Morning Headlines

Rio rolls out WA jab plan

Mining giant Rio Tinto is proposing to repurpose its COVID-19 screening clinics in the Pilbara and facilities at airports to help vaccinate remote communities and its fly-in, fly-out workforce. The West

CBA tipped for $5.5b buyback, big div

Commonwealth Bank is poised to unleash billions of dollars of surplus capital, including a $5.5 billion buyback and $3.5 billion in dividends, in a show of financial strength despite the uncertainties of prolonged lockdowns when it delivers full-year results on Wednesday. The Fin

WA jab rate set to hit crucial 80% mark by mid-December

The WA vaccination rollout is on track to provide a second jab to 80 per cent of all adults by Christmas, with hesitancy now looming as the only potential obstacle to a permanent return to increased freedoms by the end of the year. The West

$2bn extra to ease strain on health        

Western Australia will pump almost $2bn of extra funding into its health system as it looks to ease the strain that has plagued its hospitals in recent months. The Aus

High Court ruling bolsters gig economy

On-demand delivery contractor Deliveroo will use a High Court judgment bolstering freedom of contract to try to overrule a decision that its riders are really employees entitled to minimum wages. The Fin

Reform needed before new NDIS funding deal, says minister

The Commonwealth says the states must agree to reform the National Disability Insurance Scheme before finalising a new joint funding agreement in two years, as new data reaffirms the cost of the multibillion-dollar program is spiralling towards unsustainability and not delivering the results it was meant to. The Fin

Children over 12 to be vaccinated this year

Vaccines are likely to be approved and available for all children aged 12 and above from around October and jabs will be administered at schools and medical centres, federal Health Minister Greg Hunt says. The Fin

Call to ‘embed’ SBS with migrants

Critical information about lockdowns and vaccinations is not cutting through with non-English speaking communities in Covid hot spots, with Australia’s multicultural public broadcaster SBS under fire for not doing more to engage with ethnic groups during the pandemic. The Aus

‘We’re back,’ says Foxtel boss as he eyes ASX listing

Foxtel chief executive Patrick Delany has declared the struggling pay TV company is back in growth and focused on a broad portfolio of brands to reach Australians keen to stream content, as residential broadcast subscribers continue to decline. The Fin

Banks warned over debt frenzy

The banking regulator became increasing worried about the frenzied pace of home lending in April, and warned the nation’s banks not to relax standards and to ensure borrowers weren’t taking on excessive debt in the face of ultralow interest rates, according to new internal documents. The Aus

The Australian Financial Review

Page 1: NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian plans to offer incentives for vaccinations as part of a path to normality, which will include loosening a lockdown next month that has confined more than 6 million people to their homes.

On-demand delivery contractor Deliveroo will use a High Court judgment bolstering freedom of contract to try to overrule a decision that its riders are really employees entitled to minimum wages.

Page 2: The Commonwealth says the states must agree to reform the National Disability Insurance Scheme before finalising a new joint funding agreement in two years, as new data reaffirms the cost of the multibillion-dollar program is spiralling towards unsustainability and not delivering the results it was meant to.

Page 3: The Tokyo Olympics showed large sporting events could safely be held in a pandemic and challenged policy makers to show why such events should not be held – rather than asking why they should, veteran Games administrator Sandy Holloway said.

Page 6: Vaccines are likely to be approved and available for all children aged 12 and above from around October and jabs will be administered at schools and medical centres, federal Health Minister Greg Hunt says.

Page 12: Singapore will begin a two-tiered system for international arrivals later this month as the city state moves to reclaim its status as a travel and business hub.

Page 15: Telecommunications bigwig Telstra is set to acquire Australian patient management software company MedicalDirector.

Page 16: Commonwealth Bank is poised to unleash billions of dollars of surplus capital, including a $5.5 billion buyback and $3.5 billion in dividends, in a show of financial strength despite the uncertainties of prolonged lockdowns when it delivers full-year results on Wednesday.

Page 17: Ocean freight rates to move containers by sea to Australia are surging because of strong demand for imported goods and materials during the COVID-19 pandemic, creating record profits for shipping lines but intensifying financial pressure on importers.

Page 18: Westpac is hopeful that it has fully resolved the problems that took its flagship wealth platform offline for a week as a push for compensation builds among outraged financial advisers and private investors.

Page 19: Foxtel chief executive Patrick Delany has declared the struggling pay TV company is back in growth and focused on a broad portfolio of brands to reach Australians keen to stream content, as residential broadcast subscribers continue to decline.

NBN Co will expand its ‘‘enterprise ethernet’’ product to a further 60,000 eligible premises and introduce a range of discounts into the wholesale business sector to step up its attack on the market.

The Australian

Page 1: Australia’s special envoy to India, Tony Abbott, says the conclusion of a trade deal with New Delhi would signal the “democratic world’s tilt away from China” and has placed Australia’s relations with India, Japan and Beijing at the heart of an escalating global contest to shape the world order.

Page 2: Scott Morrison is facing calls from business and energy analysts to significantly boost his 2030 emissions-reduction targets, as the UN’s climate change authority warns the globe is warming faster than anticipated.

Page 7: Western Australia will pump almost $2bn of extra funding into its health system as it looks to ease the strain that has plagued its hospitals in recent months.

Page 15: The banking regulator became increasing worried about the frenzied pace of home lending in April, and warned the nation’s banks not to relax standards and to ensure borrowers weren’t taking on excessive debt in the face of ultralow interest rates, according to new internal documents.

A whistleblower complaint over bullying that triggered the exit of Oil Search chief executive Keiran Wulff also raised concerns that the now deposed boss was too close to the company’s chairman, Rick Lee, potentially jeopardising the chances of a fair hearing.

Page 18: Nano is reaping the benefits of its digital home loan application model as long processing times and Covid outbreaks offshore blow out bank mortgage applications.

Page 21: Critical information about lockdowns and vaccinations is not cutting through with non-English speaking communities in Covid hot spots, with Australia’s multicultural public broadcaster SBS under fire for not doing more to engage with ethnic groups during the pandemic.

The West Australian

Page 4: The public health system has lost 40 midwives over the past year — despite a massive baby boom and the specialist nurses being targeted as a priority recruitment focus to ease pressure on WA’s hospitals.

The WA vaccination rollout is on track to provide a second jab to 80 per cent of all adults by Christmas, with hesitancy now looming as the only potential obstacle to a permanent return to increased freedoms by the end of the year.

Page 10: A Morrison Government senator has taken aim at Western Australia’s legal establishment, accusing the head of the WA Bar Association of trying to “intimidate” her and calling on him to consider his position.

Business: Mining giant Rio Tinto is proposing to repurpose its COVID-19 screening clinics in the Pilbara and facilities at airports to help vaccinate remote communities and its fly-in, fly-out workforce.

WA may have escaped a lockdown but its resilient economy could yet be exposed to the flow-on effects of having four other States under varying degrees of restrictions.

A huge swathe of Goldfields pastoral land is set to return to Australian hands after its Chinese owner struck a deal with an east coast cattle company.