Media

Those campaign banners are now packed away and the re-elected Baird Coalition government can begin settling in for a four-year term. Not that it should get too comfortable, because there’s some more persuading to be done.

The Abbott government sparked a brawl by adopting a fossil fuel-friendly energy strategy that puts it sharply at odds with generators and climate and renewables activists.

Gas producers are bracing for an inquiry into competition in gas supply expected to be announced as part of a far-reaching Energy white paper, to be released by Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane on Wednesday.

Treasury has set out the case for increasing reliance on GST and greater use of land tax to pay for cuts to company tax and property stamp duties.

Australians must prepare for a “complete reset” in their ­approach to economic reform as rapid social change overturns the status quo, the nation’s peak business group is warning in a new campaign to build a consensus for urgent change.

The Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association (Appea) has called for the withdrawal of market interventions such as domestic gas reservation policies, after the Productivity Commission released a report stating that such measures were unlikely to be effective or efficient in the long run.

Major Victorian gas buyer Australian Paper has called for government intervention to help industrial energy consumers adapt to the price increases they are facing on natural gas or risk seeing operations closed or relocated, with thousands of jobs jobs lost.

The Abbott government has thrown open the doors to a broad-ranging debate on tax reform – from changing the rate and base of the goods and services tax to increasing capital gains tax, reducing superannuation concessions, removing dividend imputation, and dealing with bracket creep by indexing income tax thresholds.

With analysts warning of a gas supply "cliff" or sudden shortfall in the next 12 to 18 months, manufacturers are wondering how they will cope with uncertain supply and steeply rising prices.

Nigel Garrard, Managing Director of Orora, interviewed on Sky News' Switzer segment yesterday, says Australia is exporting its economic advantage.