Morning Headlines

Qantas boss threat to use foreign pilots

Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce has threatened to use pilots from foreign airlines to fly its proposed non-stop services from Australia to New York and London rather than bow to his own pilots’ demands. The Fin

Xero hour: ASX tech index ready to take off

Accounting technology giant Xero will head the Australian Securities Exchange’s new technology index to be unveiled today, giving investors the chance to invest in the fastest-growing segment of the market in one trade. The Fin

WesTrac strikes gold with driverless trucks

The WA gold sector is about to enter a new era of automation with WesTrac and Newmont partnering to introduce driverless haul trucks to the mining giant’s Boddington operation. The West

Leaner times for Sandfire

Sandfire Resources boss Karl Simich has flagged a phase of lower dividends as the miner enters a period of capital intensity with work on two overseas projects expected to begin soon. The West

ATO proposal could hamper major projects

The ATO has been warned a proposed change to tax rules that would block the deduction of labour costs is likely to have a major impact on Australian infrastructure and resources projects. The Fin

Albanese’s net zero emissions by 2050 pledge

Anthony Albanese will today call for an end to the populism that is overwhelming politics as he commits Labor, if elected, to adopting a net zero emissions target by 2050, and opposing any taxpayer support for new coal-fired power. The Fin

Vodafone, Optus waiting, hoping for more 5G equipment suppliers

Vodafone and Optus executives say they want more viable 5G network equipment suppliers beyond Sweden’s Ericcson and Finland’s Nokia now that Huawei has been knocked out of the Australian mix. The Fin

Boral launches strategic review to help new CEO

Boral has embarked on a strategic review ahead of the appointment of a new chief executive, amid speculation the embattled building materials group could be a takeover target or a candidate for a break-up of its global businesses to deliver value for shareholders. The Aus

Medibank alert on price hikes

The head of one of Australia’s biggest health insurers has warned the Federal Government that annual premium rises will exceed 3 per cent unless it tackles the increasing cost of medical devices.  The West

The Australian Financial Review

Page 1: Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce has threatened to use pilots from foreign airlines to fly its proposed non-stop services from Australia to New York and London rather than bow to his own pilots’ demands.

Page 3: A small cohort of Chinese students could soon be allowed into Australia on a test basis, as the Morrison government seeks to protect the domestic population from the coronavirus while trying to limit the damage to the education sector.

Melbourne-based biotech Firebrick Pharma has developed a ‘‘disinfectant for your nose’’ that could be capable of reducing the amount of detectable coronavirus by almost 100 per cent.

Page 4: Anthony Albanese will today call for an end to the populism that is overwhelming politics as he commits Labor, if elected, to adopting a net zero emissions target by 2050, and opposing any taxpayer support for new coal-fired power.

Page 6: Treasurer Josh Frydenberg’s senior legal adviser, Simon Frost, has been cleared of intending to mislead voters with posters in Chinese that used the same colour as the Australian Electoral Commission.

Page 10: The ATO has been warned a proposed change to tax rules that would block the deduction of labour costs is likely to have a major impact on Australian infrastructure and resources projects.

Top directors will begin contacting the chairmen of 34 large companies with only one female board member after a survey found that a significant portion of the ASX 200 still lacks gender balance at board level.

Page 12: Mark Zuckerberg’s former Australian chief says a growing gap in data dexterity exists in boardrooms and government, just as the skills set becomes ‘‘a strategic differentiator of great businesses’’.

Page 13: Vodafone and Optus executives say they want more viable 5G network equipment suppliers beyond Sweden’s Ericcson and Finland’s Nokia now that Huawei has been knocked out of the Australian mix.

Page 15: US President Donald Trump offered to pardon WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange if he said Russia had nothing to do with WikiLeaks’ publication of Democratic Party emails in 2016, a London court heard on Wednesday (Thursday AEDT).

Page 17: Sydney Airport ‘‘will be OK’’ despite airlines cancelling flights because of the coronavirus, says chief executive Geoff Culbert, despite the company scrapping its dividend guidance amid uncertainty over how long the China travel ban will last.

Page 19: Coca-Cola Amatil is confident of finally achieving its profit growth targets this year after sales grew in its largest market, Australia, in 2019 for the first time in seven years.

Page 20: Plus-sized fashion retailer City Chic expects same-store sales to rise in the June half even though the coronavirus outbreak could squeeze stock levels, crimping growth.

Page 31: Accounting technology giant Xero will head the Australian Securities Exchange’s new technology index to be unveiled today, giving investors the chance to invest in the fastest-growing segment of the market in one trade.

The Australian

Page 1: Australia will step up its strategic push in the Indo-Pacific with a $1.1bn upgrade to RAAF Base Tindal in the Top End, to fasttrack the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter rollout and provide a forward operating base for US aircraft, including strategic bombers.

Australian scientists are tantalisingly close to developing the holy grail of clean energy, using high-powered lasers to fuse boron and hydrogen atoms together to generate electricity without any emissions or toxic waste.

Page 4: Labor has endorsed an uncosted carbon-neutral target of net-zero emissions by 2050 and ruled out financial support for new coalfired power stations, setting up a climate change showdown with the Coalition.

Page 8: The Australian Taxation Office has warned the nation’s 600,000 self-managed super funds to comply with the law or face stiff penalties, revealing $20.5bn in assets in almost one-sixth of all SMSFs were officially “at risk”.

Page 17: Investment house Perpetual has capitulated to the pressures of a low-interest rate environment, as it explores a move into growth and momentum investing as part of its expansion plans under chief executive Rob Adams.

Page 19: Up-market department store David Jones has seen its profits sliced by more than half and is investigating options to source its fashion and apparel from regions outside of China as the coronavirus outbreak threatens to disrupt its supply chain.

Page 21: Boral has embarked on a strategic review ahead of the appointment of a new chief executive, amid speculation the embattled building materials group could be a takeover target or a candidate for a break-up of its global businesses to deliver value for shareholders.

The West Australian

Page 3: WA’s top arts academy will have its own #metoo movement with plans to have guidelines read before every rehearsal to prevent harassment and students being put in “uncomfortable” situations.

Page 7: Former WA treasurer Troy Buswell is facing six serious assault charges for an alleged series of domestic violence incidents over four years. The ex-Liberal leader was reportedly arrested by cold case detectives on Wednesday night, accused of carrying out the attacks against his partner between 2015 and 2019 in several suburbs.

The WA gold sector is about to enter a new era of automation with WesTrac and Newmont partnering to introduce driverless haul trucks to the mining giant’s Boddington operation.

Page 16: The head of one of Australia’s biggest health insurers has warned the Federal Government that annual premium rises will exceed 3 per cent unless it tackles the increasing cost of medical devices.

Page 18: Recently retired magistrate Tim Schwass wants to bring order to the City of Perth as its new Lord Mayor.

Business: Santos chief executive Kevin Gallagher has received a massive $11.26 million payday after turning around the company’s fortunes, ranking him among the nation’s highest-paid chief executives.

Gold traded near a seven-year high on concern that the coronavirus outbreak will retard global growth and speculation the Federal Reserve will ease monetary policy before the end of the year.

Sandfire Resources boss Karl Simich has flagged a phase of lower dividends as the miner enters a period of capital intensity with work on two overseas projects expected to begin soon.

Chinese refineries are throttling back production even further to cope with weak demand and a lack of workers because of the coronavirus, and are now processing 25 per cent less oil than they were last year.