Morning Headlines

Premier no mate of ours: union

The union leader behind an unprecedented advertising blitz against Western Australia’s Labor government says Premier Mark McGowan has forgotten his union supporters and become too close to big business. The Aus

Suspect package hurled into Rockingham office

Police were last night hunting for a man who hurled a package containing powder into the Rockingham office of Mark McGowan, just four days before the State election. The West

Team Australia’s rallying cry for faster, safer reopening

States and territories must abandon their policy of eradication and stop closing borders every time there is a small outbreak of coronavirus, because the vaccine rollout is lessening the health risk and the economic recovery is at stake, business and political leaders say. The Fin

Post-JobKeeper loans for business

Small businesses being weaned off the $100 billion JobKeeper wage subsidy program will be offered interest-free loans under a government and commercial bank partnership to help firms hardest hit by the COVID-19 recession. The Fin

Company vaccine caution

The WA Health Department says it is too early for businesses to be looking at running their own vaccination programs, just days after the head of the Federal Government’s COVID-19 advisory group urged companies to prepare. The West

APRA probes Maritime-Hostplus deal

The prudential regulator is probing a $61 billion superannuation pooling arrangement between two industry super funds to determine if the deal is in members’ best interests. The Fin

Big ideas for maths fail the test

Plans for a world-class national school curriculum to arrest Australia’s declining academic results are in disarray after a proposal to base the teaching of mathematics around “big ideas” was rejected twice. The Aus

OECD jacks up Australia’s growth forecast

Australia’s economic growth forecast for this year has been significantly upgraded to a robust 4.5 per cent by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, cementing the nation as an international leader in the COVID-19 recovery. The Fin

Decommissioning body to ease $52b headache

An estimated bill of $52 billion to decommission all the offshore oil and gas platforms, vessels and flow lines around Australia could be cut by as much as 35 per cent under an industry initiative intended also to maximise opportunities for local businesses. The Fin

PayPal set for Australian buy now, pay later launch

PayPal is relishing the prospect of competing against global buy now, pay later rivals Afterpay, Klarna and Zip in the Australian market, after its BNPL solution ranked as the company’s most successful product launch in the US. The Aus

The Australian Financial Review

Page S1: States and territories must abandon their policy of eradication and stop closing borders every time there is a small outbreak of coronavirus, because the vaccine rollout is lessening the health risk and the economic recovery is at stake, business and political leaders say.

Page S2: The impact of the coronavirus pandemic on work patterns has accelerated the need to reimagine the planning of Australia’s cities, Labor leader Anthony Albanese says.

Page S3: Fortescue Metals’ boss says diplomatic tensions have not soured relations with its big customers in China where demand for iron ore remains strong, but says more behind-the-scenes diplomacy is needed to mend ties.

Japan’s top diplomat in Australia says Canberra is ‘‘not walking alone’’ in dealing with an increasingly aggressive China, signalling Tokyo’s willingness to work closely with the government to counter economic coercion and security threats in the region.

Page 1: Small businesses being weaned off the $100 billion JobKeeper wage subsidy program will be offered interest-free loans under a government and commercial bank partnership to help firms hardest hit by the COVID-19 recession.

Page 3: The prudential regulator is probing a $61 billion superannuation pooling arrangement between two industry super funds to determine if the deal is in members’ best interests.

Page 8: Australia’s economic growth forecast for this year has been significantly upgraded to a robust 4.5 per cent by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, cementing the nation as an international leader in the COVID-19 recovery.

Page 14: Sanjeev Gupta’s GFG Alliance is manouevring for some extra time to try to hammer out some replacement funding for a teetering global steel and manufacturing empire following the insolvency of main financier Greensill Capital.

Page 16: Australia’s largest waste management group, Cleanaway, has returned fire against French giant Veolia, saying it will not be frightened off by legal warnings over a potential deal between Cleanaway and Suez Australia.

Page 17: An estimated bill of $52 billion to decommission all the offshore oil and gas platforms, vessels and flow lines around Australia could be cut by as much as 35 per cent under an industry initiative intended also to maximise opportunities for local businesses.

Financial Review Rich Lister Chris Ellison has taken his iron ore growth ambitions beyond Australian shores, with the billionaire emerging as the sixth-top shareholder in a new African iron ore play.

The Australian

Page 1: Plans for a world-class national school curriculum to arrest Australia’s declining academic results are in disarray after a proposal to base the teaching of mathematics around “big ideas” was rejected twice.

Page 4: More than 40 per cent of Australia’s largest companies have “insufficient” climate change plans, with only one-fifth of the nation’s biggest firms disclosing science-based targets aligned with goals under the Paris Agreement.

Page 7: The union leader behind an unprecedented advertising blitz against Western Australia’s Labor government says Premier Mark McGowan has forgotten his union supporters and become too close to big business.

Page 13: The global tech wreck on international equities markets that caused the Nasdaq to plunge into official correction territory has proved seriously dangerous to the wealth of Australia’s leading technology entrepreneurs — led by Afterpay founders Anthony Eisen and Nick Molnar, who have collectively seen $2bn of their personal fortunes torched.

Page 15: Vocus chief Kevin Russell says he’s confident MIRA’s multi-billion-dollar takeover bid will succeed where others have failed, given the telco’s maturity and its newfound readiness to make a significant fibre infrastructure play across Australia and Asia.

Page 16: PayPal is relishing the prospect of competing against global buy now, pay later rivals Afterpay, Klarna and Zip in the Australian market, after its BNPL solution ranked as the company’s most successful product launch in the US.

The West Australian

Page 6: WA Liberal leader Zak Kirkup has accused Labor of running a “dirt unit” after revelations someone posting online under his name referred to the boss of Western Power as an “anal-penetrated CEO” and former treasurer Eric Ripper as a “man-whore”.

Zak Kirkup is open to talks with the Nationals about forming a coalition if he’s still WA Liberal leader after the election.

Page 14: Universities are tackling gendered violence with a new initiative launched to increase respect for women on campuses across the country.

Page 20: The McGowan Government will today announce a $10 million election commitment towards a new Aboriginal-specific health and aged-care facility in Queens Park.

Business: The WA Health Department says it is too early for businesses to be looking at running their own vaccination programs, just days after the head of the Federal Government’s COVID-19 advisory group urged companies to prepare.

In an industry first, WA’s agricultural exporters will share space in sea containers to offset the collapse in airfreight capacity fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Perth’s tech startups are increasingly making waves in the US — tapping into a lucrative market of 320 million diverse consumers — to spearhead broader expansion plans.

Business conditions and confidence in WA are riding well above the national average, as sandgropers continue to reap the rewards of a mining boom and soaring iron ore price.

Galaxy Resources could have three lithium projects in production globally by 2024 based on the proposed schedule for its James Bay project in Canada.