Morning Headlines

Power deal ‘will cost State’

The State Government and Opposition are at loggerheads over a 2014 power deal said to be costing taxpayers as much as $600 million and obstructing energy competition in the North West. The West

Coonan lands top position at Minerals Council

Former Liberal senator Helen Coonan will be the mining sector’s top voice in Canberra after being made chairman of the Minerals Council of Australia. The Fin

Push to curb industry super power

Retail superannuation funds are pushing the re-elected Morrison government to quickly reshape the $650 billion default superannuation system in line with recommendations by the Productivity Commission and the banking royal commission – changes that would erode the advantages enjoyed by union-influenced industry funds. The Fin

Kogan hiked prices, then offered discounts

Online retailer Kogan.com raised the prices of more than 600 products by at least 10 per cent immediately before offering 10 per cent discounts last June, the competition regulator alleges. The Fin

Pharmacy call for flu shots

WA parents should be able to take their child to a pharmacist for the flu shot, according to the profession’s peak representative body, as a snap survey found some medical centres were struggling to keep up with demand while others had run out of the vaccine. The West

ScoMo’s win ‘stops slide’ in housing

The fall in capital city house prices may be nearing an end with the re-election of a Coalition government, loosening of lending capacity and looming rate cuts spurring confidence in Australia’s $7 trillion housing sector. The Aus

Boost urges early 5G access for virtuals

Virtual telcos in Australia should be given early access to 5G networks, according to Boost Mobile founder Peter Adderton, who warns that consumers will steer clear of 5G services despite the hype. The Aus

Families & workers lost faith

Labor is losing votes from Christians, blue-collar workers and families with children, according to new analysis of electorate data. The Fin

The Australian Financial Review

Page 1: Retail superannuation funds are pushing the re-elected Morrison government to quickly reshape the $650 billion default superannuation system in line with recommendations by the Productivity Commission and the banking royal commission – changes that would erode the advantages enjoyed by union-influenced industry funds.

Page 3: The new head of DP World has urged the maritime union to address ‘‘unsustainable’’ workplace arrangements or risk the introduction of robots and continued declines in workers’ earnings.

Actor Geoffrey Rush has been awarded almost $2 million in lost earnings, bringing the total payout from his defamation battle with The Daily Telegraph to almost $2.9 million.

Page 4: Free-to-air television, newspapers and their websites may be on the decline, but they were still the prime sources of information for voters during the election campaign.

Page 5: Labor is unlikely to shift its opposition to the Coalition’s high-end income tax cuts but has signalled jettisoning a central plank of its climate change policy as it grapples with the loss of its blue-collar base.

Page 6: Adani Mining chief executive Lucas Dow wants the Palaszczuk government to grant final approval for its controversial $2 billion Carmichael mine within weeks.

Page 9: Industrial energy users are demanding an urgent focus from the returned Coalition government on bringing down electricity and gas costs and the end to the vacuum on energy and climate policy that is being blamed for chasing manufacturers from the country.

Page 12: Former Liberal senator Helen Coonan will be the mining sector’s top voice in Canberra after being made chairman of the Minerals Council of Australia.

Page 13: Large numbers of young people are getting into difficulty with credit cards, buy-now, pay-later schemes and online gambling, with observers on the ground saying strategies for dealing with the problem need to be tailored to the audience.

Page 14: America’s political system is at risk of slipping into deadlock until early 2021 after Donald Trump shut down talks with Democrats over infrastructure and other priorities until they end their ‘‘phoney’’ investigations into his presidency.

Page 17: Former New Zealand prime minister Bill English says threats by Australian banks to reduce lending in New Zealand if its central bank demands higher capital levels are a “bluff” given the returns they make across the Tasman.

Online retailer Kogan.com raised the prices of more than 600 products by at least 10 per cent immediately before offering 10 per cent discounts last June, the competition regulator alleges.

Page 19: Flight Centre has refused to extinguish speculation that it was approached by hedge fund target Corporate Travel Management with a view to a potential merger of the listed travel giants.

Page 20: Wesfarmers has sparked concerns among some investors about cost blowouts associated with its push into battery metals mining and processing after taking a big step forward in its $776 million takeover of lithium play Kidman Resources.

Page 23: Huawei’s chief executive, Ren Zhengfei, says the United States has underestimated the Chinese tech giant, as experts warn the fallout from US trade restrictions on the company will have massive business costs.

The Australian

Page 4: Labor is considering rejecting Scott Morrison’s mandate to deliver his full $158 billion in personal income tax cuts while flagging a dramatic shift on climate change policy and adopting a Tony Abbott-style “direct action” plan to cut carbon emissions.

Page 5: Former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce has conceded he has “zero prospects” of picking up a cabinet seat and may not remain special drought envoy, as Scott Morrison prepares to announce a reshuffle as early as Sunday.

Page 17: The fall in capital city house prices may be nearing an end with the re-election of a Coalition government, loosening of lending capacity and looming rate cuts spurring confidence in Australia’s $7 trillion housing sector.

Page 18: A sale of BHP’s remaining thermal coal assets looks increasingly likely, with a sale likely to deliver another few billion to the mining giant’s already brimming balance sheet.

Page 19: Virtual telcos in Australia should be given early access to 5G networks, according to Boost Mobile founder Peter Adderton, who warns that consumers will steer clear of 5G services despite the hype.

Page 21: The corporate regulator is considering using its new product powers to ban or restrict the sale of risky financial products, including binary options, margin foreign exchange and contracts for difference.

Page 24: The head of the Australian arm of PwC Legal, Tony O’Malley, has been appointed global head of the giant legal practice and will run the organisation from Sydney.

The West Australian

Page 3: WA parents should be able to take their child to a pharmacist for the flu shot, according to the profession’s peak representative body, as a snap survey found some medical centres were struggling to keep up with demand while others had run out of the vaccine.

Page 9: Labor is losing votes from Christians, blue-collar workers and families with children, according to new analysis of electorate data.

Page 11: A ship due to depart Fremantle this weekend carrying 56,000 sheep may not be allowed to sail, after an eleventh-hour bid by Animals Australia to block its departure.

Page 17: Environment Minister Stephen Dawson has ruled out the possibility of a levy on takeaway coffee cups to crack down on single-use plastics in WA.

Page 24: An online bikini retailer has landed in hot water for misleading customers about their rights to a refund, copping a $30,000 fine for three breaches of Australian consumer law.

Business: The State Government and Opposition are at loggerheads over a 2014 power deal said to be costing taxpayers as much as $600 million and obstructing energy competition in the North West.

Demand for agricultural technology will explode in coming years, and start-ups should work more closely with wealthy and intelligent farmers for ideas and funding, agribusiness leaders say.

New Mincor boss David Southam is confident there is life left in the Long nickel mine and says the company’s new offtake deal with BHP will change the economics of the project.