Morning Headlines

Refineries get $2b to stay open

The taxpayer will pay the country’s two remaining oil refineries up to $2.3 billion to stop them closing down, a move that would have cost 1250 jobs and left Australia entirely reliant on imported petrol and diesel at a time of growing regional tension. The Fin

Medicos call for plan to reopen border

A growing chorus of medical experts, including advisers to federal and state governments, are demanding a national plan to gradually reopen the international border and adjust quarantine for returned travellers as vaccines are deployed. The Fin

Regulator up first in latest Crown inquiry

Crown Resort’s Victorian regulator will be questioned today on the first day of six weeks of hearings for the state’s royal commission, with the initial focus on the arrest of Crown staff in China and dodgy junket operators. The Fin

Deal plea to stop blackout

Western Power is hoping it can hammer out an urgent peace deal when it meets with the Electrical Trades Union today, averting a two-day strike across the South West of WA this week. The West

Roadblock lifted on Cosmo Gold

The McGowan Government has lifted the main blockage in the float of eastern Goldfields explorer Cosmo Gold. The West

BHP considers $7bn coal exit

Parties are said to be considering an acquisition of the unloved parts of the world’s second-largest miner, BHP, that have been earmarked for a $7bn-odd sale or demerger. The Aus

Tourism board exodus

Tourism WA is facing an exodus of half its board members — including the chairman — leaving the embattled board with just five commissioners. The West

Ignore hard sell on big projects: Grattan

Governments can slash the cost of big road and rail projects by refusing to stump up cash to fix problems after contracts have been signed and rejecting unsolicited proposals, the Grattan Institute has found. The Fin

Business wants negotiation, not war

The nation’s peak industry association has urged the federal government to calm tensions with China through “negotiation, common sense and diplomacy”, but not at the expense of Australia’s national interests. The Aus

Unions, bosses unite on super’s ‘serious flaws’

The Coalition is under increasing pressure to make significant changes to its proposed superannuation bill, with employers and unions jointly demanding the Senate reject it outright and a key crossbencher calling for substantial amendments. The Aus

The Australian Financial Review

Page 1: The taxpayer will pay the country’s two remaining oil refineries up to $2.3 billion to stop them closing down, a move that would have cost 1250 jobs and left Australia entirely reliant on imported petrol and diesel at a time of growing regional tension.

Page 3: A growing chorus of medical experts, including advisers to federal and state governments, are demanding a national plan to gradually reopen the international border and adjust quarantine for returned travellers as vaccines are deployed.

With Australians condemned to holiday at home for at least another year, the cruise industry has lashed out at the federal government’s refusal to allow small ships with vaccinated crews into domestic waters to get holidaymakers moving – and deliver millions of tourism dollars to coastal towns.

Page 8: Crown Resort’s Victorian regulator will be questioned today on the first day of six weeks of hearings for the state’s royal commission, with the initial focus on the arrest of Crown staff in China and dodgy junket operators.

Page 9: The Defence Department is on track to underspend by more than $10 billion on new equipment by 2023, despite high-level warnings about the risk of war, according to Labor’s analysis of budget papers.

Page 14: The federal government’s modern manufacturing strategy is dependent on a national training effort that lifts the skills base of the Australian workforce, according to a new report.

Page 17: New research shows members of super funds with less than $20 billion in assets have higher standards of living in retirement and customer service satisfaction than those in mega funds, flying in the face of regulator and government demands that smaller players merge.

Page 18: Governments can slash the cost of big road and rail projects by refusing to stump up cash to fix problems after contracts have been signed and rejecting unsolicited proposals, the Grattan Institute has found.

The Australian

Page 1: An overwhelming majority of voters back a Fortress Australia international borders policy and want them to remain closed until the global pandemic is under control, as Scott Morrison faces calls from business leaders and a ginger group of his own inner-city Liberal MPs to reopen the country as soon as possible.

Page 2: The nation’s peak industry association has urged the federal government to calm tensions with China through “negotiation, common sense and diplomacy”, but not at the expense of Australia’s national interests.

Page 4: The Coalition is under increasing pressure to make significant changes to its proposed superannuation bill, with employers and unions jointly demanding the Senate reject it outright and a key crossbencher calling for substantial amendments.

Page 7: Indigenous leader Noel Pearson says teachers in Australia’s most remote schools are not properly equipped to provide the quality teaching that disadvantaged students need, arguing that the country’s educational establishment has thrown the challenge in the “too hard basket”.

Page 13: Coal-fired supplies into the electricity grid plummeted to a record low in the first quarter of 2021, with gas also plunging, as rampant rooftop solar and mild summer demand saw a continuation of low wholesale power prices.

Page 14: Parties are said to be considering an acquisition of the unloved parts of the world’s second-largest miner, BHP, that have been earmarked for a $7bn-odd sale or demerger.

The West Australian

Page 4: Scott Morrison wants Australians who have been vaccinated to be exempted from State-imposed hard borders and renewed his praise for NSW for doing “all the heavy lifting” of quarantining returning travellers.

Page 9: Just 150 students at WA’s top university have admitted sharing their work on cheat sites in response to an amnesty offer.

Page 10: Tourism WA is facing an exodus of half its board members — including the chairman — leaving the embattled board with just five commissioners.

Business: Western Power is hoping it can hammer out an urgent peace deal when it meets with the Electrical Trades Union today, averting a two-day strike across the South West of WA this week.

The McGowan Government has lifted the main blockage in the float of eastern Goldfields explorer Cosmo Gold.