Search

Focuses on the implications of the Government control of the Senate in Australia on public administration, business and government policy making. Issues on the control of the government of both houses of Parliament; Economic trends and developments; Industrial developments; Government policy on spending, infrastructure, business and welfare reform among others; Indications of politics and economics.

Comments on the demonstrations of religious convictions among politicians in Australia. Comparison of the inclination with the U.S. religious intolerance movement; Involvement of the country in Iraq war; Introduction of abortion and euthanasia issues despite absence of public demand.

Examines the argument of Tasmanian Greens Senator Bob Brown regarding the established force of his party in Australian politics. Statistical evidence supporting the thesis; Prevalence of environmental politics; Conflict arising from Green policies in regional and rural areas.

Discusses the implementation of the goods and services tax (GST) in Australia and highlights several problems with the legislation as it stands in July of 1999. GST applying not only to goods and services but to other taxes as well; The unpreparedness for the tax blamed on the politicians and bureaucratic officials handling the implementation; Double taxes; Disappearing refunds; GST on bad debts; Insurance problems; GST and home buying; Hidden GST charges among other topics. INSETS: 10 Strategies for Business;A Revolutionary Idea.

Reports that the Western Australia Labor Party has removed their support of the regional forest agreement process (RFA) in Australia. Labor seeking to move an amendment to RFA legislation when it reaches the Senate in July of 1999; History of the damaging political argument over the RFAs and old growth forests; Comments of Forestry and Conservation Minister Wilson Tuckey; History of the RFAs; Democrats to support the disallowance clause due to their desire to be seen as friendly to the Green Party.

Discusses the impact of technology on political lobbying in Australia. How technology has changed the way information is gathered and presented to government; Changes in the political power dynamic; How politicians use technology; Use of technology by businesses in politics; Views of lobbyist Andrew Parker, of Parker and Partners, Canberra; Lobbying techniques imported from the United States; Gaining grassroots support.

Reports on the plans of the Australian government to outsource the management of its property portfolio; Categories of the domestic property including office estate, special purpose and industrial estate, and public-interest estate; Goal of getting private business involved in the government's portfolio; Government's decision that it should own property only in those cases where the long-term yield exceeds 15 percent; Chart of where the government's property is.

Presents information on the changing role of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) in the late 1990s. Comments from Chairman Allan Fels; How they have shifted their focus from policing anti-competitive behavior to setting and monitoring prices in areas such as telecommunication; Their softening on mergers; Their focus on the opening of infrastructure to competition; Their task of monitoring the goods and services tax (GST).

Looks at the difficulties which local bidders have in getting government contracts in Australia as of February 1999. Comments of Liberal Member of Parliament Bob Charles, chairman of the joint parliamentary committee on procurement, on businesspeople's concerns; Ways in which federal outsourcing has changed in the past year; Comments by Leigh Purnell, a director of the Australian Industry Group, which represents many firms involved in civil and defense procurement. INSET: Out of the box, but also out of the running.

Reports on the Australian federal government's program to outsource its information technology (IT) services and industry concern that the timetable needs to be spread out over a longer period of time. Details on the first `cluster' of departments to outsource and the contract awarded to Computer Services Corp.; Opposition criticizing the pace of the program; Tender for the second contract withdrawn; Details on the other contracts.

Looks at the success of the One Nation party in Australia in the business framework of a new entrant into the market. How the provision of parliamentary services is an industry; Politics as an industry based on rivalry; Retaliation from incumbants due to One Nation's success in Queensland in June of 1998; One Nation changing the structural equilibrium.

Reports on the results of a survey of chief executive officers (CEO) in Australia and their opinion on how the government is dealing with key political issues, in particular the rise of the One Nation party. Suggestion that Prime Minister John Howard is not providing genuine political leadership; Percentage favoring Treasurer Peter Costello for Prime Minister; Opposition leader Kim Beazley failing to make an impression; Message of the One Nation party. INSETS: How does business rate?;Labor, hard labor.

The article explains the role of economics, politics and policy rules in the federal budget in Australia in 2011. The budget was said to be significantly affected by the global financial crisis. According to the author, the efforts of the government to achieve several policy aims were impeded by contention between interest groups. The policy rules framing the budget include the plans of the government to get the budget back into surplus by 2012-2013 and to limit federal spending growth.

The article discusses the policies of Australian political parties concerning climate change and skills and education. It is noted that the Australian Labor party has poorly implemented its 10.8 billion Australian dollar climate change program. The boom it had created left businesses scrambling to meet up the demand for home insulation and solar hot-water systems. The education policies of the Labor government has been less controversial than its climate change policies but the changes has less impact on business priorities.

The article reports that confidential economic research sponsored by the Australian states is indicating that federalism enhances personal incomes and economic performance while reducing inflation. The research is in conflict with the claims of some businesses that federalism is dysfunctional. The research is a component of the effort by the states to demonstrate their relevance.

The article discusses changes in the political landscape in Australia. For the first time, a leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) turned back on socialism, bring the party into the new age. ALP is encouraged on focusing on the Generation X and the net generation, which make up 55 percent of the workforce. Global warming, refugee issues and the human rights of expatriate Australians are some of the issues that will affect voter perception of ALP.

Presents updates related to government in Australia. Approval of the government of an increase in private health insurance premiums; Detection of the slowdown of the growth of the country's gross domestic product; Support of South Australian Premier Mike Rann for a government's plan to allow foreign universities to operate in the country.

Presents updates related to the government in Australia. Defense of Amanda Vanstone, minister of the Department of Immigration, of the actions of the department in detaining a mentally ill woman; Plan of the government to reform the industrial relation systems; Increase in the forecast of Reserve Bank of Australia.

Reports on political developments in Australia as of December 8, 2004. Pledge of loyalty made by Stephen Conroy to Labor Party leader Mark Latham after their publicized differences; Continuation of the free trade talks between the country and Southeast Asia despite the refusal to agree on non-aggression pact among the countries; Possible underestimation of the cost of the ageing of the population on the economy.

Discusses the challenges faced by Australian National Party leader John Anderson, in the context of rumors that he intends to resign as party leader and deputy prime minister by the end of 2003. Creation of a national rail freight network; Introduction of a new system of transport funding; Need to negotiate with the states for a national water rights system; Need to prepare the National Party for a leadership transition.

Assesses the prospects of the coalition government of Australia against the Labor Party in the 2001 elections. Defensive stance of the Labor Party over the issue of electoral rorts; Tax reform victory for the government; Significance of the rorts issue in the elections; Focus of the coalition on industrial relations.

Focuses on industries that are most likely to experience big highs and lows from year to year in Australia. Industry classes with very low volatility; Major contribution that governments can make to ensuring financial stability; Need for governments to address regulatory issues that arise in the global context.

Presents information on the efforts of the Australian government to sell its remaining share in the telecommunications company Telstra. Assertion from Treasurer Peter Costello that the sale will eliminate government debt; Comments from analysts who suggest that the elimination of government debt will have no impact on Australia's overall economic outlook; Suggestion that the Telstra sale could have an impact on interest rates. INSET: Chief Execs Give Budget a Big Tick of Approval.

States the Australian Democrats could reject any proposed reduction in company tax from the Ralph committee's review of business taxation. The view of Senator Andrew Murray on cutting corporate tax rate in exchange for the removal of accelerated depreciation and other concessions; Significance of the Democrats' stance; The Ralph committee's consideration of Democrats' proposal for limitation on the use of corporate structures to avoid PAYE tax; The goods and service tax (GST) compromise; Compensation for welfare dependants.

Discusses how the Australian government and private sector are undergoing change sparked by the digital economy in 1999. How retailer Coles Myer took its corporate board to Microsoft Corp. to better understand the electronic environment; How the government needs a new approach to tax and management; The importance of electronic commerce; Impact of a possible competitive tax system in Australia.

Discusses taxation reform in Australia as of May 1999 and the politically sensitive issue of what will happen to family trusts. Trusts figuring prominently in the lives of those in the Liberal and National Party heartlands; The Ralph committee discussion paper on business taxation and the options it offers; Comments from Michael Hart of the law firm Cleary Hoare; Discussion of fringe benefits tax.

Discusses the role of the Treasury in Australian government as of May 1999. Release of the federal budget; What role Treasurer Peter Costello maintains; His views and whether they are too close to those of the Treasury's; Effect politicians have on the department; Treasurer's ministerial office steadily increasing its influence over Treasury; Suggestion that the Treasury has become a back-up to the ministerial office.

Presents information on the efforts of the Australian Minister for Financial Services and Regulation Joe Hockey to aid the country in becoming an international financial center. How Prime Minister John Howard has shown confidence in Hockey by creating the position; Hockey's background and early career; The difficulty of his task; Move being developed in conjunction with the financial services advisory committee.

Presents information on the political methods of Australian Prime Minister John Howard. How he has adopted the `third way' approach in politics; How businesses have learned how to deal with Howard; Examples of the government's industrial policies; What Howard's strategy means for the Australian Labor Party opposition.

Discusses how the National Party in Australia has begun to loose its hold on the primary industry portfolio in the late 1990s. The backbench committee on agriculture, fisheries, forestry and conservation almost assuming control of the portfolio; Minister of Agriculture Mark Vaile looking to the committee for policy decisions; The committee dominated by the Liberal Party; National Party seen as stretched in its efforts to represent rural and regional Australia.

Presents information on the support of business for tax reform in Australia. How business leaders do not want to forgo income tax cuts for a lower corporate tax rate; Their drive for lower corporate taxes and the conflict it represents; Federal government's desire to cut company taxes; Alliance of various business groups to lobby for reform; Support for Prime Minister John Howard's efforts to push legislation through the senate. INSETS: A state of mind;The born-again PM.

Presents information on the Australian senate debate over tax reform set for 1999 and profiles Senator Andrew Murray of Western Australia, the man considered to hold the balance of power on the select committee reviewing the tax legislation. Description of the review process and the committees charged with the work; Murray's background and former career; How business needs to take him seriously; The tax system and a country's competitiveness.

Profiles Nick Minchin, appointed as Australia's Industry and Resources Minister in 1998. Business groups' positive view of Minchin; His close understanding of the pressures of private-sector wealth generation; What he learned from watching his father found Metropolitan Security Services; His interest in policy development; Other appointments and the impact they will have on business.

Discusses the October 1998 federal elections in Australia and their impact on businesses in Australia. Comparison of telecommunications company Telstra and Qantas Airways and what the re-election of the coalition government means to them; Government needing to decide if it wants a locally owned airline with real clout; Opposition leader Kim Beazley of the Australian Labor Party and his vision flawed by a lack of desire for tax reform.

Presents information on the tax policies of both the government and opposition parties in Australia as of September 1998 and discusses their possible impact on business. How both plans will hurt business; Capital exodus seen as inevitable; Likelihood that any problems will be solved in the consultative process; Details on individual taxation issues such as capital gains, venture capital, annuities and research and development.

Reports on the 1998 federal election campaign and how a focus on the economy can help Prime Minister John Howard's government win. Their plan for economic reform in their tax package coinciding with an unstable period in the global economy; The Australian Labor Party's inability to engage in excessive expenditure promises; Government seen a vulnerable on unemployment; Labor's business policies. INSET: `Iberal' votes could make the difference.

Presents information on investing, business and government in Australia for September 7, 1998. Correction on Wall Street giving Australians the opportunity to increase their international investments; The gap between United States and Australian interest rates that should help the Australian dollar; How the power of politicians in Australia and elsewhere has diminished in the wake of a global economy.

Presents a synopsis of the author's speech before the Australian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong on the popularity of the One Nation party. How One Nation has become the party of protest; The reasons why a Queensland farmer, representative of the rural community, will vote for the party; Other reasons for voting; How One Nation used its racially-biased stance on Asia to gain publicity.

Presents information on national competition policy in Australia and how the issue causes a backlash against the government that tries to implement it. Voters opinion of economic rationalism; Comments from economic rationalist Graeme Samuel; Impact of the June 1998 vote in Queensland on the policy of Prime Minister John Howard; How national competition concerns are easy to exploit. INSET: What's being reformed.

Reports on the move towards isolationist politics with the votes for the One Nation party in the June 1998 elections in Queensland, Australia. How the move is jeopardizing the reform the Australian business has been demanding from government; Federal government seen as out of touch with rural issues; Rural voters believing that the government represents urban issues; Comments from former Keating government minister, Gary Johns.

Looks at the problems foreign companies have in getting significant business ventures approved by the Australian Government. The case of Korea Zinc Corporation; The time it took to get approval for its refinery in northern Queensland; Other foreign firms and the troubles they have had with the Australian Government.

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article "More Competition, Better Support, Faster Broadband: What the Fast 100 Want From the Abbott Government" in the October 17-23, 2013 issue.

The author contends that the capacity of the Labor party in Australia to be an effective opposition will depend on who emerges as its leader, with the choice of a leader crucial to the party's recovery from the September 2013 election defeat and years of leadership instability and infighting.

The article looks at the implications of Clive Palmer's Senate seat victory in Australia in the September 7, 2013 election to his mining business which continues to face delays resulting to a drop in his assets.

The author comments on the disposition of Australian political parties, the National Coalition and the Labor Party amid the 2013 Australia federal election. He explains that the business industry prefers political stability to enhance trust among investors and consumers, and policies that cater to the economy. He discusses the initiatives of Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd such as the National Disability Insurance Scheme, and questions the parental leave plan from politician Tony Abbott.

The article reports on the sentiment among Australia's business leaders that the minority government of Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has not implemented a sufficient amount of policies to stimulate economic growth.

The article presents update on matters related to politics in Australia. It suggests a short list of who could be replaced in the Roy Fill project of Gina Rinehart of the Australian federal Parliament. A conversation between two politicians about the execution of a strategic vision is presented. Important political terms are defined, including class war, political ideology, opportunity costs, and off balance sheet entries.

The article provides information on the Australian government's 1.8 billion dollar program which provides tax incentives of up to 45% on spending for research and development, explains which companies are eligible, and provides resources for more information.

This section offers business news briefs as of April 2011, citing the Golder & Associates engineering firm's accusations that political uncertainty in Australia is hampering its ability to expand its businesses, and ParsonsBrinkerhoff's winning bid to develop mapping services for South Australia's mining infrastructure.

The article reflects on issues related to business and politics in Australia. The author describes two parallel universes relating to the issue of capital management or risk management. He points out some parallel universes in the world of finance. He comments on opposition leader Tony Abbott's stance on a fatal incident in Afghanistan. Also included are some definitions of business-related terminologies.