Morning Headlines

Urban infill ‘will save us $30 billion’

WA taxpayers could save $30 billion over the next three decades if new housing is confined to areas already earmarked for development, a Federal parliamentary inquiry will be told in Perth today. The West

Migrant numbers in sharp plunge

Australia’s permanent migration program is on track to fall this year to pre-2010 levels through tighter vetting rules, with the estimated cut anticipated to exceed the controversial 20,000 floated among cabinet ministers last year but ultimately rejected. The Aus

Draft energy design trims big powers’ wings

The Energy Security Board has issued a draft design outlining a light touch approach to the National Energy Guarantee that will make it easier for small retailers to challenge the market power of energy giants such as AGL Energy, EnergyAustralia and Origin Energy. The Fin

Energy plan to punish WA: report

WA stands to be financially punished again, with the Federal Government’s energy policy likely to pass on much of the burden for cutting carbon emissions to the State’s industry and miners. The West

Turnbull admits to tensions in China relations

Malcolm Turnbull has admitted ongoing “tension” in the Australia-China relationship following the government’s crackdown on foreign interference last year, which has triggered a backlash from business leaders and universities. The Aus

Forrest’s gas plan

Andrew Forrest wants to accelerate his radical plan to bring new sources of LNG to desperate industrial customers in NSW by the end of next year. The Fin

Wyatt denies union favoured

Ben Wyatt has denied caving in to union interference after it emerged that a green energy investment vehicle spun out of Synergy had sold a stake to a union-backed superannuation fund. The West

Protests halt Rio’s S Africa operation

Rio Tinto’s Richards Bay mineral sands operation in South Africa remains shuttered after protests by contractors who supply the business blocked access to the mine. The Fin

Netanyahu angst over live trade

Sara Netanyahu said her husband, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, will do what he can to end the “tremendous cruelty” of Australia’s live export trade and she will lobby her friend Lucy Turnbull over the issue. The Aus

MP ups pressure on ATO over ‘toxic’ culture

Labor has called on the Turnbull government to consider the role of temporary workers and external consultancies in the public service as part of an urgent investigation into the Australian Taxation Office, after revelations of unfair treatment of small business and working Australians. The Fin

The Australian Financial Review

Page 1: The Energy Security Board has issued a draft design outlining a light touch approach to the National Energy Guarantee that will make it easier for small retailers to challenge the market power of energy giants such as AGL Energy, EnergyAustralia and Origin Energy.

Page 2: Andrew Forrest wants to accelerate his radical plan to bring new sources of LNG to desperate industrial customers in NSW by the end of next year.

Page 3: Australian scientists have just made a giant leap in our understanding of the immune system.

More women were appointed to boards of blue-chip companies than men in the first three months of the year, the first time the scales have tipped in favour of female directors since the Australian Institute of Company Directors began keeping records in 2015.

Page 5: The head of ASX-listed investment company Grandbridge has won a case over the firing of his long-serving personal assistant after she became embroiled in a power play against him.

Page 9: Ratings agencies warn mortgage delinquencies will increase moderately in 2018 as house prices soften, especially against low wage growth and possible interest rate increases.

Page 10: Labor has called on the Turnbull government to consider the role of temporary workers and external consultancies in the public service as part of an urgent investigation into the Australian Taxation Office, after revelations of unfair treatment of small business and working Australians.

Page 11: The Turnbull government has attacked unions’ bid for industry-wide bargaining and strike rights as ‘‘policy madness’’ that would cripple the economy, calling on Labor to condemn the proposal.

Page 12: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has acknowledged that regulation of social media companies is ‘‘inevitable’’ and has disclosed that his own personal information has been compromised by malicious outsiders.

Page 16: Street Talk understands Bis Industries has tapped Deutsche Bank to advise on a $250 million-odd refinance, which will aim to lure banks back into the business after a rocky ride with former owner KKR & Co.

Page 17: Rio Tinto’s Richards Bay mineral sands operation in South Africa remains shuttered after protests by contractors who supply the business blocked access to the mine.

Page 19: S&P Global Ratings says bank investors should be prepared for more volatility in banks’ reported profits, as a new global accounting standard being introduced in Australia this year will increase bad debt provisions as economic conditions deteriorate.

The Australian

Page 1: Australia’s permanent migration program is on track to fall this year to pre-2010 levels through tighter vetting rules, with the estimated cut anticipated to exceed the controversial 20,000 floated among cabinet ministers last year but ultimately rejected.

Cricket Australia will receive more than $1 billion over six years after selling its domestic media rights to Foxtel and a free-to-air network, with Nine tipped to lose the sport for the first time in four decades.

Page 2: Malcolm Turnbull has admitted ongoing “tension” in the Australia-China relationship following the government’s crackdown on foreign interference last year, which has triggered a backlash from business leaders and universities.

Sara Netanyahu said her husband, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, will do what he can to end the “tremendous cruelty” of Australia’s live export trade and she will lobby her friend Lucy Turnbull over the issue.

Page 3: The West Australian government is expected to propose increasing the legal smoking age to 21 at a meeting of health ministers today.

Page 4: Persecuted white South African farmers have started applying for entry to Australia under the humanitarian program, with the number of applications expected to grow as Liberal MPs push for a special intake of up to 10,000 people.

Page 6: Foxtel, one of Australia’s biggest advertising spenders, is slashing its digital marketing budget with Facebook, partly in the wake of revelations that Cambridge Analytica improperly handled data on 87 million users.

Page 8: Clive Palmer says he has lodged a $1.8 billion counterclaim against Queensland Nickel’s liquidators, who are seeking $300 million owed to creditors from the company’s collapse two years ago.

Page 10: Jobs Minister Michaelia Cash will today announce more than a million Australians have been assisted into employment under the government’s jobactive scheme, with nearly 80 per cent placed into permanent positions.

Page 19: Billionaire Andrew Forrest has urged Australian politicians to stop their anti-Chinese rhetoric, warning it will affect future business talks between the two countries.

New Zealand’s decision to ban oil and gas exploration could lead to the country becoming more reliant on coal, Australia’s oil and gas lobby has warned.

Page 21: Oil Search and its partners have taken another step towards an expansion of the Papua New Guinea liquefied natural gas project after they unveiled a big jump in the resource base of one of their key gasfields.

The West Australian

Page 1: A much-vaunted Labor election pledge to keep three more police stations open 24/7 to give the public better access has been branded a “waste of resources”, with hardly anyone using the service.

Page 6: WA taxpayers could save $30 billion over the next three decades if new housing is confined to areas already earmarked for development, a Federal parliamentary inquiry will be told in Perth today.

Page 7: WA stands to be financially punished again, with the Federal Government’s energy policy likely to pass on much of the burden for cutting carbon emissions to the State’s industry and miners.

Page 24: The gap between the earnings of Australia’s youngest and oldest workers has widened by almost 30 per cent since the start of the decade, a report reveals.

Business: Ben Wyatt has denied caving in to union interference after it emerged that a green energy investment vehicle spun out of Synergy had sold a stake to a union-backed superannuation fund.

Rio Tinto has come under fire at its London annual meeting for paying bonuses to executives in a year when two of its workers died on the job.

The chairman of underground mining contractor Byrnecut has hit out at the State Government’s curbs on payroll tax exemptions for training for discouraging investment.

Mt Gibson Iron boss Jim Beyer says the wide price spread across ore with varying iron ore grades is here to stay.