VICTORIA – POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Doyle on the brink

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Original article by Ian Royall, Grant McArthur, Aneeka Simonis
Herald Sun – Page: 1 & 4 : 18-Jan-18

Melbourne Lord Mayor Robert Doyle has denied allegations that he sexually harassed a woman during his tenure as chairman of Melbourne Health. The alleged victim has told the inquiry headed by Ian Freckelton QC that Doyle touched her inappropriately during a Melbourne Health function in 2016. Victoria’s Health Minister Jill Hennessy has commissioned a separate inquiry, to be headed by Charles Scerri QC, into Doyle’s conduct. Doyle is expected to appear before the Freckelton inquiry shortly. He has denied the sexual harassment allegations made by former councillor Tessa Sullivan and Greens councillor Cathy Oke.

CORPORATES
MELBOURNE CITY COUNCIL, MELBOURNE HEALTH, VICTORIA. DEPT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, AUSTRALIAN GREENS

Byelection win boosts Greens

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Original article by Georgie Moore
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 20-Nov-17

The Greens will now have three seats in Victoria’s lower house, following their strong win in the Northcote by-election on 18 November. With nearly 80 per cent of the votes counted, Greens candidate Lidia Thorpe led Labor’s candidate Claire Burns 56 per cent-44 per cent on a two-party preferred basis. Labor had previously held the seat, with the by-election resulting from the death of Fiona Richardson in August. The swing against Labor was over 10 per cent, while Thorpe becomes the first Aboriginal women to win a seat in the Victorian Parliament.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET

Green foes hit ACTU chief’s bid for seat

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Original article by Ewin Hannan, Samantha Hutchinson
The Australian – Page: 4 : 28-Sep-17

Ged Kearney will step down as president of the ACTU in July 2018 to become the Australian Labor Party’s candidate for the lower house seat of Brunswick at the Victorian election. Labor holds the seat with a margin of 2.2 per cent, and incumbent Jane Garrett will seek to move to the upper house. However, the Greens are gaining support in Melbourne’s inner-city and are seen as a real threat in the seat of Brunswick. Kearney had been widely tipped to pursue a seat in federal parliament if she entered politics.

CORPORATES
ACTU, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, COMMUNITY AND PUBLIC SECTOR UNION, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET

Business slams grand final holiday as fans flock on expensive flights

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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’

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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