Morning Headlines

Coalition continues to slide down a slippery poll

Scott Morrison has failed to arrest the slide in support for the government, with his own approval rating taking another hit in the wake of Malcolm Turnbull’s tirade against those who plotted his downfall. The Aus

Miners fight refund cap

WA mining companies and the State Government are mounting a rearguard action against a push by the Federal Government to cap a tax break they say is vital to the emerging lithium industry. The West

Costello to stay on at Future Fund

Peter Costello has been reappointed chairman of the Australian government’s $149 billion sovereign wealth fund for a further five years, in a move certain to raise the ire of Labor. The Fin

PM push for states to set migrant rate

States and territories would have to submit to the federal government their annual requirements for skilled migrants and prove they had sufficient infrastructure, under a plan to fundamentally rewrite the way permanent migration levels are set by the commonwealth. The Aus

BHP restarts ore trains after wreckage cleared

BHP says it has resumed rail operations between its Pilbara iron ore mines and Port Hedland after the company had to derail a runaway train that severed the critical transport link last week. The West

Australia, Japan boost defence ties

Australia and Japan are expected to agree on a deal to facilitate larger and more regular joint military exercises, when Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visits Darwin this week, as China increases its influence in the region. The Fin

ANZ plans credit blitz on potential property borrowers

ANZ Banking Group is preparing a major overhaul of the way it assesses and checks mortgage loan applications including deep-dive analyses of applicants’ income and introduction of sophisticated credit checks. The Fin

The Australian Financial Review

Page 1: Australia and Japan are expected to agree on a deal to facilitate larger and more regular joint military exercises, when Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visits Darwin this week, as China increases its influence in the region.

US Vice President Mike Pence will continue the Trump administration’s assault on China’s ‘‘authoritarianism and aggression’’, using a speech in Australia’s backyard to business chiefs to outline America’s rival vision for the Indo-Pacific that extols the virtue of private investment over state-controlled funding to build regional infrastructure.

Page 2: ANZ Banking Group is preparing a major overhaul of the way it assesses and checks mortgage loan applications including deep-dive analyses of applicants’ income and introduction of sophisticated credit checks.

Page 6: Young workers in dangerous industries will continue to have to ‘‘opt out’’ of paying for insurance through their superannuation in a Morrison government backdown to try to get a win on changes designed to protect employees’ retirement nest eggs.

Page 7: Peter Costello has been reappointed chairman of the Australian government’s $149 billion sovereign wealth fund for a further five years, in a move certain to raise the ire of Labor.

Page 17: The major banks have assured the federal government they want to lend more to small business but warned the Hayne inquiry those plans could be derailed if it imposes more rigorous assessments of corporate borrowers.

Page 19: A financial adviser with clients invested in WorleyParsons says he is ‘‘disgusted’’ with its board for using a non renounceable rights offer when raising $1.1 billion from retail shareholders to help pay for the engineering group’s $4.6 billion acquisition of Jacobs’ engineering business.

Page 23: Australia’s second-largest listed childcare operator has signalled it may have already passed a low point in an oversupplied market, with revenues rising in the last week of October.

Page 36: Lendlease should spin off its poorly performing engineering business in the wake of a $350 million write-down, according to CLSA analysts.

The Australian                                                                                                                          

Page 1: States and territories would have to submit to the federal government their annual requirements for skilled migrants and prove they had sufficient infrastructure, under a plan to fundamentally rewrite the way permanent migration levels are set by the commonwealth.

Scott Morrison has failed to arrest the slide in support for the government, with his own approval rating taking another hit in the wake of Malcolm Turnbull’s tirade against those who plotted his downfall.

Page 17: Sixteen Queensland mines may be forced to shut and more than 2500 jobs may be lost under a rehabilitation plan proposed by Treasurer Jackie Trad that could lead to a $100 billion hit to the state’s commodity producers.

Page 18: Health insurers have argued reductions in their overhead costs will not move the dial on lowering premium increases as they push for sector-wide reforms to address the rising cost of healthcare.

Page 19: It is understood a submission to the Senate committee examining payday and other lending products will say that Afterpay created a new service based on a fundamentally different business model.

The West Australian

Page 1: One of Perth’s most prestigious private girls’ schools has reported several former employees to WA Police after a number of former students made allegations of sexual abuse.

Page 3: The Foodbank charity is demanding the Federal Government abandon plans to slash its funding amid warnings vulnerable people across the country may go hungry.

Page 14: WA mining companies and the State Government are mounting a rearguard action against a push by the Federal Government to cap a tax break they say is vital to the emerging lithium industry.

Business: BHP says it has resumed rail operations between its Pilbara iron ore mines and Port Hedland after the company had to derail a runaway train that severed the critical transport link last week.

Haulage at one of Rio Tinto’s Pilbara iron ore mines has been restricted after a truck travelled downhill too fast, raising more questions about safety at the company’s work sites.

The Rural, Regional and Remote Women’s Network of WA wants to set up an independent mediation service to address sexual harassment and workplace bullying complaints, similar to a model often used in workers compensation claims.