Business owners say Premier’s plan will hurt traders
Local business owners with operations in South-East Asia say the McGowan Government’s decision to scrap its Asian Engagement portfolio and no longer have a dedicated trade commissioner in Indonesia “beggars belief”. The West
Tumble for Tulla on its ASX debut
The Maloney family’s Tulla Resources has insisted its strong prospects remain intact despite a disappointing ASX debut yesterday, in which its shares tanked 29 per cent from their issue price. The Fin
Woolworths makes vows in $552m deal
Woolworths has proposed undertakings to the competition regulator to secure a green light for its $552 million acquisition of a strategic stake in PFD Food Services amid strong opposition from independent distributors worried about the impact of the deal on the $12 billion sector. The Fin
Second best for Libs as fortress falls
Conservative stronghold Churchlands was on the brink of falling to Labor last night as the WA Nationals were confirmed as the State’s official opposition party for the next four years. The West
Single senator sinks jobs reform
Almost a year of negotiation and hard work has amounted to little with the government’s industrial relations omnibus bill gutted in the Senate and a cloud cast over the potential for future reform. The Fin
Afterpay readies for battle with CBA
Afterpay has a message for Commonwealth Bank of Australia as it aims to muscle in on the Australian behemoth of the buy now, pay later market: anything you can do, we can do better. The Fin
WA pay bumps the most generous in Australia
WA businesses will hand out the least number of salary increases nationally this year, but of those recipients, the pay bump will be the most generous. The West
Rules set to ease for skilled migrants
A parliamentary inquiry into skilled migration has recommended major changes to allow easier entry for foreign workers into Australia to help fill critical labour shortages. The Fin
Housing affordability getting worse
Housing affordability for new borrowers in Australia deteriorated in the five months to February because of rising housing prices but experts warn lending is not at worrying levels just yet. The Aus
Container jam holds up farming exports
WA’s agricultural exporters warn millions of dollars worth of goods are being choked up in the international shipping system, with some having to truck goods to the east coast to secure space on ships. The West
The Australian Financial Review
Page 1: Almost a year of negotiation and hard work has amounted to little with the government’s industrial relations omnibus bill gutted in the Senate and a cloud cast over the potential for future reform.
Afterpay has a message for Commonwealth Bank of Australia as it aims to muscle in on the Australian behemoth of the buy now, pay later market: anything you can do, we can do better.
Page 4: Changes to Australia’s strict foreign investment rules urged by US companies will be considered alongside a separate government review into the new regime.
Page 5: The $3 trillion superannuation industry will come under fresh scrutiny following the appointment of financial services lawyer and former regulator Margaret Cole to lead the prudential regulator’s enforcement against super funds.
Page 8: A parliamentary inquiry into skilled migration has recommended major changes to allow easier entry for foreign workers into Australia to help fill critical labour shortages.
Page 15: Around one hundred creditors of Greensill Capital’s Australian parent group are expected to join the first creditors’ meeting today, which will draw in Japan’s SoftBank and the US’s General Atlantic as well as Credit Suisse, as investors compete over what remains of the collapsed firm’s assets.
Page 16: Newly listed Liberty Financial Group is considering a bid for Westpac Banking Corp’s $11.5 billion car loans portfolio and has an interesting potential partner in tow.
Page 17: French waste management giant Veolia has begun legal action in the courts in France to try to prevent a $2 billion-plus sale of the Australian operations of takeover target Suez to ASX-listed Cleanaway.
Page 18: Big ASX-listed miners and energy producers in Papua New Guinea say they can continue to operate without disruption despite rising coronavirus infections and new challenges with moving workers between Australia and its northern neighbour.
Page 20: Woolworths has proposed undertakings to the competition regulator to secure a green light for its $552 million acquisition of a strategic stake in PFD Food Services amid strong opposition from independent distributors worried about the impact of the deal on the $12 billion sector.
Patties Foods, the owner of Four’N’Twenty Pies and Herbert Adams and Nannas baked goods, has scooped up a ready-to-eat meals business called Fitness Outcomes to add to a stable of businesses now generating annual sales of almost $500 million.
The Australian
Page 1: A surging labour market has driven the number of jobs in the nation above pre-pandemic levels and slashed the unemployment rate to 5.8 per cent, a result that reveals a workforce recovery running 10 months ahead of the Reserve Bank’s forecast.
Page 2: Australia risks being a late adopter of low-emissions electric and hydrogen trucks currently outlawed under outdated heavy vehicle regulations, with Tesla and the Australian Trucking Association demanding the rules be brought into line with the rest of the advanced world.
Page 4: Plunging overseas migration due to international travel restrictions has pushed Australia’s population lower for the first time since records began 40 years ago.
Page 5: Industry superannuation funds will launch a multi-million-dollar advertising campaign — covering television, radio and the internet — warning people that they will have to sell the family home if the Morrison government uses the May budget to make “adverse changes” to the system.
Page 9: AstraZeneca has refused to commit to providing Australia with any more doses of overseas-produced vaccines anytime soon as the European Union escalated its threats to block the export of more doses and canvassed seizing the company’s factory production, intellectual property rights and patents.
Page 17: The future of Victoria’s Portland aluminium smelter has been secured after a long awaited electricity supply deal was struck with the nation’s biggest energy retailers, saving 500 jobs and bringing an end to looming fears the facility would be axed.
Page 19: Housing affordability for new borrowers in Australia deteriorated in the five months to February because of rising housing prices but experts warn lending is not at worrying levels just yet.
Australian sport’s biggest investment fund, the Australian Olympic Foundation, managed to break even last year despite the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic that resulted in a double-digit decline in the valuation of its assets in the March quarter.
Page 20: Mining giant Glencore has signed an agreement for Mitsubishi Development to buy a 30 per cent stake in its $500m Aurukun bauxite project in Queensland’s western Cape York, ahead of an investment decision on the mine due late next year.
The West Australian
Page 11: Conservative stronghold Churchlands was on the brink of falling to Labor last night as the WA Nationals were confirmed as the State’s official opposition party for the next four years.
Page 16: The communal living trend that led to hippie communes of the 1970s appears to have morphed into hipster high-rise, with one due in a $500 million city skyscraper early next year.
Business: Local business owners with operations in South-East Asia say the McGowan Government’s decision to scrap its Asian Engagement portfolio and no longer have a dedicated trade commissioner in Indonesia “beggars belief”.
WA businesses will hand out the least number of salary increases nationally this year, but of those recipients, the pay bump will be the most generous.
A Senate committee has called on the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to expedite its investigations into Holden’s conduct in closing the car brand in Australia.
A $500 a week direct support payment will be provided to more than 8000 airline staff unable to work because of international border closures, as part of a seven-month extension of JobKeeper.
The Maloney family’s Tulla Resources has insisted its strong prospects remain intact despite a disappointing ASX debut yesterday, in which its shares tanked 29 per cent from their issue price.
WA’s agricultural exporters warn millions of dollars worth of goods are being choked up in the international shipping system, with some having to truck goods to the east coast to secure space on ships.