A FEDERAL report into the system of taxpayer subsidies for green activists’ activities reveals the current governance of the system needs an urgent overhaul, according to the Queensland Resources Council.

The report, from the House of Representatives Inquiry into the Register of Environmental Organisations, was handed down today, after launching early last year. 

Queensland Resources Council Chief Executive Michael Roche, who appeared as a witness at one of the Australia-wide hearings last year, said it was high time the light was shone onto the questionable activities of some green activist groups.

‘The myriad of evidence uncovered as a result of the inquiry reveals that some green activists – not all – may have been breaching the rules of the tax system,’ Mr Roche said.

‘Our submission to the inquiry identified alleged breaches of the Tax Act under the rules governing those registered on the Register of Environmental Organisations, on which almost all of the green activist groups are registered.

‘The recommendations from the inquiry include, abolishing the Register of Environmental Organisations, and making all organisations that claim Deductible Gift Recipient Status, come under the Charities Act – a move the QRC strongly endorses.

‘Such changes would ensure any groups using taxpayer funds would have to operate under the Charities Act, which the QRC believes has much stricter governance and rules compared to the existing Register of Environmental Organisations.’

Mr Roche also welcomed the recommendation that each environmental deductible gift recipient organisation must spend at least 25 per cent of its income on actual environmental remediation work.

‘For too long some activist groups have been unfettered in diverting taxpayer subsidised donations to campaigns against sectors such as resources and to litigation to disrupt and delay resource projects,' Mr Roche said.

‘A perfect example is the Australian Conservation Foundation case against the Adani Carmichael coal mine that commenced this week in the Federal Court.’

www.qrc.org.au

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THE Australian Retailers Association (ARA) is concerned for the future of the retail industry after the Fair Work Commission has today awarded an unmanageable $15.80 a week increase in the minimum wage.

From 1 July 2016, the National Minimum Wage will increase to $672.70 a week, or $17.70 per hour.  For retailers it will see the rate for shop assistants increase by $17.30 per week to $738.80 per week, or $19.44 per hour.

Executive Director Russell Zimmerman said the ARA advocated before the tribunal a realistic and manageable minimum wage increase of no more than $7.90 per week for the retail sector.

“We are obviously concerned about the effects this decision will have on retailers.

“Retailers and young Australians have been reliant on pay rates to enable retail to bring on low-skilled young staff and increase their skill levels, reducing youth unemployment. Many small to medium enterprise retailers are reliant on a minimum wage workforce, and the announcement today to increase wages during this time of low consumer confidence and low growth will sadly result in further job losses and business closures – a very distressing truth for retailers.

“The minimum wage increase, coupled with weak trade figures and penalty rates, will only cause further damage to retailers who are struggling to keep their heads above water as it is. With nervousness during the election period, weakening retail trade figures and global economic concerns the retail industry cannot simply keep up with excessive wage increases.

“The ACTU and SDA aren’t about creating jobs and opportunity but they now continue a low productivity/high wages agenda which will only harm retailers and their employees,” Mr Zimmerman said.

"There appears to have been no if little consideration taken into account of the fragile economy, risk to jobs or low growth for sectors such as retail by the Commission."

About the Australian Retailers Association:

Founded in 1903, the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) is the retail industry’s peak representative body representing Australia’s $300 billion sector, which employs more than 1.2 million people. The ARA works to ensure retail success by informing, protecting, advocating, educating and saving money for its 5,000 independent and national retail members throughout Australia. For more information, visit www.retail.org.au or call 1300 368 041.

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AUSTRALIAN small business owners have reacted positively to key measures introduced in the recent Federal Budget, new research from MYOB reveals.

Over half (56 percent) of small businesses believe that lowering the company tax rate to 27.5 percent for businesses with up to $10 million in revenue will  have a positive impact.

The latest SME Snapshot also found that SMEs support increasing the instant tax write-off eligibility to include businesses generating up to $10 million in revenue. The survey found that 50 percent of small businesses believe this eligibility increase would benefit their business.

“While this year’s budget has come under fire for favouring big business, the results show that the majority of Australian SMEs believe that lowering the company tax rate is an important reform and will encourage growth.  For every dollar a small business spends with a big business, big businesses spend $2 with small businesses – it is an ecosystem and we need to make sure all parts are healthy,” said Tim Reed, CEO of MYOB.

The survey also revealed that 72 per cent of SMEs agreed growth would be encouraged through widening the definition of a small business. Tim Reed believes this move will result in SMEs feeling less restrained when it comes to planning for business success.

“It’s encouraging to see these barriers to growth removed. The previous system discouraged SMEs to grow beyond $2 million in revenue because they lose the benefits of being a small business. Small businesses often rely on bigger businesses as customers – without stimulating investment in bigger business, small businesses won’t receive the positive flow on effect,” said Mr Reed.

In this month’s survey, small businesses were also asked if they were in favour of the reduction in GST codes from seven to three as part of the government’s BAS simplification trial. Not surprisingly, almost half of the businesses surveyed (47 per cent) were in favour of the new measure.

Youth Jobs PaTH – Prepare, Trial, Hire

SMEs were also asked how likely they would be to employ someone under the age of 25 years through the Federal Government’s new PaTH initiative. Encouragingly, almost a third of SMEs (31 percent) confirmed they were likely or very likely to consider hiring a job seeker through this program. Younger business owners, aged under 40 years, were more likely (58 per cent) to use the program to hire young people.

“I believe we all should be very encouraged by these results. If just a small portion of Australia’s 2M SMEs took part in this new initiative and consider hiring a young Australian it will be a big success. There are nearly a quarter of a million young Australians out of work, so it is great to see SMEs becoming part of the solution to youth unemployment.

“With millennials set to define the future of the Australian workforce, we encourage small businesses to be a part of this internship program, and do what they can to create opportunities for the younger generation,” said Mr Reed.

www.myob.com

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Statement from Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chief Executive Mark Stone
 
The Victorian Chamber welcomes the release of the Victorian Auditor-General’s Report on reducing the burden of red tape, which was tabled in Parliament this week.
 
The Victorian Chamber has long championed the cause of red tape reduction, most recently in our 2016-17 State Budget Submission.
 
The Auditor General’s recommendations echo the calls of the Victorian Chamber to increase the level of public reporting on red tape reduction initiatives and to engage with businesses and the community to identify red tape priorities.
 
The report notes that a number of positive practices are being demonstrated by regulators and government agencies, including a sustained focus on red tape reduction; more rigorous assessments of the impact of red tape cuts and improvements in consultation.
 
However, the report also found that more needs to be done to understand how the red tape burden is changing in response to Victoria’s evolving economy, better assess whether past reforms have delivered on their objectives and engage more widely on red tape initiatives across government.
 
The Victorian Chamber will continue to work with the Government, the Red Tape Commissioner and the Commissioner for Better Regulation to reduce the burden of regulation on Victorian business.

The Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, established in 1851, is the most influential business organisation in Victoria, informing and servicing more than 15,000 members, customers and clients around the state.

victorianchamber.com.au

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