Vodafone boss to head NBN
Vodafone chief executive officer Bill Morrow will be crowned the new CEO of the NBN on Thursday as the government releases a strategic review of the NBN. The Fin
WA gas on outer as BHP backs US shale
BHP Billiton’s large, undeveloped Western Australian gas resources will take a back seat to US shale and offshore Gulf of Mexico fields as the mining major chases the most lucrative opportunities in its increasingly US-focused petroleum business. The Fin
Holden’s dramatic exit puts Toyota at risk
The federal government faces demands for billions of dollars in ongoing assistance to South Australia and Victoria after General Motors Holden decided to quit manufacturing in Australia, putting at risk the future of Toyota’s Melbourne plant and the entire automotive component industry. The Fin
Hockey mends fences with tick for Chinese coal deal
Treasurer Joe Hockey has put Australia’s foreign investment image back on track after taking an unprecedented decision to drop conditions attached to the Chinese government-owned Yanzhou Coal’s majority ownership of Australia’s biggest listed coal producer, Yancoal Australia. The Aus
BHP plays down FLNG role
BHP Billiton has hosed down any thoughts of excitement the Scarborough gas field, 300km off the Pilbara coast, could become WA’s next floating LNG operation, insisting yesterday “it would really like to look at existing infrastructure” before committing to a new development. The West
U-turn by Labor on childcare rebate
Labor and the Greens will combine in the Senate today to block the Abbott government’s proposed freeze on the indexation of the $7500 childcare rebate, despite Labor first proposing the freeze in its last budget. The Aus
Leighton Gorgon project gets sinking feeling as Hochtief boss jets in
Hochtief chief executive Marcelino Fernandez Verdes is making his first visit to Australia this week since the outbreak of the Leighton Iraq bribery scandal, as crunch-time looms for the Australian group’s troubled Gorgon jetty project in Western Australia. The Aus
Forced job cut law delay
The Barnett Government will not get its Bill to introduce forced redundancies to the public service through Parliament this year after an 11th hour deal was struck last night to guarantee the passage of the Verve-Synergy merger legislation. The West
The Australian Financial Review
Page 1: The federal government faces demands for billions of dollars in ongoing assistance to South Australia and Victoria after General Motors Holden decided to quit manufacturing in Australia, putting at risk the future of Toyota’s Melbourne plant and the entire automotive component industry.
Page 3: Clive Palmer’s personal and business interests include more than 100 companies, investment properties, a golf course, aircraft and vintage cars, according to a detailed list of assets required to be submitted to Parliament.
Page 4: The ABC will publish audits of its editorial coverage by external reviewers and survey the “mood of the nation” in response to claims it has a left-leaning bias.
Page 5: Vodafone chief executive officer Bill Morrow will be crowned the new CEO of the NBN on Thursday as the government releases a strategic review of the NBN.
Page 10: The political fallout from Holden’s decision to shut down local car making is likely to be a short-term plus for South Australia’s Labor Premier Jay Weatherill as he strives to retain power at an election on March 15 next year, but the economic blow will be more far-reaching.
Page 11: Defence Minister David Johnston is considering the privatisation of the government’s monopoly arms purchaser, the Defence Materiel Organisation, as part of a broader defence shake-up.
Page 13: Trade Minister Andrew Robb has promised the final text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, which is raising concerns over such issues as pharmaceutical prices, will be made public and subject to parliamentary scrutiny before Australia signs the agreement.
Page 15: China has been granted an indefinite reprieve from obligations to reduce its stake in Yancoal Australia following a shock foreign investment ruling by the Abbott government which is expected to be fiercely contested by the Australian coal miner’s minority shareholders.
Page 17: BHP Billiton’s large, undeveloped Western Australian gas resources will take a back seat to US shale and offshore Gulf of Mexico fields as the mining major chases the most lucrative opportunities in its increasingly US-focused petroleum business.
Discount retailer Aldi has rejected Woolworths’ allegations it has been copying leading grocery brands and has indicated it may be prepared to sign the grocery code of conduct.
Page 18: Bega Cheese executive chairman Barry Irvin says a super Australian dairy company could be formed if Murray Goulburn accepts its bid for Warrnambool Cheese and Butter.
The Australian
Page 1: The Coalition has dismissed fears Holden’s decision to abandon Australian car making will plunge the nation into recession but has pushed the case for workplace reform to prevent the collapse of other manufacturers struggling with a high dollar and rising costs.
Page 2: The ABC will undertake a series of sweeping reviews of its content after chairman Jim Spigelman conceded the public broadcaster needed to address allegations of bias and rebalance the airtime it gave to left-wing issues such as gay marriage, to focus more on mainstream concerns such as electricity pricing.
Page 3: Labor and the Greens will combine in the Senate today to block the Abbott government’s proposed freeze on the indexation of the $7500 childcare rebate, despite Labor first proposing the freeze in its last budget.
Page 4: Treasurer Joe Hockey has put Australia’s foreign investment image back on track after taking an unprecedented decision to drop conditions attached to the Chinese government-owned Yanzhou Coal’s majority ownership of Australia’s biggest listed coal producer, Yancoal Australia.
Page 6: Holden managing director Mike Devereux says it should be ‘‘no surprise’’ that Holden will end its Australian operations in 2017, after months of uncertainty over the company’s future.
Page 7: South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill will meet Tony Abbott today to demand hundreds of millions of dollars to bail out the ailing state economy.
Component manufacturers, unions and industry experts say up to 200,000 jobs could be at risk as Ford and Holden stop manufacturing in Australia by late 2017.
Page 19: Salaries paid to Gina Rinehart’s senior executives at her flagship private company, Hancock Prospecting, more than doubled in the past year to $56 million, despite a fall in profits as iron ore prices weakened.
Hochtief chief executive Marcelino Fernandez Verdes is making his first visit to Australia this week since the outbreak of the Leighton Iraq bribery scandal, as crunch-time looms for the Australian group’s troubled Gorgon jetty project in Western Australia.
Page 21: Credit ratings agency Standard & Poor’s does not expect Qantas to recover its investment grade rating in the near term as it grapples with a ‘‘structural shift’’ in the competitive landscape.
BIG W chief Julie Coates says the supply chain program she has been tasked with running will set up parent company Woolworths for a decade of earnings growth.
Investors nervously waded back into QBE Insurance yesterday, halting the savage sell-off despite warnings of lower dividends and potentially further pain from its troubled US operations.
The West Australian
Page 4: Cattle shipped from Fremantle are the centre of an investigation into what Animals Australia describes as the worst animal cruelty it has seen in the live export industry.
Page 9: The Barnett Government will not get its Bill to introduce forced redundancies to the public service through Parliament this year after an 11th hour deal was struck last night to guarantee the passage of the Verve-Synergy merger legislation.
Page 14: Colin Barnett says his Government’s new shark policy has the support of the silent majority of West Australians.
Page 17: Fuel industry profits have climbed to their highest in a decade on the back of high priced premium unleaded petrol, milk and chocolate.
Page 18: Perth’s rental crisis is over with listings up almost 80 per cent in the past 12 months.
Page 19: A big surge in interstate visitors has fuelled an unprecedented WA tourist boom.
Business: BHP Billiton has hosed down any thoughts of excitement the Scarborough gas field, 300km off the Pilbara coast, could become WA’s next floating LNG operation, insisting yesterday “it would really like to look at existing infrastructure” before committing to a new development.
Collie’s Premier Coal will remain solely in the hands of its Chinese backers after Treasurer Joe Hockey yesterday tore up foreign ownership conditions set out by former treasurer Wayne Swan.
A cornerstone stake in Perth window furnishing company Kresta Holdings changing hands may lead to closer ties with a Chinese manufacturer.
Investors have committed at least $10 million to a VDM Group capital raising that will fund its planned transition to a Chinese-controlled international mining services company.