Coalition’s honeymoon cut short
Federal Labor has forged ahead of the Coalition for the first time in more than three years, ending in record time the honeymoon for a newly elected government. The Fin
Forge investors in limbo
Forge Group remained shrouded in uncertainty last night amid investor worries over its recapitalisation and prospects for an immediate return to trading. The West
States to bear cost of taxing online sales
The federal government is leaning towards applying the goods and services tax to more online purchases from overseas but will insist the states lead the public campaign for such a move and bear some or all of the costs. The Fin
Spy backlash shuts Aussie teachers out
Jakarta schools are suspending English language classes taught by Australian teachers. The West
Back to drawing board for Gonski
Education Minister Christopher Pyne has declared the new Coalition government will go ‘‘back to the drawing board’’ on the administration of billions of dollars in school funding, claiming Labor’s so-called Gonski reforms are a ‘‘shambles’’ and impossible to implement. The Aus
Sinosteel bosses to meet over WA railway delays
Chinese metals giant Sinosteel will hold crucial meetings in Sydney this week to try to solve the multibillion dollar infrastructure bottleneck that has stalled development of iron ore deposits in Western Australia. The Fin
Shift to local processing ‘needs Federal funds’
One of Australia’s biggest cattlemen has hit out at the Federal Government and politicians for failing to support investment in onshore processing to reduce the industry’s dependence on live exports. The West
The Australian Financial Review
Page 1: Australia’s intelligence community is defending its foreign operations, including the tapping of the phones of top political leaders, despite calls for the Abbott government to rule out further surveillance of the Indonesian president and his family.
Federal Labor has forged ahead of the Coalition for the first time in more than three years, ending in record time the honeymoon for a newly elected government.
Page 3: The federal government is leaning towards applying the goods and services tax to more online purchases from overseas but will insist the states lead the public campaign for such a move and bear some or all of the costs.
Page 5: Voters have given the thumbs down to the Coalition’s direct action carbon policy while the Australian Industry Group has raised concerns about its lack of detail and the inadequate time for consultation.
Page 7: Australian diplomats are working behind the scenes to resolve a last minute hitch finalising a global trade deal which Indonesia wants to conclude at a summit next month in Bali.
Page 8: Chinese metals giant Sinosteel will hold crucial meetings in Sydney this week to try to solve the multibillion dollar infrastructure bottleneck that has stalled development of iron ore deposits in Western Australia.
The corporate regulator will monitor trades by individual investors it suspects of insider trading, following the biggest upgrade to its technology systems since it assumed responsibility for market surveillance in 2009.
Page 13: SingTel-Optus chief executive Kevin Russell says customer service will prove to be more important than mobile network quality, arguing the carrier’s strategy was to gradually improve technology while focusing on fairer pricing.
Page 21: The Coalition faces questions over how a raft of costly election pledges to increase support for regional students will be funded as Parliament considers $2.3 billion in cuts to higher education.
Page 33: Foxtel chief executive Richard Freudenstein will call on the Abbott government to scrap cross-media limitations, anti-siphoning regulations and restrictions on access to spectrum, saying they “distort business decisions and stifle innovation”.
Page 35: Hoyts Group executives are closely watching the $1.9 billion to $2.2 billion Nine Entertainment Group float, but the privately-owned cinema chain wants to bed down a new online movie service before considering exit options.
The Australian
Page 1: Education Minister Christopher Pyne has declared the new Coalition government will go ‘‘back to the drawing board’’ on the administration of billions of dollars in school funding, claiming Labor’s so-called Gonski reforms are a ‘‘shambles’’ and impossible to implement.
Indonesia is preparing to respond within days to Tony Abbott’s attempts to bridge a diplomatic rift with the country as Labor steps up pressure for an ‘‘urgent’’ end to the spying scandal.
Page 2: Unions have called on the UN International Labour Organisation to take urgent action to push the Abbott government to back down on plans to reinstate a strengthened national construction industry watchdog.
Page 4: Australia’s richest person, Gina Rinehart, has urged parents to buy books for their children this Christmas that ‘‘inspire a new generation of entrepreneurs’’, suggesting they begin with the works of free-market economists Milton Friedman and Ayn Rand.
Page 5: Convicted inside trader turned star witness John Hartman has been thrown a lifeline by Andrew ‘‘Twiggy’’ Forrest, after the billionaire mining magnate employed the 28-year-old to work on his private business and philanthropic ventures.
Page 6: Foreign ownership of Australian food and farming businesses is once again in the spotlight, with the Chinese government embroiled in a heated row with north Queensland sugarcane growers.
Page 18: A new gloom has descended over the mineral sands industry, with a raft of price and profit downgrades for the sector, which had only just begun to recover from the share-price thrashing of the past two years.
Severe winter gas shortages in northern China have been forecast to continue until at least 2020, raising the potential for Australia’s burgeoning LNG export industry to tap surging seasonal demand for increased spot cargo deliveries at higher pricing levels.
Page 19: Saputo could announce as early as today a change in its takeover tactics towards Warrnambool Cheese & and Butter, possibly including buying the target’s shares on-market as it strives to get around complications in its bid.
Tensions have escalated between Brickworks and high-profile investors Mark Carnegie and Perpetual over a $2.2 billion proposal to unlock the company’s cross-ownership structure with Washington H Soul Pattinson, with the matter now heading to court.
The West Australian
Page 10: The Abbott Government has confirmed a revamp of Labor’s school funding reforms is on the cards, promising in the lead-up to polling day it was on a “unity ticket” to support the changes.
Page 11: Jakarta schools are suspending English language classes taught by Australian teachers.
Page 12: Perth’s historic Chinatown will be revamped after the State Government committed $2 million to returning it to its former glory by the end of 2015.
Page 14: A top business group has savaged the centrepiece of Tony Abbott’s direct action climate change policy, warning it would be hard to cut carbon emissions.
Page 15: The push to lower the GST threshold on overseas purchases will get a fresh boost on Wednesday with treasurers to be given a report on options.
Page 16: One of the Mid West’s biggest investors has warned that billions of dollars worth of iron ore developments across the region could be “mission impossible” unless key infrastructure projects are built. This includes the shelves $6 billion Oakajee port project.
A reclusive farmer who often hid to avoid contact with people has died leaving an estate estimated at $5 million to his tiny Wheatbelt community of 600 people.
Business: Forge Group remained shrouded in uncertainty last night amid investor worries over its recapitalisation and prospects for an immediate return to trading.
Neptune Marine Services is back in the black.
One of Australia’s biggest cattlemen has hit out at the Federal Government and politicians for failing to support investment in onshore processing to reduce the industry’s dependence on live exports.
