Morning Headlines

PM’s cash splash for oldies

The Morrison government is considering pre-election cash handouts to pensioners and families in an effort to make sure the entire electorate will have a reason to vote for the Coalition, not just those who will benefit from already legislated tax cuts. The Fin

Super fund seeks licensing bans

The chief executive of the nation’s biggest superannuation fund has said poor performing funds should be stripped of their licences and banned from providing default super products to stop members continuing to be hurt by systemic low returns. The Aus

Forrest’s charity calls for cashless card to stay

WA mining magnate Andrew Forrest’s charity arm has fired back after Federal Labor cast doubt on the future of the cashless welfare card in the Goldfields. The West

Shippers support miners’ move to drop iron ore vessels

Australia’s high labour costs are responsible for the move by miners BHP and BlueScope to stop using cargo ships MV Mariloula and MV Lowlands Brilliance to transport iron ore, shipping companies say. The Fin

AMP faces another $2b hit

Financial advice powerhouse AMP could be forced to fork out more than $2 billion to pay back customers charged for services never provided, a leading investment bank has warned. The West

Bush banking customers face lock-outs

Millions of regional Australians without a local bank branch may be left in the lurch after negotiations between small customerowned banks and Australia Post broke down over the ability of customers to use post offices for everyday banking transactions. The Aus

ACCC urges NBN customers to claim refund

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has urged national broadband network customers experiencing poor internet speeds to seek refunds from their retail service providers, after an initiative to address misleading advertising of NBN plans fell flat.  The Fin

Brickworks joins battle over franking

The trickle of listed investment companies paying special dividends to shareholders to beat Labor’s franking credit changes is threatening to become a flood. The Aus

Talk flows of another gold tie-up

Rumours are swirling that Gold Fields could be eyeing a merger with its bigger South African rival AngloGold Ashanti, as the industry experiences a wave of consolidation. The West

Autism support scaled back as NDIS tries to rein in blowout

The average NDIS support package for children with developmental delays is now less than half what was budgeted and autistic children are also receiving less than expected, after a cost-cutting drive targeting three conditions. The Aus

The Australian Financial Review

P1: The Morrison government is considering pre-election cash handouts to pensioners and families in an effort to make sure the entire electorate will have a reason to vote for the Coalition, not just those who will benefit from already legislated tax cuts.

P1: Defence Minister Christopher Pyne will arrive in China to a fresh diplomatic row today, after an Australian academic went missing and according to a friend is being held for spying by authorities in Beijing.

P2: Former deputy tax commissioner Michael Cranston has argued he was seeking to help the Tax Office avoid bad publicity when he tried to get the agency to talk to his son’s business associates, who were under investigation.

P4: Australia’s high labour costs are responsible for the move by miners BHP and BlueScope to stop using cargo ships MV Mariloula and MV Lowlands Brilliance to transport iron ore, shipping companies say.

P5: The new generation of tennis stars led by Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas and Japan’s Naomi Osaka are serving up record results for Australian Open broadcasters, sponsors and crowds, despite the shock exit of tennis greats Roger Federer and Serena Williams.

P6: After defying gloomy predictions of a supply glut and price slump in 2017 and 2018, this year may finally see LNG markets tank, and while that’s a concern for exporters, it offers some – if not much – hope of easing prices for manufacturers in the eastern states.

P8: An ABS jobs data release on Thursday will be closely watched by the Reserve Bank of Australia, with the central bank hoping employment growth will continue to hold up consumer spending, economists say.

P9: The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has urged national broadband network customers experiencing poor internet speeds to seek refunds from their retail service providers, after an initiative to address misleading advertising of NBN plans fell flat. 

P15: Challenger is blaming market volatility for its earnings downgrade, but analysts are flagging there might be more hurdles ahead for Australia’s largest annuities provider.

P16: Foot traffic in retail stores continued to fall in January after the worst December on record, dragging down samestore sales at under-pressure discretionary retailers and auguring poorly for the sector this year.

P34: This year will be make or break for Australia’s fledgling build-to-rent industry as tenants start to move into the first crop of apartments in the emerging asset class.

The Australian

P1: The average NDIS support package for children with developmental delays is now less than half what was budgeted and autistic children are also receiving less than expected, after a cost-cutting drive targeting three conditions.

P1: A group of conservative Coalition MPs is backing a push to legislate January 26 as the day the nation marks Australia Day to protect the date from campaigners wanting to move the celebration.

P2: The pay gap between men and women has not changed in the past 10 years, with women still earning on average 11 per cent less an hour than men.

P4: The chief executive of the nation’s biggest superannuation fund has said poor performing funds should be stripped of their licences and banned from providing default super products to stop members continuing to be hurt by systemic low returns.

P4: A feud over Liberal preselection in the federal NSW seat of Gilmore erupted yesterday when Scott Morrison defended his captain’s call to install Warren Mundine and accused the previous candidate of attempting to “bully” his way into the seat.

P5: Millions of regional Australians without a local bank branch may be left in the lurch after negotiations between small customer-owned banks and Australia Post broke down over the ability of customers to use post offices for everyday banking transactions.

P19: The trickle of listed investment companies paying special dividends to shareholders to beat Labor’s franking credit changes is threatening to become a flood.

P21: Commonwealth Bank has officially switched on Apple Pay, bowing to pressure from its customers, after flagging the move last month.

P22: Buy now, pay later firm Flexigroup has supported self-regulation of the sector, calling for the creation of a tailored industry code of practice.

P23: Chinese interest in Australia’s residential property market fell 20 per cent in 2018, hit by Australia’s foreign buyer taxes and financing restrictions, with the trend set to continue this year.

The West Australian

P5: WA mining magnate Andrew Forrest’s charity arm has fired back after Federal Labor cast doubt on the future of the cashless welfare card in the Goldfields.

P7: Premier Mark McGowan has taken the extraordinary step of banning union heavy Christy Cain from access to his office as part of an escalating brawl between the militant Maritime Union and the State Government.

P18: Agricultural Minister Alannah MacTiernan has refused to consider harsher laws to protect farmers from animal activists, despite calls for action from the Federal Government.

Business: Financial advice powerhouse AMP could be forced to fork out more than $2 billion to pay back customers charged for services never provided, a leading investment bank has warned.

Australia may never get the full benefit of the Federal Government’s $10 billion plus investment into rail infrastructure if it doesn’t take steps to help cut red tape and improve productivity in the industry, according to the boss of one of Australia’s biggest rail haulers.

The Muchea Livestock Centre says drought conditions in the Midwest and Gascoyne are responsible for the poor condition of some cattle in their sales yards, after vegan animal activists shared confronting photos on social media following their storming of the facility on Monday.

Rumours are swirling that Gold Fields could be eyeing a merger with its bigger South African rival AngloGold Ashanti, as the industry experiences a wave of consolidation.

Canada’s RNC Minerals says it has struck grades of more than 7500g a tonne in a major drilling campaign in its bid to follow up a once-in-a-lifetime discovery at its Beta Hunt goldmine near Kambalda.

Woodside could quadruple the size of its Pluto LNG truck loading facility that signed its first customer this week.