Morning Headlines

Woodside under pump, flags Browse gas delays

Woodside Petroleum chief executive Peter Coleman has admitted the company faces pressure on a number of fronts, saying companies are pushing for price cuts in gas contracts, and confirmed a processing agreement over its flagship expansion project will be delayed by six months. The Aus

MinRes lands in airstrip row

The town of Port Hedland has accused Chris Ellison’s Mineral Resources of engaging in “questionable and unscrupulous business practices” amid an increasingly bitter fight over plans for a new airstrip at the company’s $600 million Wodgina lithium mine. The Aus

Faster environment approvals tops minister’s list

Federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley wants to speed up the approvals process for mining projects, arguing faster decisions would be better for conservationists and the resources sector. The West

Crypto launch just start of a new rivalry

Australia’s first Fintech Minister, Jane Hume, has warned the banking sector to expect more tech-led competition, and that she believes it is inevitable more global tech giants will follow Facebook’s lead in targeting financial services. The Fin

Business urges new work rules

Employers are calling for the Morrison government to prioritise fixing the enterprise bargaining system and small business dismissal laws as they rally behind the Prime Minister’s commitment to take a ‘‘fresh look’’ at industrial relations. The Fin

Labor deals itself out of tax cuts

A deal with the Senate crossbench to pass the $158 billion in tax cuts is looking increasingly likely after Labor effectively ruled itself out of the debate with a complicated compromise offer that was rejected immediately by the government. The Fin

Super funds seek energy policy action

Australia’s powerful industry super funds have savaged the nation’s dysfunctional electricity market, calling for governments to intervene and create special investment vehicles along with multi-decade supply contracts to entice long-term funding from investors. The Aus

Stations face rent hike

Pastoralists in northern WA are bracing themselves for big rent increases from the State Government next month. The West

Sandfire has another go at MOD to prove there’s life after DeGrussa

Sandfire Resources is said to be close to launching a second tilt at fellow copper play MOD Resources as its seeks an extension to its project portfolio. The Aus

Nats face turmoil

The WA Nationals are the latest party in leadership strife, with suggestions there are moves to dump deputy leader Jacqui Boydell. The West

The Australian Financial Review

Page 1: Employers are calling for the Morrison government to prioritise fixing the enterprise bargaining system and small business dismissal laws as they rally behind the Prime Minister’s commitment to take a ‘‘fresh look’’ at industrial relations.

Australian venture capital firm Square Peg Capital wants to be recognised as one of the world’s best start-up backers for tech founders everywhere after closing the biggest local fund yet at $340 million.

A deal with the Senate crossbench to pass the $158 billion in tax cuts is looking increasingly likely after Labor effectively ruled itself out of the debate with a complicated compromise offer that was rejected immediately by the government.

Page 3: Woodside Petroleum boss Peter Coleman has lashed the West Australian government for continued secrecy and uncertainty around its plans to regulate carbon emissions.

Australian women have continued to dominate the sporting world with Ash Barty ascending to the top of world tennis, Sally Fitzgibbons becoming world surfing No.1 and Hannah Green claiming her first PGA major event.

Page 6: Local fintechs have blamed a lack of commercial incentives for the big banks, fears of competition from fintech players, and delays to the introduction of key consumer features for the slow adoption of the new payments platform (NPP).

Page 10: Australian National University chancellor and one of Labor’s most respected foreign policy figures, Gareth Evans, has called on Australia to question and challenge its underuse of Asian-Australians as a valuable human resource.

Page 12: Politicians need to quickly coordinate regulatory responses to new risks from technology companies such as Facebook moving into finance, though banks won’t be squeezed out anytime soon, the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) says.

Page 13: The Reserve Bank of New Zealand has warned that ANZ New Zealand’s directors, including former prime minister Sir John Key, ANZ Bank chief executive Shayne Elliott and chief financial officer Michelle Jablko, may face criminal and civil penalties if assurances signed by them are found to be false or misleading.

Page 15: GrainCorp chairman Graham Bradley has defended his decision to leave to head up the board of its newly spun-off malt offshoot under demerger plans that farmers fear could weaken the company’s vast storage and handling network, which they rely on in eastern Australia.

Listed global agricultural chemicals company Nufarm was a part of a controversial publicity campaign to stop the ban of glyphosate in Europe.

Page 18: Woodside Petroleum chief executive Peter Coleman has admitted to investors that a deal targeted for this month on terms for processing third party gas through the North West Shelf LNG venture won’t meet the deadline.

Page 20: Australia’s first Fintech Minister, Jane Hume, has warned the banking sector to expect more tech-led competition, and that she believes it is inevitable more global tech giants will follow Facebook’s lead in targeting financial services.

Page 22: Hugh Williams, an Australian technologist who rose to lead technology at five of the biggest US tech companies, including being the global head of Google Maps, has returned home as a venture partner at local VC fund Rampersand and adviser to high-profile tech firm Expert360.

The Australian

Page 1: Scott Morrison will move to ensure the Senate sits without a break until the Coalition’s entire $158 billion income tax cut package is passed when parliament resumes next week, after Labor’s frontbench yesterday rejected calls from its own senior MPs to wave through all three stages of the plan.

Page 4: East Timor is poised to borrow up to $US11 billion ($15.9bn) from China to develop the controversial Greater Sunrise gas project, alarming analysts who fear the deal could result in the Chinese military gaining access to a port 500km off Darwin.

Papua New Guinea’s luxury fleet of APEC sports cars, limousines and SUVs is at the centre of an emerging split within PNG Prime Minister James Marape’s new government, as two of his ministers face off in a bitter dispute over the cars.

Former ambassador to the US Michael Thawley has warned Australians’ unique right to work in the US is under threat as other countries jostle for access to visas allowing up to 10,500 Australians to work in the US every year.

Page 5: An audit of brain cancer treatment in Australia will examine whether health professionals have departed from evidence-based practice and need to be given new standards and guidelines.

Page 9: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan suffered a bruising defeat yesterday as the opposition candidate in Istanbul’s mayoral election re-run romped to victory.

Page 17: Australia’s powerful industry super funds have savaged the nation’s dysfunctional electricity market, calling for governments to intervene and create special investment vehicles along with multi-decade supply contracts to entice long-term funding from investors.

The town of Port Hedland has accused Chris Ellison’s Mineral Resources of engaging in “questionable and unscrupulous business practices” amid an increasingly bitter fight over plans for a new airstrip at the company’s $600 million Wodgina lithium mine.

Page 18: Sandfire Resources is said to be close to launching a second tilt at fellow copper play MOD Resources as its seeks an extension to its project portfolio.

Page 19: NBN Co has its work cut out on bringing down broadband prices for consumers after Telstra boss Andrew Penn warned the latest consultation process was unlikely to deliver the required cuts in wholesale prices charged by the company.

Page 20: AustralianSuper has been revealed as the winner of a $300 million contract to manage the savings of Australia Post employees after the postal service stripped the mandate from beleaguered wealth manager AMP earlier this month.

Page 22: Woodside Petroleum chief executive Peter Coleman has admitted the company faces pressure on a number of fronts, saying companies are pushing for price cuts in gas contracts, and confirmed a processing agreement over its flagship expansion project will be delayed by six months.

The West Australian

Page 3: State bureaucrats look set to get an extra public holiday as well as a range of extraordinary new conditions including paid “cultural and ceremonial leave” for Aboriginal employees under a deal claimed to “absolutely break” the McGowan Government’s promised wages policy.

Page 8: Federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley wants to speed up the approvals process for mining projects, arguing faster decisions would be better for conservationists and the resources sector.

Page 9: Labor has been accused of holding the Federal Government’s $160 billion tax cuts to ransom after Anthony Albanese made demands over the package.

Page 10: Proposed laws to protect the Beeliar Wetlands and erase the Roe 8 highway extension will be tabled in State Parliament today but remain unlikely to pass a divided Upper House.

The WA Nationals are the latest party in leadership strife, with suggestions there are moves to dump deputy leader Jacqui Boydell.

Page 15: With Sunday penalty rates due to fall from next week, it is more critical than ever for casual workers to be in their manager’s good books.

Page 18: A Federal Government skilled migrant program could quickly fill job vacancies which are constraining the Goldfields economy, the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder chief executive says.

Business: Pastoralists in northern WA are bracing themselves for big rent increases from the State Government next month.

The Environmental Protection Authority has recommended conditional approval of Fortescue Metals Group’s $US1.3 billion ($1.8 billion) Eliwana replacement project 90km north-west of Tom Price.

Paladin Energy has sold its mothballed Kayelekera mine in Malawi for $10 million as it battles to survive a long-term slump in the price of uranium.