Morning Headlines

Rare earths key to minerals strategy

The federal government has highlighted rare earths mined by Lynas Corporation as critical to emerging technologies in a new minerals strategy to be released on Thursday to coincide with a milestone in downstream lithium processing. The Fin

Gascoyne buys time to fix mine

Embattled gold miner Gascoyne Resources was last night in the final stages of securing precommitments for a fresh equity raising of between $20 million and $25m. The Aus

Just a ‘Scare-BnB’ scam

WA’s powerful hotels lobby has accused Airbnb of orchestrating a sham grassroots campaign in favour of its business model after an inquiry into short-stay accommodation was flooded with dozens of almost identical submissions. The West

Tax plastic to save world’s oceans: Twiggy

Fortescue Metals chairman Andrew Forrest has called for a tax on plastic to head off the increasing environmental problems of plastic bottles and bags being thrown into the sea in third world countries. The Aus

Unions told to hit One Nation instead of Libs

Bill Shorten has directed union bosses to stop their “put the Liberals last” campaign and instead focus on punishing One Nation and Queensland senator Fraser Anning, as pressure mounts on Pauline Hanson to boot two of her most senior lieutenants. The Aus

NDIS shortfall of billions to boost budget

A failure by the National Disability Insurance Scheme to adequately pay providers could prop up the budget with the government expected to use an estimated $2.5 billion in unspent money to bolster the bottom line next week. The Fin

MacTiernan says coal-fired power stations’ days are numbered

Coal-fired power stations led by the ageing Muja facility will start to be wound down by as early as 2025 as renewable energy grabs a greater share of the electricity market, according to Regional Development Minister Alannah MacTiernan. The West

Clients to get trailing payment

Regulations to be released by Treasurer Josh Frydenberg today will require banks and other financial product manufacturers who are contractually required to pay trailing commissions to instead pass them on to clients. The Aus

The Australian Financial Review

Page 1: ASIC chairman James Shipton has called out the banks for resisting obeying the law and for spreading the myth of a credit squeeze triggered by a regulatory crackdown, saying his patience is wearing thin.

A failure by the National Disability Insurance Scheme to adequately pay providers could prop up the budget with the government expected to use an estimated $2.5 billion in unspent money to bolster the bottom line next week.

Page 3: The Morrison government is facing demands to urgently increase funding for a grant scheme to help exporters market their products overseas, and there are warnings that an ongoing budget squeeze is hampering businesses’ expansion ambitions.

Page 8: Microsoft’s president and chief legal officer Brad Smith has warned that the Australian government’s controversial anti-encryption laws are putting millions of dollars of foreign investment at risk, as companies and governments lose trust in the ability to safely host data in Australia.

Page 12: A jubilant Donald Trump is determined to ‘‘spend’’ his newly earned political capital from the Mueller report exoneration by goading the US Federal Reserve into cutting interest rates in the coming months to juice the economy before the 2020 presidential race

Page 15: Lynas Corporation boss Amanda Lacaze has delivered a stinging rebuke to Rob Scott-led Wesfarmers, rejecting an unsolicited $1.5 billion takeover proposal and reaffirming the rare earths miner’s capacity to overcome environmental issues in Malaysia.

Page 17: Telstra and Vodafone have denied claims they are systematically pressuring their sales staff to up-sell and cross sell products and plans, following new research by a consumer action group the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network.

Page 19: The government plans to crack down on confusing life insurance policies sold through superannuation, in its latest effort to address the perceived failures of the compulsory group life sector.

Page 22: The federal government has highlighted rare earths mined by Lynas Corporation as critical to emerging technologies in a new minerals strategy to be released on Thursday to coincide with a milestone in downstream lithium processing.

The Australian

Page 1: Bill Shorten has made a dramatic move to win back support from Chinese-Australian voters following last week’s disastrous NSW election defeat, declaring Labor is not a racist party and that he welcomes the rise of China as a global power.

Page 4: Bill Shorten has directed union bosses to stop their “put the Liberals last” campaign and instead focus on punishing One Nation and Queensland senator Fraser Anning, as pressure mounts on Pauline Hanson to boot two of her most senior lieutenants.

Scott Morrison could have an election war chest of up to $70 billion as expectations grow that the government will reveal next Tuesday that the budget is already in surplus.

Page 7: Rents in Australia's capital cities are likely to increase in the coming years as the construction pipeline of new apartments dries up, causing the current glut of apartments to become an undersupply by 2021.

Page 17: Regulations to be released by Treasurer Josh Frydenberg today will require banks and other financial product manufacturers who are contractually required to pay trailing commissions to instead pass them on to clients.

Page 18: Embattled gold miner Gascoyne Resources was last night in the final stages of securing pre-commitments for a fresh equity raising of between $20 million and $25m.

Page 19: Fortescue Metals chairman Andrew Forrest has called for a tax on plastic to head off the increasing environmental problems of plastic bottles and bags being thrown into the sea in third world countries.

Page 20: Origin Energy and AGL Energy will be asked to quit coal by 2030 and the big four banks and Macquarie to shutter any outstanding loans to OECD thermal coal mines by 2030 under proposed resolutions drafted by environmental activists Market Forces.

The West Australian

Page 3: Australia’s richest person Gina Rinehart faces the prospect of being cross-examined by her children on how she has operated the family’s $4 billion trust after a major setback in a marathon legal battle.

Page 4: More people are leaving Perth to live in other parts of Australia than are arriving from interstate to call WA home.

Page 8: Prime Minister Scott Morrison will splurge another $1.6 billion on infrastructure projects across WA, as the Coalition works to shore up voter support ahead of the May election.

Page 12: Trackless trams and electric scooters are being floated as possible transport solutions for congestion in Bunbury’s CBD.

Page 14: WA’s powerful hotels lobby has accused Airbnb of orchestrating a sham grassroots campaign in favour of its business model after an inquiry into short-stay accommodation was flooded with dozens of almost identical submissions.

Page 15: Mining billionaire Andrew Forrest has formally taken control of Cottesloe’s Indiana complex, announcing an architectural design competition that could see the site rebuilt to breathe new life into Perth’s most iconic beachfront.

Business: Coal-fired power stations led by the ageing Muja facility will start to be wound down by as early as 2025 as renewable energy grabs a greater share of the electricity market, according to Regional Development Minister Alannah MacTiernan.

Canadian gold miner RNC Minerals is inching towards the long-awaited sale of world famous gold specimens from its Beta Hunt gold mine near Kambalda.

Cedar Woods has paid $28 million for 20ha partly owned by the family behind the Kailis Bros seafood empire and next to the developer’s Ariella residential estate in the Swan Valley.