Morning Headlines

WA tourism stars hit by lockdowns

Rolling winter lockdowns on the eastern seaboard have plunged WA’s tourism sector into its biggest crisis since coronavirus first spread across Australia last year, a survey of businesses has revealed. The West

Will Andrew Forrest derail Huon takeover?

Andrew Forrest’s Tattarang is being tipped as likely to emerge as the holder of a stake of up to 19.9 per cent in Tasmanian salmon producer Huon in the coming days, in a move that could derail an agreed deal by JBS to buy the business for $425m, excluding debt. The Aus

Accenture tops $1.2b splash on consultants

Accenture won government contracts worth more than $340 million last financial year, putting the firm firmly ahead of its big four rivals and underpinning a near-record taxpayer haul for the five major consultancies. The Fin

Former ASIC enforcer backs market disclosure overhaul

The corporate regulator’s former top enforcer says a major overhaul of sharemarket disclosure laws are a game-changer, and will eventually drive down the cost of directors’ and officers’ insurance. The Fin

Regions the winner in $3.6b spectrum spree

Regional and rural Australians are set to benefit from a spectrum auction later this year as JPMorgan analysts predict major telcos will spend up to $3.6 billion to help accelerate their 5G rollouts. The Fin

Billionaire backs State’s tech hub credentials

WA could become the nation’s next high-tech hub, according to one of Australia’s most successful IT titans. The West

Unis hit by Gulf student blackout

Australian universities stand to lose thousands of students from the oil-rich Gulf states after Saudi Arabia, Oman and the UAE recently suspended government and corporate scholarships to study in Australia because of border closures and dissatisfaction with online learning. The Aus

UK doctors to the rescue for WA hospitals

The State Government will fly 209 junior doctors from Britain to help deal with WA’s struggling health system — and launch a recruitment drive to attract overseas nurses to join them. The West

Parents reeling as COVID hurts in-home child care

Perth is in the grip of a nanny shortage as COVID border closures keep grandparents out, more people work from home and international au pairs are shut out of the market. The West

State’s millennials boast bulging portfolios

New research by Stake, an Australian-owned US share trading platform, found almost half of WA investors aged between 18-40 had a portfolio worth more than $500,000. The West

The Australian Financial Review

Page 1: NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant has set a tough standard for reopening the state from its extended COVID-19 lockdown and warned that some public health restrictions, such as wearing masks, will have to remain even after 70 per cent of people are fully vaccinated.

Scott Morrison has admitted for the first time that Australian companies and mortgage lenders could struggle to access global financial markets as big capital ramps up its push to decarbonise the global economy.

Page 3: The corporate regulator’s former top enforcer says a major overhaul of sharemarket disclosure laws are a game-changer, and will eventually drive down the cost of directors’ and officers’ insurance.

Page 9: Accenture won government contracts worth more than $340 million last financial year, putting the firm firmly ahead of its big four rivals and underpinning a near-record taxpayer haul for the five major consultancies.

Page 14: Under siege retailer Myer and its bankers are testing the waters for an ‘‘OnlineCo’’ joint venture or spin-off, which in theory could see a new strategic or financial investor take a stake in its $600 million a year online retail business.

Page 15: Regional and rural Australians are set to benefit from a spectrum auction later this year as JPMorgan analysts predict major telcos will spend up to $3.6 billion to help accelerate their 5G rollouts.

NBN Co’s average residential revenue has stalled at $45 per user per month with just 24 months left for the state-owned entity to lift this to $49 and avoid a potential write-down that may cut into the federal budget’s bottom line.

Page 16: Computershare profits took a hit over the past financial year, with the service tech company pointing to rock-bottom interest rates and US restrictions on mortgage foreclosures as the cause.

The Australian

Page 1: Scott Morrison says reducing emissions in China, India and other developing nations is the only way to avoid catastrophic climate change, arguing his plan to tackle global warming through “technology, not taxes” would help drive clean energy uptake in emerging nations.

Afterpay co-founder Anthony Eisen wants Australia to become the “head office for global tech companies” and compete with Silicon Valley and Tel Aviv, joining Atlassian boss Scott Farquhar and Tesla chair Robyn Denholm in a push to drive the fast-growing sector above one million jobs by 2025.

Page 3: Australian universities stand to lose thousands of students from the oil-rich Gulf states after Saudi Arabia, Oman and the UAE recently suspended government and corporate scholarships to study in Australia because of border closures and dissatisfaction with online learning.

Page 5: The hospitality industry is calling for mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations as a pathway out of lockdown, as cases climbed to record levels in NSW on Tuesday and as officials continued to weigh vaccination targets as a method of gradually easing restrictions.

Page 13: Australian corporations face escalating pressure from investors to accelerate their climate change ambitions, with companies needing to fast-track their net zero emissions policies to avoid a major climate tipping point.

The former boss and one-time chief financial officer of Crown Resorts did not receive any in-depth anti-money laundering training until last year, just months before a NSW inquiry forced him to resign over his failure to probe indications of money laundering in company accounts.

Page 14: Andrew Forrest’s Tattarang is being tipped as likely to emerge as the holder of a stake of up to 19.9 per cent in Tasmanian salmon producer Huon in the coming days, in a move that could derail an agreed deal by JBS to buy the business for $425m, excluding debt.

The West Australian

Page 4: Scott Morrison has vowed to join forces with Mark McGowan to help defend WA against Clive Palmer’s “absurd threat” to derail the COVID-19 vaccination rollout.

Gladys Berejiklian’s top health official has finally admitted NSW made a crucial mistake in waiting too long to lock down Sydney — on a day when the State recorded its worst-ever coronavirus numbers.

Page 6: The State Government will fly 209 junior doctors from Britain to help deal with WA’s struggling health system — and launch a recruitment drive to attract overseas nurses to join them.

Perth is in the grip of a nanny shortage as COVID border closures keep grandparents out, more people work from home and international au pairs are shut out of the market.

Page 8: WA could become the nation’s next high-tech hub, according to one of Australia’s most successful IT titans.

Rockingham’s most famous resident, Mark McGowan, has downplayed rumours he’s moving, after being spotted checking out multimillion-dollar homes at the weekend, saying “like many people, I had a look”.

Page 12: WA’s most senior road safety official has confessed to recently driving through red lights, but denies other claims made about his treatment of staff within the Road Safety Commission.

Page 17: One of Australia’s most prominent lawyers has accused the WA Bar Association of defending “racism” and “anti-Semitism”.

Business: Rolling winter lockdowns on the eastern seaboard have plunged WA’s tourism sector into its biggest crisis since coronavirus first spread across Australia last year, a survey of businesses has revealed.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has defended leaving most businesses that make coronavirus vaccination mandatory at the mercy of courts.

Australian Potash boss Matt Shackleton says instability in Belarus — one of the largest producers of the commodity — highlights the need to develop a sulphate of potash industry in WA to shore up supply of the fertiliser product to farmers and overseas markets.

New research by Stake, an Australian-owned US share trading platform, found almost half of WA investors aged between 18-40 had a portfolio worth more than $500,000.

WA business confidence is the nation’s strongest but has fallen as the country grapples with the ongoing fallout of lockdowns in every other State.

Australia’s biggest rail freight operator plans to recruit 140 train drivers and 50 trainees and apprentices in regional WA after signing a long-term contract to cart CBH Group’s grain.

Bitcoin surged to a nearly three-month high as US policy makers hashed out last-minute compromises over how to tax crypto assets.

Challenger is on the lookout for a new leader after long-time chief executive Richard Howes announced his departure after 18 years with the financial services group.