Morning Headlines

Heat on for Pindan meeting

Pindan Group’s administrators are preparing for a big turnout at a potentially fiery meeting of creditors today as they work to salvage something from the failed building company. The West

Qantas airs frequent-flyer points for jab

Billions of frequent flyer points along with travel vouchers and status credits could be rewarded to people who get COVID-19 jabs as Qantas pushes to get Australians vaccinated as quickly as possible. The Fin

War on red tape heats up

The next phase of the McGowan Government’s agenda to cut council red tape will launch today, with proposals to further streamline WA’s planning system. The West

Forrest sets cracking pace on a greener future as the nation’s rich get richer

After amassing a fortune of $27.2 billion, up about $4 billion in just six months, Andrew Forrest is not taking his foot off the entrepreneurial pedal. The Fin

Lockdown’s $1b hit to business

Business leaders predict Victoria’s seven-day lockdown will cost more than $1 billion and slammed the lack of federal and state financial support, warning that without a safety net the state was exposed to more job losses and company closures. The Fin

Business lifts spending amid ‘rapid recovery’

Booming confidence bolstered by government incentives lifted forecasts for business spending to a five-year high and drove 6 per cent growth over the March quarter, the largest increase in nearly a decade. The Fin

Travel bans, NBN woes hit 5G-bound Optus

Optus chief executive Kelly Bayer Rosmarin has criticised NBN Co for its poor customer service, saying the national broadband network operator needs to lift its game to help Optus keep its internet customers happy. The Fin

Forrest wins big as Swoop surges on ASX debut

Andrew Forrest-backed Swoop Telecommunications has made a stunning debut on the ASX – the stock has more than doubled in price within hours of a backdoor listing. The Fin

ME Bank hit with criminal charges on loans

The corporate regulator has slapped ME Bank with criminal charges in the Federal Court for making false or misleading representations and breaching the National Credit Code over a twoyear period. The Aus

Air passengers ‘not out of pocket’

New policies implemented by airlines during the pandemic should mean thousands of people affected by flight cancellations as a result of the seven-day Melbourne lockdown are not left out of pocket. The Aus

The Australian Financial Review

Page 1: Business leaders predict Victoria’s seven-day lockdown will cost more than $1 billion and slammed the lack of federal and state financial support, warning that without a safety net the state was exposed to more job losses and company closures.

After amassing a fortune of $27.2 billion, up about $4 billion in just six months, Andrew Forrest is not taking his foot off the entrepreneurial pedal.

Any decision by Labor to support the federal government’s stage three income tax cuts will curtail its ability to make spending promises in other areas, especially social policy, sources have warned.

Page 3: Billions of frequent flyer points along with travel vouchers and status credits could be rewarded to people who get COVID-19 jabs as Qantas pushes to get Australians vaccinated as quickly as possible.

Australia’s only maker of UHF CB radios and emergency beacons says the global supply chain shocks that are affecting its ability to secure the half a million components it needs are only getting worse.

Page 4: Pressure is building on the Morrison government to accelerate the rollout of the coronavirus vaccines, with the Prime Minister’s political opponents and the Victorian Labor government directly blaming him for the lockdown in Victoria.

Page 5: The vaccine strategy must change to recognise the fast-growing outbreak of the Indian variant of the COVID-19 virus, said experts who called for ‘‘ring vaccination’’ to suppress the Melbourne outbreak.

Page 10: Booming confidence bolstered by government incentives lifted forecasts for business spending to a five-year high and drove 6 per cent growth over the March quarter, the largest increase in nearly a decade.

Page 14: A landmark court ruling could hamper the Australian government’s plan for a ‘‘gas-led recovery’’ from the pandemic after the nation’s second-biggest gas exporter was ordered by a Dutch court to make faster and deeper cuts to its carbon emissions.

Page 16: Commonwealth Bank is stepping onto the turf of big retailing platforms such as eBay and Afterpay, unveiling plans to refer sales to retailers and use its popular app to bring its mortgage customers better deals from energy and broadband utilities and other businesses.

Page 18: Pizza Hut’s owner, Yum! Brands, has agreed to buy ASX-listed Dragontail Systems for $94 million, a move that may end the food technology company’s two-year relationship with Australia’s largest pizza chain, Domino’s Pizza Enterprises.

Page 21: Optus chief executive Kelly Bayer Rosmarin has criticised NBN Co for its poor customer service, saying the national broadband network operator needs to lift its game to help Optus keep its internet customers happy.

Page 23: Andrew Forrest-backed Swoop Telecommunications has made a stunning debut on the ASX – the stock has more than doubled in price within hours of a backdoor listing.

The Australian

Page 2: Christian Porter has been stripped of his high-profile barrister as he enters mediation with the ABC to try to settle his blockbuster defamation claim against the public broadcaster.

Page 6: Senior public servant and army reserve officer Kathryn Campbell is being tipped as a frontrunner to replace Frances Adamson as Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade secretary, with Scott Morrison expected to finalise his decision within weeks.

Page 15: Business leaders are calling for the acceleration of the Covid-19 vaccination program as a national priority as Victoria enters its fourth lockdown, to lift the pace of economic recovery.

Page 18: Former Cleanaway chief executive Vik Bansal has been appointed CEO and board member of steel product manufacturer and supplier InfraBuild, part of Sanjeev Gupta’s GFG Alliance, owner of the Whyalla steelworks in South Australia.

Page 19: The corporate regulator has slapped ME Bank with criminal charges in the Federal Court for making false or misleading representations and breaching the National Credit Code over a two-year period.

Page 20: New policies implemented by airlines during the pandemic should mean thousands of people affected by flight cancellations as a result of the seven-day Melbourne lockdown are not left out of pocket.

The West Australian

Page 5: Aged-care residents no longer need to wait two weeks between getting the influenza and COVID-19 vaccines in response to Victoria’s growing outbreak.

Page 7: Hundreds of travellers arrived in Perth from Melbourne yesterday only to be told on the tarmac that they would face 14 days in quarantine.

Page 9: Professor John Yovich, a leading racing identity and one of WA’s most eminent veterinary surgeons, has been accused of inappropriate workplace conduct and was stood down immediately.

Page 22: The next phase of the McGowan Government’s agenda to cut council red tape will launch today, with proposals to further streamline WA’s planning system.

Business: Pindan Group’s administrators are preparing for a big turnout at a potentially fiery meeting of creditors today as they work to salvage something from the failed building company.

A long-time member of WA’s gambling regulator has admitted the powerful panel didn’t once proactively pursue the serious issues swirling around Crown — which included links to organised crime, the arrests of staff in China and alleged industrial-scale money laundering.

Northern Star Resources has signalled its arrival as a mature, top-50 ASX company by announcing a dividend reinvestment plan for investors.

BHP Group is in talks with Nutrien about a potential partnership in its massive Canadian potash venture as the world’s biggest mining company moves closer to a final decision on the project.