Welcome to this special election edition of Regulator.
Over the last nine months, the prospect of a Federal election influenced the direction and pace of legislative change. The events of the last two weeks, and specifically the deals reached with the Independents to form a government, will undoubtedly have an impact on the Government’s regulatory agenda. While a decision has been reached finally as to who will lead the country, much remains undecided.
In this second special election issue of Regulator, we consider the Government’s policy on a number of issues and the extent to which the negotiations of the last two weeks may have altered or compromised their position. Much of the detail is still to be determined, and we can expect each piece of law to be subject to ongoing and rigorous debate.
We hope you find this analysis helpful. We will continue to closely track changes across the legislative and regulatory spectrum in the weeks and months to come.
Best wishes
Stuart Fuller
Managing Partner
Workplace Relations
Andrew Gray
Partner, Workplace Employee Relations
During the election campaign, neither the ALP nor the Coalition proposed significant changes to workplace relations. The fundamental premise of the ALP campaign was that the Fair Work Act was the government’s policy.| Read more
Infrastructure
Jeff Clark
Partner, Banking & Finance
As part of the agreement to guarantee Andrew Wilkie's support, the ALP has committed funds for the urgent redevelopment of the Royal Hobart Hospital. To secure the support of Rob Oakeshott and Tony Windsor, the ALP pledged an additional $10 billion for investment in regional Australia, with a significant portion devoted to infrastructure. | Read more
Water
David O’Donnell
Partner, Property, Construction & Environment
The deal the Labor Party has made with the Regional Independents, coupled with support from the Greens, should ensure the minority Labor Government can implement its water policies in respect of the Murray Darling Basin and broader rural areas in NSW. | Read more
Banking
Katherine Forrest
Partner, Banking & Finance
As part of the ALP’s election policy platform the Gillard Government promised to introduce a “Fairer, Simpler Banking” policy in which it proposed reforms to the regulation of credit cards. | Read more