VICTORIA – POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Business slams grand final holiday as fans flock on expensive flights

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Patrick Durkin
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 27-Sep-17

PwC estimates that Victoria’s Australian Football League grand final eve public holiday costs the state’s businesses around $A1.2bn a year. Business leaders have urged the State Government to abolish the public holiday or at the very least shift it to the Monday after the grand final, to bring Victoria into line with several other states. Meanwhile, airlines have been criticised for increasing their airfares on some routes to Melbourne and Sydney, which will host the AFL and National Rugby League deciders.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE, PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS AUSTRALIA (INTERNATIONAL) PTY LTD, RICHMOND FOOTBALL CLUB, ADELAIDE CROWS FOOTBALL CLUB, MELBOURNE STORM RUGBY LEAGUE CLUB LIMITED, NORTH QUEENSLAND COWBOYS, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, VICTORIAN EMPLOYERS’ CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AFL FANS ASSOCIATION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET

Labor bracing for backlash over $40m timber buyout

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Samantha Hutchinson
The Australian – Page: 7 : 4-Jul-17

The Victorian Government has entered into an agreement to acquire a majority stake in the Heyfield timber mill in the Latrobe Valley. The mill has been under threat of closure, with the potential loss of 250 jobs, due to insufficient supply of timber from state-owned forests. Agriculture and Regional Development Minister Jaala Pulford said the Hermal Group, the mill’s parent company, had agreed that there will be no loss of jobs while the sale process is being finalised. The Government is understood to have paid between $A38 million and $A42 million to conclude the deal.

CORPORATES
VICTORIA. DEPT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, JOBS, TRANSPORT AND RESOURCES, HERMAL GROUP, AUSTRALIAN SUSTAINABLE HARDWOODS, PITCHER PARTNERS CORPORATE ADVISORY PTY LTD, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA

Power chaos looms amid union row

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Samantha Hutchinson, Greg Brown
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 5-May-17

The Victorian Government has intervened in the long-running dispute over enterprise agreement negotiations at AGL Energy’s Loy Yang power station. The Government will seek an order from the Fair Work Commission to prevent the Electrical Trades Union from launching industrial action. AGL had warned that safety considerations would force it to shut down the power station from mid-May if workers went on strike. Loy Yang supplies more than 40 per cent of the state’s electricity.

CORPORATES
AGL ENERGY LIMITED – ASX AGL, ELECTRICAL TRADES UNION, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

MP rorts inquiry heads to High Court

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 6-Jan-17

The Victorian Government does not want the misuse of allowances during the 2014 Victorian election campaign to be investigated by the office of Ombudsman. In November 2015, the Legislative Council requested the office to investigate the matter. Asked whether the office have sufficient powers to do so, the Supreme Court answered in the affirmative. An appeal of the Government was dismissed in December 2016. Attorney-General Martin Pakula stated on 5 January 2017 that the matter of the Ombudsman’s prerogatives will now be taken to the High Court.

CORPORATES
VICTORIA. OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL, HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA, SUPREME COURT OF VICTORIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, VICTORIA. OFFICE OF THE OMBUDSMAN

We’re about to rock

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by John Masanauskas
Herald Sun – Page: 3 : 13-Dec-16

The Victorian Government will contribute $A10m in funding for the Australian Music Vault. The exhibition and education facility will include an Australian Music Hall of Fame, and it will be based at the Victorian Arts Centre. Music industry veteran Michael Gudinski has welcomed the announcement of the Hall of Fame and the fact that it will be located in Melbourne.

CORPORATES
VICTORIAN ARTS CENTRE, MUSHROOM RECORDS PTY LTD, THE FRONTIER TOURING COMPANY PTY LTD

‘Footy Friday’ a $1bn hit for firms

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 3 : 27-Sep-16

An Australian Industry Group survey has found that the Victorian Government’s Australian Football League grand final eve public holiday will cost respondents an average of $A16,000 in revenue. PricewaterhouseCoopers has previously estimated that the total cost of the public holiday across the state economy would be between $A717 million and $A898m each year, while the increased wages bill would cost employers up to $A286m a year. Hazeldene’s Chicken estimates that public holiday penalty rates will increase its wages bill by around $A195,000.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS AUSTRALIA (INTERNATIONAL) PTY LTD, HAZELDENE’S CHICKEN FARM PTY LTD, COLES SUPERMARKETS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, ALDI STORES SUPERMARKETS PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Euthanasia reform: ‘Go softly or law will fail’

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Paige Taylor, Greg Brown
The Australian – Page: 5 : 26-Sep-16

The Victorian Government may seek to legalise physician-assisted suicide, but Health Minister Jill Hennessy stresses that any such laws must reflect the views of the general public rather than euthanasia activists. A parliamentary committee has recommended that euthanasia should be restricted to people with terminal and incurable medical conditions.

CORPORATES
VICTORIA. DEPT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIAN SEX PARTY, DOCTORS FOR VOLUNTARY EUTHANASIA CHOICE

Record $9.7b port sale rides boom

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Patrick Durkin, Jenny Wiggins, Sarah Thompson, Anthony Macdonald
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 26 : 20-Sep-16

The Victorian Government had expected to gain between $A5bn and $A7bn from the privatisation of the Port of Melbourne. The $A9.7bn deal with the Lonsdale Consortium reflects an EBITDA multiple of 25 times earnings, while the State Government will also receive a payment of $A1.45bn from its federal counterpart under the asset-recycling scheme. Proceeds of the sale of the port’s 50-year lease will be reinvested in road and rail infrastructure, including the Government’s level crossing removal program.

CORPORATES
PORT OF MELBOURNE, LONSDALE CONSORTIUM, AUSTRALIA. FUTURE FUND MANAGEMENT AGENCY, QIC LIMITED, GLOBAL INFRASTRUCTURE PARTNERS, ONTARIO MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT BOARD, VICTORIA. DEPT OF TREASURY AND FINANCE, PORT BOTANY, PORT KEMBLA, INFRASTRUCTURE PARTNERSHIPS AUSTRALIA, IFM INVESTORS PTY LTD, GIP AUSTRALIA

Union leader denies threats of violence

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Patrick Durkin, Aaron Patrick, David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 1-Sep-16

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews triggered a political crisis when he decided to give the union more influence over the Country Fire Authority. The Volunteer Firefighters Association Victoria took the matter to the Supreme Court. Jane Garrett resigned as Emergency Services Minister in June 2016 as she did not agree with Andrews’ tactics. She was allegedly bullied by United Firefighters Union leader Peter Marshall who was reported as telling Garrett "I am coming to get you" and "you’re all f—ing dead".

CORPORATES
VICTORIA. COUNTRY FIRE AUTHORITY, SUPREME COURT OF VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, UNITED FIREFIGHTERS’ UNION OF AUSTRALIA, VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS ASSOCIATION VICTORIA, VOLUNTEER FIRE BRIGADES VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA. NATIONAL OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY COMMISSION, VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET

New rules for better apartments

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Nick Lenaghan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 32 : 15-Aug-16

Victoria’s Planning Minister Richard Wynne has revealed new draft standards for apartments. The proposed rules include minimum standards for ventilation and access to natural daylight, with all habitable rooms in an apartment required to have at least one window. However, Wynne has ruled out imposing minimum sizes for apartments, which has been welcomed by Asher Judah of the Property Council of Australia.

CORPORATES
VICTORIA. DEPT OF ENVIRONMENT, LAND, WATER AND PLANNING, PROPERTY COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED, LEND LEASE GROUP LIMITED – ASX LLC, GROCON PTY LTD