Morning Headlines

New poll reveals West Aussies want outline for an end to the hard border

Nearly three-quarters of West Australians want Mark McGowan to set a tentative date for the opening of WA’s hard border as Victoria yesterday went without any new cases for the first time since June. The West

Stokes pushes Boral to exit US market

Boral’s largest shareholder, the Kerry Stokes-controlled Seven Group, is pushing for the troubled building products company to make a decisive exit from the United States market as part of its revival plans. The Fin

Australia Post chair to front Senate inquiry

Senior Australia Post executives are set to face Parliament next month, with chair Lucio Di Bartolomeo expected to front a Senate committee at the height of an investigation into lavish corporate spending. The Fin

Turmoil at top weakens ASIC as cases mount

The corporate watchdog’s leadership and pursuit of financiers exposed by the banking royal commission have been thrown into turmoil after deputy chairman Daniel Crennan quit over an expenses controversy, leaving the position of its sidelined chairman James Shipton hanging by a thread. The Fin

Wine sales spike over tariff fears

Lingering tension between Australia and its biggest trading partner has led to an early surge of wine exports, as fears grow that Bejing will impose tariffs on the $1.2 billion export market. The West

Calls to open Melbourne faster

Business has urged the Victorian government to outline a proper plan to fully reopen the state’s economy after Premier Daniel Andrews partially ended one of the longest and toughest COVID-19 lockdowns in the world, which was characterised by bungling of quarantine processes and poor infection tracing. The Fin

Voters to go cool on Big Australia

Bipartisan support for high levels of immigration is unlikely to continue after the COVID-19 crisis because voter appetite for curbing population growth will increase, according to the Australian Population Research Institute. The Aus

Jobs lost as Riot shutters stores, calls in liquidators

Well-known art supply chain Riot Art & Craft has called in liquidators for a wind-up of its nationwide store network with almost 60 shops around Australia shuttered. The Aus

Chamber drives new rules for interstate workers

The WA mining industry is forging plans for new “travel protocols” for interstate fly-in, fly-out workers in partnership with the State Government. The West

Bank behaviour challenged over Raine Square project

Property developer Luke Saraceni is fighting to revive a $200 million claim over the Commonwealth Bank taking the Raine Square project off him after the global financial crisis. The West

The Australian Financial Review

Page 1: Business has urged the Victorian government to outline a proper plan to fully reopen the state’s economy after Premier Daniel Andrews partially ended one of the longest and toughest COVID-19 lockdowns in the world, which was characterised by bungling of quarantine processes and poor infection tracing.

Page 3: The Paladin brand has become so damaged that the controversial security firm will be wound up as the prospect of future work evaporates, according to court documents.

Page 4: The corporate watchdog’s leadership and pursuit of financiers exposed by the banking royal commission have been thrown into turmoil after deputy chairman Daniel Crennan quit over an expenses controversy, leaving the position of its sidelined chairman James Shipton hanging by a thread.

Page 5: Senior Australia Post executives are set to face Parliament next month, with chair Lucio Di Bartolomeo expected to front a Senate committee at the height of an investigation into lavish corporate spending.

Page 9: A government discussion paper on plans for an east coast domestic gas reserve cautions against deterring foreign investment in new gas fields, especially in the COVID-19 climate, which has already led to a sharp drop in international demand and price.

Top defence officials have admitted the $45 billion future frigate is facing delays because of issues over its design, with Defence Minister Linda Reynolds unwilling to guarantee that construction of the first ship will start on time in late 2022.

Page 11: Critical minerals and rare earth miners, including an Australian-listed US lithium developer, are eyeing a potential Joe Biden administration with growing enthusiasm after his campaign signalled support for domestic production of electric vehicles, solar panels and energy storage.

Page 13: Boral’s largest shareholder, the Kerry Stokes-controlled Seven Group, is pushing for the troubled building products company to make a decisive exit from the United States market as part of its revival plans.

Geoff Wilson, the fund manager who helped the federal Coalition win government by marshalling 90,000 investors against Labor’s franking credits refund policy, will now turn this army against the Morrison government over its plan to make virtual annual meetings permanent.

Page 17: Karoon Energy has appointed Julian Fowles chief executive officer and managing director as the junior oil and gas explorer prepares to expand its operations in Brazil, a move that will lift its oil production to just below that of Australian oil and gas majors.

The Australian

Page 1: Australia Post paid more than $34,000 for chief executive Christine Holgate’s nine-month stay in a Grand Hyatt suite in Melbourne.

Page 4: Taxpayers will pay $1.3bn in wages and entitlements for almost 120,000 workers by 2023 if federal government forecasts about the increase in the number of collapsed employers because of the COVID recession are realised.

Page 7: Bipartisan support for high levels of immigration is unlikely to continue after the COVID-19 crisis because voter appetite for curbing population growth will increase, according to the Australian Population Research Institute.

Page 13: The Coca-Cola Amatil double act of chairman Ilana Atlas and chief executive Alison Watkins has enthusiastically endorsed a $9.3bn takeover by the world’s biggest Coca-Cola bottler, as earnings uncertainty heading into next year made the overseas takeover too good to refuse.

Page 15: Well-known art supply chain Riot Art & Craft has called in liquidators for a wind-up of its nationwide store network with almost 60 shops around Australia shuttered.

The West Australian

Page 1: Nearly three-quarters of West Australians want Mark McGowan to set a tentative date for the opening of WA’s hard border as Victoria yesterday went without any new cases for the first time since June.

Page 5: Medics and high-risk patients are likely to receive Oxford’s COVID-19 vaccine before the end of the year, the professor leading the project said yesterday.

Page 10: Attorney-General Christian Porter and ALP MP Anne Aly could have their seats abolished after the WA Liberal and Labor parties called for them to go in a redrawing of the Federal electoral map.

The Federal Government’s claim of more than 500,000 jobs being created from two major initiatives was not based on Treasury advice.

Business: Lingering tension between Australia and its biggest trading partner has led to an early surge of wine exports, as fears grow that Bejing will impose tariffs on the $1.2 billion export market.

A nickel-copper discovery by Estrella Resources has prompted a neighbouring gold-focused explorer to have a closer look at its project’s nickel potential.

The WA mining industry is forging plans for new “travel protocols” for interstate fly-in, fly-out workers in partnership with the State Government.

Property developer Luke Saraceni is fighting to revive a $200 million claim over the Commonwealth Bank taking the Raine Square project off him after the global financial crisis.