Morning Headlines

BHP and BlueScope to sink local crews after 17 years

Almost 80 Australian seafarers will lose their jobs after BHP and BlueScope quietly brought an end to their use of the last two Australian-manned iron ore vessels. The Aus

$170m to aid mental health across WA

Mental health will get a $170 million boost as part of a Federal Government overhaul set to reward service providers that deliver outcomes in their communities. The West

O’Dwyer lashes super ‘rent seekers and ticket clippers’

Kelly O’Dwyer has become the first cabinet minister in the Morrison government to back the prospect of the Future Fund managing people’s superannuation, as she ripped into the industry’s ‘‘many rent seekers and ticket clippers’’. The Fin

Gold rush warnings after $14bn mega-deal

One of the biggest beneficiaries of the last wave of destructive gold acquisitions has warned that history could be repeating itself after US gold giant Newmont Mining reclaimed the crown of the world’s biggest gold producer through a $US10 billion ($13.8bn) takeover of rival Goldcorp. The Aus

Office in five-year, $1b revival

Primewest’s $86 million purchase of A-grade office Eni House, 226 Adelaide Terrace, nudged Perth office sales over $1 billion last year. The West

Banks plan exit from ‘uninvestible’ Britain

Australia’s major banks are putting in place contingency plans to deal with the uncertain fallout from Brexit, setting up subsidiary offices in cities such as Frankfurt and Amsterdam to ensure they can still operate effectively across Europe. The Fin

Dividends paid early to beat ALP

The guardians of some of the nation’s trillions of dollars in equities investments are adjusting their strategies in anticipation of a Shorten government, with the $360 million Mirrabooka fund yesterday paying a special dividend to shareholders six months early, ahead of Labor’s planned changes to franking credits. The Aus

Infrastructure funding pipeline in doubt

Australia could be at risk of losing its appeal to international infrastructure investors who are being increasingly called upon to help fund the nation’s $700 billion worth of development projects. The Aus

The Australian Financial Review

P1: Kelly O’Dwyer has become the first cabinet minister in the Morrison government to back the prospect of the Future Fund managing people’s superannuation, as she ripped into the industry’s ‘‘many rent seekers and ticket clippers’’.

P1: China has put private sector tax cuts at the frontline of president Xi Jinping’s battle to combat a slowdown in the world’s second-largest economy with a package of rebates for millions of small companies economists say is worth 2 trillion yuan ($410 billion).

P1: Australia’s major banks are putting in place contingency plans to deal with the uncertain fallout from Brexit, setting up subsidiary offices in cities such as Frankfurt and Amsterdam to ensure they can still operate effectively across Europe.

P13: Private equity player BGH Capital will ramp up the university-pathway business of education company Navitas if its revised $2.1 billion offer for the company succeeds, which looks likely after directors said they would recommend it in the absence of a superior bid.

P14: Kmart’s sudden fall from grace has reignited questions about whether there is room in the $15 billion discount department-store market for three major chains.

P15: Village Roadshow looks set for a bitter and protracted board and family dispute over the leadership and future direction of the film, cinema and theme parks business.

P17:National Australia Bank has blamed a data centre failure for Friday’s outage in internet and mobile banking but has said the incident was not linked to the bank’s shift to cloud-based infrastructure.

P29: A reliance on residential sales in the current market downturn is weighing heavily on investors and their outlook of two of Australia’s largest developers, Mirvac and Stockland, in the next 12 months.

P29: Australia’s listed residential developers may have taken a share-price hit with the downturn in housing, but contrarian investor Allan Gray says it’s now time to invest in one of them that has been oversold – the $500 million Perth-based Peet.

The Australian

P1: The guardians of some of the nation’s trillions of dollars in equities investments are adjusting their strategies in anticipation of a Shorten government, with the $360 million Mirrabooka fund yesterday paying a special dividend to shareholders six months early, ahead of Labor’s planned changes to franking credits.

P2: Australia’s tax treatment of new business investment is the third worst in the world, imposing punishing effective tax rates that can rise above 50 per cent, an OECD report shows.

P4: The Australian Building and Construction Commission has launched two legal proceedings against construction union officials for swearing during separate safety disputes on Queensland projects.

P6: Poor grouting work, damaged hob beams, a metal bar cut too short and precast concrete panels that did not fit are some “design and construction issues” that led to major damage and evacuations at Sydney’s Opal Tower.

P15: Australia could be at risk of losing its appeal to international infrastructure investors who are being increasingly called upon to help fund the nation’s $700 billion worth of development projects.

P16: One of the biggest beneficiaries of the last wave of destructive gold acquisitions has warned that history could be repeating itself after US gold giant Newmont Mining reclaimed the crown of the world’s biggest gold producer through a $US10 billion ($13.8bn) takeover of rival Goldcorp.

P17: Australian health insurer HBF is conducting a wide review of its services, promising to voluntarily address any concerns rather than wait for a future royal commission to force change.

P17: Almost 80 Australian seafarers will lose their jobs after BHP and BlueScope quietly brought an end to their use of the last two Australian-manned iron ore vessels.

P17: Wesfarmers shares rebounded somewhat yesterday as analysts shifted their focus to the stability of the company’s Bunnings brand and away from the sales downturn at Kmart, which had investors concerned on Monday after a lacklustre trading update.

The West Australian

P16: Mental health will get a $170 million boost as part of a Federal Government overhaul set to reward service providers that deliver outcomes in their communities.

Business: Former Navitas boss Rod Jones has defended his conduct during a $2 billion privatisation bid for the education provider he helped found 25 years ago.

Former Quintis boss Frank Wilson’s plans to open a sandalwood retail store in the western suburbs are nearing fruition.

Primewest’s $86 million purchase of A-grade office Eni House, 226 Adelaide Terrace, nudged Perth office sales over $1 billion last year.

OviDrive, a Leederville-based start-up, is bad news for workers in corporate fleet management.

Property: The WA Planning Commission and City of South Perth are working overtime behind the scenes to avoid an ugly public confrontation over the planning stalemate on the South Perth peninsula.