Morning Headlines

Invesco eyes Chevron tower deal

Perth has emerged as one of the hottest investment destinations in Australia with US heavyweight Invesco heading the field of bidders to buy a half-stake in the $800 million headquarters Brookfield is developing for US oil and gas group Chevron. The Aus

Shorten reaches out to miners

Bill Shorten has moved to build bridges with business just days from the election with a significant concession on industrial relations and confirmation he will hold a national economic summit within weeks, if elected. The Fin

It’s a star-spangled job opportunity

Julie Bishop has been backed in by the United States as a frontrunner to take over as US ambassador from Joe Hockey after Labor leader Bill Shorten yesterday said he wanted to discuss the role with her. The West

Revealed: the $50m-plus self-managed super funds

New Tax Office statistics show there are approximately 60 self-managed super funds with balances in excess of $50 million and a handful with balances greater than $100 million, Quantum Financial independent adviser Tim Mackay says. The Fin

Australia urged to lift game on Chinese vetting

Canberra needs to toughen its screening of Chinese researchers and engineers to keep members of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army from working in Australia and to stem the theft of sensitive military secrets, according to new laws introduced to US Congress. The Fin

West has hopes of building kickstart

Western Australia’s housing experts say allowing first-home buyers to purchase a home with a 5 per cent deposit will benefit its flagging economy and a housing construction sector that has halved since 2014. The Aus

Coles targets health food market

Coles is eyeing off a greater slice of the billion-dollar health foods category, a segment of the supermarket aisle that is growing sales at twice the rate of other groceries, and will launch this morning its new brand, Wellness Road, that is targeting shoppers hungry for healthier options. The Aus

Greens stoke cattle fears

WA’s livestock industry fears a ban of all live exports from Australia, claiming the Greens will coax a Bill Shorten-led government into killing the live cattle trade. The West

The Australian Financial Review

Page 1: Bill Shorten has moved to build bridges with business just days from the election with a significant concession on industrial relations and confirmation he will hold a national economic summit within weeks, if elected.

Page 2: Former prime minister Julia Gillard is playing a lead role in the global push to stop bullying and sexual harassment in the legal profession after a study of 7000 lawyers revealed an ‘‘endemic’’ problem, with Australia one of the worst offenders.

Page 3: New Tax Office statistics show there are approximately 60 self-managed super funds with balances in excess of $50 million and a handful with balances greater than $100 million, Quantum Financial independent adviser Tim Mackay says.

Page 4: A $1.24 billion loan arranged by UBS Australia for the government of Papua New Guinea may have breached 15 laws in the Pacific Island nation, according to the watchdog in Port Moresby, which labelled the deal ‘‘highly inappropriate’’ and ‘‘speculative’’.

Page 8: Wages are growing at 2.3 per cent per year but economists say this is still not enough to keep the Reserve Bank of Australia from cutting interest rates.

Page 10: An election advertising blackout kicked off at midnight on Wednesday across all radio and TV, but social media is still fair game for the parties as they ramp up the online advertising three days out from the May 18 election.

Page 11: Labor’s $1.6 billion bid to restore Australia’s foreign aid program will need more than the cash injection to achieve its aims, experts say.

Page 13: Canberra needs to toughen its screening of Chinese researchers and engineers to keep members of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army from working in Australia and to stem the theft of sensitive military secrets, according to new laws introduced to US Congress.

Page 15: The $5 billion business finance company run by Bundaberg farmer-turned-billionaire Lex Greensill is poised to start raising capital in the Australian market within six to 12 months, injecting a huge supplier into the local bond market.

Mobile technology is now a real threat to the national broadband network and any analysis of the potential for competitors to enter the market must consider this fact, says Singtel Optus chief executive Allen Lew.

Page 17: The $768 million acquisition of Canada’s Atlantic Gold may be the launching pad for further deals in North America, according to St Barbara managing director Bob Vassie.

Page 19: The Australian Securities and Investments Commission wants banks, super funds and insurance companies to slash turnaround times for customer complaints.

The Australian

Page 1: Scott Morrison will deliver his final pitch to Australians today offering a commitment to aspiration, home ownership, low taxes and personal liberty while warning voters against surrendering control of their lives and their wallets to Canberra under a radical Labor experiment.

Page 4: Australia is to import wheat for the first time in more than a decade, a move fuelled by the severe drought on the east coast, with more shipments tipped as the Agriculture Department assesses further requests.

Google and Facebook’s “unprecedented” power must be reined in before it’s too late, leading experts at top US and European universities say, arguing their clout has snuffed out any hope of competition.

Page 6: Western Australia’s housing experts say allowing first-home buyers to purchase a home with a 5 per cent deposit will benefit its flagging economy and a housing construction sector that has halved since 2014.

Page 9: Bill Shorten has indicated Labor would consider offering a diplomatic post to Julie Bishop if he wins on Saturday, including potentially the plum job of ambassador to the US.

Page 11: The US has ordered all non-essential, non-emergency government staff to leave Iraq immediately, amid escalating tensions with its neighbour Iran.

Page 19: Coles is eyeing off a greater slice of the billion-dollar health foods category, a segment of the supermarket aisle that is growing sales at twice the rate of other groceries, and will launch this morning its new brand, Wellness Road, that is targeting shoppers hungry for healthier options.

Page 22: Perth has emerged as one of the hottest investment destinations in Australia with US heavyweight Invesco heading the field of bidders to buy a half-stake in the $800 million headquarters Brookfield is developing for US oil and gas group Chevron.

The West Australian

Page 6: Just four plants are holding up the mining of $100 million worth of gold that would provide more than 100 jobs and support a small struggling town in the Wheatbelt.

Page 7: Julie Bishop has been backed in by the United States as a frontrunner to take over as US ambassador from Joe Hockey after Labor leader Bill Shorten yesterday said he wanted to discuss the role with her.

Page 10: It has been labelled Perth’s most exclusive new address but the multimillion-dollar apartment towers at Elizabeth Quay have been plagued by leaks and building defects, with some owners refusing to move in and demanding compensation.

Page 11: Thousands of WA children who struggled with computer connection problems while doing their NAPLAN writing test online may be allowed to sit the test again — and use a pen and paper.

Page 14: A fashion chain that once had nearly 20 stores across Perth and the South West has become the latest victim of WA’s tough retail climate.

Page 19: Junior doctors have rated Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital as Perth’s worst big public hospital in a survey, giving it a fail mark in almost every area.

Page 22: There are further calls for a crackdown on unregistered Airbnb operations as Perth moves into the second half of its biggest hotel boom.

Business: The resources industry has welcomed Labor’s plan to help Australian mega-projects compete for global capital by providing greater industrial relations certainty.

The #MeToo movement has been cited as a key factor in a record number of company bosses losing their jobs last year because of dodgy behaviour.

WA’s livestock industry fears a ban of all live exports from Australia, claiming the Greens will coax a Bill Shorten-led government into killing the live cattle trade.

The historic Central Norseman gold mine could be restarted within 12 months under a joint venture between Kimberley producer Pantoro and the project’s existing owners.