Cormann prepares for tilt at OECD’s top job
Cormann prepares for tilt at OECD’s top job
The Australian government is poised to nominate Finance Minister Mathias Cormann for the position of secretary general of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in coming weeks, sources say. The Fin
Rio Tinto faces Future Fund fury
The federal government’s $160bn Future Fund has added its muscle to the push to force Rio Tinto’s board to take stronger action against key executives over the destruction of heritage sites at Juukan Gorge, with representatives of the massive sovereign wealth fund understood to have confronted Rio chairman Simon Thompson with their concerns in recent days. The Aus
Grants to make us a tourist de force
Grants of up to $250,000 will soon be on offer in a bid to help revive Australia’s crippled tourism industry. The West
Woodside, Chevron deal talks extend past NW Shelf
Woodside Petroleum is believed to be in discussions with global energy giant Chevron about transactions that extend beyond just the North West Shelf, according to sources. The Aus
Secession push risks ‘Brexit of the west’
One of federal Labor’s rising stars warns separatist sentiments in Western Australia will result in a political movement that could become as formidable as One Nation while derailing good policy and ultimately fracturing the federation. The Aus
Climate ranks higher than dividends: BHP
BHP will spend up to $US1 billion ($1.37 billion) over the next five years to achieve its new emissions reduction targets and indicated the investment required to achieve the targets would rank above dividends on its list of spending priorities. The Fin
State’s borderline cruelty
Queensland’s refusal to let a Canberra woman bury her father has inflamed the dispute over arbitrary border closures, escalating a push from government and business for the adoption of a nationally consistent system of coronavirus hotspots, rather than blanket bans. The Fin
SMEs lost most jobs in pandemic
Employees of small and medium businesses have been hit hardest by the pandemic, with new analysis showing about 15 per cent of SME jobs have disappeared since mid-March. The Fin
Crown beats taxman in GST court battle
The James Packer-backed Crown casino group has won a case in the Federal Court against the Australian Taxation Office in a suit involving up to $100m in GST payments. The Aus
Qantas revs up borders call
Qantas boss Alan Joyce is ramping up his campaign to open State borders by calling on his staff, including 22,000 who were stood down, to sign a petition to support the cause. The West
The Australian Financial Review
Page 1: Queensland’s refusal to let a Canberra woman bury her father has inflamed the dispute over arbitrary border closures, escalating a push from government and business for the adoption of a nationally consistent system of coronavirus hotspots, rather than blanket bans.
Page 2: The Morrison government has kicked off the lengthy process of simplifying Australia’s notoriously complex corporations and financial services law, asking the Australian Law Reform Commission to undertake a three-year review into how regulation of the area could be more efficient.
Page 3: The Australian government is poised to nominate Finance Minister Mathias Cormann for the position of secretary general of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in coming weeks, sources say.
Page 6: Woolworths boss Brad Banducci has warned the Victorian government that supply chain pressures from the state’s second lockdown must not leave customers without key products at Christmas, potentially exacerbating the spread of COVID-19.
Page 9: How our brains absorb new information should determine which learning activities stay online and which must be taught in person after the worst of the pandemic, according to MIT’s vice president for open learning.
Page 10: Employees of small and medium businesses have been hit hardest by the pandemic, with new analysis showing about 15 per cent of SME jobs have disappeared since mid-March.
Page 14: James Murdoch and his wife, Kathryn, have been busy deploying some of their proceeds from last year’s $US71 billion Disney-Fox merger, turning themselves into one of America’s largest and most aggressively anti-Trump political donors.
Page 15: BHP will spend up to $US1 billion ($1.37 billion) over the next five years to achieve its new emissions reduction targets and indicated the investment required to achieve the targets would rank above dividends on its list of spending priorities.
Page 17: The Future Fund has told Rio Tinto chairman Simon Thompson to ensure that executive resignations are among the sanctions that emerge from this week’s protracted meetings of the company’s disparate board.
Page 19: Commonwealth Bank has fired its latest salvo into the battle with buy now, pay later operators for Millennial wallets, bringing in a lending card that charges fees instead of interest.
The Australian
Page 2: Four Chinese “journalists” raided by ASIO were part of a Communist Party propaganda operation in Australia, influencing local Chinese-language media and reporting to Beijing on members of the Australian-Chinese community.
Page 4: One of federal Labor’s rising stars warns separatist sentiments in Western Australia will result in a political movement that could become as formidable as One Nation while derailing good policy and ultimately fracturing the federation.
Qatar Airways’ chief executive has warned the airline may have to withdraw flights to Australia if passenger caps are not relaxed.
Page 8: China has called the US the “biggest driver of militarisation” in the South China Sea days before President Xi Jinping meets European leaders increasingly sceptical of the rising superpower.
Page 13: The federal government’s $160bn Future Fund has added its muscle to the push to force Rio Tinto’s board to take stronger action against key executives over the destruction of heritage sites at Juukan Gorge, with representatives of the massive sovereign wealth fund understood to have confronted Rio chairman Simon Thompson with their concerns in recent days.
Big east coast gas users have lobbied the federal government for manufacturers to be included in a heads of agreement with Queensland gas exporters to ensure sufficient supplies are available at affordable prices.
Page 14: Woodside Petroleum is believed to be in discussions with global energy giant Chevron about transactions that extend beyond just the North West Shelf, according to sources.
Page 15: The James Packer-backed Crown casino group has won a case in the Federal Court against the Australian Taxation Office in a suit involving up to $100m in GST payments.
Page 18: TikTok’s Chinese parent, Byte-Dance, is discussing with the US government possible arrangements that would allow the popular video-sharing app to avoid a full sale of its US operations, according to sources.
The West Australian
Page 1: The State’s worker shortage outside metropolitan Perth has become so bad that even Rottnest Island’s luxurious new glamping resort is struggling to find locals willing to roll up their sleeves.
Page 3: Young mums are becoming an increasingly rare breed in WA, with the rate of babies born to women in their 20s slumping to a record low.
Page 4: Grants of up to $250,000 will soon be on offer in a bid to help revive Australia’s crippled tourism industry.
Page 5: Australia and Germany have signed a landmark agreement on hydrogen energy that could result in thousands of jobs — the majority of which would likely be in WA.
Page 8: West Australian Football Commissioner Grant Dorrington told a second Swan Districts official that the club should not make a submission to the State Government public accounts committee inquiry into the WAFC’s use of government funding.
Page 9: School fees will be frozen at almost all of WA’s 163 Catholic schools next year in a bid to ease financial pressure and provide certainty for families struggling with the current economic challenges.
Business: BHP has linked executive bonuses to an accelerated plan to tackle climate change that sees the miner committed to slashing its greenhouse emissions by 30 per cent over the next 10 years.
In the latest sign of how it is prospering while others are faltering during the pandemic, Amazon is seeking to bring aboard 33,000 people for corporate and tech roles in the US in the next few months.
The chairman of one of the country’s biggest employers says Australia must walk a tightrope between maintaining a good trade relationship with China and standing up for our own interests.
The Australian Government has started investigating China’s shock decision to ban the nation’s biggest grain exporter from supplying barley.
One of Australia’s most senior economic advisers has argued there are no free lunches when it comes to increasing the superannuation guarantee.
Transporting a COVID-19 vaccine around the globe will require more than 8000 747 freighters, the airline industry’s peak body has warned.
Qantas boss Alan Joyce is ramping up his campaign to open State borders by calling on his staff, including 22,000 who were stood down, to sign a petition to support the cause.
Myer has slumped to an almost $200 million loss despite recording its best internet sales result as the COVID-19 pandemic closed stores across the country and forced shoppers online.
