Abbott won’t say sorry
The Coalition government and opposition have split over national security after Prime Minister Tony Abbott ruled out apologising for the tapping of the mobile phone of Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, his wife and senior ministers. The Fin
Benefits, costs of NBN under scrutiny
Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull is finalising a three-member expert panel to assess the cost and benefits of building the Coalition’s slimmed-down national broadband network. The Fin
Sirius takes a wake-up call
Sirius Resources’ new-found love from institutional investors has a sting in the tail – the nickel hopeful yesterday copped an unexpected protest vote sparked by proxy advisers at its annual meeting in Perth. The West
Facebook ads meet 457 visa test
Employers will need to advertise only on Facebook or their own company website as proof they have sought Australians to fill jobs before applying to bring in foreign workers. The Aus
Qantas goes to Canberra as battle heats up
The federal government is unlikely to rush to help Qantas in its appeal to stop rival airline Virgin Australia from undercutting its operation with the help of foreign funds, arguing that what Virgin is doing is not illegal. The Fin
Quay hotel wins support
A $200 million, 18-storey luxury hotel to be built alongside Elizabeth Quay has been given the green light by the City of Perth. The West
Cut car industry support: FMG
Fortescue Metals Group chief executive Nev Power has called for the abolition of taxpayer-funded protection of the car industry, warning that Australia will ‘‘end up looking like Greece’’ if the government bows to special interest groups. The Aus
GrainCorp sale ‘to hit farming costs’
The Coalition has been warned of threats to farming costs from a $3.4 billion bid for the nation’s biggest grain handler as independent MPs try to pressure the government into blocking the deal. The Aus
The Australian Financial Review
Page 1: The Coalition government and opposition have split over national security after Prime Minister Tony Abbott ruled out apologising for the tapping of the mobile phone of Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, his wife and senior ministers.
Page 6: Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull is finalising a three-member expert panel to assess the cost and benefits of building the Coalition’s slimmed-down national broadband network.
Australia Post has been invited to petition the government’s Commission of Audit to take on government service delivery, possibly including Centrelink, Medicare, state and local government responsibilities, according to its chief executive Ahmed Fahour.
Page 7: The main public sector union has dismissed claims by the federal government that it was unaware until now that funding cuts implemented by Labor adopted by the Coalition would translate into thousands of job losses even before the Coalition’s cuts.
Page 8: The federal government is unlikely to rush to help Qantas in its appeal to stop rival airline Virgin Australia from undercutting its operation with the help of foreign funds, arguing that what Virgin is doing is not illegal.
Page 10: Big retailers and grocery manufacturers want the Abbott government to persuade state and local governments to reduce the regulation of trading hours, product labels and land zoning.
Page 11: Institutional investors representing $1 trillion in funds have called on the Abbott government to clarify how its Direct Action policy will meet long-term emissions reduction targets, to avoid putting future investment at risk.
Page 12: The Australian economy is vulnerable to high labour costs and house prices and is too weak to weather deeper federal budget cuts, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Page 13: Suncorp Group boss Patrick Snowball has criticised Australian life insurers for being too reliant on financial advisers to sell policies and for failing to build direct ties with customers, and called on the federal government to address the sector’s troubles during the coming inquiry into the financial sector.
Page 15: Ruralco managing director John Maher said the board would consider selling its Elders stake after reporting a 44 per cent drop in underlying net profit to $8.7 million.
Page 28: The potential sale of Harvey Fresh could result in the biggest shake-up in the Western Australian dairy market since private equity firm Archer Capital bought Brownes Foods in March 2011.
The Australian
Page 1: The ABC is paying eight broadcasters more than $250,000 a year, with Q&A and Lateline host Tony Jones leading the pack on an annual salary of more than $350,000.
Page 2: The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has slashed its estimates for Australian and global growth next year and warned that difficulties in the emerging world could send our commodity prices plunging.
The number of unemployed people who found a job through the government-funded Jobs Services Australia dropped by more than 15 per cent in the final year of the Labor government.
More than 26,000 workers are expected to leave the public service over the next four years, according to new figures that intensify a political brawl over whether the Coalition can deliver on its $5.2 billion cut to the federal workforce.
Page 3: Employers will need to advertise only on Facebook or their own company website as proof they have sought Australians to fill jobs before applying to bring in foreign workers.
Page 4: Bill Shorten has broken ranks with Tony Abbott over the handling of the Indonesian spying furore calling on the Prime Minister to consider the US handling of a similar crisis with Germany, which prompted leaked reports of a personal apology from the US President to the German Chancellor.
Page 6: The Labor government went to the last election knowing its much-vaunted $20 billion reform of the armed forces and the Defence Department ‘‘could not be fulfilled’’.
Some Tasmanians who thought themselves lucky to be among the first to access the National Broadband Network have instead been left with no internet at all for an indefinite period.
The election of the top four senators from Western Australia is not in dispute, electoral commissioner Ed Killesteyn has said, but the commission’s chief legal officer, Paul Pirani, has told a Senate estimates hearing that the AEC had no option but to call on the Court of Disputed Returns to void all six Senate spots from the state.
The Coalition has been warned of threats to farming costs from a $3.4 billion bid for the nation’s biggest grain handler as independent MPs try to pressure the government into blocking the deal.
Page 8: Hong Kong’s Peninsula Hotel Group is scouring Sydney and Melbourne for a site to build one of its six-star hotels — but the company says it could take as long as 30 years to find the right location.
Page 19: GPT yesterday threw down the gauntlet to Dexus Property Group in a titanic battle to become Australia’s largest office property owner, launching a $3 billion counterbid for the Commonwealth Property Office Fund.
The federal government has priced the biggest Australian dollar bond issue and its first with a 20-year maturity as investors continue to clamour for good returns on AAA-rated debt.
Australia’s biggest dairy company, Victoria-based Murray Goulburn, will reveal plans to list part of the proud farmer-owned co-operative on the Australian stock exchange at its annual meeting on Friday.
Page 20: Fortescue Metals Group chief executive Nev Power has called for the abolition of taxpayer-funded protection of the car industry, warning that Australia will ‘‘end up looking like Greece’’ if the government bows to special interest groups.
Engineering company Monadelphous says it has started the financial year strongly but warned that profit margins remain under pressure and revenues will soften in the second half as several major projects reach completion.
Mining giant Rio Tinto is continuing to divest non-core assets under chief executive Sam Walsh, with listed junior explorer Mozambi Coal buying two coal exploration licences from the mining giant in Queensland.
Page 21: The Kerry Stokes-controlled mining and media empire Seven Group plans to harness chief executive Don Voelte’s previous career in the global petroleum industry with an expansion into the energy, agribusiness and water industries.
The founder and chief executive of internet service provider iiNet, Michael Malone, will step down from his position for up to six months ‘‘to recharge, re-energise and prepare’’ for new challenges facing the company, mainly the National Broadband Network.
The West Australian
Page 3: More than $800 million of Federal funding for WA road projects remains in doubt, including for two key roads in the State’s north that will service the mining boom.
Page 5: Indonesia could eject Australian spies and diplomats from Jakarta in retaliation for Tony Abbott’s refusal to apologise for large-scale phone tapping operations in the country.
Page 6: WA businesses have hit out at red tape, saying it is driving up costs and raising prices for consumers.
The State Government will today introduce legislation to scrap 43 redundant Acts of Parliament from WA’s statute books as part of “Repeal Week” – a bid to streamline government processes and cut red tape.
Page 10: The State Government has extended Sunday trading by four hours for Christmas in a move businesses say will help fend off the attack from online shopping.
A $200 million, 18-storey luxury hotel to be built alongside Elizabeth Quay has been given the green light by the City of Perth.
Page 12: Rural Liberal MPs have given the Premier figures outlining the per capita distribution of Royalties for Regions cash to press him into taking control of the fund from the Nationals, who they accused of “blatant pork-barrelling”.
Page 17: Local Government Minister Tony Simpson has hit out at local councils that have used rate-payer money to fund campaigns telling residents they will lose services through council mergers.
Clive Palmer has formed an unusual rainbow alliance with three other crossbench MPs to demand Parliament strip Treasurer Joe Hockey of his authority over the proposed American takeover of GrainCorp.
Business: Sirius Resources’ new-found love from institutional investors has a sting in the tail – the nickel hopeful yesterday copped an unexpected protest vote sparked by proxy advisers at its annual meeting in Perth.
Millionaire iiNet founder and managing director Michael Malone has given shareholders an iron-clad guarantee he will return after announcing a surprise sabbatical from the company for up to six months.
WA’s environmental watchdog has fired an extraordinary shot across the bows of the State Government, warning the balance between the environment and development has become skewed towards industry.
Seven Group Holdings managing director Don Voelte has flagged an expansion into oil and gas through resource ownership.
More storm clouds are gathering over Woodside Petroleum’s year-old ambition to become a key player in Israel’s fledgling oil and gas sector amid delays to an exploration well that is to test a 1.3 billion oil prospect beneath the massive Leviathan gas field.