Morning Headlines

HECS relief: PM’s bid to close education gap

Teachers will have HECS debts waived if they work in remote indigenous communities, under a major initiative aimed at improving education outcomes and reforming the Closing the Gap process, which has failed to achieve almost all of the targets set more than a decade ago. The Aus

WA grain growers ‘ripped off’

The funding body partnering the McGowan Government in a $48 million grains research program for WA has been accused of short-changing the State’s growers. The West

Sumitomo powers up Perth Energy auction

A couple of energy heavyweights are scrapping over up-for-sale Western Australian electricity retailer and power plant owner Perth Energy. The Fin

Call for new Freo bridge

Tens of thousands of Perth motorists face “substantial” delays if the decaying Fremantle Traffic Bridge is not replaced within five years, the nation’s infrastructure tsar has warned. The West

BHP’s $1.3bn to lift US oil projects

BHP has committed more than $1.3 billion to oil and gas projects in the Gulf of Mexico in the latest step towards Andrew Mackenzie’s aim of increasing the company’s oil production. The Aus

The sound of prices going up

Homes in entertainment precincts such as Northbridge could get a lot more expensive, with plans to crack down on “whingers” who move close to pubs and nightclubs and then complain about the noise. The West

Follow-up to bank probe

The federal government has told the banks and regulators there will be a fresh industry inquiry in three years to ensure they have improved their behaviour and are treating customers better. The Fin

Medivac forms already signed for 300 refugees

Up to 300 refugees and asylum seekers on Manus Island and Nauru have obtained recommendations from treating doctors to enable them to be transferred to Australia under the new medivac legislation. The Aus

‘Treacherous’ politics hurting climate debate

Shell’s head in Australia, Zoe Yujnovich, has urged business to take the lead on reducing greenhouse gas emissions to send strong signals to the next government to introduce lower carbon policies. The Fin

Rising gold price makes Evolution think twice about acquisitions

Evolution Mining executive chairman Jake Klein says the gold sector is ripe for more consolidation but he remains wary of making acquisitions on a rising gold price. The Fin

Future Fund in $5bn asset sale

The Future Fund is working on selling $5 billion worth of assets, primarily in the infrastructure and commercial property sectors, as it prepares for the possibility of increased financial market volatility and takes advantage of the strong prices on offer from global investors. The Aus

Flinders to fight panel’s knockback of delisting

Flinders Mines is challenging a finding of unacceptable circumstances by the Takeovers Panel in connection with the junior company’s proposed delisting. The West

The Australian Financial Review

P1: The federal government has told the banks and regulators there will be a fresh industry inquiry in three years to ensure they have improved their behaviour and are treating customers better.

P2: The competition regulator will be looking for evidence Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PwC have co-ordinated their price, charging method or even their decisions around bidding on government work as part of its probe into the activities of the big four consulting firms, experts say.

P4: Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has told the banks and corporate regulator he wants more small businesses to be covered by the industry code of conduct despite long-running industry resistance to extending the protections.

P8: Shell’s head in Australia, Zoe Yujnovich, has urged business to take the lead on reducing greenhouse gas emissions to send strong signals to the next government to introduce lower carbon policies.

P9: Fallout from the Hayne royal commission would not accelerate house price falls and together with respectable wage growth is likely to keep the economy from further softening, economists said.

P11: China has introduced jail terms for operators of ‘‘underground banks’’ illegally helping tens of thousands of its citizens transfer money out of the country to buy property overseas, in a move developers warn is a big blow to Australia’s real estate market.

P13: Commonwealth Bank has admitted it is unable to stop charging fees to investors as ordered by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission as the bank works feverishly behind the scenes to meet the demands of the regulator.

P14: A couple of energy heavyweights are scrapping over up-for-sale Western Australian electricity retailer and power plant owner Perth Energy.

P18: Evolution Mining executive chairman Jake Klein says the gold sector is ripe for more consolidation but he remains wary of making acquisitions on a rising gold price.

P18: Kerry Stokes-backed Beach Energy is ramping up drilling and has added a gas project off the Victorian coast to further tap opportunities in east-coast gas, but has watered down speculation it is back on the acquisition hunt after the quicker-than-expected integration of the $1.585 billion Lattice Energy takeover.

P19: The economic slowdown in Australia triggered by falling house prices has filtered through to mechanics’ workshops, undermining profit growth for Australia’s biggest car parts supplier, Bapcor, which suffered a share price plunge of 10 per cent.

The Australian

P1: Teachers will have HECS debts waived if they work in remote indigenous communities, under a major initiative aimed at improving education outcomes and reforming the Closing the Gap process, which has failed to achieve almost all of the targets set more than a decade ago.

P1: Up to 300 refugees and asylumseekers on Manus Island and Nauru have obtained recommendations from treating doctors to enable them to be transferred to Australia under the new medivac legislation.

P5: Competition tsar Rod Sims has signalled he will lobby government for new laws cracking down on the harsh and unfair treatment of consumers by big business after losing a case against health insurer Medibank.

P7: Retrenched BuzzFeed Australia boss and founding editor Simon Crerar says the news group has a bright future, despite the sacking of 200 staff around the world as part of efforts to turn around its financial performance.

P8: The future of charity Angel Flight is in doubt after the Civil Aviation Safety Authority pushed through regulatory changes following two fatal crashes in seven years.

P9: Donald Trump has declared he is “not happy” with the border security deal reached by Democrats and Republicans but has stopped short of saying he would reject it and trigger another government shutdown.

P17: The recent spate of corporate scandals in Australia and around the world is a reminder that companies must do better to meet the higher expectations of society, former BHP chief executive Chip Goodyear says.

P18: The Future Fund is working on selling $5 billion worth of assets, primarily in the infrastructure and commercial property sectors, as it prepares for the possibility of increased financial market volatility and takes advantage of the strong prices on offer from global investors.

P19: Melbourne share trader Harry Hatch, who the tax office has hit with a $50 million tax bill, sent almost $1.5m to bank accounts in Greece over eight years, the Federal Court has heard.

P20: BHP has committed more than $1.3 billion to oil and gas projects in the Gulf of Mexico in the latest step towards Andrew Mackenzie’s aim of increasing the company’s oil production.

The West Australian

P1: Prosecuters are today set to argue why they believe Bradley Robert Edwards is the Claremont serial killer.

P3: The transparency of Gracetown’s fast-approaching smart drum-line trial has been bolstered by an agreement that will see two volunteer observers present when a shark is tagged and relocated.

P7: WA’s top union bosses have backed potentially an economy destroying push by the militant maritime union to review all BHP mining licences in the State amid an outcry over the sacking of local shipping workers.

P8: Tens of thousands of Perth motorists face “substantial” delays if the decaying Fremantle Traffic Bridge is not replaced within five years, the nation’s infrastructure tsar has warned.

P10: Angela Jones has run accommodation services on Christmas Island long enough to have seen her share of upswings and downturns.

P20: Homes in entertainment precincts such as Northbridge could get a lot more expensive, with plans to crack down on “whingers” who move close to pubs and nightclubs and then complain about the noise.

Business: The funding body partnering the McGowan Government in a $48 million grains research program for WA has been accused of short-changing the State’s growers.

Almost all jobs in mining in future will require skills in science, technology, engineering and maths, says Rio Tinto’s iron ore boss Chris Salisbury.

Flinders Mines is challenging a finding of unacceptable circumstances by the Takeovers Panel in connection with the junior company’s proposed delisting.

WAFarmers’ new chief executive Trevor Whittington wants to start a dialogue between the State’s two peak farm lobby groups about a possible merger of forces.

North American companies looking to escape a US-China trade war are tipped to beat out Asian deal-makers this year as the busiest overseas buyers of Australian mid-tier companies.