Morning Headlines

Gorgon’s CO2 burial faces more hold-ups

Chevron has further delayed the underground storage of carbon dioxide from the Gorgon LNG project in the Pilbara by up to nine months because of continuing technical problems. The West

Shorten declares election will be a referendum on wages

Labor Leader Bill Shorten will take the economic fight to Scott Morrison today and declare the next election to be a referendum about wages. The Fin

Brag and drag them to WA

Tourism Minister Paul Papalia wants West Australians to stop labelling Perth as the world’s most isolated city. The West

Prices slide a train smash for auction system

Sellers slashing property prices are luring buyers back to the market but not in large enough numbers to arrest the overall decline or spark a recovery, according to analysis by bankers, economists and brokers. The Fin

Candidate: Mal sexy, Tony sexist

A star Liberal preselection candidate for Julie Bishop’s seat of Curtin had previously told Tony Abbott to resign as prime minister, accused him of sexually harassing staff and criticised him for the party’s boats’ policy. The West

Barrick will press on with Newmont bid

Barrick Gold plans to proceed with a formal takeover offer for Newmont Mining, undeterred by Tuesday’s rejection by the target company’s board. The Fin

Gas price risking industry exodus           

Heavy industry on Australia’s east coast will be forced to shut and relocate operations to cheaper destinations overseas as big manufacturers wilt under the strain of persistently high gas prices, the competition regulator has warned. The Aus

All quiet on WA front for Landmark-Ruralco

Landmark Australia says its takeover plans for rival Ruralco involve retaining jobs in the bush and keeping the CRT brand alive, with no changes to privately owned agencies or franchises servicing country Australia. The West

Facebook sees no publishing imbalance

Facebook denies there is an imbalance of bargaining power between the social media giant and Australian publishers, saying there is no evidence for the competition regulator’s claim to the contrary. The Fin

The Australian Financial Review

Page W1: Labor Leader Bill Shorten will take the economic fight to Scott Morrison today and declare the next election to be a referendum about wages.

Australia risks being caught up in a new cold war that will force it to suffer economic pain to preserve its security should conflict between China and the US become unavoidable, warn prominent historian Niall Ferguson and former Treasurer Peter Costello.

Page 3: Sellers slashing property prices are luring buyers back to the market but not in large enough numbers to arrest the overall decline or spark a recovery, according to analysis by bankers, economists and brokers.

Page 4: Economists cut their growth forecasts following weaker than expected net exports numbers, as the Reserve Bank held the official interest rate a record low of 1.5 per cent for the 28th time in a row.

Page 7: An increasingly bitter preselection battle to replace Julie Bishop in her safe seat of Curtin could irreparably damage the two frontrunners and pave the way for mining transport executive Anna Dartnell to emerge through the middle, Liberal insiders say.

Page 8: Barrick Gold plans to proceed with a formal takeover offer for Newmont Mining, undeterred by Tuesday’s rejection by the target company’s board.

Page 11: The federal government rejected a proposal by Huawei to build a cyber security evaluation centre, an offer the Chinese telco claimed would have let authorities vet its equipment to make sure it was secure.

Mining giant Rio Tinto has flagged paying more special dividends as the impact of buybacks on its biggest shareholder continues to shape capital management plans for the year ahead.

Page 13: BHP called for a carbon price to arrest the growth in planet-warming greenhouse gases as it joined Bill Gates as an investor in a Canadian firm developing technology to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and convert it to fuel.

Page 16: Facebook denies there is an imbalance of bargaining power between the social media giant and Australian publishers, saying there is no evidence for the competition regulator’s claim to the contrary.

The Australian

Page 2: Heavy industry on Australia’s east coast will be forced to shut and relocate operations to cheaper destinations overseas as big manufacturers wilt under the strain of persistently high gas prices, the competition regulator has warned.

Page 3: Flight cancellations and delays increased last year, with new federal government figures showing airlines turned in a below-average on-time performance in 2018.

Page 4: Australia is facing an “incomes recession” — with flat wages growth driving a fall in living standards over the past three years greater than what occurred during the 1991-92 recession, ACTU-commissioned research finds.

Page 5: The Victorian Liberal Party is preparing to spend up to $1 million to save Josh Frydenberg’s heartland seat of Kooyong, amid alarm that key city seats will be swept away at the May election.

Page 7: Federal Attorney-General Christian Porter has intervened in a High Court case, arguing the term “parent’’ should be expanded to include sperm donors in certain cases who are not married or in a de facto relationship with the mother at the time a child is conceived, a move that could have far-reaching implications for thousands of donors and their children.

Page 17: An increasingly isolated Reserve Bank has left the official interest rate on hold at 1.5 per cent for the 31st month in a row, brushing off fears the economy is facing a sharp slowdown as the Chinese government formally ratchets down its growth target.

Page 19: The industry superannuation funds-backed ME Bank, rich-lister barrister Allan Myers and former federal super minister Nick Sherry are backing a new specialist retirement funding provider allowing retirees to use equity in the family home to fund their retirement expenses.

Page 20: US President Donald Trump’s trade war with Beijing is likely to roll into next year, Wall Street analysts have warned, despite hopes of a deal lifting markets.

The West Australian

Page 3: A study of more than 650,000 children has found conclusively that the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine does not cause autism, even in those at higher risk.

Page 6: Tourism Minister Paul Papalia wants West Australians to stop labelling Perth as the world’s most isolated city.

Page 8: A star Liberal preselection candidate for Julie Bishop’s seat of Curtin had previously told Tony Abbott to resign as prime minister, accused him of sexually harassing staff and criticised him for the party’s boats’ policy.

Page 11: There has been a renewed call for a ban on selling energy drinks to children after research found more than half of a group of WA 12 to 17-year-olds who had drunk an energy drink had suffered health effects.

Page 17: Some WA golf clubs could face legal action if they do not create more equal access for women, according to new guidelines.

Business: Chevron has further delayed the underground storage of carbon dioxide from the Gorgon LNG project in the Pilbara by up to nine months because of continuing technical problems.

Landmark Australia says its takeover plans for rival Ruralco involve retaining jobs in the bush and keeping the CRT brand alive, with no changes to privately owned agencies or franchises servicing country Australia.

Hemp Processors WA — established by local businessmen Steve Thomas and Peter Munachen — is about to finish harvesting its 15ha crop at Margaret River, while almost another 480ha, mostly in the South West, will be harvested by about 30 other licensed growers this month.

Curtin University has revealed it is spending $60 million overhauling and modernising its library, with Vice-Chancellor Deborah Terry saying it is responding to rapid advances in technology and changing community needs.

Residents of WA’s first five-star green-star apartment tower, Stirling Capital’s Cirque in Mt Pleasant, are expected to start moving in this month.