Morning Headlines

BHP makes a date with big data

Future nickel discoveries on BHP’s West Australian tenements could be shared with an unlisted data analytics company after BHP hired it to use artificial intelligence to make suggestions on where the mining giant should drill. The Fin

Budget to front end big spend

The states are set to receive billions of dollars extra in infrastructure funding on the proviso they use it or lose it as part of the October 6 budget, which will front end spending to drive the economic recovery from the coronavirus. The Fin

Farmer in Fitzroy warning

Controversy over the future of the Fitzroy River is mounting, with a NSW grazier fronting a new campaign that warns WA should not repeat the mistakes of the Murray-Darling. The West

AngloGold in box seat for IGO’s Tropicana stake

A number of parties are showing strong interest in IGO’s 30 per cent stake in the Tropicana gold mine in Western Australia, but there is a growing expectation that it will be snapped up by the other owner of the asset, AngloGold, if it is put on sale. The Aus

Mayoral candidate under fire over property developers

Perth lord mayoral aspirant Di Bain has come under fire from fellow candidates over her independence after she declared nearly $100,000 in donations — including from a bevy of property developers. The West

Farm help may bring Chinese trade hit

A host of subsidies for West Australians who take up jobs in the state’s regions could leave many farms and orchards at risk of being slapped with Chinese tariffs, trade experts have warned. The Aus

Qatar moves to reassert LNG dominance

An aggressive change of tack by giant LNG exporter Qatar on pricing is set to spell trouble for Australian producers such as Woodside Petroleum and Santos, as they work to lock in viable longterm contracts to support costly investments in offshore gas fields. The Fin

‘Clean pipes’ to help banks beat cybercrime

Amid a costly spike in cybercrime during the pandemic, National Australia Bank is leading a new industry consortium – dubbed ‘‘Clean Pipes’’ – to share threat intelligence and work with internet service providers to scrub malicious software off networks. The Fin

‘Shortages could ruin Christmas’

The nation’s largest transport and logistics company Toll Holdings has issued dire warnings of a looming trainwreck for Australia’s $320bn retail sector in the pre-Christmas rush, with the supply chain already at breaking point with containers abandoned at wharves and a risk of shortages in the shops. The Aus

The Australian Financial Review

Page 1: The states are set to receive billions of dollars extra in infrastructure funding on the proviso they use it or lose it as part of the October 6 budget, which will front end spending to drive the economic recovery from the coronavirus.

Attorney-General Christian Porter is urgently trying to reach compromise deals to salvage prospects for industrial relations reform, but his target of a major package to link with the budget next month looks increasingly unlikely.

Page 3: Net-zero emissions by 2050 is absolutely achievable under the technology road map to be released this week, Scott Morrison says, but the government will not firmly commit to the target.

Universities will have to be more resilient, self-reliant and enterprising, and governments should step in to help them financially as the pandemic’s effects on research grow worse, says the Centre for the Study for Higher Education at Melbourne University.

Page 4: Melbourne is on track for restrictions to be eased in a week, but there is no relief for businesses hoping for an early reopening in October, despite Victoria recording its lowest number of coronavirus cases in three months.

Page 6: Australia’s record debt load is proving a boon for bankers, who have billed taxpayers more than $50 million in debt management fees in just seven weeks and are on track to bill more than $100 million by the end of the year.

Page 9: V8 Supercars is poised to sign a new five-year agreement with Foxtel and Seven West Media as early as this week, in a deal that will see the motorsport return to the Kerry Stokes-controlled broadcaster for the first time since 2014.

As governments turn to infrastructure spending to revive the flagging economy, Edith Cowan University in Perth has announced a $695 million joint venture with the federal and state governments to build a campus in the city centre.

Australians have handed at least $362 billion in fees to the funds management industry over the past two decades for the management of compulsory superannuation savings.

Page 14: Investors will face a hard choice when $8.9 billion worth of dividends hits bank accounts across the next two weeks, as they ponder whether to take the cash, reinvest or search for a better yield outside equities.

Page 16: Amid a costly spike in cybercrime during the pandemic, National Australia Bank is leading a new industry consortium – dubbed ‘‘Clean Pipes’’ – to share threat intelligence and work with internet service providers to scrub malicious software off networks.

Page 17: An aggressive change of tack by giant LNG exporter Qatar on pricing is set to spell trouble for Australian producers such as Woodside Petroleum and Santos, as they work to lock in viable longterm contracts to support costly investments in offshore gas fields.

Page 19: Future nickel discoveries on BHP’s West Australian tenements could be shared with an unlisted data analytics company after BHP hired it to use artificial intelligence to make suggestions on where the mining giant should drill.

The Australian

Page 1: Scott Morrison is considering wage incentives for businesses to take on extra workers as part of a comprehensive jobs plan to fast-track the post COVID-19 economic recovery that will be unveiled in the October 6 budget.

Some of the country’s best-paid public servants have defied a federal government request for a six-month wage freeze to share the pain of the coronavirus pandemic recession.

Page 2: Indigenous Australians Minister Ken Wyatt will consider mandatory reporting requirements for adults who find out that children have sexually transmitted infections as part of moves to protect them from high levels of abuse in some remote communities.

Page 4: A host of subsidies for West Australians who take up jobs in the state’s regions could leave many farms and orchards at risk of being slapped with Chinese tariffs, trade experts have warned.

Page 5: A plunge in the number of new apprenticeships to their lowest levels in more than two decades risks leaving businesses without the skilled workers they need as economic recovery ramps up in the years ahead.

Page 6: The Coalition has rebounded from a fall in popular support at the height of Scott Morrison’s border wars with the Labor state premiers last month, as Labor leader Anthony Albanese’s approval ratings tumble into negative territory for the first time.

Page 13: The nation’s largest transport and logistics company Toll Holdings has issued dire warnings of a looming trainwreck for Australia’s $320bn retail sector in the pre-Christmas rush, with the supply chain already at breaking point with containers abandoned at wharves and a risk of shortages in the shops.

Page 14: A number of parties are showing strong interest in IGO’s 30 per cent stake in the Tropicana gold mine in Western Australia, but there is a growing expectation that it will be snapped up by the other owner of the asset, AngloGold, if it is put on sale.

Page 19: China has promised retribution for Donald Trump’s decision to ban new downloads of TikTok and WeChat, escalating a bitter trade war between the superpowers.

The West Australian

Page 6: Perth lord mayoral aspirant Di Bain has come under fire from fellow candidates over her independence after she declared nearly $100,000 in donations — including from a bevy of property developers.

Page 8: Indians have again dominated Australia’s migrant intake, with about 26,000 processed as permanent arrivals in the past year.

Page 10: Experts believe that COVID-19 lockdown measures, such as working from home and better hand hygiene, have led to a big fall in very premature births.

Page 17: Kind teachers are spending thousands of dollars of their own money to buy classroom supplies for parents too poor to pay for books, pencils and school excursions.

Page 19: Not a single ambulance was available to respond to emergency calls north of the river on Friday afternoon, the same day ramping at Perth hospitals reached near record highs.

Business: Controversy over the future of the Fitzroy River is mounting, with a NSW grazier fronting a new campaign that warns WA should not repeat the mistakes of the Murray-Darling.

South32 has signed a multi-year partnership with the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation to support Indigenous students to access schooling and complete Year 12, while developing skills for employment.

Red tape and a lack of funding are impeding WA’s efforts to develop its own thriving medi-tech sector, according to industry leaders.

Focus Minerals has cleared a big roadblock in the development of its Laverton and Coolgardie gold projects after settling a long-running legal battle covering a swag of tenements.