WA tourism in dismal predicament
Figures to be released today show a 5.2 per cent fall in interstate visitor numbers last year — about 75,000 fewer people. The West
Westpac to crack down on property borrowers
Westpac Group, the nation’s second largest mortgage lender, is set to announce a new crackdown on income and spending information borrowers provide about their finances when seeking a property loan. The Fin
Budget bounce boosts Wyatt
Treasurer Ben Wyatt has flagged an improved debt and deficit position in the State Budget after revealing higher-than-expected revenue sources for the first time since he took the job. The West
Shock and AWE: Stokes may stop Mitsui takeover
A stand-off between Kerry Stokes and AWE is looming with no indication the Seven Group chairman intends to support Mitsui’s $600 million takeover bid for the company. The Aus
Company tax cut delayed by two holdout senators
The Turnbull government has called on business to intensify its lobbying efforts after it scrapped plans to secure the passage of its company tax cuts legislation before Easter because it could not swing the last two Senate votes needed. The Fin
Crackdown on life insurance
Executives in the $34 billion Australian life insurance industry would face the same tough regulations as bankers under wide-ranging proposals from an 18-month parliamentary investigation into the scandal-plagued sector that found bonuses and “hidden payments” led to bad advice and unsuitable policies for customers. The Aus
WA centres lag eastern big guns
WA’s biggest shopping centres have struggled to maintain their rankings in this year’s Big Guns Shopping Centre News Survey, with only Lakeside Joondalup and Garden City breaking into the top 20 by overall turnover. The West
Stalling wages put sector in the game
Stalled wages growth over recent years has allowed Australian agribusiness to become competitive again, which has put the sector “back in the game” in terms of exports, according to some of the sector’s biggest manufacturers. The Aus
The Australian Financial Review
Page 1: The Turnbull government has called on business to intensify its lobbying efforts after it scrapped plans to secure the passage of its company tax cuts legislation before Easter because it could not swing the last two Senate votes needed.
Page 2: Tony Abbott has tightened his embrace of former adversary Pauline Hanson, declaring the Coalition should harvest One Nation preferences to win the next federal election and that political leaders are ‘‘always better the second time around’’.
Page 4: Newsagents and lottery sellers have welcomed the federal government’s moves to ban betting on lotto and keno games, with the crackdown on so-called synthetic gambling products expected to win crossbench support in Parliament.
Page 5: A rift has opened up between accountants and Tax Commissioner Chris Jordan after he accused tax agents of presiding over more rorting of work-related expenses than people who file their own tax returns.
Page 6: Westpac Group, the nation’s second largest mortgage lender, is set to announce a new crackdown on income and spending information borrowers provide about their finances when seeking a property loan.
Page 8: Changes to Labor’s plan to deny refunds for excess franking credits will result in almost 86 per cent of the losses being confined to the nation’s wealthiest 10 per cent, new analysis shows.
Page 12: The proportion of Australians who own and manage their own businesses continues to shrink, say new census figures that show they also are getting older, and are increasingly female.
Page 15: Fortescue Metals Group’s plan to raise iron grades has taken on extra importance after the miner conceded an improvement in prices for its iron ore had not eventuated as expected.
Glencore is yet to agree to sell its 8.27 per cent stake in takeover target Avanco Resources, but analysts believe there is little chance of the Swiss miner launching a bid for the copper junior that rivals the $444 million offer lobbed by OZ Minerals yesterday.
Page 17: An uptake of electric cars in Australia similar to the rate seen in Norway would provide a $2.9 billion injection for the economy by 2030 and lift net employment by 13,400, a study has found.
Page 18: It ranks as one of Australia’s worst floats, with more than $500 million in shareholder value destroyed in less than three years, but there’s a bitter battle raging over the future of online surf and skate wear retailer SurfStitch.
Page 19: An unusual spike in short-term funding rates could hit bank profits by up to 4 per cent and force a repricing of mortgage rates and business loans, according to analysts.
The Australian
Page 1: The Turnbull government’s decision to expel two Kremlin spies as part of a global response to Russia’s chemical-weapon attack on a double agent in Britain was a calculated move to send Moscow a message that ASIO was targeting its espionage activity in Australia.
Australia should focus on lowering energy costs rather than guaranteeing reliability, Australian Competition & Consumer Commission chairman Rod Sims said yesterday, as he declared high energy prices to be the biggest crisis facing the nation.
Page 5: Most Australians believe the Age Pension is a welfare safety net although about a third of voters from all major parties see it as an entitlement after a lifetime of paying taxes.
Electric vehicles pose a threat to national power networks as next-generation cars with bigger batteries multiply household electricity demand by up to 20 times, a new study reveals.
Page 19: Executives in the $34 billion Australian life insurance industry would face the same tough regulations as bankers under wide-ranging proposals from an 18-month parliamentary investigation into the scandal-plagued sector that found bonuses and “hidden payments” led to bad advice and unsuitable policies for customers.
Page 20: A stand-off between Kerry Stokes and AWE is looming with no indication the Seven Group chairman intends to support Mitsui’s $600 million takeover bid for the company.
Page 22: Stalled wages growth over recent years has allowed Australian agribusiness to become competitive again, which has put the sector “back in the game” in terms of exports, according to some of the sector’s biggest manufacturers.
The West Australian
Page 1: Figures to be released today show a 5.2 per cent fall in interstate visitor numbers last year — about 75,000 fewer people.
Page 13: Cottesloe has overtaken the superrich enclave of Peppermint Grove to become WA’s most well-to-do area, data reveals.
Page 16: Water at Perth Children’s Hospital has been cleared of lead contamination, paving the way for the $1.2 billion facility to open in May, almost three years late.
Page 17: Treasurer Ben Wyatt has flagged an improved debt and deficit position in the State Budget after revealing higher-than-expected revenue sources for the first time since he took the job.
Page 21: An electrical contractor who paid a City of Perth facilities manager in recognition for being hired to do almost $350,000 worth of work at Council House has been spared an immediate jail term.
Business: Mineral Resources has revealed graphite as its next major investment in the battery minerals space with a deal to take a majority stake in Hexagon Resources’ McIntosh project in the Kimberley.
Property: The developers of Leadlight Hotel in Northbridge have resubmitted their plans for the site, opting for a radical 10-level sustainable timber design by Klopper and Davis Architects.
There was simply no need for World Trade Center proponents to build over the central Perth railway line, according to Multiplex WA regional managing director and former WA Property Council president Chris Palandri.
WA’s biggest shopping centres have struggled to maintain their rankings in this year’s Big Guns Shopping Centre News Survey, with only Lakeside Joondalup and Garden City breaking into the top 20 by overall turnover.