 14-Feb-19

David De Garis has told the Federal Court that he cannot recall if he told Michaelia Cash that he intended to give the media advance notice of police raids on the offices of the Australian Workers’ Union. However, Cash’s former media adviser revealed that he had not acted alone, stating that he leaked details of the raids in partnership with Michael Tetlow, who was the media adviser to former justice minister Michael Keenan at the time.

CORPORATES
FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION-FEDERATION OF INDUSTRIAL, MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING EMPLOYEES, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF JOBS AND SMALL BUSINESS, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Cash forced to explain union raids evidence

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Original article by Ewin Hannan, Tessa Akerman
The Australian – Page: 4 : 13-Feb-19

Following police raids on the offices of the Australian Workers’ Union in October 2017, Senator Michaelia Cash told a Senate estimates hearing that no member of her staff had prior knowledge of the raids. However, her former media adviser David De Garis has told the Federal Court that Ben Davis – who was Cash’s chief-of-staff at the time – had informed him of the raids several hours before they occurred. De Garis later resigned after admitting that he had leaked details of the raids to the media.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF JOBS AND SMALL BUSINESS, AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION-FEDERATION OF INDUSTRIAL, MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING EMPLOYEES, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

Argus warns Shorten on silly class war

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Original article by Patrick Durkin
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 22-Jan-19

Former BHP chairman Don Argus says Labor leader Bill Shorten could divide the nation if he contests the 2019 election on the basis of class warfare. Argus adds that despite Shorten’s rhetoric, the majority of employers and workers recognise the need to work together. Wesfarmers chairman Michael Chaney and AustralianSuper chair Heather Ridout are among the other business leaders who have cautioned Shorten against engaging in populist politics.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, AUSTRALIANSUPER PTY LTD, ASX LIMITED – ASX ASX, SIMS METAL MANAGEMENT LIMITED – ASX SGM, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, BLUESCOPE STEEL LIMITED – ASX BSL, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP

Shorten attacks BHP, business

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Original article by John Kehoe, David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 18-Jan-19

Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has attacked BHP for replacing Australian seafarers with foreign crews on ships that transport iron ore from Western Australia to Wollongong. His criticism of BHP came during the launch of his "Queensland Jobs Not Cuts" bus tour on 17 January, with Shorten attacking big business and the wealth-off. Business leaders expressed concern about Shorten’s anti-big business rhetoric, with Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry CEO James Pearson saying it is important that businesses of all sizes are successful.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, MARITIME UNION OF AUSTRALIA

Dutton, Abbott top GetUp hit list

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Original article by Luke Griffiths
The Australian – Page: 4 : 17-Jan-19

GetUp has carried out an online poll in which respondents were asked to nominate three federal MPs who should be ousted from parliament at the next election due to their views on issues such as climate change and immigration. Peter Dutton attracted 22,028 votes, ahead of former prime minister Tony Abbott and George Christensen. Paul Oosting, the national director of GetUp, say the results of the poll will influence the activist group’s campaign strategy.

CORPORATES
GETUP LIMITED, EUROPEAN CLIMATE FOUNDATION

Senator bills for rally trip, admits he’s doomed

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Original article by Ben Packham, Richard Ferguson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 7-Jan-19

Independent senator Fraser ­Anning has defended his taxpayer-funded trip to attend an anti-immigration rally in Melbourne. Fraser says the trip was official parliamentary business, as the violent crimes committed by people of African appearance in Melbourne are now being replicated in his home state of Queensland. However, Anning concedes that he has little chance of retaining his seat at the next election. Both sides of politics have condemned the racially-motivated rally at St Kilda beach, while some federal MPs have criticised Anning for attending the event.

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

Calls for Setka to be kicked out of ALP

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Original article by Tom McIlroy
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 4-Jan-19

Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining & Energy Union official John Setka will appear on court on 9 January after police were called to his home on 26 December. Industrial Relations Minister Kelly O’Dwyer says the police charges mean that Setka should be expelled from the Australian Labor Party and step down from his role at the CFMMEU. Setka in turn has asked the media to respect his family’s privacy following the domestic incident.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF JOBS AND SMALL BUSINESS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, MELBOURNE MAGISTRATES’ COURT

Dual citizenship crisis could have been avoided

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Original article by Tom McIlroy
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 2-Jan-19

Former attorney-general Daryl Williams proposed changes to section 44 of the Constitution in 1997 which would have avoided the need for MPs to resign in recent years due to their dual citizenship status. The National Archives has released cabinet papers which show that the Coalition government was open to holding a referendum on the issue if it had bipartisan support in parliament. The total cost of by-elections and legal bills arising from the dual citizenship crisis is tipped to exceed $24m.

CORPORATES
NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN ELECTORAL COMMISSION, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HOME AFFAIRS