Morning Headlines

Forrest to bring RM Williams home

Rich Lister and iron ore magnate Andrew Forrest says he will spend ‘‘whatever it takes’’ to return the 35 per cent of production which is offshore at boot and clothing maker RM Williams, back to Australia. The Fin

Skills crunch fears grow

Regis Resources boss Jim Beyer has joined a chorus of voices expressing fears of a skills crunch in WA, admitting the gold miner is finding it more difficult to attract and retain staff amid border restrictions and as workers experience COVID fatigue. The West

Rare earths gain on US makeover

Joe Biden’s administration has sent a strong signal that it backs Australia’s growing integration into US supply chains for rare earths and other critical minerals at the heart of the growing electric vehicles, renewable energy and battery revolution. The Fin

$100k jobs go begging

WA’s drilling companies are struggling to fill unskilled roles on a starting salary of $100,000 as the industry hits boom-time demand. The West

Stan unveils Sport pricing

Subscription video-on-demand business Stan has officially unveiled its pricing for its sports offering, pitching it at $10 a month with a 30-day free trial. The Fin

Retailers flush with cash but may disappoint

Investors hoping for a dividend bonanza from retailers wallowing in cash after unprecedented retail spending during the pandemic could be left disappointed this half-year profit season. The Fin

S&P’s climate crackdown nets Woodside

Woodside Petroleum has been caught up in the Standard & Poor’s global crackdown on climate and industry risks within the oil and gas sector, as its credit rating is placed on notice for a potential downgrade. The Fin

Technology 'correction coming'

Shares in some unprofitable tech companies are reaching “unbelievable” levels in a market “frenzy” as governments and central banks around the world “pump” sharemarkets, but a correction at some point is inevitable, according to Future Fund chairman Peter Costello. The Aus

Iluka to give back JobKeeper money

Iluka Resources says it will return $13.6m worth of JobKeeper payments after an upturn in the market for its core mineral sands products, joining Toyota and Super Retail Group in returning the cash assistance to the federal treasury. The Aus

The Australian Financial Review

Page 1: Joe Biden’s administration has sent a strong signal that it backs Australia’s growing integration into US supply chains for rare earths and other critical minerals at the heart of the growing electric vehicles, renewable energy and battery revolution.

The federal government is all but resolved to build a gas-fired power station in the Hunter Valley amid rising pessimism the private sector will fill the generation gap to be created when the Liddell coal-fired plant closes in late 2022.

Page 2: Subscription video-on-demand business Stan has officially unveiled its pricing for its sports offering, pitching it at $10 a month with a 30-day free trial.

Page 5: Employers can’t rely on public health advice to not pay wages when they direct staff to stay away from work due to COVID-19 fears, according to a new workplace ruling.

Page 12: Investors hoping for a dividend bonanza from retailers wallowing in cash after unprecedented retail spending during the pandemic could be left disappointed this half-year profit season.

Rich Lister and iron ore magnate Andrew Forrest says he will spend ‘‘whatever it takes’’ to return the 35 per cent of production which is offshore at boot and clothing maker RM Williams, back to Australia.

Page 14: Beach Energy shares fell sharply after the oil and gas producer posted a ‘‘mixed’’ second quarter as production, sales, realised prices and revenue came in below analyst expectations.

Page 15: Woodside Petroleum has been caught up in the Standard & Poor’s global crackdown on climate and industry risks within the oil and gas sector, as its credit rating is placed on notice for a potential downgrade.

The Australian

Page 1: One third of urgent cases failed to receive on-time treatment in the nation’s emergency departments and patients are waiting longer for elective surgery even as governments pour more money into the health system, the Productivity Commission has found.

Public debt will more than double to $1.75 trillion in the next five years and “seriously weaken” the financial position of states, territories and the federal government, according to new analysis by the Centre for Independent Studies.

Google’s digital advertising dominance and potential misuse of market power will be pursued by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission, which has raised concerns over the tech giant’s stranglehold on personalised display ads.

Page 2: Rosemary Rogers, the disgraced former chief of staff to NAB chief executive Andrew Thorburn, has been jailed for eight years, with a non-parole period of four years and nine months, for her part in a multimillion-dollar fraud scam.

Page 6: Former president Donald Trump is almost certain to be acquitted in his forthcoming Senate impeachment trial after 45 Republican senators voted that the trial was unconstitutional.

Page 13: Shares in some unprofitable tech companies are reaching “unbelievable” levels in a market “frenzy” as governments and central banks around the world “pump” sharemarkets, but a correction at some point is inevitable, according to Future Fund chairman Peter Costello.

Page 16: Iluka Resources says it will return $13.6m worth of JobKeeper payments after an upturn in the market for its core mineral sands products, joining Toyota and Super Retail Group in returning the cash assistance to the federal treasury.

Page 17: Richard Branson-backed payments group TransferWise is joining forces with global card giant Visa in a partnership that facilitates a faster expansion of the fintech’s multi-currency debit cards.

The West Australian

Page 3: WA’s drilling companies are struggling to fill unskilled roles on a starting salary of $100,000 as the industry hits boom-time demand.

Page 5: A WA Liberal Party candidate sensationally quit yesterday after she peddled a bizarre conspiracy theory linking 5G technology with COVID-19 on a Christian conservative website.

Page 9: Adding another 500 teachers to provide more individual attention for children is top of the pre-election wish list for the teachers’ union.

Page 10: American superstar Serena Williams has backed Australia’s “insane” quarantine rules, insisting that we’re “doing it right” Down Under.

Page 11: Perth’s office vacancy rate remains the worst in the country, with one in five sitting empty — but it is the last mining downturn and not the coronavirus pandemic that is to blame.

Business: Regis Resources boss Jim Beyer has joined a chorus of voices expressing fears of a skills crunch in WA, admitting the gold miner is finding it more difficult to attract and retain staff amid border restrictions and as workers experience COVID fatigue.

The consumer price index for Perth has fallen for the first time in 23 years on an annual basis.

Auto group Eagers Automotive has joined the list of retailers doing better than expected during COVID-19, flagging an upbeat profit on the back of surging demand for new and used cars.