Morning Headlines

WA grain growers net $6b

WA’s 3900 grain farmers have cashed in on high commodity prices and delivered a biggerthan-expected crop valued at around $6 billion. The West

McGowan’s $60m pledge to at-risk youth

The McGowan Government will pump nearly $60 million into services for at-risk youth if reelected in March’s State election. The West

New COVID outbreaks and lockdowns threaten more turbulence for the struggling airline industry in 2021

Hopes of a strong rebound this year for the airline industry — which suffered a $153 billion loss last year — is starting to fade amid further lockdowns and increased concern about travel because of the spread of a mutant strain of coronavirus. The West

Cyber attacks may trigger next crisis for banks

As banks continue to grapple with the pandemic crisis amid fresh outbreaks, the prudential regulator wants the entire financial sector to fortify its defences against the next potential threat: a damaging cyber attack on banks or the payments system. The Fin

IAG primes investors for $1.15b hit

Insurance Australia Group will take a $1.15 billion hit to earnings before tax in its half-year results in February, as it prepares for a potential flood of pandemic-related business interruption claims. The Fin

The $2b question as just 1% of doctors use My Health

More than eight years after it was launched, doctors are refusing to use the electronic My Health Record that has cost taxpayers more than $2 billion. The West

Weekly swabs for COVID drivers

WA’s health system has been given a “wake-up call” after a paramedic, a nurse and a worker at Perth Airport who came into contact with the same returned UK traveller infected with COVID-19 all breached personal protection equipment protocols. The West

Banks to reset their dividend payouts: Citi

The move by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority to restrict bank dividends last year has given the sector an opportunity to reset payout ratios on to a more sustainable path, according to Citi’s Australian banks research head, Brendan Sproules. The Aus

Drinkers register in Kimberley

A banned drinkers register will be rolled out across the far northwest of Australia, two years after Western Australia’s police commissioner pleaded for blanket alcohol restrictions to deal with an unprecedented crisis of alcohol-related harm in the region. The Fin

‘Let tech be part of vaccine rollout’

The peak body for Australia’s IT industry has written an urgent letter to federal Health Minister Greg Hunt calling for a dedicated tech industry representative to be appointed to the working group responsible for rolling out the COVID-19 vaccine, amid concerns technology represents a looming blind spot for the government and that a lack of expertise might jeopardise a successful vaccination program. The Aus

The Australian Financial Review

Page 1: As banks continue to grapple with the pandemic crisis amid fresh outbreaks, the prudential regulator wants the entire financial sector to fortify its defences against the next potential threat: a damaging cyber attack on banks or the payments system.

Page 3: ANZ’s decision to extend its offer of home loan deferrals to any customer in good standing that asked for one has left the bank with the biggest rump of frozen loans as a proportion of total lending among the big four.

Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne has urged China to allow the entry of international health officials ‘‘without delay’’ to probe the origins of COVID-19, after the World Health Organisation raised concerns about its investigative team being blocked.

Page 6: Uber can run from the courts but it cannot hide from the Parliament, says Labor senator Tony Sheldon, as he prepares to haul the tech giant and others before a Senate committee looking into insecure work.

Page 9: Britain has dredged up £4.6 billion ($8.2 billion) in emergency funds to bail out shops, pubs, restaurants and tourism businesses, as the country braces for a fresh economic hit from a new lockdown that could last two months or more.

Page 13: Insurance Australia Group will take a $1.15 billion hit to earnings before tax in its half-year results in February, as it prepares for a potential flood of pandemic-related business interruption claims.

Page 16: Optus and Telstra say it is time for data-hungry video streaming and online gaming providers to help pay for the costs they are imposing on networks, saying it is becoming unfair to expect telcos to shoulder all of the burden.

The Australian

Page 2: A banned drinkers register will be rolled out across the far northwest of Australia, two years after Western Australia’s police commissioner pleaded for blanket alcohol restrictions to deal with an unprecedented crisis of alcohol-related harm in the region.

Page 3: Vatican investigators have established that the Australian international financial watchdog’s report of $2.3bn transferred from the Vatican City to Australia in the past six years is “significantly” over-estimated.

Page 4: The tax office is targeting more than 1900 applicants who used the early release super scheme last year, amid suspicions that they deliberately misrepresented their financial situations in order to gain access to their retirement savings.

Page 5: Australia’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout faces being paused only weeks after it starts in March as an impending clash with seasonal flu prevention heaps pressure on a tight timetable to cover the population before winter sets it.

Page 13: The investment platform industry will look markedly different in five years following “ground-shaking” change this year, as major banks and potentially AMP retreat and financial advisers better manage conflicts.

The peak body for Australia’s IT industry has written an urgent letter to federal Health Minister Greg Hunt calling for a dedicated tech industry representative to be appointed to the working group responsible for rolling out the COVID-19 vaccine, amid concerns technology represents a looming blind spot for the government and that a lack of expertise might jeopardise a successful vaccination program.

Page 14: Building giant Grocon has wound up the corporate entity that contracted its bushfire clean-up, as part of the New Year’s Eve filing which placed three further bodies into administration.

Page 16: The move by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority to restrict bank dividends last year has given the sector an opportunity to reset payout ratios on to a more sustainable path, according to Citi’s Australian banks research head, Brendan Sproules.

The West Australian

Page 1: WA’s health system has been given a “wake-up call” after a paramedic, a nurse and a worker at Perth Airport who came into contact with the same returned UK traveller infected with COVID-19 all breached personal protection equipment protocols.

Page 4: An ACT politician has apologised for appearing to breach WA’s hard border by visiting NSW just days before holidaying in the historic town of York — and documenting it all on social media.

Page 6: The McGowan Government will pump nearly $60 million into services for at-risk youth if reelected in March’s State election.

Page 11: More than eight years after it was launched, doctors are refusing to use the electronic My Health Record that has cost taxpayers more than $2 billion.

Business: National contractor Decmil has entered the new year with some of its cleanest accounts ever and a focus on less risky contracts after a horror 12 months added to years of underperformance and pushed it to the brink, sparking sweeping board and management changes.

The new boss of mining giant Rio Tinto is under pressure to scrap controversial plans for a mine in Arizona that would destroy an area sacred to Native Americans.

Loan repayments placed in the deep freeze because of financial uncertainty fuelled by the coronavirus pandemic are trending down, according to the prudential watchdog.

WA’s 3900 grain farmers have cashed in on high commodity prices and delivered a bigger-than-expected crop valued at around $6 billion.

Hopes of a strong rebound this year for the airline industry — which suffered a $153 billion loss last year — is starting to fade amid further lockdowns and increased concern about travel because of the spread of a mutant strain of coronavirus.

China has reportedly increased its import quota for Australian wool this year, despite the ongoing trade war between the two countries.