Morning Headlines

No surplus sacrifice for dole boost

The federal government has accused Labor of being trapped in a welfare mentality over its calls to increase Newstart, a move Treasury has forecast will cost $12.5 billion over the four-year forward estimates and $39 billion over a decade. The Fin

Thousands of children need jabs

An audit has revealed that thousands of WA children aged five and under may not be fully immunised as tough laws barring unvaccinated children from kindergarten or childcare centres take effect today. The West

Elders adds firepower ahead of showdown in farm services

Elders boss Mark Allison has put on a brave face ever since Canadian fertiliser giant Nutrien moved to swallow up Ruralco for $469 million and become an even more dominant force in Australian farm services. The Fin

NBN 'isn't taking tech shortcuts'

NBN Co has rejected claims that it is taking shortcuts to meet its construction deadline, with the company’s chief network deployment officer Kathrine Dyer saying homes are not being downgraded from fixed to fixed wireless technology at the last minute. The Aus

Birmingham to visit China amid tension

Trade Minister Simon Birmingham will make an official visit to China next month in what the government hopes will be another step towards thawing relations with Beijing and securing a meeting between leaders by the end of this year. The Fin

Investors turn to commodities as oil climbs

Investors are turning to commodities, with gold touching a six-year high and nickel rallying sharply, while welcoming the prospect of further monetary easing. The Fin

Bullion deposit box fears

Hundreds of people who deposited gold bars and precious coins with Perth Bullion Company face an anxious wait after liquidators uncovered a chaotic accounting system with no easily viewed records of who owns what. The West

PM to Senate: no deals on drought aid

Scott Morrison has demanded the Senate crossbench urgently pass the $5 billion drought relief package if Labor stands in the way, warning there would be no deals when it is put to parliament today for a second time. The Aus

Telcos’ bonus offers

Expect to get the digital equivalent of a free set of steak knives when you sign up for your next mobile phone plan as Australia’s telcos devise new ways to win over customers without actually cutting prices. The West

Gas policy a stayer

The Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association thinks the policy which effectively reserves 15 per cent of the gas from the State’s big LNG projects for domestic consumption is bad policy. The West

The Australian Financial Review

Page 1: The federal government has accused Labor of being trapped in a welfare mentality over its calls to increase Newstart, a move Treasury has forecast will cost $12.5 billion over the four-year forward estimates and $39 billion over a decade.

Page 4: Labor has urged the government to be up-front and honest about the foreign fighter threat if it wants Senate support for a bill enabling the unilateral exclusion for two years of those trying to return to Australia.

Page 5: Trade Minister Simon Birmingham will make an official visit to China next month in what the government hopes will be another step towards thawing relations with Beijing and securing a meeting between leaders by the end of this year.

Page 8: Australian companies, government organisations and charities are wasting millions of dollars on diversity and inclusion programs, with human resources professionals conceding that nearly a third of initiatives designed to promote a more balanced workplace are either never or rarely effective.

A ruling that indefinite work bans at DP World are not protected has opened up a new path for employers to limit workers’ rights to take industrial action, the maritime union argues.

Page 12: China will eclipse the United States as Australia’s most important collaborator on scientific research this year, putting new pressure on universities and the Defence Department over the conflict between Australia’s economic interests and its strategic objectives.

Page 13: Royal Bank of Scotland is showing no sense of urgency in its quest to find a replacement for departing chief executive Ross McEwan, raising the prospect that National Australia Bank may face a lengthy wait for its new CEO hire.

Elders boss Mark Allison has put on a brave face ever since Canadian fertiliser giant Nutrien moved to swallow up Ruralco for $469 million and become an even more dominant force in Australian farm services.

Page 17: The amount of money being managed by hedge funds globally is at an all-time high of $US3.25 trillion ($4.6 trillion) helped by a strong recovery in markets in the first half of 2019 and renewed inflows from institutions that are allocating to the largest players.

Page 19: The owner of Supercheap Auto, Rebel and BCF is shifting its focus to customer growth rather than new stores and same-store sales growth as revenues move online.

Page 21: Investors are turning to commodities, with gold touching a six-year high and nickel rallying sharply, while welcoming the prospect of further monetary easing.

The Australian

Page 2: The Greens have been accused of hypocricsy and jeopardising Tasmania’s position as the renewable energy powerhouse of Australia after party leader Richard Di Natale shared predecessor Bob Brown’s concerns about a proposed wind farm on Tasmania’s Robbins Island.

Page 4: Scott Morrison has demanded the Senate crossbench urgently pass the $5 billion drought relief package if Labor stands in the way, warning there would be no deals when it is put to parliament today for a second time.

Page 5: The Reserve Bank is facing a “nightmare” next year if property buyers are lured back into the market in droves by back-to-back interest rate cuts, looser lending standards, and expectations of a bounce-back in prices.

Page 7: The Australian Taxation Office is moving to stop lawyers using legal professional privilege to frustrate audits of major multinationals and prevent the disclosure of thousands of key documents.

Page 8: Seizures of oil tankers and other hostile Iranian measures in the Strait of Hormuz are already raising insurance rates for shipping companies and could eventually reduce tanker traffic in the vital waterway, with a spike in global oil prices a serious risk even without war.

Page 17: New Zealand’s central bank has gone “a step too far” in seeking to impose much tougher capital requirements on lenders as it also pursues a deposit protection scheme, banking stalwart Sir Ralph Norris has warned.

NBN Co has rejected claims that it is taking shortcuts to meet its construction deadline, with the company’s chief network deployment officer Kathrine Dyer saying homes are not being downgraded from fixed to fixed wireless technology at the last minute.

Page 20: The Australian electricity operator has recommended trialling new measures to manage the boom in rooftop solar and batteries and capitalise on the increasing flow of power from households back to the grid.

Page 24: The federal government is delaying action on whether internet streaming is classified as broadcasting for another three years.

The West Australian

Page 1: A Health Department audit conducted for the first time this year has found more than 3700 WA children in child care, kindergarten and pre-primary were either not up to date with their immunisations or their vaccination status was unknown.

Page 4: Labor will today receive a briefing from Australia’s top spy agency on the need to pass legislation that would temporarily ban Australian foreign fighters from returning to the country.

It is more expensive to own a home in WA than any other State with weekly housing costs barrelling past $500 for the first time since the start of the mining construction boom.

Page 7: An audit has revealed that thousands of WA children aged five and under may not be fully immunised as tough laws barring unvaccinated children from kindergarten or childcare centres take effect today.

Page 8: Globetrotting WA politicians are burning through hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars wining and dining and flying business class on fact finding trips to some of the world’s most exotic locations.

Page 14: Expect to get the digital equivalent of a free set of steak knives when you sign up for your next mobile phone plan as Australia’s telcos devise new ways to win over customers without actually cutting prices.

Page 16: The amount of time Australians spend playing video games has fallen from 89 minutes a day to 81 minutes, while parents increasingly see them as a way to bond with their children.

Business:  Hundreds of people who deposited gold bars and precious coins with Perth Bullion Company face an anxious wait after liquidators uncovered a chaotic accounting system with no easily viewed records of who owns what.

The Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association thinks the policy which effectively reserves 15 per cent of the gas from the State’s big LNG projects for domestic consumption is bad policy.